"To produce a science fair project, students must generate a question, develop a hypothesis based on a review of the literature, conduct an experiment (or engineer a solution), and then analyze and present their data in a coherent manner.  This process encourages students to learn and utilize a number of skills in order to answer their chosen questions: technological and library skills, in order to conduct appropriate background research; mathematics, in order to understand the outcomes of experiments; critical thinking skills, to interpret and explain scientific results; and written and oral communication skills, in order to present their work in a clear and concise fashion.  Critically, these skills retain importance not solely in science, but in nearly any endeavor, making science fairs an excellent career-preparation tool."

Read more at the Lubbock Avalanche Journal