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Tulare County Science and Engineering Fair

March 16 - 22, 2009


General Information and Rules


Judging Criteria

The purpose of the Science Fair
  • To give students the opportunity to
    • Do some science!
    • Learn about a new subject or learn more about an old one.
    • Learn what scientists do.
    • Have fun!
  • To provide motivation for young people to apply creativity and critical thought to the solution of science, engineering and mathematics problems.
  • To encourage students, teachers, parents, scientists, and engineers to meet, exchange knowledge and ideas, and discuss career opportunities.
  • To publicly recognize the achievements of talented science students, grades 4-12 in Tulare County.
  • To foster school-community cooperation in developing the scientific potential and communication skills of tomorrow's leaders.
  • To develop leadership skills in the area of science.
Schedule
  • March 16 - 22, 2009
  • Held at the Sequoia Mall
  • Approximately 320 student participants
  • Participants are usually winners of local school/district science fairs.
  • Best projects go to the California State Science Fair, May 18-19, 2009 at the California Science Center Exposition Park in Los Angeles.
The Judge's Job is to:
  • Help the student learn something from the experience.
  • Determine sweepstakes winners.
  • Leave the student feeling positive about his/her accomplishments.
  • Provide useful written comments for each student.
Judging Standards
  • Creativity - 30 points
    • Originality and uniqueness of approach.
  • Comprehension/Scientific Thought - 30 points
    • Depth of study and effort in using scientific procedures to solve a clearly defined problem.
  • Organization and Completeness - 15 points
    • Study is complete within the scope of the problem.
  • Effort, Motivation and Skill - 15 points
    • Construction or equipment use; computational and design skills.
  • Clarity - 10 points
    • Concise, clear, articulate and easy to understand.
General Project Overview
  • Effectiveness in communication and scientific content should be primary considerations.
  • As secondary considerations, the extent to which displays are elaborate or attractive may be taken into account.
Scoring Scientific Thought
  • Did the idea for the project come from:
    • reading and study?
    • personal experiences or observations?
    • suggestion from a book or website?
    • a scientist or engineer?
    • other sources?
  • Is there a clear hypothesis and project design?
  • Is the depth of study demonstrated?
  • Does the experiment effectively test the hypothesis?
  • Are experimental procedures and data collection well done?
  • Was data recorded in an organized fashion?
  • Are the results and conclusions logical and related to the hypothesis?
  • Are implications discussed and further experiments suggested?
  • Is knowledge of scientific/engineering principles shown?
Proving the hypothesis true is NOT the purpose of a science fair project.

Scoring Creativity
  • Are the project resources used ingeniously?
  • Is the problem original or does the project show a unique approach to an old problem?
  • Does the application/interpretation of data show original thinking?
  • Does the student show understanding of unanswered questions?
  • Is there creative use/design of equipment?
Scoring Organization
  • Is the study complete within the scope of the problem?
  • Has scientific literature been searched?
  • Were experiments repeated as needed and data carefully recorded?
  • Are conclusions supported by experimental evidence?
  • Is the project well executed?
Scoring Clarity
  • Is the display informative, complete, clear, well organized, and attractive?
  • Is the notebook well organized and accurate?
  • Does the title accurately reflect the project?
  • Is the abstract clear and descriptive?
  • Are the purpose, procedures, results, and conclusions clearly communicated?
Scoring Effort, Motivation/Skill
  • Does the project exhibit exceptional student skills in mathematics, statistics, computer use, or observation?
  • Does the project show evidence of an exceptional amount of hard work?
  • Is the project clearly the work of the student?
Mandatory Display Sections
  • Question
  • Hypothesis
  • Introduction
  • Procedure
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Displayed on table: Log Book, Abstract and Report
Project Report
  • Neat, complete, well organized, including:
    • Abstract
    • Introduction, including
      • good background research
      • statement of problem
      • hypothesis (or statement of goals)
    • Materials
    • Procedures
    • Results
    • Analysis
    • Conclusions
    • Literature cited
  • Pictures are appropriate in the report, if they are germane to the study.
Daily Log
  • Complete and in order.
  • What was done and when was is done?
  • Should be original recorded data.
Project Design
  • Experimentation using good scientific method
    • Should include large sample size, repeat runs and control of variables
      or
    • Clearly stated engineering, computer or mathematics goals.
Analysis of Data
  • Data should be presented in table and graphic form
  • High School projects should include statistical analysis appropriate for the project.
Communication Skills
  • Ability of the student to communicate CONCISELY in writing what the project is about
Completed Forms Inappropriate Projects include:
  • Illustrations of concepts in the absence of their use in an investigation.
  • Experiments done without sufficient background research.
  • Displays or collections in the absence of their use in an investigation.
  • Experiments done without a scientific rationale.
  • Presentation of theories or hypotheses with no scientific evidence.
  • Experimental results without analysis or conclusions.
  • Experiments which do not check data and/or explain anomalous results.
  • Procedures using apparatus or procedures unlikely to produce good data.
Judging Comments
  • Every student will receive a written comment/score sheet after the fair has concluded.
  • Areas for comments include
    • Commendations
    • Suggestions for improvements
    • Additional judge's reflections on the project
  • Students appreciate your comments!
    • Please make sure they are
      • Phrased constructively in a positive manner
      • Highly legible
      • Relevant to the project
  • Remember: These are impressionable students who have done their best!
  • Let's applaud their effort while helping them to improve!
Comparing Projects
  • The issue is not the tools used but what is done with resources available - the better science should be given the higher rating.
  • The student's knowledge should be consistent with a project and its goals.
Points to Consider
  • Sometimes a hand-made graph is better than a computer generated one; it might indicate more understanding.
  • Access to sophisticated lab equipment and endorsement from professionals does not guarantee a high quality project. (Did the student understand what was going on?)
High Marks go to:
  • A well-formulated hypothesis.
  • A logical plan to solve the "problem".
  • Genuine scientific breakthroughs.
  • Discovering knowledge not readily available to the student.
  • Correctly interpreting data.
  • A clever experimental apparatus.
  • Repetitions to verify experimental results.
  • Predicting and/or reducing experimental results with analytical techniques.
  • In engineering categories, experiments applicable to the "real world".
  • Ability to clearly portray and explain the project and its results.
  • Understand what constitutes a proof.
Low Marks go to:
  • Ignoring readily available information (e.g., not doing basic library research).
  • An apparatus (e.g., model) not useful for experimentation and data collection.
  • Improperly using jargon, not understanding terminology, and/or not knowing how equipment or instrumentation works.
  • Presenting results that were not derived from experimentation (e.g., literature search).

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