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         Please help your students understand these Project Display Rules 
Project Display Rules  and Helpful Hints for Project Display

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 Letter to Science Fair Teachers  for 2012 Fair         

 

Thank you for supporting the participation of your students in the Synopsys Championship.

 

Registration will go much smoother and FASTER Tuesday, March 6, if each project has a completed:

 

(1) Compliance Checklist and

 

(2) Abstract ready when the projects enter South Hall at SJCC . 

 

To facilitate this, I have links to the two forms (see bottom of this message).  The 2-page compliance checklist can be printed and copies distributed to the students (complete by hand, if desired).  The Abstract can be completed in the PDF form, saved and printed.  Also the Abstract blank form can be printed and the students complete at their own printer (set their printer margins to print on the Abstract blank form dimensions).

 

A 'Master Abstract' will be collected during registration and placed in the student's Application.  Therefore, make sure your students bring duplicate Abstract copies for presentation at their display board (Middle School projects need 5+ copies, High School projects need 10+ copies).

 

 

Parking may be tight in the convention center area.  We no longer have free parking privileges at South Hall.  Please see our website parking info.

 

You may drop off your student and project at the curb on Viola St. next to the sign STUDENT DROP OFF.  However you may NOT dwell on Viola.  Make arrangements to contact your students (by cell phone) if you want to pick them up at the same sidewalk location.  If you want to come into the Exhibit Hall to help your students, you'll need to find a nearby public parking lot, and meet your student at the Information Desk inside.

 

Teachers who have a registration for Group Check-In (greater than 10 projects to bring in without student help), will have parking available on a first come/first serve basis near the South Hall provided space is available.  The parking attendants have a list of Group Check-In teachers.

 

Tuesday:  Fair Registration Noon – 6PM

Wednesday: Public Viewing 4:30-6 PM.

Teachers may sign up to be aisle supervisors during the judging period
2-6PM by contacting the fair manager (see website).

2 page Compliance Checklist link

1 page interactive Abstract Form  link

PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ON TO ANY PARENTS WHO MAY BE BRINGING PROJECTS to REGISTRATION FOR TEACHERS

 

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CRITERIA FOR JUDGING PROJECTS 

Science  Experiments	Engineering Design  Projects
Scientific Thought   (30 points ) Was the hypothesis clearly stated? Was the experiment repeated several times? Was the conclusion justified and properly drawn from experimental results? Was sufficient preliminary research performed and applied?	Engineering Goal    (30 points ) Was the purpose/the engineering design criteria clearly stated? What will be invented/ engineered? Was there evidence of redesign and retest? Were the engineering design criteria tested for each step of redesign?
Creativity    (30 points ) Is the project topic unique or the approach original? Has the student used a novel approach for checking the hypothesis?	Creativity      (30 points ) Is the project topic unique or the approach original? Has the student used a novel approach to test the engineering design criteria?
Thoroughness   (15 points)   Was adequate literary/online research conducted? Did the student(s) look at different aspects of the problem – was it well planned? Was there a project notebook? Is the interpretation supported with data? Are procedures and materials thoroughly documented?	Thoroughness   (15 points)   Was sufficient preliminary research performed and applied? Did the student(s) look at different aspects of the problem – was it well planned? Was there a project notebook?Are there adequate drawings, schematics, or other documentation? Has each of the criteria been well tested?
Skill (15 points individual) ·         Does the student understand the subject? ·         Has the student used good laboratory skills – data gathering and analysis? ·         Did the student acknowledge mentoring or other help?	Skill (15 points individual) ·         Does the student understand the subject? ·         Has the student used good technical skills to arrive at the solution? ·         Did the student acknowledge mentoring or other help?
Clarity (10 points )   Is the abstract and project board accurate and understandable? Was the oral presentation accurate and understandable?	Clarity (10 points )   Is the abstract and project board accurate and understandable? Was the oral presentation accurate and understandable?

 

Teachers at the Fair.  Teachers will be permitted in South Hall during judging if they pre-register and function as 'Hall Monitors/Supervisors' only (No interaction with judges is allowed).  They need to sign in at the Teacher Registration desk.  They must wear a teacher badge, and comply with rules stated on the teacher information sheet which they receive at registration.

Teachers’ Role During Judging:

In addition to Judges, only registered adults with badges are allowed on the exhibit floor. The Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair thanks you for visiting us and would like you to act as both observer and as teachersupervisor while here! This supervision covers all students, not just your own students. Please follow these guidelines while on the floor during judgingWear your Name Badge. Pick up a name badge (with ribbons) at the Info/Teacher Registration desk. Please return it when you leave, so we can use it again next year.

The goal of supervision is to keep the students at their projects. Tell students wandering around, especially in groups, to return to their projects. Some do not understand the judging process and may think that the judging is over for them after they are visited by one or two judges. If judges come to the project, and the student is not there, the project may be disqualified.

Move around the floor. Do not station yourself in one spot (unless supervising a special needs student), - the “wanderers” quickly learn to avoid that spot. Watch for groups blocking the aisles, etc. Use your judgment.

You can observe and supervise generally, so the judges can work efficiently with the students at their projects.Move away when the judges are interviewing the students. Position yourself so neither the judge, nor

student, can make eye contact with or otherwise interact with you.  This avoids criticism that you were trying to ‘coach’. Many students find the judging interview to be stressful and they may be more nervous if they know you are watching them.

Please speak to the students while they are not being judged. Many want to talk about their projects. It can be very lonely sitting at your project for 4 hrs if few adults come by to talk.      

 

                      

Teachers  Recommended Science Fair Books

Science Experiments and Projects for Students (ISBN 0-7872-6478-4)  Cothron

Classroom Culture Creatures Algae to Anoles (NSTA) (ISBN 0-87355-120-6)

A+ Science Fair Workbook and Project Journal grades 7-12 (ISBN 0-471-46719-7)  VanCleave

Science Projects Book 1 Project Ideas in the Life Sciences (ISBN 978-0-9794500-1-3) Neuhaus  gormleypublishing.com  also available in Chem/Biochem and Physics/Engineering.

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  Fall Fair Info for Teachers

 

Handbook_2012 pdf file For Teachers and Students - link
Application_2012 pdf file for Teachers and Students - link
Parental Approval Form for student teammates - link
Application Forms

Projects may be submitted early. This is especially recommended for vertebrate animal projects. Middle school students with human subject projects may submit by the high school deadline.

If your school would like to schedule a workshop, please contact our SRC committee using the 'Contact Us' link to the left .

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Tracking the Status of Students' Projects

When you have submitted your students' projects to SCVSEFA, it is then their responsibility to track their status on the web site. Use the “Project Status” link to the left to find your projects and the assigned Project Number according to your school. Project status should be listed on the web site about 7-10 days following the deadline or an earlier mail submission. If you cannot find a project within 2 weeks of submission, please contact the fair manager.

Once entered, your projects will be listed as “project received – check back in 7 days”. After review for quality standards and to determine if safety issues need to be addressed, your project status will change to one of the following:

project accepted – everything is fine.

project failed to qualify – only given for major safety hazards or rules violations that cannot be corrected.

project incomplete – see your teacher. An e-mail note will have been sent to the teacher with the specific project number in the email subject line and a message.

§ If the message is quality issues, check your procedures against the Minimum Quality Standards listed on the application form and on the web site. Resubmit your improved procedures as an e-mail reply to the note sent by the Safety Review Committee.

§ If the message is Forms Violation, the note will specify the problem to be fixed. Continue to monitor the status of your project until it is listed as “accepted”.

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Please make sure the subject matter of the projects correspond to the correct scientific category by using the link below

Science Fair Project Categories

Minimum Quality Standards for Projects

List of Discouraged Projects

There are no limits on the number of applications which can be submitted by high school teachers, but middle school teachers are limited as seen in the chart below.

MIDDLE SCHOOL APPLICATION LIMITS

APPLICATION LIMIT	TEACHER EXPERIENCE	How to get additional # submissions
5 projects/teacher	First year in the Championship or Second Year in the Championship, but no projects winning a category award last year.	10 projects if attend Teacher Workshop + 1 on 1 project preview with the SRC chair before the submission deadline.
10 projects/teacher	2yr in the Championship, and had >1 project last year winning a category award (1st, 2nd, or HM in a scientific category)	Contact the SRC chair using the Contact link in the left sidebar
15 projects/teacher	3 or more yr in the Championship, and had >4 projects last year winning a category award (1st, 2nd, or HM in a scientific category)	Contact the SRC chair using the Contact link in the left sidebar.