|
|
DEADLINES
|
SRC Forms due Jan 11, 2008.
Other forms due Feb 25, 2008.
Details at Forms &
Deadlines.
|
|
DIRECTIONS
|
The Science Fair will be held in Washtenaw Community College's Morris Lawrence Building.
Directions and Maps
How to get to WCC's campus.
Room Locator
Find a room location in the Morris Lawrence Building.
|
|
|
|
|
Judging Criteria and Process
Every Intel ISEF affiliated fair has their own methodology for judging projects. The judges at the Southeast Michigan Science Fair use the ISEF criteria found at: Intel ISEF-Affiliated Fair Judging Criteria
To determine the top awards in each category, SEMSF judges look for projects that score high marks in the above categories AND clearly demonstrate:
- student initiation of the project
- the student's passion for the project
- the student's dedication to a project
Student Expectations
FOR ALL STUDENTS: The judging of the fair occurs on Friday evening. No students are to be present during this time. During the evening, teams of judges examine, discuss, and score all of the projects. By the end of the evening, all middle school division awards and all but the top 5 high school division awards are assigned. All awards are posted by the beginning of the public viewing on Saturday.
FOR HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION ONLY: Between 11 pm and midnight, the judging committee will make a phone call to the top 5 students in the high school division. They will set up appointments for interviews early Saturday morning. These interviews determine the ranking of the top high school division awards and who will go to the International Science Fair. THE ABILITY OF JUDGES TO REACH THESE STUDENTS late Friday evening IS CRITICAL TO EFFICIENT JUDGING ON SATURDAY. Each high school division entry should include a contact phone number where they or a family member can be reached after 10:00 PM on Friday. The student will be asked to come to Washtenaw Community College for an interview with a team of judges on Saturday morning. This interview will last approximately 15 minutes. The judges will ask a variety of questions, with the goal of determining the depth and breadth of the student's understanding of their own project. This interview is necessary for any student to be placed in the top 5. In emergency situations, conference telephone interviews may be substituted.
Judging Process - Middle School Division
Over 75 judges are assigned to score and rank more than 200 middle school division projects. The judges are assigned a range of projects that overlap, so that each project is seen by many different judges and compared to as wide a range of projects as possible.
The judges use the criteria given by the International Science and Engineering Fair. They assign points to each project, and submit their scores to the scoring committee. The scoring committee tabulates all of the scores, and ranks the projects. Winners are ranked by their final score. In the case of questions or ties, the judging committee examines the projects and determines a fair outcome.
Judging Process - High School Division
Each high school division category is judged by a team of professional scientists and engineers who are highly
qualified to judge in that category. The size of the team is dependent on the number of projects in that category.
In addition to their professional credentials, all senior judges have a minimum of 5 years of experience as science
fair judges. This makes them well qualified to evaluate each student's work against other projects in their category
and against a much larger body of previous work. Using the criteria given by the International Science and Engineering
Fair (ISEF), each team scores and ranks all of the projects in their category, and records them on the master list.
When a team is done with their own category, they split up and look at the top projects in all of the other categories,
with the goal of determining the overall top 10 high school division projects.
At the end of the category judging process, one or more judges from each category join the final selection committee,
which determines the top ten projects. This committee holds a formal meeting, where projects are nominated, discussed,
visited, and voted on. The top 5 projects are selected for interviews on Saturday morning. Those committee members who
have particular expertise or interest in these projects volunteer to return on Saturday morning, and meet with all 5 students.
After the interviews, this group ranks them for 1st through 5th place awards. The final awards are made before noon on Saturday.
Top winners should expect to be interviewed by reporters and local cable television.
The judging on Friday night is closed to the public. Students, parents, family, friends, teachers, etc., are not allowed on the floor during the process.
The meeting of the final selection committee, which usually begins between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm, may be observed by the public.
However, observers may not participate in the process.
It is worth noting that the entire process on Friday is done without any of the judges having any knowledge of the student's name, age, school, gender, ethnicity, etc.
It is only after the judging is complete that the name of the student is attached to the project.
Special Awards
Many organizations sponsor special awards. Special award judging is most often done by the professional scientific organizations,
colleges and universities, or governmental agencies who sponsor their award. This judging is done entirely separately
from the SEMSF judging. The criteria and selection process are determined by each individual organization, not by SEMSF or ISEF.
|
|
Print-friendly format
E-mail this page
