Handbook (pdf)
The success of our local, regional, and state science fairs are dependent upon the quality of judging for the fair. We realize the judging a science fair is a committment of time and effort, but the rewards are helping to encourage the next generation of scientists for our state and country. The purpose of the science fair is to give young people the opportunity to actually do some science. Along with your role as an evaluator of student projects, you will also have the job of reinforcing that purpose as well as encouraging, motivating, and even sometimes doing a little teaching. Even a participant whose project is of modest quality should feel a sense of accomplishment and be proud of what he or she did. Clearly, you have a critical responsibility in the success of this enterprise.
About The State Science Fair of North Carolina
The NC State Science Fair includes about 250 student participants from grades 3 through 12. They come from throughout North Carolina. They are all selected after competing in regional science fairs. In addition, most of the students have previously won at local science fairs. First and second place winners in the junior division (grades 6 –8) and 5th grade students in the elementary division will be nominated for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (DCYSC). Several single projects and a team project will be selected to participate in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) with all expenses paid by our State Science Fair.
Your Relationship with the Students/Participants
What to expect from the students As stated above, the students you meet probably already have won or placed in their school science fairs. They will be proud of their accomplishments and should be able to explain their projects clearly and concisely. This explanation should include what they did as well as their results and conclusions. Their displays should clearly show the intent and outcomes of experimentation, and they should be able to answer questions about their projects at levels appropriate to their ages and grade levels. They should be able to describe the methodology and equipment employed and the thought processes that were used to develop their hypotheses, experimental designs, results, and conclusions.
You should not be surprised to find projects vary widely in quality and sophistication. Some projects, particularly at the high school level, may be comparable to graduate school work – and occasionally beyond. The vast majority, of course, will be more elementary. Some displays will be elaborate while others may be relatively simple. The purpose of the display is to clearly communicate the project’s purpose, hypothesis, methodology, results, conclusions, and other information relevant to the investigation. A simple, clear, and well-organized display is to be preferred over one that is ornate but falls short of accomplishing this purpose. Although the fact that a display is attractive should be taken in account, scientific content and the ability to communicate that content is of primary importance.
If you are interested in setting up a training of judges in your area, please contact Judy Day at Judy_Day@ncsu.edu to schedule a workshop. Without your support, we would not be able to provide a quality Science Fair event for our students!
Updated 2/3/08