Science Fair has come a long way from the days of a cardboard cone, some vinegar and baking soda to create a volcanic eruption. When the approximately 550 students from 140 schools competed in the 22nd annual Kern County Regional Science Fair on March 17 in Bakersfield, their experiments dealt with making life better. Designing wind barriers to reduce soil erosion and measuring gender and the Stroop effect were just some of the subjects under scrutiny by dozens of students who entered projects. Senior and Middle School Division students placing first, second, and in some cases, third in categories at Rabobank Convention Center knew they might be eligible to compete in the 58th annual California Science Fair to be held May 19 at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Categories ranged from aerodynamics/hydrodynamics to thermochemistry. Entries were judged on scientific thought/engineering goals, creativity, organization, completeness, clarity, effort and motivation. Students had to explain their displays, log books and hypothesis to a panel of judges.