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Science fair judges needed.

By jstemwedel on March 6, 2008.

For readers in the greater San Jose (California) region, I wanted to pass along a call for judges for the Synopsis Championship, scheduled to take place next Wednesday, March 12. Judges will be doing their thing from noon to 4:30 PM at the McEnery Convention Center in downtown San Jose. (Judges will be served a free lunch starting at 11:30, however.) Here are the details on the judging talent they're looking for:

WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF JUDGES especially in Botany, Zoology, Environment Sciences, Heath, Medicine, Gerontology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Chemistry. Please consider asking your friends or acquaintances who are in these fields to be a judge.

Judging is not just about deciding the winners. It is the interaction between the judges and the students that is critical. You are making a difference to the students' lives by being a judge. We have known several instances where a student was motivated to pursue these fields (despite hardships) as a result of his experience in the Championship.

Here's the webpage with the links to sign up to be a judge, plus the schedule of judging and links to documents about how to evaluate the projects, how to talk with the kids about their projects, and other good stuff.

My own experience as a judge for this science fair has been tremendously positive, and I'm excited that my class schedule this year makes it possible for me to be a judge again after a couple years off.

If you're interested, don't dawdle -- sign up today!

Tags
kids and science
Scientist/layperson relations
Teaching and Learning

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I recently judged a science fair for the first time, and it was great. It was really refreshing to see projects that students had done just because they were sort of interested in the subject.

One in particular was of a young student who liked baking, so she had done some testing to see if altering the ingredients would make taller cakes. It was clear that she had chosen something that she really cared about and designed a project around it.

I really recommend that anyone in the San Jose area sign up. It's a surprisingly rewarding experience!

I signed up last night. I'm excited!

Wow! What a great time! I was assigned to a team that had a no-show judge and was disappointed at first because I was judging 6th grade engineering projects. I thought I was going to see a lot of aluminum foil solar ovens and such but all of the kids were totally charming and enthusiastic, and a few were absolutely amazing. I was told twice that I was "a cool judge" and it made me feel like a million bucks. The best affirmation I've had in a long time.