Challenge 1

Welcome to the high school challenge page for Challenge 1 of the Fairchild Challenge! Read below to find challenge information, entry requirements, resources and more for the challenge.

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Challenge 1: Biologic Sculpture

Title: Phipps’ Fairchild Climate Tails
For groups | Maximum points: 200
Due Date: Fri., Oct. 24, 2025 by 5 p.m. 

Download the Challenge 1 Rubric Here

Your Challenge:

When we think about climate change, we often picture melting glaciers or endangered polar bears—but what about the animals living right next to us? Pets, farm animals and local wildlife are all feeling the effects of a warming planet in ways we can see and often feel ourselves. Rising temperatures, stronger storms, droughts and other changes can put stress on animals we care about and depend on. From overheated dogs and cats to water scarcity on chicken farms and less native plants for bees, these impacts can hit close to home. Luckily, the more we understand, the more we can do to help! 

Your challenge is to create a set of 3 – 10 ornament sculptures made entirely out of “found objects” and recycled materials that raise awareness about how climate change affects our pets, farm animals and wildlife local to Western PA. Think creatively about how you can use your art to educate others and inspire action—whether it’s conserving water, planting trees for shade or learning how to keep animals safe during unexpected weather events. Alongside your sculptures, you'll write a 1 – 2 page paper for each animal sculpted, describing how they are impacted and what we can do to help. 

Finished sculptures should be no larger than 5” x 5” x 5” and should weigh no more than two pounds. Sculptures should not contain any food or edible ingredients (including wheat, seeds or pinecones). Select sculptures from this challenge will be featured in Phipps’ Winter Flower Show. Therefore, each sculpture must have a securely-fastened string or wire so that it can be hung on display. A limited number of sculptures will be displayed. 

Entry Requirements: Deliver to the science education coordinator at Phipps in person or via certified mail (electronic submission is not accepted):

• Challenge Entry Form
• Each sculpture MUST be labeled with the participating school and students’ names
• Create an animal sculpture using found or recycled materials
• Each finished sculpture should be no larger than 5” x 5” x 5” and should weigh no more than two pounds, and should have a securely-fastened string or wire to be hung on display.
• For each pet, farm animal or fauna ornament you sculpt, write a short paper describing how you made the sculpture, describe how the animal is impacted by climate change and what solutions have and can be taken to mitigate the effects. The paper should be 1 – 2 pages with 12 point font and 1-inch margins, and it should include a Works Cited with at least 3 sources. 

School Submits: Challenge Entry Form, 3 – 10 sculptures (Please note: submitting fewer than 3 sculptures will result in a lower score on this project.)

Address:
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
The Fairchild Challenge c/o Alyssa Mulé
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Resources: The following list of online resources may be used when preparing your entry.

• Climate Change and Companion Animals: Identifying Links and Opportunities for Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies - PMC 
• Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply | US EPA 
• Climate change: impact on livestock and how can we adapt - PMC 
• Climate change in poultry production | The Poultry Site 
• How to protect your pet from climate change » Yale Climate Connections 
• Climate Change | Western Pennsylvania Conservancy 
• Species at Risk in Pennsylvania - Western Pennsylvania Conservancy 
• How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Pennsylvania | Audubon 
• Identifying Species and Natural Communities in Pennsylvania Potentially 
• A Year of Conservation Results in Pennsylvania 
• 5 Ways Communities can Protect Wildlife in a Changing Climate [factsheet] | Extension 

Standards: 

Read below to find the standards for Challenge 1 of the High School Fairchild Challenge

• Grades 9 – 10
• Grades 11 – 12

Grades 9 – 10

• CC.3.5.9-10.A Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. 
• CC.3.5.9-10.J By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently. 
• CC.3.6.9-10.C Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 
• CC.3.6.9-10.D Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. 
• CC.3.6.9-10.E Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. 
• CC.3.6.9-10.I Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 
• 4.1.10.D Research practices that impact biodiversity in specific ecosystems. 
  • Analyze the relationship between habitat changes to plant and animal population fluctuations. 
• 4.3.10.C 
  • Compare and contrast scientific theories. 
  • Know that both direct and indirect observations are used by scientists to study the natural world and universe. 
  • Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations. 
  • Formulate and revise explanations and models using logic and evidence. 
  • Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models. 
• 3.1.10.A1 Explain the characteristics of life common to all organisms. 
• 3.1.10.A8 Investigate the spatial relationships of organisms’ anatomical features using specimens, models, or computer programs. 
• 3.1.10.B1 Describe how genetic information is inherited and expressed. 
• 3.1.10.C1 Explain the mechanisms of biological evolution. 

Grades 11 – 12

• CC.3.5.11-12.B Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms. 
• CC.3.5.11-12.D Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11–12 texts and topics. 
• CC.3.5.11-12.H Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. 
• CC.3.5.11-12.J By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11–12 text complexity band independently and proficiently. 
• CC.3.6.11-12.C Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 
• CC.3.6.11-12.H Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. 
• 4.2.12.D 
  • Examine the status of existing theories. 
  • Evaluate experimental information for relevance and adherence to science processes. 
  • Judge that conclusions are consistent and logical with experimental conditions. 
  • Interpret results of experimental research to predict new information, propose additional investigable questions, or advance a solution. 
  • Communicate and defend a scientific argument. 
• 3.1.12.A5 Analyze how structure is related to function at all levels of biological organization from molecules to organisms. 
• 3.1.12.C1 Analyze how natural selection leads to speciation. 
• 3.1.12.C2 Analyze how genotypic and phenotypic variation can result in adaptations that influence an organism’s success in an environment. 

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