<p>aside for @SevenDad on science fairs…I’ve judged a lot of science fairs and lets just say that the kids that win something like Intel or Google are typically putting in an effort level of a beginning grad student. And yes, there are ways to tell if they are doing the work themselves! Those fancy titles reflect the fact that the top fair projects are often done with professional mentors who give students access to resources they can’t just get at school or at home. Anyway, it’s loads of fun to talk to ALL of the students and I try my best to give them encouragement and constructive feedback.
So yes, they are generally “authentic” on various levels, but they’ve had special coaching and access too ;-)</p>