Students from two Lawrence County schools will be in Columbus on Saturday competing for $1.5 million in scholarships and awards.

Ohio State University will host its 57th annual State Science Day on May 7. Students representing 290 schools from 69 counties across the state will arrive in Columbus to exhibit their science research projects and compete for close to 100 scholarships and various awards. Selected students from Fairland High School and St. Joseph High School will be representing Lawrence County.

"There's a lot of opportunity involved, it takes a lot of dedication and hard work," said Rian Unger,

a junior at St. Joseph.

Three students from Ironton's St. Joseph school will be attending the state fair which happens to fall the day after their prom. They will be leaving for Columbus at 4 a.m. the morning after the dance.

"It's an honor," said ninthgrader Charliegh Haas who will be attending the state science fair for the first time. "I'm really excited about going.

I think it's a good opportunity."

Eleven students from Fairland High School will also be making their way to Columbus on Saturday. Nine underclassmen and two seniors will represent Fairland.

Brent Kidd, a junior at Fairland whose going to state for the second year, said that he's less nervous than last year and he's hoping to win some scholarships.

"It's a great experience," Kidd said. "You get to meet a lot of people that share the same interests. It's a great weekend."

Before students could compete at the State Science Day, they had to compete and receive a superior rating at the district Science Fair that was held at Shawnee State University in March.