Awards:
Craig and Cindy Evans, Winside - Champion Senior Engineering
Jeff and Lisa Farran, Winside – Reserve Champion Senior Engineering
Craig and Cindy Evans, Winside - Champion Junior Engineering
Dave Quinn Family, Winside – Reserve Champion Junior Engineering
Premiums: Purple $4.50, Blue $4.00, Red $3.50, White $3.00 Participation $3.00
Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)
This department gives 4‑H members an opportunity to display their knowledge and skills gained relating to computers, drones, electricity, energy, geospatial, robots, rockets, welding, and woodworking. Through participating in this department, 4‑H members will present their knowledge in these areas as they relate to STEM.
A. The name and county of each 4-H member should appear separately on the back of each board, poster, or article and on the front cover of the notebooks so owner of exhibit may be identified if the entry tag is separated from the exhibit.
B. Demonstration boards should include an overall title for the display, plus other necessary labeling.
C. Reports should be written using the scientific method whenever possible: 1. Hypothesis 2. Research 3. Experiment 4. Measure 5. Report or Redefine Hypothesis. All reports should be computer generated and enclosed in a clear plastic cover. The reports should be attached securely to the display
D. Please refer to the General Rules (Letter L) for the policy regarding firearms, items with a blade, and other related items.
E. Please refer to the General Rules (Letter M) for the policy regarding use of copywritten images.
F. Premier 4-H Science Award is available in this area.
G. Team Entries: To qualify for entry at the Nebraska State Fair for any team exhibit, the exhibit and all supporting information must clearly be the work of a team instead of an individual, and must have at least 50% of all team members enrolled in 4-H. Additionally, all enrolled 4-H members on the team should complete and attach an entry tag to the materials. A supplemental page documenting the individual contributions to the project should be included. The entry will be judged as a team, with all team members receiving the same ribbon placing.
H. State Fair qualified videos, presentations and other electronic exhibits should be submitted to https://go.unl.edu/2026nesfstemby August 15th, 2026. Videos can be uploaded to a video streaming application and exhibitors MUST provide a hard copy QR code for viewing. 4-H members are encouraged to test their codes or links on several devices to check for appropriate permissions for public viewing
I. Posters in this department can be any size up to 28 inches x 22 inches when ready for display. Example: trifold poster boards are not 28 inches x 22 inches when fully open for display.
J. Scoresheets, forms, contest study materials, and additional resources can be found at https://go.unl.edu/ne4hstem
K. Recommended QR Code Generator: https://www.qr-code-generator.com/
L. Entries: Each 4-H member is limited to one item per class.
Classes:
+H-861-001 Robotics Poster (SF277) - Create a poster (28 inches x 22 inches) communicating a robotics theme such as “Robot or Not,” “Pseudocode,” “Real World Robots,” “Careers in Robots,” “Autonomous Robotics,” “Precision Agriculture” or a robotic topic of interest to the 4-H member.
+H-861-002 Robotics Notebook (SF237) - Explore a robotics topic in-depth and present your findings in a notebook. Documentation should include any designs, research, notes, pseudocode, data tables or other evidence of the 4-H members learning experience. The 8.5 inch x 11 inch notebook should contain at least three pages. Topics could include a programming challenge, programming skills, calibration, sensor exploration, or any of the topics suggested in Class 1.
+H-861-004 Robotics/Careers Interview (SF239) - Interview someone who is working in the field of robotics and research the career in robotics. Interviews can either be written or in a multimedia format (CD/DVD) such as a short video uploaded to a cloud sharing service. Include a QR code with your project to allow for judging access. Multimedia reports should be between three to five minutes in length. All digital exhibits must be uploaded according to the guidelines and by the deadline listed in the department rules. Written interviews should be in a 8.5 inches x 11 inches notebook. Written reports should be three to five pages, double spaced, 12-point font, and 1” margins.
+H-861-005 Robotics Sensor Notebook (SF239) - Write scratch code which includes at least three sensor activities. Include the code written and explain the code function. Codes can be submitted as a multimedia format uploaded to a cloud sharing service. Include a QR code with your project to allow judging success. Multimedia presentations should be three to five minutes in length. State Fair qualified digital exhibits must be uploaded according to the guidelines and by the deadline listed in the department rules.
+H-861-007 Kit Labeled Robot and Notebook (cannot be free programmed.) (SF243) - This class is intended for explorations of robotic components such as arms or vehicles OR educational kits marketed as robots that do not have the ability to be programmed to “sense, plan and act.” The exhibit should include a notebook with the robot the youth has constructed. Included in the notebook should be (1) a description of what the robot does, (2) pictures of programs the robot can perform, (3) why they chose to build this particular form, and (4) how they problem solved any issues they might have had during building and programming. A picture story of assembly is recommended. If a robot is more than 15 inches (W) and 20 inches (T), they may not be displayed in locked cases. If the robot is too large, we recommend you create a video of how your robot works. We recommend that you submit the project under class H861003 – Robotics Video in the Robotics Showcase.
+H-861-008 3D Printed Robotics Parts (SF1050) - This class is intended for 4-H members to create parts through 3D printing, that help create their robot or aid the robot in completing a coded function. Project should include notebook describing the process used to create the project, describe the success of your designed piece (did it work), intended use of the product and the modifications made to the item.