Judging A School Science Fair

(Guest post)

Last Wednesday I volunteered as a Washington Academy of Sciences Science Fair Judge at Paint Branch High School. I was a bit nervous, because I never judged a Science Fair before, and my only experiences judging young adults and children were for student horse shows. When I arrived, a nice student led me through the maze of hallways to the staging area, and I met Dick Davies, from the Washington Academy of Sciences.  Dick, and the other core members of the judging team were very welcoming, and Dick explained their philosophy of judging.

First, I was surprised that there wasn’t a scoring, or ranking of first, second, or third place – this was totally unlike the Science Fairs I participated in when I was in school. I was really impressed with the Academy’s approach – that the judges’ primary responsibility is to encourage students in their interest and pursuit of science, complimenting them, and offering positive guidance. It made me wish I was a student now – the encouragement would have been much more positive than the disappointment I received when my project didn’t win in my school’s Science Fairs.

Representatives from Paint Branch High School worked hard to set up for us. They had sandwiches and juice waiting, and welcomed us with folders of information about their school. My favorite was the What is Special about Paint Branch High School?, handout from the principal, Jeanette Dixon, Paint Branch High school’s Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award winner. The handout highlights student accomplishments and listed special programs and the high-level curriculum offered. Another handout gave the awards achieved by students.

Pam Leffler, the science coordinator passionately described the new school building currently under construction. She clearly displayed pride in her career – she had been with the school for more than 20 years, saying she was so happy there, she “had no reason to go elsewhere” – and told us that their new building will have 12 new science labs, and a greenhouse. 

I was relieved that each new judge would paired with an experienced judge. I was teamed up with a retired NIH scientist, Dr. Peter Lemkin, whose knowledge of genetic diseases and ‘green’ energy sources was expansive.  He asked me the kinds of projects I wanted to see, and chose Horticulture, AP Environmental Science, and AP Biology (the upper-level AP courses are freshman-level college courses taught in the high-school).

One student who presented her project to Peter and me expressed her interest in blood diseases.  She’s already been accepted into the University of Maryland, College Park.  I told the students about USDA’s AgDiscovery Program, and http://www.aphis.usda.gov/audience/students.shtml, and Peter told her that NIH offers similar opportunities. We told them to check the Departments’ and Agencies’ websites on information on how to apply for internships. They were astonished they could be paid to perform scientific research as high school students.

Dick Davies and the others invited us to participate in another Science Fair the next day, but I declined because it is during the workday. I accepted his offer to be included in WAS e-mails for future Science Fairs, and I said I would be glad to help out next year. The Junior Academy of the Washington Academy of Sciences is always looking for scientists and technologists to volunteer as judges for school science programs.

Robin Wilcox has been with United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) since 2007. Years ago, she was a member of the USDA Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. In between, she has managed horse farms, trained horses, and taught riding. Robin continues to raise and trail ride Paso Fino horses.

Montgomery Blair HS Science Program Extends Work Of Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Mendeleyev, Lovelace, And Some Famous Scientists As Well!

Jim Disbrow has been a Science Judge with the Junior Academy at the Washington Academy of Sciences for almost as many years as he has been a presenter at the Professional Development Institute (PDI) hosted annually by the Virginia Association of Science Teachers (www.VAST.org ). Props he lent were from his collection of PDI discrepant event props. He is currently WAS Vice President for Administration. 

 

Montgomery Blair High School (MBHS) has one of the country’s top magnet high school science programs. The MBHS Magnet Program had the 2012 Senior Research Project’s Convention and Program’s Poster Exhibit in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Thursday afternoon and evening, February 22nd. Students made presentations of their individual research projects. On display were the results of 90 research projects covering the physical sciences of astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth/geospace and physics, as well as the behavioral, computer, and social sciences.

The Junior Academy of the Washington Academy of Sciences provided 16 volunteer judges to evaluate the projects of these young scientists - and to decide which special recognitions were deserved by each. The judges spoke directly with the students, inquiring on the research and study behind their presentations. Many of the judges commented on the enthusiasm and excitement the students brought to their work. 

The students presented their research as the judges moved about the room in small groups, each group evaluating posters addressing a specific field. The judges engaged the students in a free flowing discussion of ideas and lessons learned, including how much fun they have had during their project’s unfolding process.

When the judges heard the initial presentation by a student presenting a poster on Astronomy, one judge offered the student an opportunity to review and display some additional props that had bearing on his research subject:

• Complete facsimile of Einstein’s 1912 Manuscript on the Special Theory of Relativity (in German - with a complete robust set of equations - and with an English translation);
• Lexicon sharing knowledge on the current status of the Millennium Prize Problems, posed in 2000. Of seven of the world’s greatest unsolved mathematical puzzles, six apply to his topic: Poincare Conjecture, Hodge Conjecture, Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture, Yang-Mills existence and mass gap, Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness, Riemann hypothesis); and
• A prop that demonstrates field theory via Maxwell’s Equations (rare-earth magnets that drop through a foot-long plumber’s copper pipe).

When the student came on stage to receive his recognition as the 1st Prize Winner in Astronomy, this offer was pointed out to the audience, including where to see the props.

Over 50 individual special recognition awards were made at that evening’s ceremony. Jim Disbrow, Washington Academy Vice President of Administration, made these individual awards on behalf of the Washington Academy of Sciences.

After the awards ceremony, the young scientist kept running the prop through its paces in front of a gaggle of people, using both a cow magnet and the rare-earth magnets - drawing spontaneous laughter from the amazed parents, teachers and students as he explained and they realized why it worked so far differently than they might have ever imagined. With event props demonstrating different physical realities, the student was engaged and drank from each of these three fire hoses, understanding what topologies he had in hand - and responding appropriately.

The students’ hard work was demonstrated in their presentations and response to inquiries. The judges were continually amazed at the ingenious ideas and approaches the students took, often under the guidance of professional scientists associated with local Universities, Government Laboratories, and private corporations. Those mentors present were introduced and honored by their student-proteges.

One aspect that struck every judge was each student’s personal involvement in their projects. Many students had received scholarships and internships that led directly to the hypotheses and results reported on the posters. The posters were made by the students in school facilities that supported making wonderful professional-quality posters - and they made good use of them.

The judges evaluated the research on scientific thought, creative ability, project thoroughness and clarity, and exhibit presentation. Judging the presentation on the accuracy of the science, the merit of science, and the challenges of the research along with the enthusiasm of the student made it a difficult task for all. In line with the non-competitiveness of science poster exhibits, each participant received an award suitable for inclusion in their college applications. However, after much deliberation and reevaluation by the judges, 50 projects received special recognition.

It was good to see that science and technology exploration is in the hands of qualified and enthusiastic young scientists. At the awards ceremony, the keynote speaker was an MBHS graduate (a participant of this same poster presentation event 6 years prior) told his story about what he had experienced in higher learning since he had graduated from high school, where he was now in his career, and, based on the lessons he has learned, encouraged the students on making the most of their futures. He gave some very insightful comments to these students whose paths are still open.

The Washington Academy of Science provided formal certificates to each student in appreciation of allowing us to be a part of their experience, with the hope that each of the students will continue with their enthusiasm and interests in Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STREAM) - wherever the currents take them. 

Your comments? 

Please join us 6 pm, March 13^th, at the Capital Technology Management Hub, where Sales Lab’s Jack Gates presents Rainmaker 12, Lessons from Makers, followed by the featured CTMH Presentation, Sales Lab’s Dick Davies speaking about The Direct Economy, How to Profit from The Most Lucrative Market in the History of the World! 

St. Charles School Science Fair 2012

(Guest Post - Kevin Brogan)

The annual St. Charles Middle School Science Fair in Arlington was held Friday morning, Fedruary 3rd,  in the auditorium, exhibiting the research of the sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes. On display were 39 research projects covering the physical sciences of chemistry, physics, and earth science, as well as the behavioral and social sciences.

The Junior Academy of the Washington Academy of Sciences provided 14 volunteer judges to evaluate the projects of these young scientists. The judges spoke directly with the students, inquiring on the research and study behind their presentations. Many of the judges commented on the enthusiasm the students brought to their work. 

The students presented their research as the judges moved about the room in pairs, each group evaluating a specific field. The judges engaged the students in a free flowing discussion of ideas and lessons learned.

The students’ hard work was demonstrated in their presentations and response to inquiries. The judges were continually amazed at the ingenious ideas and approaches the students took.

One aspect that struck every judge was the personal connection, where the presentation was tied to some aspect of the student’s life; from a cook who wanted to know if sugar substitute could be used for cooking (each substitute lost convincingly to the real thing in a taste test) to a musician who wanted to soundproof her sister’s room so as not to disturb her during practice.

The judges evaluated the research on project clarity, accuracy of the science, and the presentation by the student. Judging the presentation on the merit of science and research along with the enthusiasm of the student made it a difficult task for all. In the end after much deliberation and reevaluation by the judges six projects rose to the top:

Honorable mention:

• Confirming sugar vs sugar substitute as a matter of preference
• Determining Vitamin C in vegetable as correlation to leaf darkness
• Measuring vegetation growth in sand vs gravel

Third Place

• Assessing fear and phobia as a factor of maturity

Second Place

• Discovering bacteria in the Mall

First Place

• Examining soundproofing materials

It was good to see that science and technology exploration is in the hands of qualified enthusiastic young scientists. At the award ceremony, several speakers noted how science comes in many different forms and research can be applied across a vast range of inquiries. Washington Academy of Science provided certificates to each student in appreciation of allowing us to be a part of this experience, with the hope that the students will continue with their interest in science and technology wherever it takes them.

Kevin Brogan, PhD, helps run the Junior Academy at the Washington Academy of Sciences. He is a published author on Defense Policy and the Value Of Performance In Technology For Government at the Northrop Grumman Corporation. 

 

Education 2012

Happy New Year!

The purpose of education has changed. It’s past time to change the methods and results.

For Socrates, a scroll could be read twenty times before crumbling. Read it each time to twenty students and you have squared the impact of the technology. Efficient.

It was really expensive to read alone in the Golden Age.

In the 1400’s, before Gutenberg, young scholars would go to University to get their education, principally to memorize the great works. Scholars were repositories of ideas for their society, walking, breathing, search engines, since a wealthy household might own two or three books. Scholars weren’t expected to put their knowledge to practical solutions, but to share their knowledge as tutors and speakers.

Classical education began as the efficient way of learning, holding, and distributing knowledge before printing.

Today some classic educators hold to that model. I can remember, as a scholarship student at a private academy, being mocked as hopelessly bourgeois (trade oriented), by a snooty trust fund academic, the end of his granddaddy’s mouthwash empire. Go Ben Franklin!

For the past decade, I have been privileged to work with students and teachers at the elementary, high school, college, and post-graduate levels. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Except for the apocalypse purveyors, there’s not much demand for memorization. Even with a really fast pen, it’s hard to out-produce a search engine.

The purpose of education is increasingly to make something, whether it’s a good story, an app, a performance, or a rocket. Then make something else. Malcolm Gladwell writes that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert.

Learning new facts is a necessary step in creation. Learning new facts in the context of creating a deliverable is more productive than learning theoretical facts without immediate usage.

Rafters were my key to decoding trigonometry.

What about theoretical physicists?

I would rather back a theoretical physicist who has experience building some of his equipment. Betcha he knows the guidelines for soldering copper water pipe, “Neat, but not gaudy.”

This week, get out there and make something. Put it on the refrigerator. Next week make a better refrigerator, then go read and love Makers.

Please MAKE a comment!

Events next week:

How To Tune Your Work For The Internet

Capital Technology Management Hub

Tuesday, January 10, 6:30 – 6:35 pm

Arlington GMU Campus
Founders Hall, Room 126

3351 Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22226

AND/OR

How you can benefit from the strongest economic opportunity
in the history of the world!

Association Of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)

Thursday, January 12, 6 – 9 pm

Alfio's La Trattoria,

4515 Willard Ave, Chevy Chase MD 20815

A New-Style Science Faire

Paint Branch High School launched their Science and Media Signature Expo March 15^th.

It is a new take on their traditional annual science fair.

“We knew we were losing the students with the traditional story boarded report of past experiments,” said Brian Eichenlaub, Signature Coordinator at Paint Branch. “We wanted as much motion, and actual demonstration as we could get.”

“In years past, we held our science fairs during the school day, attended mostly by science students. This year we moved it to the evening, and had an audience of almost four hundred students, parents and people who support the school entertained by over 100 projects with light, sound, and motion.”

The Signature Media Expo looked like a circus and a carnival, objects in the air, water spouting, and teachers racing for a vacuum cleaner to clean up spilled powder.

It was a happy confusion, hugely entertaining, and a lot of learning going on.

Where are you seeing education breakthroughs?

Washington Math Science and Technology High School

The Washington DC Math, Science and Technology Public Charter High School is one of the top schools in the area. I have been judging at this school for over 6 years.

To the Scientists of the Washington Math, Science and Technology Public Charter High School, congratulations!

Today we have seen a hundred experiments and projects and much new knowledge.

You have proven you can conceptualize, invent, overcome problems, and give the world answers.

The next time someone comes to you and asks you to do something you have never done before, you can say, “I know how to do that!” and you will be telling the truth, because you have shown you can figure things out, complete a project, and report your results.

Those are pretty important things to know how to do.

On behalf of the Washington Academy of Sciences, we welcome you to the community of scientists and salute your achievements.

Science and America

Dick's remarks at the St Charles School Science Fair Awards Ceremony.

On behalf of my colleagues today and the Washington Academy of Sciences, I would like to thank you for inviting us to today's St Charles School Science Fair. Judging new scientists is fun for us older scientists, that's why my colleagues and I keep showing up year after year. Again, thank you for inviting us. 

 

I would like to put our efforts today into a context. Science has always been a source of American strength. Tim Ferris, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, our landlord, wrote a book about America and Science called The Science of Liberty. I remember his detailing that over 60% of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were practicing scientists. You are in good company. 

He also told the story of how James Madison and General Washington, two local boys, on a slow afternoon during the Revolutionary War, took a flatboat out into the swamps of Jersey, and were poling the bottom to determine how swamp gas was formed. That's the American Way. 

 

My friend Enrico Fermi said, “Experimental confirmation of a prediction is merely a measurement. An experiment disproving a prediction is a discovery.” 

So science is inherently messy. Scientists learn early that the best part is figuring out why you didn't get what you expected. 

Science fairs are a most important part of the science process. Learning is good, but professionals know nothing counts until you ship. A science fair is when you put up or shut up. Every presenter here today completed something important today. 

We probably won't know how important for years to come. I hope many of you will continue developing your understanding of these projects for years to come. 

Today we saw some great science and now we would like to tell you about it.

I would first like our judges to come to the podium and introduce themselves, and then we will call up the award winners from today's program. 

Dick Davies is Vice President, Junior Academy, for the Washington Academy of Sciences. Every year the Academy Judges Scholastic Science Fairs in the Washington DC, Northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland. If you are a member of the Washington Academy or our more than 60 affiliated societies, and would like to participate as a judge, please let me know. We need you! If you are an educator looking for professional scientists and technologists to judge your science fairs, we would be pleased to provide resources.  

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