The Twin Cities Regional Science Fair was held this past Friday.

Those seven hours in the University of Minnesota Field House meant standing till your knees were weak, talking till your voice was dead, explaining till the judges were dazzled, and waiting until 10pm for dinner. But by no means was it a bad experience.

The TCRSF was my first formal science fair, meaning you wouldn’t find the classic vinegar-and-baking-soda-and-red-food-coloring volcano. The participants ranged from tiny fifth graders to twelfth-grade science fair veterans. And you could find projects on just about anything: from the cryopreservation of kidneys, to sumbergable turbines for alternative energy, it was all there.

About an hour before judging began, I was at Kinko’s getting the components of my poster board printed. After doing so, I rushed home to attach them to my actual board construct. Over the course of a few minutes, double-sided tape became my best friend and at one point, I was finishing the Half Windsor around my neck with one hand, while attaching papers to my poster with the other.

It got done. And it looked good. And I got there with ten minutes to spare. I laughed off my regret for procrastinating.

Upon arriving at the Field House, I realized two things. First, that President Obama had given a speech on that field just a few months prior. And second, that the science fair scene was just as I expected: ordered chaos.

The fair-goers were divided into two sections: those with electricity, and those without. Those without were grouped in the middle of the field en masse. Those of us with lit boards, laptops, fans, and other devices got what we paid for: a dignified, outletted space on the edge of the field, separate from the crowd. I signed in and got my station number, 1019W, which was coincidentally adjacent to those of Evan, Naveen, and Rishi. Ganesh, Gavin, and Hari were also nearby. I quickly set up my board and awaited my first “customer.”

The hours rolled by slowly and Gavin’s challenge to remain standing for all seven was ignored soon enough–the reward being a hug from Gavin, which he ended up giving himself.

The judges were, for lack of a better description, epic. They would always begin by introducing themselves, but I never made an effort to remember their names. Since the three of us, Naveen, Evan and  I, received many of the same judges, we would refer to them afterwards as:

1. Professor Bangladesh, a bespectacled, probably South Asian doctor with a quirky gait and sophisticated two-fingers-to-the-chin stance. He apparently referred to one of Naveen’s methods as “totally wrong” and spoke in with an accent.

2. Mrs. Nice Lady, a seemingly knowledgeable women whose experience in the lab was apparent. She was able to relate and sympathize with my research experience.

3. Professor Gray Beard, the merciless troll. Apparently, he bluntly questioned the validity of Naveen’s data. In a word, he was curt. The previous judges had asked for complete summaries but PGB asked quick, few-word questions that dealt with specific components of each project. He was unnecessarily skeptical. When he came around to my station, I could sense his attempt to unnerve me. Luckily, I was able to fight back with thorough, unquestionable responses. He seemed relatively pleased. The question still remains as to whether he was an actual judge.

4. Loli Judge, who you’d think was a fifth grader until she came up to judge you. She was surprisingly knowledgeable and asked the best questions out of all my judges. She was also the only judge to look through my lab notebook. From my impression, Loli Judge was genuinely interested in my project and it seemed that she left my station, satisfied.

5. Mr. Friendly Old Man, the best listener and the most understanding of the judges. He allowed me to finish my entire spiel before asking questions. And as a result, we were able to have a thorough conversation on my research afterwards.

6. Mrs. Owl, characterized by her relative silence and continuous, smiling nods of approval. She also asked great questions and appreciated my project. From the tone of her input, it seemed that she had a personal connection to diabetes, and might have found my project interesting for that reason as well.

7. Mr. Biologist, who apparently had never done real-time PCR. I enjoyed teaching someone who was seemingly my superior.

There were a few more judges, but the most memorable are…the most memorable. In general, I felt the judges liked my presentation. I don’t know if I should be surprised by the fact that I’m moving onto the state level. Either way, TCRSF was a very valuable experience. It was well-worth the numbness in my legs that followed.