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Flip the Fair 2025 Inspired Young Minds and Future Scientists from Roanoke City Public Schools

A large group of 25-30 people stand in rows in front of a wall decorated with colorful blocks. Most are wearing bright green t-shirts that read, "Flip the Fair" with colorful science lab beakers below "Flip the Fair"
A team of volunteer graduate students, library staff, public school officials, and others supported the 2025 Flip the Fair event. Photo courtesy of Amber Lowery.

Flip the Fair celebrated its fourth year this fall, continuing the tradition that began in 2022. This event invited fifth grade students from Roanoke City Public Schools to step into the role of science fair judges, exploring twenty Virginia Tech graduate students' posters displayed throughout the Melrose Branch Library in Roanoke. Flip the Fair's impact continues to grow, with 450 students from six schools throughout Roanoke City engaging this year.

A man in a bright green t-shirt stands before his poster displaying particles to a group of young students, who are each sticking a finger into an unknown container
Jubel Kurian guides Roanoke City kids through a fun and interactive learning session about self-cleaning filtration technology in helicopters. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    Amber Lowery, assistant director for youth and family services at Roanoke Public Libraries, described Flip the Fair as “the most impactful event we do” in her 20 years of experience. She noted that while it’s a large event, “it never feels like the burden is too great,” adding that it represents a strong collaboration between Virginia Tech, the library, and Roanoke City Public Schools. 

    Reflecting on the teamwork behind the scenes, she added,“It’s like we each pick up a corner, and that makes it an easier lift for all of us.” Lowery and Tom Fitzpatrick, science supervisor for Roanoke City Public Schools, spoke about the event on WFXR Fox, where Lowrey shared how seriously the students take their judging roles, even grading to a decimal point level.

 

A group of three 5th graders gather around a clip board and judging sheet, pensively staring at the judging sheet. An adult with them in a bright green t-shirtobserves, smiling.
The 5th grade judges stayed busy, carefully considering what scores to give each presenter. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    Fitzpatrick shared that judging gives students a sense of responsibility and that they truly enjoy being part of a meaningful and exciting experience. Roanoke Valley Television also created a video of the event, sharing insight on this year’s Flip the Fair and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look. Watch the full story here!

A smiling woman in a bright green flip the fair shirt stands in front of a colorful tri-fold poster that reads "Viral Language" at the top and features images of animals , viruses, and a computer.
Blessy Antony wowed 5th graders with her poster and presentation on viral language, teaching computers the ABC’s of viruses. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    Graduate students from Virginia Tech's Transational Biology, Medicine, and Health program, Megan Evans and Amanda Hensley (also an Interfaces of Global Change fellow), served as the lead organizers for the 2025 Flip the Fair, helping shape the vision and coordination of the program. Their leadership has been key to the event’s growth and success. In partnership with Roanoke Public Libraries and Roanoke City Public Schools, Flip the Fair has become a celebrated experience for students and researchers alike. 

A man in a red baseball cap and bright green flip the fair t-shirt holds a large black snack in hand, displaying it to a group of 5th graders gathered around his exhibit table.
Jeff Anderson, Jr., shares a snake during his presentation, “The Perfect Strike,” which proved to be a perfect hit with students. Photo by Lauren Tucker for Virginia Tech.

    A dedicated team of volunteers, whose support was essential to the event’s success, helped bring Flip the Fair to life by welcoming school groups, guiding students between posters, assembling goodie bags, and managing a variety of behind-the-scene tasks that kept the event running smoothly.

A smiling woman in a bright green flip the fair t-shirt hands a large shovel to a laughing girl in a head scarf. A featured girl and woman in the near background laugh at the exchange.
Presenter Caroline Wolcott demonstrates the weight of the equipment she uses in the field. The kids had a blast exploring, experimenting, and getting involved. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    Presenters at Flip the Fair said they were amazed by the curiosity and deep thinking of their fifth grade judges, who often asked questions that reached beyond the posters in front of them. Waris Khan’s talk on fusion energy, described as “science video games,” sparked questions not just about energy but the cosmos, including “How do stars reproduce?” and “What about black holes?” Kelsey Reed’s work on plant regeneration led one student to ask, “What happens when a seed breaks apart?”, opening the door to a discussion about turning single plant cells into whole new plants.

     For many presenters, these thoughtful, unexpected questions were a powerful reminder of curiosity and that the boldness to ask big questions is at the heart of both science and science communication.

 

A man stands in front of colorful tri-fold poster, smiling and animated, speaking to children sitting on a circle before him
Waris Khan shows Roanoke City students how smart computers can unlock the sun’s potential. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

Flip the Fair 2025 winners, selected by the fifth grade judges:

Best Overall Communicator:

Laura Simpson, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, "Filtration: Making Clean Water for Everyone!"

Curious Questioner (the “Why?”):  

1st Place, Hannah Brown, Biological Sciences and Pathology, "Growing Mini Organs to Study Picky Viruses"

2nd Place, Juan Hernandez Sanchez, Biological Sciences, "Do Microbes Sleep?"

3rd Place, Caroline Wolcott, Plant and Environmental Sciences, "Soil Health: Soils Need  Physicals Too"

Methods Master (the “How?”):  

1st Place, Kelsey Reed, Plant and Environmental Sciences, "Growing a Plant from One Cell"

2nd Place, Blessy Antony, Computer Sciences, "Viral Language: Teaching Computers the  Virus Alphabet"

3rd Place, Peter Rhynard, Geosciences, "Different Dinosaurs: Sinuses & Species"

Radical Results (the “What?”):

1st Place, Victor Olayemi, Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, "Do Cooperative Extension Workers Have Enough Food?"

2nd Place, Jeff Anderson, Jr., Biological Sciences, "The Perfect Strike"

3rd Place, Sam Hedges, Physics, "Searching for Cosmic Particles in Rocks!"

Prettiest Poster:  

1st Place, Marianne Beaulieu, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, "Poop to the Rescue"

2nd Place, James Moloney, Biochemistry, "Mosquitoes Eat Nectar?! Toxic Plants and  Invasive Mosquitoes"

3rd Place, Simba Srivastava, Geosciences, "Latitudinal Dinosaur Gradient? Dinosaurs of the Coelophysis Quarry"

A woman in a bright green t-shirt that says "Flip the Fair" smiles in front of a table displaying a tri-fold poster stating "filtration" in big, gold letters. Water jugs and paper cups sit upon the table.
Best overall communicator goes to Laura Simpson with her presentation about filtration and the process of making clean water. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

This year’s presenters and poster titles:  

Sam Hedges — Searching for cosmic particles in rocks

Blessy Antony — Learning the language of viruses 

Waris Khan — How smart computers help us unlock the power of the  sun

Laura Simpson — Filtration: making clean water for everyone! 

Victor Olayemi — Do community helpers have enough food? 

Catie Burgess — Tracking disease spread through cattle markets 

Simba Srivastava — A new species of dinosaur from New Mexico Hannah Brown — Growing mini organs to grow picky viruses 

Jubel Kurian — Particle separation efficiency in vortex tube separators 

Emily Ellis — Hold back the rivers: How do large dams affect America’s river temperatures? 

James Moloney — Mosquitoes eat nectar? 

Rowan Scott — Food for thought: Understanding how mussel restoration drives macroinvertebrate community composition, function, and stream health 

Annie Walls — How neurons grow to dance 

Sepideh Fatemi Khorasgani — Magic of predicting the future 

Kelsey Reed — Plant regeneration: To cell and back 

Juan Hernandez Sanchez — Do microbes sleep? 

Marianne Beaulieu — Poop to the rescue! 

Jeff Anderson, Jr. — The perfect strike 

Caroline Wolcott — Soil Health: How to make sure your soil is feeling its best!

 Peter Rhynard — Getting Into Allosaurus’s head

A group of five graduate students in matching "Flip the Fair" bright green shirts pose together with their various science equiptment: a net, a tube, a mini helicopter, a model of a brain, and a model of a river
Teamwork and big smiles! Virginia Tech graduate students made the 2025 Flip the Fair an unforgettable experience. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    It takes courage to bring research beyond the lab, and these graduate student’s enthusiasm and creativity made this year’s outreach truly inspiring. We can’t wait to see how these experiences shape the paths of both the researchers and the fifth grade judges and what next year’s group will bring!

The Center for Communicating Science has provided funding, a preparatory workshop, and support with participant recruitment for Flip the Fair since its inception in 2022. This year, the U.S. National Science Foundation COMPASS  Center sponsored charter buses to the Melrose Branch Library, allowing two additional schools to participate. Other sponsorship for the event came from the Student Outreach Program at Virginia Tech Carilion, VT Global Change Center, VT Graduate School, VT Pandemic Prediction and Prevention Destination Area, VT College of Science, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, VT Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, VT Computer Sciences, and VT Translational Plant Sciences Center. 

Want to experience the fun for yourself? Please join us at the Virginia Tech Science Festival Saturday, November 15 for a special Flip the Fair experience — featuring a handful of exhibits from the Melrose event, brand-new displays, and the hands-on, interactive activities that make the festival such an annual community favorite. Kids and festival-goers get to be the judges, so come ready to explore, experiment, and cast your vote! Flip the Fair at the Science Festival can be found at Center for the Arts, 3rd floor lobby balcony!

By Lauren Tucker, Center for Communicating Science graduate assistant.