Science Fairs Made Easy!!

Creating Positive Experiences

             Being a science fair judge is one of the best ways for an individual to contribute to a student’s educational experience.  Judges make a memorable impact on the lives of some of the most talented young people within the community.  You may be the very first science professional a student has encountered!  A student’s perception of you could influence his or her opinion of your field of expertise, and science in general!  As a science fair judge, it is exciting to know that your interaction with these students today may help shape their career choices in the future!

             Below you will find some tips on how to be a great science fair judge. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ask questions

Guide the discussion

Be fair

 

Compliment good work

Judge fairly

Spend the same amount of time with each student, and actively listen to each student’s presentation.

To find out more about the project without embarrassing the student.

Treat the student as you would treat a colleague  presenting you with a new idea or discovery.  As for errors, guide the student to find these mistakes on his or her own.

If the student has done something clever, or made an excellent presentation, or a thorough analysis of the data, let them know!!  Public praise of a student’s work builds confidence and peaks interest in the subject.

Reasons to give high marks:

- Genuine scientific breakthroughs

- Discovering knowledge not readily available to the student

- Correctly interpreting data

- Clever experimental apparatus

- Repetitions to verify experimental results

- Analytical techniques

- Ability to clearly portray and explain the project

If in doubt, score higher rather than lower.

Thank you for devoting your time and expertise to this event.  You will make an impact in some student’s academic life!