The "Science Fair," as it was originally known, was started in Worcester in the 1950's by Dick Potter of the Natural History Society. Soon after, J. Adams Holbrook of Morgan Construction Company took over responsibility of running the Fair and expanded it beyond Worcester's borders.

On March 12, 2010 the 55^th annual Worcester Regional Science and Engineering Fair will be held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. High schools (public, private, and parochial) from the central Massachusetts region are invited to send students with their research projects to compete. Judges are invited from universities, corporations, hospitals, and community organizations. Approximately 150 projects are entered annually, and about 120 professionals participate as judges. Monetary awards are presented to the top 40 projects and the donors are recognized when the award is presented and in the program booklet.

The Worcester Regional Science and Engineering Fair (WRSEF) is a registered nonprofit orgainization and is run by a Board of Directors. There is no paid staff.  Each Board members performs the community a service by donating their time and efforts on behalf of the orgainization. The Board raises funds by soliciting donations from corporations and community organizations.

The WRSEF is now one of six regional fairs held throughout Massachusetts that culminate in an annual State Fair held at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in May.

The purpose of our organization is to support and encourage the process of research and experimentation among young people. The Fair provides an arena where students proudly display the fruits of their labor and interact with the professional scientists and engineers who interview and evaluate each project. Through fairs such as this students gain the confidence to pursue careers in the sciences and become productive members of society.