Science fairs began in the United States in New York City in the 1930s under the auspices of the
American Institute of the City of New York with the effort led in New York City by
Morris Meister who later founded the
Bronx High School of Science. Meister believed in the educational ideas of
John Dewey that focused on doing rather than just learning what already had been done. The goals of the after-school science club federation were twofold: "to aid in the development of the scientific leaders of the next generation and at the same time foster a better understanding of science among its laymen". Initially, science fairs were mostly exhibits and demonstration projects or mere displays of projects. This changed after the
1939 New York World's Fair. Increasingly, science and engineering fairs became viewed by many as a way to encourage and help students find their way into science and engineering career paths. Popularity of science fairs in the United States increased in the 1950s along with interest in the sciences after the world witnessed the use of the first two
atomic weapons and the dawn of
television. As the decade progressed, science stories in the news, such as
Jonas Salk's
vaccine for polio and the launch of
Sputnik, brought science fiction to reality and attracted increasing numbers of students at every level to fairs. ==Goals==