More than 300 of the best science projects created by local grade school students will be showcased April 22-23 at the Southern Nevada Regional Science and Engineering Fair (SNRSEF) hosted by UNLV.

The event, which is open to students in grades K-8, provides an opportunity for the best and brightest students from 65 grade schools around southern Nevada to have their science projects and inventions critiqued by a panel of local professionals.

The panel will award prizes to students in grades 6-8 for the best projects in the following categories: environmental science, earth and space science, physical and mechanical science, biological and behavioral science, and technological design and invention. Projects by students in grades K-5 will be judged in categories such as scientific collections, scientific observation history, scientific experiment, and technological design and innovation. The student with the best 5th grade project will be awarded a full scholarship to Camp Invention, an educational outreach program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Judging will occur between 7-11 a.m. on Friday, April 22, with a public viewing period scheduled for Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to noon. Both events will be held in the North Gym of UNLV's McDermott Physical Education Complex.

The SNRSEF is licensed by the rules and governances of the International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Science Service in Washington D.C. Students who attend public or private schools in Clark, Lincoln, Nye, and Esmeralda Counties, as well as those who are home-schooled, are allowed to participate.

The event is sponsored by UNLV's College of Sciences, College of Engineering, the Clark County School District, and Camp Invention.