With the economy in a declining market for the fourth year in a row, the Missouri Southern Foundation has had to narrow down funding priorities even further.

The Missouri Southern Regional Science Fair has been one of the priorities that has been cut in order to meet budget restrictions.

“There are serious budget difficulties right now,” said Dr. Michael Garoutte, science fair director. “We will be looking for outside funding by asking local businesses, hospitals and those with an interest in education and the sciences for assistance.”

Previously, the Foundation has funded the $10,000 for the fair each year.

“When we had the money available, we supported it, but we haven’t earned enough on our investments to support it. Our first priority is scholarships,” said Curt Betebenner, director of the Foundation.

“The way funds are raised are twofold – by donation and the money we make on investments.

“What we find now is that more and more gifts are restricted because of that, many other nice projects get left out in the cold.”

The science fair brings high school and junior high school students from Missouri and Kansas to the campus.

“Some of the brightest kids in our area come here for the fair,” Betebenner said. “If they visit here and have a good experience, it makes them look at the school. We want to attract the brightest students to Southern.”

“But right now, budgets are tight everywhere, resources are spread pretty thin,” Garoutte said.

The science fair is affiliated with the International Science and Engineering Fair.

“We send the winner to the International Science and Engineering Fair; this year it was in Cleveland,” Garoutte said.

Two students and their instructor were sent. The fair budget covered the cost of the airline tickets and hotel room.

Projects have included research into erosion and transforming bacterial DNA.

“These students do well at the international fair,” Garoutte said. “Sometimes they place or get special awards. But even if they don’t win, they get to see other students and their projects on that level.”

The lack of support from the Foundation has caused an administrative burden as well as financial.

Garoutte had to set up a separate bank account for the fair, get a tax identification number.

“For tax reasons, we had to change the name of the fair to the Missouri Southern Regional Science Fair Association,” he said.

Six faculty members sit on the Missouri Southern Regional Science Fair Association Committee: Garoutte, committee head; Dr. Michael Lawson, special awards chair; Dr. Marsi Archer, treasurer; Dr. Karen Plucinski, scientific review committee chair; Dr. Vickie Roettger and Dr. Scott Wells, scientific review committee members.