Sabio Column

By James H. Choi
http://Column.SabioAcademy.com
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Note: This is a column I wrote for the Chicago Tribune. Although it mentions a specific region by name, the process is similar in other regions, so I thought it would be helpful for all readers.

The science fair judging process varies from region to region, but Illinois Region 6, which covers Evanston to Barrington, has a three-step process for selecting students to advance to the International Science Fair (ISEF).

Some schools hold an in-school science fair to select their representative for external competitions. Schools like Niles North, Niles West, and Stevenson, which are very active in science research, have their own qualifying processes. You should check with your teacher to understand the specific procedures at your school.

For students at schools that do not prioritize science fairs, it may still be possible to compete as an individual without going through a qualification process, provided all procedures are followed and the science teacher approves.

Most public high schools in Region 6 (including Barrington, District 211, New Trier, Glenbrook North/South, etc.) do not allow students to represent their school in these competitions. However, there are opportunities to compete independently for students passionate about science, and we can provide more information on how to proceed.

In Virginia, many high schools require all Honors-level and advanced students to engage in science research. These students often participate in intramural qualifiers, which are highly competitive, before advancing to regional science competitions.

The students who make it to the regional competitions are judged in three stages.

The first type of judge is the Floor Judge, who interviews students on-site in front of their posters. Their primary role is to ensure that everything is in order, verify that the student understands the principles of scientific research, and evaluate the quality of the project. If the Floor Judge considers the project flawless and of a high standard, they will take on of the student’s reports. However, if the report is not taken, the student will not be eligible to receive any awards.

Floor Judges come from a variety of backgrounds, which can greatly influence the evaluation process. In some regions of the United States, Floor Judges may include university professors, while in others, they might be non-scientific volunteers. In Illinois Region 6, for example, Floor Judges are typically parents and middle or high school teachers.

This diversity in judging backgrounds means that evaluations can vary widely, especially for students conducting advanced research. A judge without a strong scientific background may not fully grasp the complexities of high-level projects. In such cases, evaluations may focus on more accessible factors, such as the student’s ability to clearly explain his/her work, the thoroughness of the research, and the overall impression the project leaves. This highlights the importance of presenting research in a way that is both thorough and easy to understand for a broad audience.

The second stage is the Best of Category judging, which is mainly composed of school teachers. There are three or four judges per category, and since there are more than ten categories, there are dozens of them. They sit around a table per category and read the reports in turn, selecting the two best students in each category. At first, we wait for the floor judges to send in their reports, and then they start coming in one by one, and then we start working. There are many ways to do this, but for me, I just picked the two best reports that I received and then when a new report came in, we discussed whether it was better than the previous two to determine the top two. It is important to note that these Best of Category judges do not meet the student, which means that no matter how well prepared your presentation is and how complete your poster is, it will only be seen by the Floor Judge, and from this point on, you will be judged 100% on the report.

The third and final step is the selection of students for ISEF. This year, we decided to invite only Ph.D.s in science and engineering, so we asked local universities to help us, but they only sent one professor each from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, so we ended up with four people, including me. How many students are selected depends on the budget. ISEF does not allow students to compete at their own expense, so they must apply at local science fairs. This year, we sent five researchers. This step is also done without meeting the students, but by reading their reports. Each discipline sends two Best of Category reports, which is more than 20 copies. If you do the math, you can imagine how fast-paced the process is, as we have to read and discuss these reports within two hours to select the best students. Therefore, when writing your report, you should take that into account and try to make it as easy to understand as possible by using shapes for every concept so that the judges can understand it at a glance.