[earh]

Intel Science Fair does more harm than good, since when it was the Westinghouse. It is one of the vestiges of privilege, where a bunch of rich (and a few lucky) kids get to hang out in a research lab and then write up the lab's work as their own, earning a branding of "genius" unavailable to the less privileged class.

Why is it harmful, you may ask? Because every smart kid who didn't get handed a professional project to submit, and doesn't know the game, thinks that he/she is so much less smart/hardworking/creative/accomplished than these supposed geniuses, and is discouraged from continuing in science research.

Lab experience is great for kids, and we should be expanding that experience to everyone, not using it as a tool to cement the position of the upper classes.