About Our Fair

Dear Region 5 Students, Teacher, and Administrators,

The Region V Fair will be held virtually this year on February 25-27, 2021. ELEMENTARY Virtual Judging will be held on Thursday MORNING, February 25. JUNIOR and SENIOR Virtual Judging will be held on Friday morning, February 26. Awards will be held virtually on Saturday, February 27 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm. REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE ON FRIDAY, FEB. 12, 2021 AT 11:30 PM.

Students will NOT be presenting posters for this virtual competition. Instead, they should prepare two different documents for judges to review presenting the research. They are a Science, Engineering, or Technology/Mathematics Quad Chart (single legal size sheet HORIZONTAL) and a Project Presentation Document (maximum of 12 HORIZONTAL pages). Both of these documents should be saved as PDF documents. Please visit the NCSEF State FAQ’s at http://ncsef.org/index.php/2021-frequently-asked-questions to see templates and details for project submissions for judging. ALL PROJECT MATERIALS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 FOR DOCUMENTS TO BE SENT TO JUDGES FOR REVIEW.

Orientation information for participants will be posted in late January. For additional information please email Judy Day at reg5director@ncsciencefair.org. Additional details will follow.

Elementary Categories, Projects will be divided into 5 categories.

Biological Sciences

Chemistry

Earth/Environmental Sciences

Physics and Mathematics

Engineering and Technology

Elementary Projects will be judged with outstanding projects receiving an "Exemplary Project" medal and Honorable Mention.

Junior and Senior Categories are:

Biological Science A

Biological Science B

Chemistry

Earth/Environmental Sciences

Physics and Mathematics

Technology

Engineering.

Category Descriptions Great care should be taken in selecting the category for competition that best matches the project. The following descriptions should be of assistance in making the most appropriate decisions for Elementary, Junior and Senior Projects. Download a complete list of topics in each category and see detailed descriptions of the ISEF categories on the ISEF web site.

Biological Science A

• Animal Sciences
• Plant Sciences
• Microbiology

Biological Science B

• Behavioral and Social Sciences
• Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
• Cellular & Molecular Biology
• Biomedical and Health Sciences

Chemistry

• Biochemistry
• Chemistry

Earth & Environmental Sciences

• Earth & Environmental Sciences
• Environmental Engineering
• Energy: Chemical and Physical

Physics & Mathematics

• Physics
• Astronomy
• Mathematics

Engineering

• Computational Biology & Bioinformatics
• Engineering Mechanics
• Material Science

Technology

• Embedded Systems
• Robotics & Intelligent Machines
• Systems Software

Judging Criteria for Science Projects

I. Research Question (10 pts) - clear and focused question that identifies a contribution to the field of study that is testable using scientific methods

II. Design and Methodology (15 pts) -well designed plan and data collection methods, variables and controls defined, appropriate and complete

III. Execution: Data Collection, Analysis and Interpretation (20 pts) - systematic data collection and analysis, reproducibility of results, appropriate application of mathematical and statistical methods, sufficient data collected to support interpretation and conclusions

IV. Creativity (20 pts) - The questions asked are student initiated and original; the approach to solving the problem is creative, equipment is creatively used or had to be made/modified; interpretation of the data shows creative and original thinking by student

V. Presentation (35 pts)

a. Poster or Slide Presentation (10 pts) logical organization of material, clarity of graphics and legends, supporting documentation displayed

b. Interview (25 pts) student provides clear, concise, thoughtful responses to questions demonstrates understanding of basic science relevant to project, demonstrates understanding interpretation and limitations of results and conclusions demonstrates independence in conducting project recognition of potential impact in science, society and/or economics, student is curious about ideas for further research, for team projects: all members contributed and understood the project

Judging Criteria for Engineering/Technology Projects

I. Research Problem (10 pts) clear and focused description of a practical need or problem to be solved definition of criteria for proposed solution explanation of constraints

II. Design and Methodology (15 pts) exploration of alternatives to answer need or problem identification of a solution development of a prototype/model

III. Execution: Construction and Testing (20 pts) prototype demonstrates intended design prototype has been tested in multiple conditions/trials prototype demonstrates engineering skill and completeness

IV. Creativity (20 pts) project demonstrates significant creativity in one or more of the above criteria

V. Presentation (35 pts)

a. Poster or Slide Presentation (10 pts) - logical organization of material, clarity of graphics and legends. supporting documentation displayed

b. Interview (25 pts) - student provides clear, concise, thoughtful responses to questions, demonstrates understanding of basic science relevant to project, demonstrates understanding interpretation and limitations of results and conclusions, demonstrates independence in conducting project, recognition of potential impact in science, society and/or economics, student is curious about ideas for further research (for team projects: all members contributed and understood the project)

Ready to Get Down to Science?

Registration opens on Jan 4, 2021! Deadline to register is February 12, 2021! Schools and School Systems should email reg5director@ncsciencefair.org for information. Students and teachers should visit the State NCSEF site at http://ncsef.org/index.php/2021-frequently-asked-questions for templates and information on the project presentation formats.