I judged a district level (3 counties) science fair for many years. I stopped a year after they stopped allowing students to bring the actual hardware they built. I offered to assemble team of engineers and techs and professors to inspect gear at the door, but was declined. Was told by a mindless admin idiot with no OJT experience that we could not possible know all the hazards. I laughed, then cried inside. I was responsible for a graduate level lab with lasers, rad sources, chemicals, biological stuff, and electronics at the time.
Asking a 7th or 8th grader to do a totally written presentation was often a disaster. It basically stopped most 6th graders from coming. I know this is sad, but there are still developmental differences in learning and presentation skills at that level. The 6th graders just read note cards.... It was sad.
That didn't stop me from mentoring kids for the science fair, although I did get really ticked when told the electron microscope was a potential x-ray and HV hazard and I should not allow the high school kids near it. 13 million dollar microscopes, installed below ground,, do NOT feature hazards...... Hum, that room was BELOW local background levels.
One of these days, all these anti-access fairies are going to find themselves in a world that no one knows how to repair or restart......
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Clark...
Steve Roberts