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Science Fair Judging. The who’s, what’s, where’s, when’s, and how’s!. Judging starts with Project Check-in. Projects are brought down on Tuesday between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Your project must be approved by the Display and Safety Committee.
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Science Fair Judging The who’s, what’s, where’s, when’s, and how’s!
Judging starts with Project Check-in • Projects are brought down on Tuesday between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. • Your project must be approved by the Display and Safety Committee. • Junior Division projects undergo SRC review (if needed). • Projects must be completely set up (ready for judging) by 7 p.m. Tuesday.
WEDNESDAY is JUDGING DAY!! • Junior Division individual projects are judged based on the display & and any notebooks or log books. • Junior Division team projects ~ have interviews with the judges • All Senior Division projects ~ have interviews with the judges
What type of judging goes on? • There will be CATEGORY judges. These are science fair judges who will be determining the awards you will receive. • There will be PROFESSIONAL judges. These judges give various awards from professional societies, organizations, and companies.
Who judges the projects? Judges are all volunteers & include… • Teachers • College professors • Scientists • Engineers • College students/graduate students who are studying science • Former science fair winners • Members of professional organizations
When your project display is complete, ask yourself these questions… • Is the problem clearly stated? • Does the experiment solve the problem or does it beat around the bush? • Are the results clear? • If the results are unclear, can the experiment be altered to remove all doubts? • Did you use the proper equipment for the experiment?
When your project display is complete, ask yourself these questions… • Have measurements been made accurately? • Have you done control experiments? • Have you used graphs and tables to present your data? • Have you done the experiment enough times to feel confident in your results? • Have you used the results of your experiment to arrive at your conclusions?
What do the Junior Division Judges do? • These judges are assigned many projects to look at. • Your display is key!!! • Judges make an initial sweep of the projects to determine which ones are the very best and deserve a more detailed examination. (~ 1/3) • The rest are given green (“excellent”) and red (“honorable mention”) ribbons.
What do the Junior Division Judges do? • The top 1/3 of the projects are judged more closely and looked at in detail. • The judges decide which of these projects deserve a blue (“outstanding” ribbon) or gold ribbons (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place). • Multiple places are given based on the size of a category. • The chief judges determine the Grand Award winners.
Preparing for Judging Interviews ~ SR projects & JR teams • Be confident! You are the expert with regards to your project. • Plan ahead of time what minimum information you wish to get across to the judges. • Memorize your first sentence or two but don’t memorize your whole talk. • Speak slowly, clearly, and loud enough for the judges to hear you.
Preparing for Judging Interviews - #2 • Maintain eye contact with the judges. Don’t stand facing your project. • As you discuss your data or results, point to items on your display. • Anticipate questions in advance and be prepared for interruptions. • Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.” However, you should be familiar with all of the basics related to your topic.
Preparing for Judging Interviews - #3 • Don’t hesitate to ask the judges questions. • Appearance is important. Dress neatly in your “nicer” school clothes. It’s usually a good idea to not have jackets or sweaters with your school name readily visible. • When the judges are finished, stay at or near your project. Other judges may come by to talk to you.
What questions might the judges ask you? • Tell us about your project… • How did you get the idea for your project? • Did you have a hypothesis when you began this experiment? Was there something you expected to see happen? • What was your control group? • How long did this project take you?
What questions might the judges ask you? (cont’d) • Where did you carry out your work? Where did you get your equipment? • Did you do any statistical analysis of your results? • Do you have a bibliography? • If you were doing this project over, what would you change? • What would you investigate next? • Do you see any applications of the work you have done in this project?
What awards can you win?? Tim will cover that next! GOOD LUCK and enjoy !!