There are two possibilities to serve as judges for virtual science fairs in December. The first is at John Jay Science and Engineering Academy, and the second is for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy.

John Jay Science and Engineering Academy

The John Jay Science & Engineering Academy is hosting its annual Science and Engineering Research Symposium, however, this year it will look a little different. This year, students’ digital projects will be uploaded to a new SEA Research Fair & Symposium website. Judging will take place virtually, from WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2 to SATURDAY, DEC. 5, 2020, concluding at noon. We are seeking volunteers to serve as judges for the fair. This will be a two step event, but you may choose to help with both parts, or only step 1.

Over 200 judges are required to provide feedback to our students. Our school fair is one of the largest of its kind in the state of Texas and the nation and includes nearly 500 students presenting their scientific research. Students who do well will be given the opportunity to advance to the Alamo Regional Science Fair at St. Mary’s University. Advancing students will then go on to participate at the state and national level. The 2019-2020 research team earned $528,000 in scholarships, over $2,800 in cash prizes, and 47 special awards. Last year, we had two students advance to the American Junior Academy of Science Symposium in Seattle, Washington, as well as two students advance to the International Science & Engineering Fair in Anaheim, California.

Projects include the STEM areas of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Math and Computers as well as projects in the Social Sciences such as Psychology and Sociology. Project levels span beginner (middle school and freshmen) to advanced (upperclassmen). Because of this wide spectrum of topics and levels, we need a variety of volunteers with different experiences and levels of training/interest.

To meet the demand of shifting student interests, we’ve decided to add a couple of non-conventional categories to our symposium this year. You are welcome to stick with the traditional science and categories, or judge one of our new ones. After the event, we’d love your feedback!

• Cinematic Science (Making Connections in Science Through Film – focus on scientific principles)
• Evolution of Games (Teaching STEM Through Games – focus on computer science, engineering & math)
• Art in STEM (Sculpture with a Biomimicry or Biomimetic Architecture theme)

Step 1: On Wednesday, Dec. 2, judges will receive a judging packet via email that will include scoring rubrics, score/comment cards, a form for special award nominations, a worksheet to help with ranking student projects, the link to our SEA Research Fair website, and the categories and groups that they will be judging. A certificate of participation will also be the judge’s folder noting their volunteer hours. Judges may view and score student projects at their leisure from Dec. 2 until noon on Saturday, Dec. 5. At that time, our score room will review scores and create a short list of about 40 projects.

Step 2: Judges will be invited to participate in scheduled virtual-conferencing interviews with students from the short list who scored well at the SEA Fair. These interviews will take place during the week of Tuesday, Dec. 8  to Saturday, Dec. 12. Multiple judges may interview the student during the same time allotment, with interviews approximately 10 to 15 minutes in length. An email with further details about interview times will be sent to interested judges on, or shortly after, Monday, Dec. 7.

If you would like to be a judge, please fill out the following google form.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Your support at this event will make a positive difference in the life of a young adult and support STEM education.

Young Women’s Leadership Academy

Judges are needed for this years’ Young Women’s Leadership Academy live virtual Science Fair. This will be a two hour event on Saturday, Dec. 12. Judges and students would be logged onto zoom with six students in every zoom room with each showing their personal science experiment to judge.

Here is the Judge’s information form if you would like to sign up and join. If you have anyone in mind that may be interested in this opportunity below is the google doc link.