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For our first pin, we decided to go with something
simple: it should be in the shape of Iowa, with our acronym, the year,
and a stylized atom for science and technology. Each student we sent
to the International Fair in Detroit received a bunch of them as trading
material, and the pins proved a big hit. |
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The students we sent to Detroit said we should keep
the Iowa-shaped pins, and this sounded good to us. The space-walking
astronaut symbolizes space exploration; it's also a tip of the hat to
the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. |
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Our designer showed us a half-dozen possible pin
designs, and we instantly fell in love with this circuit-board motif. |
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For a couple of years, the students we sent to the
International Fairs had been requesting an ear of corn on the pin.
This year, we decided to oblige them. We told ourselves that it
symbolized Iowa's biotechnology and agronomy. |
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In past years we had featured nuclear physics, space
exploration, electronics, and biotechnology. This seemed like
a good year for chemistry and laboratory experimentation. |
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We're the Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering
Fair. This year we decided it was high time to commemorate the
engineering part of our name. |
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A human figure, female, dressed
as a scientist, working in a laboratory—we found a lot to like about
this year's logo. |
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We hadn't done a space theme since 2001, and observing
the skies with a telescope is good science. Also, this logo let
us honor Iowa's own space researcher
James Van Allen,
who died in August 2006. |
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The hot topic that year was biofuels, especially
ethanol made from corn. What could be more topical than an ear
of corn as a fuel pump? |
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The first Eastern Iowa Science Fair was in 1960.
2009 marked our 50th fair. We figured an all-gold logo was
appropriate for the occasion. |
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Iowa produces more pork than any other state, so for years we've
thought about incorporating a pig into our logo. Our designer showed
us this whimsical design, and most of us immediately fell in love
with it. |
