Judge s Manual Page 1
2017 Version ABC Table of Contents I. Introduction... 4 1. Purpose of this Document:... 4 2. Organization and Role Descriptions:... 4 II. Overall Timeline... 5 2017 Schedule... Error! Bookmark not defined. Links and Contacts... 6 1. Fair main website:... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2. Schedule website:... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3. Judge Sign-Up website:... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4. E-mail address for the Judging Coordinator:... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5. E-mail address for the Judging Co-Coordinator:... Error! Bookmark not defined. 6. E-mail address for the Fair Executive Director:... Error! Bookmark not defined. III. Judge Activities During the Year... 7 1. Signup:... 7 2. Respond to any and all e-mails from the Fair Directors, Chairs of Judging, and Judging Coordinators:... 7 3. Solicit Judges:... 7 IV. Judge Activities on the Day of the Fair... 8 1. Proper Attire:... 8 2. Arrival:... 8 3. Sign In:... 8 4. Walking the Exhibit Floor:... 8 5. Receiving Assigned Projects:... 8 6. Judging:... 9 7. Some Important Points to Remember:... 10 8. Continuation of Prior Year s Project:... 11 9. Regulated Research Projects:... 11 10. Disrespectful Exhibitors:... 11 V. After Judging... 12 1. Complete the forms:... 12 2. Caucuses:... 12 3. Consensus:... 12 Page 2
VI. Special Awards Judging during Phase I... 13 1. The SEFH Creative Excellence Award:... 13 2. The SEFH Lab Notebook Award:... 13 VII. Phase III Judging... 15 1. The Judging Process:... 15 2. Discussion and Final Decision:... 15 Appendix A: Assignment Letter to Judges... 16 Appendix B: Sample Exhibit Scoring Sheet... 18 Appendix C: Judge Instructions... 20 Appendix D: Team Captain Instructions... 21 Appendix E: Consolidated Form for Judge Normalized Scores... 22 Appendix F: Judging Criteria and Procedures... 23 Appendix G: SEFH Project Inspection Sheet... 25 Appendix H: Continuation Project Form... 26 Appendix I: Regulated Research Form... 27 Appendix J: Lab Notebook Scoring Sheet... 28 Page 3
I. Introduction 1. Purpose of this Document: The purpose of this document is to detail the responsibilities of a judge at the Science Engineering Fair of Houston. Initially, high level information will be covered, and then the steps in the process will be discussed in detail. Although the dates for judging will change from year to year, the general duties of a judge remain the same. Names of people filling specific roles may also change between the time that each version of this manual is created and when the fair occurs. 2. Organization and Role Descriptions: a. The President of the Science-Engineering Fair of Houston is Dr. Bonnie Dunbar. Judging falls under the direction of the Fair Director Dr. Heather Domjan, and Assistant Fair Director Dr. Laura Jacobs b. Project judging is under the direction of the Chairs of Judging Jay Levy and Aaron Clevenson. Chairs of Judging report to the Fair Directors. c. Each category has a Lead Coordinator. This is the person who is responsible for the overall operation and success of the judging in each of the judging categories. Most often, this role is done by the Division Coordinator for the Senior Division, but not always. Coordinators report to the Chairs of Judging. d. Each division within each category has a Division Coordinator. This is the person who is responsible for the operation and success of the judging in each of the divisions of each of the judging categories. All Division Coordinators, including the Lead Coordinator, participate as judges during Phase III. Division Coordinators report to the Chairs of Judging. e. Often it is necessary to break the projects up into smaller groups to facilitate the judging process. When this is done each judging team is assigned a group of projects and a Team Lead Judge is identified by the Division Coordinator. This Team Lead Judge is responsible for working with the other Judges to reach a consensus on the ranking of projects in their group. Team Lead Judges report to the Division Coordinators. Team Lead Judges will participate as judges in Phases I and II. f. When the judging process for a phase is complete, the judges get together with their Team Lead Judge to discuss the projects and reach a consensus on the ranking of the projects in their group. These Judges report to the Team Lead Judges. Page 4
II. Overall Timeline The schedule for the Science Engineering Fair of Houston (SEFH) is set each year by the fair organizers. This is then communicated to the coordinators and others, and is updated on the website. 2018 Schedule Saturday, February 24, 2018 7:00 8:00 AM Coordinators arrive 8:00 AM 8:30 AM Judges arrive and sign in 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Confirm judge assignments and project assignments 9:00 AM 11:30 AM Judging Phase I for all Divisions and Categories 11:30 AM 12:00 PM Judges return to assembly area, discuss results, and reach consensus 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Lunch for the Coordinators and Judges 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Confirm judge assignments and project assignments 1:30 PM 3:00 PM Judging Phase II as needed 3:00 PM 3:30 PM Judges return to assembly area, discuss results, and reach consensus 3:30 PM Judges are released 3:30 PM Coordinators submit results 4:00 PM 5:30 PM Grand Award Judging 5:30 PM 6:00 PM All Coordinators return to assembly area, discuss results, and reach consensus; Coordinators for each division submit the results 7:00 PM Fair closes: All activities must be complete and people must leave the building. Page 5
Links and Contacts 1. Fair main website: The main website for the Science Engineering Fair of Houston is: http://www.sefhouston.org/ 2. Schedule website: The schedule for the day of the fair is: https://www.sefhouston.org/directions-schedule/day-2 3. Judge Sign-Up website: Judges should sign-up using the on-line form available on the website under the heading of Place Award Judges: https://www.sefhouston.org/place-award-judges 4. Email address for the Chairs of Judging: "Jay E. Levy" <cobiakid@pdq.net> "Aaron B. Clevenson" <aaron@clevenson.org> 5. Email address for the Fair Executive Director: Heather Domjan <hndomjan@central.uh.edu> Page 6
III. Judge Activities During the Year 1. Signup: Judge information changes from time to time. To enable the fair to keep in touch with former judges and also contact new judges, it is important for all judges to use the on-line registration form each year. Applying on-line is simple and painless. It can be done using the form that is available on the SEFH website. Be sure to specify which categories you would like to judge, in order of preference ( 1 for first preference, 2 for second preference, etc.). 2. Respond to any and all e-mails from the Fair Directors, Chairs of Judging, and Judging Coordinators: You may receive e-mails from the fair. Before you register, this may be an invitation to participate. Once you have registered, you should receive a judging assignment from a Category Coordinator. Please respond to confirm that the assignment is what you expected. It will indicate your intention to judge. It will also indicate to which category you have been assigned. There are times when it is necessary to assign a judge to their second or even third choice to balance the judges available against the judging needs. If you receive an assignment that is inappropriate or that you do not want to work, then please respond to the Category Coordinator and let them know of the problem. 3. Solicit Judges: Our experience is that we always need additional judges. Please discuss the SEFH with your coworkers and friends. Encourage them to participate and to register on-line. Almost every category is in need of additional judges. We have more categories, and need to ensure we have enough judges for all of them. Page 7
IV. Judge Activities on the Day of the Fair 1. Proper Attire: Judges should be neatly dressed and groomed and are encouraged to wear badges and/or an article of clothing which identifies their place of employment or professional society. 2. Arrival: Please plan to arrive with enough time to find the judging room, sign in, and receive orientation materials. Your assignment letter will include information on where the fair is located, how to find the rooms used by the fair, and the times that activities occur. 3. Sign In: The Fair should be expecting you. Find the table that is the sign-in location. The Fair will have a packet for you that includes your badge, instructions, and Score Sheets.. 4. Walking the Exhibit Floor: If you arrive early, and have time before the Fair starts, you may visit the exhibit floor. This provides an opportunity for you to find exhibits in the category in which you will be judging. You may also check-out other exhibits if you are interested. Be sure to be back in the judge room for the start of the Fair. There will also be an opportunity for public viewing from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. 5. Receiving Assigned Projects: The Fair will assign you to a specific Division: Senior or Junior. Those judges with advanced degrees will often be assigned to Senior Division in anticipation of more complex projects at that level. Judge preferences regarding assignments to a Division will be accommodated when possible. It is also at this point in the process that you may be asked to help judge in other areas if there is a significant shortage of judges. This may be for other categories. Please help us if this becomes necessary. You will also be assigned to a Judging Team of 3 or 4 judges. Each team will be assigned specific projects to review. A Team Captain will also be identified. Our goal is to assign the projects so that each team has a reasonable number of projects to judge. We often try to divide the projects so that all of the teams will have high caliber and quality projects. This makes the second stage of the judging more successful in identifying the top projects at the fair. Page 8
6. Judging: Your category Coordinator will tell you when it is time to begin the judging. In Phases I of the judging process, you will interview the exhibitors as a team and complete the judging form. As you judge, some things to confirm: Be sure that you are judging exhibits in the right Category: Physics, Animal Science, etc. Be sure that you are judging exhibits in the right Division of your Category Senior or Junior. Be sure that the exhibits you are judging are those to which you were assigned by the Fair. Be sure to interview all of the exhibitors that are present for the projects assigned to you. o You may have to return to an exhibit if specialty judges are interviewing the exhibitor when you arrive or if the exhibitor is not present. o You may have to return to an exhibit if the exhibitor is temporarily away from their exhibit. If you attempt to do this three times and they have not been present at all, then you should not judge that project. Please let your Category Coordinator know of this situation. o If a location where an exhibit should be is empty, then you will not be able to interview them. Please confirm any of these situations with your Category Coordinator. o Sometimes one or more projects will be located nearby, but not where you would expect them to be. If you cannot find a specific project, ask your Category Coordinator. In Phases II of the judging process, the Team Lead Judges will work as judges. You may be asked to help with this phase if needed. Please stay if you can. Phase III of the judging process will be done by the Category Coordinators. In rare situations, we may ask you to help with this phase as well. Please help if you can. Page 9
7. Some Important Points to Remember: You will be interviewing the students as a team, but judging is individual. Once you have judged the projects, then you will discuss them among the team. You have a limited amount of time. Watch the clock and be sure you are moving fast enough to complete all of the projects which you were assigned. We want all exhibitors to have an equal opportunity to share their projects with you. This is usually about 10 minutes in Phase I or Phase II. You should not know the exhibitors. Their name and the name of their teachers and schools should not be visible, except on form 1C, form 7, and the abstract which will be with the projects. Do not ask them their name, teacher s name, or school. If you find a student that you do know, you will need to be reassigned to another judging team. Please let your category Coordinator know of any of these situations immediately. Do not discuss the exhibits with other judges until you have completed your judging. There are opportunities to discuss what you think with the other judges at the end of each phase in the judging room. Do not discuss your opinions or observations about specific exhibits while in the exhibit area. Be discrete in your judging and in the completion of the form. Students should NOT see the completed forms for any of the exhibits. Do not compare an exhibit with another exhibit when discussing them with the exhibitors. You have a range of 1 to 10 to use in each category on the form. We encourage you to use the entire scale. It provides you with more room to distinguish one exhibit from another. Ask questions to determine the student s understanding of the science as well as the process followed. If there are two or three students who worked on the project, then they all should be present and must participate in the interview process. Share your thoughts and suggestions with the exhibitors on ways they can improve their exhibits in the future. All students should have abstracts and a laboratory manual. These are requirements of all exhibits. If they are not present, then points should be removed from the judging evaluation appropriately. Page 10
8. Continuation of Prior Year s Project: Exhibits that are continuations of a previous year s exhibit will have a form posted that indicates this. An example of this form is shown in Appendix H: Continuation Project Form. Projects displaying the form should show efforts beyond what was done previously. If this is not the case or if the exhibitor mentions that this exhibit is based on a previous exhibit and the form is not displayed, then points should be deducted appropriately. 9. Regulated Research Projects: Projects that are done with the help of a research facility will have a form posted that indicates this. An example of this form is shown in Appendix I: Regulated Research Form. If the exhibitor indicates that this work was done with the help of a research facility and the form is not displayed then points should be deducted appropriately. 10. Disrespectful Exhibitors: All judges should be treated with respect. If you have an exhibitor that is being disrespectful please report it to your Category Coordinator. Based on your information and information from others the Category Coordinator has the option of disqualifying the exhibitor from the judging process. The Fair Director will make the final decision of whether a project will be disqualified. Page 11
V. After Judging 1. Complete the forms: After you have completed filling in the forms for those exhibits which you were assigned, return to the judge room and complete the bottom of the forms. A. Total the score on the form. B. Rank the projects based on the totals on your Score Sheet. 1 is the best project, then 2, etc. C. If you have two or more projects with the same total, then look at the sheets and consider in which order they should be ranked from best of that group to worst of that group. Individual judges should have no ties: the exhibits should be ordered from best exhibit downward. 2. Caucuses: When the judges on your judging team have completed their individual judging activities you will meet in the judge room to promote exhibits to the next phase of the judging process. You can begin this process as soon as the judges arrive. Exhibits will organized by the Team Captain. 3. Consensus: In Phase I, your Team Captain will lead a discussion to identify the top 3 or 4 projects that will progress on to Phase II. Order is not important as all projects in Phase II will be reevaluated together. In Phase II, your Team Captain will lead a discussion to choose the top three exhibits; First Place, Second Place, and Third Place, as well as to identify any Honorable Mentions. Each judge sees different things and each judge has specific things they are looking for. This is normal. Sometimes a judge will notice something that you missed. During the caucuses these details will become apparent. At the end of the caucuses, the Team Captain will provide information to the Category Coordinator on those exhibits that have succeeded in progressing to the next Phase of Judging. Due to those differences among the judges, some of your top exhibits may not make it into the next Phase. The objective is to choose the best projects through a process of reaching consensus. Please understand that this is a group decision and not the rankings and ratings of an individual judge. Page 12
VI. Special Awards Judging during Phase I Judges are responsible for making nominations for two special awards from UH during the Phase I judging process: The SEFH Creative Excellence Award and the SEFH Lab Notebook Award. 1. The SEFH Creative Excellence Award: The SEFH Creative Excellence Award, given to the most creative Engineering, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences Individual project (Junior and Senior divisions). Creativity is judged in these areas per the Judging Scoring Sheet: 1) Project Objectives 2) Project Design 3) Project Presentation When judges are making nominations for this award, they need to write both the table number of the project and the project s title on a piece of paper, and place it in the takeout box provided on the Category Coordinator s table. There are no limits to the number of judge nominations given per category and division. Please be on the lookout for projects that are unusual, original, and look outside the box. The determination of winning entries is made during Phase II (afternoon session), based on 1-minute speeches given by the nominated students in terms of What makes this the most creative project on the floor this year? The prize is a medal and a Barnes and Noble Gift Card for a total of 12 projects. 2. The SEFH Lab Notebook Award: The SEFH Lab Notebook Award will be given to the most complete and thorough Lab Notebook. This is currently a pilot program, and open only to Senior projects in the Physical Science, Engineering, and Life Science areas. Any notebooks that only reflect one-to-one correlations with the board do not qualify for this award. When judges are making nominations for this award, they need to write both the table number of the project and the project s title on a piece of paper, and give it to the Category Coordinator. (Scoring Sheet is in Appendix J.) The award will be determined by a panel during Phase II (afternoon session) with the nominated Lab Notebooks. The judges need to determine a maximum of two projects for this prize during Phase I (morning session), based on the following criteria: 1) Journaling That Shows a Thought Process. Lab notebooks should reflect not only the log of activities throughout the project, but also its thought process. For example, it should state goals and objectives. The lab notebook should state the rationale for each experiment or measurements performed, indicating why it is done and defining how the result will be interpreted (such as what criteria would it mean that an experiment failed, and what criteria would it mean that an experiment succeeded). The Lab Notebook should also include the reasoning behind the creation of the project, information about literature used for the project, and information about any problems encountered during the project s life cycle. Page 13
2) Clarity and Organization. The lab notebook should follow regular practices such as specifying dates, protocols, materials, procedures and results. Data obtained and the interpretation of results should be explained. Charts should indicate findings clearly. For example, instead of stating Temperature measurements on a chart, the finding illustrated by such chart should also be stated. Legibility is required; all sections should be clearly marked. The lab notebook should not only be an evidence of the steps done in the science project; it should also be clear enough and with sufficient detailed information for replication of results (a person with knowledge on the same discipline that is not a participant of the project can replicate the project with the same findings). 3) Creativity. We are looking for a new aspect that goes beyond a traditional lab notebook and helps with the overall goals of having a lab notebook (a primary record of research, which shows the life cycle of the project from origination to completion). Possible creativity elements include, but are not limited to, project objectives, project design, and project subject and execution. The awards will be composed of a trophy and art, given in the following denominations: First Place, Second Place, and Third Place in Senior Physical Sciences First Place, Second Place, and Third Place in Senior Engineering First Place, Second Place, and Third Place in Senior Life Sciences Grand Award (determined between 1 st Place in Senior Physical Sciences, 1 st Place Senior Engineering, and 1 st place in Senior Life Sciences) Page 14
VII. Phase III Judging 1. The Judging Process: After Phase II judging, most judges are released. The Category Coordinators with the help of additional judges if needed are then assigned to do the Phase III Judging. There are two teams for each Division; one for Physical Sciences and one for Life Science. Each of these teams interviews the winners from each of the categories in their Division (Junior or Senior). The judges interview as a team. Often the group may split into two or three smaller Judging groups so that it is possible for all of the Judges to get in close enough to the projects to hear and see during the interviews. 2. Discussion and Final Decision: After the interview process, the judges in each division and group get together and pick the winners. These are the selections that need to be made: Senior Division, Life Sciences: 3 Grand Prize Winners and 1 Alternate Senior Division, Engineering: 3 Grand Prize Winners and 1 Alternate Senior Division, Physical Sciences: 3 Grand Prize Winners and 1 Alternate Junior Division, Life Sciences: 1 Grand Prize Winner Junior Division, Engineering: 1 Grand Prize Winner Junior Division, Physical Sciences: 1 Grand Prize Winner Page 15
Appendix A: Assignment Letter to Judges Judging Assignment Sheet Welcome to the 2018 Science Engineering Fair of Houston judging team! Your application to judge has been received and you have been assigned to judge as indicated below: Judging Time: Judging: Saturday, February 24, 2018, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Judging Category: Animal Science Chemistry Aerospace Engineering Behavioral/Social Sciences Computer Science Chemical Engineering Biochemistry/Microbiology Earth/Space Science Civil/Electrical/Mechanical Engineering Medicine/Health Mathematics Energy & Transportation Plant Science Physics & Astronomy Materials and Bioengineering Robotics & Intelligent Machines If, for any reason, you cannot be available for your judging assignment, please contact your category coordinator at ( ) ; Fax: ( ) ; E-mail:. If you cannot reach this individual, please contact Dr. Jacobs at 713.743.2072; fax 832.842.5142 or e-mail ljacobs@central.uh.edu. Please arrive at the stated time. Upon entering the UH Athletic Alumni Center (3100 Cullen Blvd), proceed directly to the Judging Area located past the main foyer as signs will direct you to the judging assembly area. In the meeting area, you will register at your assigned category station. After a brief introductory session, you will enter the exhibit area and begin interviewing students. The map below shows the fair s location as well as this link: http://www.uh.edu/pts/pdfs/campusmap.pdf. Please park in lot 16B and 16D which is across from the UH Athletic Alumni Center. There is no fee for these surface areas; however, if you wish to park in the UH Stadium Visitor Parking Lot, there is a flat fee of $3.00. Thank you for your willingness to serve. We look forward to seeing you. Sincerely, Jay Levy Chair of Judging Page 16
University of Houston, Main Campus Stadium Parking $3.00 Flat Fee SEFH Science Fair Location Free Parking: Surface Lots 16 B and 16D Page 17
Appendix B: Sample Exhibit Scoring Sheet Page 18
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Appendix C: Judge Instructions 1. Judge the exhibits assigned to you as a team. Be sure to use your time wisely for each exhibit. Remember that you may set a time limit on each exhibitor s presentation. We must finish within our allotted time. 2. Examine the project inspection sheet at each exhibit that you are to judge for correct title and number. The project inspection sheet is attached to the front of the table and will have two stamps if the project was approved. 3. We recommend that you make three visits to each exhibit: i. Briefly view each exhibit to get a feel for which projects you are to judge seem to be the better ones. ii. (7-8 minutes at each exhibit) Speak personally with each exhibitor and ask several questions about each exhibit. Be sure you understand the total scope of the project. Evaluate each exhibit according to the criteria outlined in the Judging Criteria Sheet. Give some brief words of encouragement to each of the exhibitors along with your helpful comments and suggestions for further study and improvements. This can do a great deal to enhance the educational aspect of the fair. iii. (1-2 minutes at each exhibit) Revisit each exhibit and re-evaluate scores relative to the other exhibits you judged. 4. Be professional and discrete in your scoring and in your comments. If you must discuss an exhibit with another judge, don t do it in the presence of any exhibitor. 5. In discussing the project with the exhibitor, be sure that you do not compare their project with others as to how it should have been done. 6. For projects with two or three exhibitors (teams), all exhibitors must participate in the interview process. 7. Sum the scores for each for the criteria to obtain the unadjusted (raw) score for each exhibit. Check your addition. 8. Assign ranking to the projects on the score sheet. 9. Turn the completed and signed score sheets in to your Team Captain. After they are combined, you and the other team members may be asked to assist the Team Captain in deciding which three exhibits should advance to the Phase II Judging. 10. Affix your label to the confirmation sheet for the winners in each phase of judging. Page 20
Appendix D: Team Captain Instructions 1. You are responsible for: a. Being certain that your team completes the judging in a timely manner and returns all Scoring Sheets to you. b. Being certain that each judge understands the normalized survey process. c. Averaging normalized scores before the judges are dismissed (to prevent ties). d. Completing the Scoring Sheet with normalized scores. e. Returning the Scoring Sheet to the Category Coordinator. f. Making recommendations on the projects to advance to Phase II for additional judging. 2. Check to be sure that each member of your team has only one Scoring Sheet for each exhibit your team is to judge. 3. After each judge has completed their assignment and turned their Scoring Sheets over to you (see Judges Instruction Sheet), complete the Scoring Sheet using normalized scores, along with the average score for each project. 4. Normalizing Scores: (Explain this process to your judges if the coordinator does not do so.) a. Each judge s stack should be arranged with the highest raw score on top, then in decreasing score to the lowest score on the bottom (no ties are allowed). b. Assign a normalized score of 100 to the highest raw score in a judge s stack, a 95 to the second highest score, 90 to the third highest score, continuing with a 5-point interval until all raw scores are normalized. 5. Complete the Scoring Sheet with each judge s normalized scores and average the scores for each project. Then discuss with your team which projects should advance to Phase II. Your coordinator will give you some guidelines to follow for this selection. 6. Return the signed Scoring Sheet along with each stack of judges Scoring Sheets to the Category Coordinator. 7. Helpful Hints: a. It is a good idea for the Team Captain to write down the name of each team member on the back of the Scoring Sheet before judging begins. b. If you have any questions, ask the Category Coordinator first. If he or she can t help you, ask them to contact the Chairs of Judging. 8. Phase I: The Team Captains will help the Coordinator review the top normalized projects from each team to select projects for Phase II judging. Phase II: Team Captains will participate in selection of projects to receive awards. Please use the same procedures when judging for phase II to decide on place award winners. Page 21
Appendix E: Consolidated Form for Judge Normalized Scores Judge # Project # 1 2 3 4 5 6 Page 22
Appendix F: Judging Criteria and Procedures Procedures: Exhibits will be judged in one of two divisions: the Junior/Middle School (7th and 8th grades); and the Senior (9, 10, 11, & 12th grades) Divisions, Individual and Team. Each division is subdivided into subject classifications such as chemistry, engineering, animal sciences, plant sciences, etc. Prior to judging, all project displays must be inspected and approved by the Rules/Safety Committee and the Scientific Review Committee. Projects not approved must be removed from the Exhibition Hall prior to judging. Phase I: 9:00 AM - 12 Noon PLACE AWARDS ONLY - All exhibits are visited by the judging team. Exhibitors will present a 3-5 minute description of the project, followed by a series of specific questions by the judges. The exhibitor may also ask questions and seek advice from the judges at this point. Each judge should obtain all the information necessary to make a professional evaluation of each criterion listed on the project scoring sheet. The team captain compiles the judges' normalized scores and delivers the collective rankings to the category coordinator. The coordinator and team captains will then decide which projects will advance to Phase II judging. Phase II: 1:00 3:00 PM PLACE AWARD JUDGING for almost 200 awards continues in the same manner as before. Place award judges meet during and after Phase II to determine the place awards for each division and category. Normally no scores are tabulated for this process; rather, the judges arrive at their rankings through indepth discussions and by consensus. Most place award winners are eligible to enter the State SEF. Junior place award winners are eligible to enter the National Discovery Competition. SPECIAL AWARD JUDGING begins. Some agencies will only judge projects in particular categories while others will be interested in all categories. They determine their own judging criteria, procedures and awards. Phase III: 3:30 5:30 PM PLACE AWARD JUDGING - Category Coordinators meet with the Chairs of Judging to evaluate the first place award winners in each of the three divisions. These judges work in small teams so that a wide spectrum of expertise can be brought to bear during each interview. After the teams complete their interviews, the overall division award winners; 3 for the Junior/Middle School Division, 3 for the Ninth Grade Division and 4 for the Senior Division are determined. The 4 senior winners represent SEFH at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in May. SPECIAL AWARD JUDGING continues and approximately 400 awards are concluded. Page 23
Judge Expectations: Judges must not attempt to learn the student's name, their school, or the name of their advisor. Such information may be requested from the category coordinator after the judging is complete. Judges are free to introduce themselves and identify their affiliation (in fact, the badge worn by each judge should contain this information), but the anonymity of the exhibitors must be preserved. Judges should interact with each other as little as possible in the exhibit area and retire to the judging auditorium to discuss the projects (eager ears are listening to their conversations with other judges). The official scoring sheets and other notes kept by judges should be concealed while in the exhibit area. After each judging phase, the scoring sheets and any notes taken by judges will be collected and destroyed. All judging results are confidential and will be known only to the judges involved in the decision and the officials of the fair until they are publicly announced at the awards ceremony held following the judging. Judging Criteria: The Official Scoring Sheet contains a complete summary of the criteria to be used by the judges in evaluating each project. It is intended to provide guidance for judges and to ensure that the judging process is carried out as equitably as possible. OBJECTIVES - Note that it is not essential for a project to be completely original, but the source(s) of ideas for the project should be acknowledged DESIGN - Judges will ascertain whether the student has applied the proper scientific and/or engineering principles in the design and execution of the experiment and carried out their data collection and analysis in a systematic manner. Students who do not have a good understanding of the science/engineering related to their projects will be downgraded accordingly by the judges. EXECUTION/PRESENTATION - The project's conclusions should follow logically from the data analysis and reflect careful consideration by the student of possible errors in the experiment. CONCLUSIONS Students should keep their presentation within the time limits set by the judge. Judges are prepared to hear polished presentations from the more experienced students. Judges will go beyond the student's prepared presentation by posing questions that can determine the student's level of understanding of the principles underlying their project. Page 24
Appendix G: SEFH Project Inspection Sheet This sheet is not used by the judges, but is important to the judges. If a project s sheet is not stamped by the Science Review Committee and Rules and Safety Team, it should not be exhibiting and should not be judged. LEAVE THIS PROJECT INSPECTION SHEET STAPLED TO YOUR PROJECT DISPLAY TABLE. SEFH PROJECT INSPECTION SHEET Both boxes must have appropriate documentation before project is approved for judging SCIENCE REVIEW COMMITTEE RULES AND SAFETY (R&S) PLACE APPROVAL LABEL HERE PLACE APPROVAL STAMP HERE Peel off the stamped label from the Project ID card and firmly stick the label down in this space. (SRC in left box R&S in right box) EXHIBITOR INSTRUCTIONS 1. Begin Registration: Pick up your SEFH Exhibitor badge at the Registration table and wear at ALL times. If you lose your badge, you will have to purchase a replacement at $2.00. If you have any registration problems, please go to the Problem Desk. If you require assistance in setting up your project, go to the Exhibitor Assistance booth. Emergency medical personnel will be on duty at all times during the fair. 2. Check Project Location: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: Before you set up your project, check to be sure the number on your Project Identification Card matches exactly the number stapled on the front edge of your project table. If not, you are at the wrong location. 3. SRC Paperwork: Your project was reviewed by SRC. If for any reasons the SRC needs to review your project submission please visit the Registration Desk. 4. SRC Stamp of Approval: Your Project received a SRC Stamp of Approval for your project to be presented at SEFH. 5. Displaying the SRC Approval Label: Carefully remove the Approval Label from the Project ID Card and stick the label on this sheet in the SRC space (see above). 6. Rules and Safety Committee Approval: After attaching the stamped SRC approval label to this sheet, remain at your project until a member of the Rules and Safety Committee arrives to review your project. Once they approve your project, you will receive a R & S stamp in the box above. Neither your name, nor the name of your school district, or teacher, should be visible at your project site. 7. Forms required to be visible and vertically displayed at your project: Official/Stamped Abstract Form 1C if research institution/industrial setting used Form 7 if a continuation project 8. Equipment: You may check-in valuable equipment for storage on Friday evening. 9. Judging: Judging will start promptly at 9:00 a.m.; the project display area will open at 8:00 a.m. for exhibit preparation. 10. Remember: Dress and groom yourself in an appropriate manner. You may want to bring a folding type chair (not a recliner) to keep at your display site because you must STAY with your project during all judging times. You will be dismissed for lunch around noon and for dinner around 5:00 p.m. Food and beverage services will be available on Judging Day. You cannot use a laser-type pointer for your project presentations. DO NOT LEAVE any purses, wallets, or other valuables unattended at your display site as SEFH is not liable for your belongings. 11. Disqualification: Your project must be inspected and approved by both the Science Review Committee and the Rules and Safety Committee. It will be disqualified if you leave without getting approval from both entities. All disqualified projects must be removed from the exhibition hall prior to Judging Day. 12. Project Removal: After the award ceremony SEFH student participants will leave their science fair projects for Public Day on February 28, 2016. Students are not permitted to breakdown their projects however may present their projects to the public prior to the Award Ceremony which starts at 1:30 PM at the UH Cullen Performance Hall. Projects may begin to be removed starting at 6:30 PM on Sunday, February 28, 2016 and if any projects remain they will be disposed of appropriately. Please make every effort to obtain your project during this time. Page 25
Appendix H: Continuation Project Form Page 26
Appendix I: Regulated Research Form Page 27
Appendix J: Lab Notebook Scoring Sheet Project Title: Table ID: - (Senior Division, Individual Projects Only For 2016) Note: Lab Notebooks that only reflect a one-for-one correlation (copy) with the board do not qualify for this award. Criteria Score Journaling and Thought Process (60 Points Total) Describes the thought process (0 to 20 points) Explains rationale for each experiment (0 to 20 points) Defines how to interpret results of experiments (0 to 20 points) Total: out of 60 Clarity and Organization (30 Points Total) Legibility with all sections clearly marked (0 to 10 points) Specifies dates, protocols, process, materials, results (0 to 10 points) Contains enough details for replicability of project (0 to 10 points) Total: out of 30 Creativity (10 Points Total) Project Objectives Project Design Project Subject and Execution Other Total: out of 10 Total Score for Lab Notebook: out of 100 Points Distribution of Award: Life Sciences (1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd Place) Physical Sciences (1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd Place) Grand Award (1 st Place in Life Sciences or Physical Sciences) Page 28
Information About Lab Notebook Award: Journaling That Shows a Thought Process (60 Points). Lab notebooks should reflect not only the log of activities throughout the project, but also its thought process. For example, it should state goals and objectives. The lab notebook should state the rationale for each experiment or measurements performed, indicating why it is done and defining how the result will be interpreted (such as what criteria would it mean that an experiment failed, and what criteria would it mean that an experiment succeeded). The Lab Notebook should also include the reasoning behind the creation of the project, information about literature used for the project, and information about any problems encountered during the project s life cycle. Clarity and Organization (30 Points). The lab notebook should follow regular practices such as specifying dates, protocols, materials, procedures and results. Data obtained and the interpretation of results should be explained. Charts should indicate findings clearly. For example, instead of stating Temperature measurements on a chart, the finding illustrated by such chart should also be stated. Legibility is required; all sections should be clearly marked. The lab notebook should not only be an evidence of the steps done in the science project; it should also be clear enough and with sufficient detailed information for replication of results (a person with knowledge on the same discipline that is not a participant of the project can replicate the project with the same findings). Creativity (10 Points). We are looking for a new aspect that goes beyond a traditional lab notebook and helps with the overall goals of having a lab notebook (a primary record of research, which shows the life cycle of the project from origination to completion). Possible creativity elements include, but are not limited to, project objectives, project design, and project subject and execution. Page 29