About & Contacts

since 1974

Showcasing the Best of Young Scientific Minds

The Waterloo-Wellington Science and Engineering Fair is an annual event that brings together the best of the young scientific minds of the region. WWSEF is open to Senior Elementary and High School students from Waterloo Region, Wellington County, and Upper Grand District School Board. Grade 7 to 12 home-schooled or students from schools that do not run science fair programs are also welcome as individual entries.

Winners at our regional fair go on to the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Thereafter they can apply for, or be invited to, international events.

Each year we have approximately 200 projects involving 300 students from about 30 different public, separate and independent schools in Waterloo Region, The Upper Grand District School Board, and Wellington County. Independent entries are accepted if they meet our criteria.

The WWSEF is supported by the members of the community who encourage the development of our youth along scientific paths.

Learn More About the Fair

council

The Volunteers Behind the WWSEF Fair

The Waterloo-Wellington Science & Engineering Fair is run by a group of volunteers called the WWSEF Council.

Led by our Director, these individuals help make the fair happen through efforts such as event organization, program creation, fundraising, procurement of judges, social media and website management.

A list of our Council Members is provided below. Should you have any questions or queries, check out our FAQ page or contact our Council Members directly.

Lois Peterson
Director & Secretary
director@wwsef.ca

Lori Jones
Treasurer

Bill Proctor
Registrar
registrar@wwsef.ca

Heather Turnbull
Assistant Registrar
heather.turnbull@wwsef.ca

Stefan Idziak
Judge-in-Chief
judging@wwsef.ca

Quincy Almeda
Assistant Judge-in-Chief

Wendy Shaw
Ethics Chair/Officer
ethics@wwsef.ca

Vince Campolongo
Awards Co-Chair

Karen Sooley
Awards Co-Chair

Hayley Rutherford
Communications & Social Media
communications@wwsef.ca

Louis Silcox
Fundraising & Development
development@wwsef.ca

Steve Seifried
Safety & Regulations
safety@wwsef.ca

John Ritchie
Co-Webmaster
webmaster@wwsef.ca

Brenda Lee
Co-Webmaster
brenda.lee@wwsef.ca

Carolyn Winkel
Hospitality

Matt Simone
Member-at-Large

Matthew Schmidt
Member-at-Large

Nitish Bhatt
Member-at-Large

Marina Ilyas
Member-at-Large

Stuart Nicholson
Member at Large

Youth Science Canada Distinguished Service Awards

Science Fairs in Canada involve about 8000 volunteers annually. Volunteers and staff who have made outstanding contributions, through innovation, long service, and/or leadership are eligible to receive this award.

The following WWSEF volunteers have been so recognized.

1994 Jack Candido 1994 Steve Little 1995 Bill Proctor 1996 Jim Stevens 1996 Louis Silcox 2002 Joe Prokipcak

2009 Jim Forsyth 2010 Arthur Prudham 2018 Stefan Idziak 2021 Lori Jones 2023 Maureen Hinan

2024 Wendy Shaw 2024 Lois Peterson

impact

Discover WWSEF's Impact on Our Community

Young people, because of their curiosity, are natural researchers. The Waterloo-Wellington Science & Engineering Fair helps them satisfy this curiosity through the organization of data gathering, analysis and presentation in areas such as Engineering, Life Science, and Physical and Mathematical Science. The projects, produced as a result of this curiosity, are evaluated by expert judges.

Every year, the WWSEF touches the lives of many youngsters in the following ways:

WWSEF provides guidance for the project process with manuals.
Over 3000 youth complete projects at schools and about 300 come to our Fair.
Strict rules for safety and ethics apply to all projects.
Strengths and opportunities for improvement are assessed.
Awards and prizes are presented. These include cash, medallions, scholarships and trips to the Canada-Wide Science Fair.
Our Fair Day afternoon program develops leadership in environmental education and research

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About & Contacts

About & Contacts

Showcasing the Best of Young Scientific Minds

The Volunteers Behind the WWSEF Fair

Discover WWSEF's Impact on Our Community

About WWSEF

WWSEF 2025 Fair

Fair Deadlines