Area youth to compete in Western UP Science Fair at MTU Zach Anderson-Bromely, an eighth grader at Washington Middle School in Calumet, displays his local Science Fair winning project "Flight," which he will enter in the Western Upper Peninsula Science Fair this Saturday, Feb. 17, at Michigan Tech. Zach's project discusses the factors behind flight and what affects it. (Photo courtesy Todd Waurio, Zach’Äôs science teacher) HOUGHTON ’Äì Two hundred area students in grades four through nine will participate in the Third Annual Western Upper Peninsula Science Fair on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Memorial Union Ballroom on Michigan Tech's campus. The display of student projects in the Ballroom is open to the public from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. The awards ceremony will take place from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Fisher Hall Room135 at Michigan Tech. Students from seven local elementary schools will participate: Houghton, Calumet-Laurium-Keweenaw, Hancock, Dollar Bay, South Range, Lake Linden-Hubbell and Bessemer. Also participating are students from Hancock High School, Hancock Middle School, Houghton Middle School and Washington Middle School in Calumet. Students will submit projects on experiments they have conducted on any topic of interest in science. By following the scientific method to design and conduct their experiments for the science fair, students gain valuable skills and learn scientific inquiry and problem-solving. Using different media ’Äì such as written reports, graphs and models ’Äì they learn to communicate their findings in a way that is meaningful to an audience. The Copper Country Intermediate School District Math and Science Center and the MTU Omega Chi Epsilon Chemical Engineering Honor Society are sponsoring the science fair.