June 4, 2022
It gives me great pleasure to announce the 5th Annual Somers Science Fair. This is the only science research competition of its kind in NY that provides the opportunity for first-year science research students to present their intended research design in a formal setting. Due to the success of last year’s fair being a combination of the Somers Science Fair and the Westlake Science Fair, this year’s competition will also be combined for an in-person fair at Somers High School.
As you know, this competition provides a unique opportunity for 1st-year science research students to present, via poster board in a competitive setting, their in-depth understanding of their own proposed research that they could conduct given proper resources and facilities, based on a thorough review of previous literature. The purpose is to demonstrate sound scientific thinking and insight, regardless of current mentor status. The rubric is intended to clarify that essentially 80% of the poster is about the student’s proposed research, with 20% about the previous literature. The results of proposed research could be presented 2 ways: 1) showing previous results but talking through expected results; 2) showing newly collected results.
IMPORTANT: This fair has grown so large that we must now limit it to only those schools who meet all deadlines and strictly follow all rules, especially providing 1 judge for every 2 students participating. Please pay particular attention to the JUDGES section.
This year’s competition will take place on Saturday, June 4th, 2022, at Somers High School in Lincolndale, NY. The competition will begin at 1:00 pm and end at approximately 7:30 pm. Presentations will be judged from 2:00 pm to approximately 5:30 pm. Each student (or team) will be judged at least 4 times, Z-Scores will be calculated, and trophies will be given to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each category. Larger categories will be broken down into smaller subcategories to maximize the number of awards. Unusually small categories will be combined into an average size category to be fair to all
CATEGORIES:
There will be 3 main categories: Physical Science, Life Science, & Behavioral Science
SUBCATEGORIES:
AGENDA:
1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Student Registration*
1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Judge Registration
1:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Student Setup and Orientation
1:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Judge Orientation
2:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Competitive Posterboard Presentations
4:30 P.M. – 5:30 P.M. Tiebreaking Round/Public Viewing**
5:30 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Cleanup and Removal of Posterboards
6:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. Awards Ceremony (Times approximate)
*Any student showing up after this time will not be entered
**Any student not present until end of tiebreaking and public viewing at approximately 5:00 may be disqualified
ELIGIBLE STUDENTS:
All students in their 1st year of the science research program are eligible, whether they are a sophomore or junior.
If you have a 1st-year student who competed in WESEF or WR-JSHS: In order to be fair to the vast majority of first-time students who are competing in ANY competition for the first time, teachers must identify any experienced 1st year student who has competed at WR-JSHS and/or WESEF in the student registration. These experienced students will still be eligible to compete, but if they knock out from 1st, 2nd or 3rd place another first-time student who never competed before, a tie will be granted for both students. This will level the playing field for the first-time competitors, but still give all students the same opportunity to win.
JUDGE RECRUITMENT REQUIREMENTS:
As in the past, schools must supply 1 judge for every 2 participating students.
But any school which does not strictly adhere to this rule by the May 6th deadline will no longer be entered into the fair.
Additionally, any school that has more than 20% no-shows on the day of the fair will not be invited back to the fair in the future.
No new student judges will be accepted on the day of the fair unless accompanied by a teacher who can vouch for that judge.
It is imperative that you require your senior judges to stay at least until 5:30pm (and politely ask your other judges the same). There have been major delays in the past due to seniors leaving early, so seniors must sign-out no earlier than 5:30pm. If scoring of all projects is completed earlier than 5:30pm, judges will be released at that time.
As in the past, senior science research students from participating schools are expected to judge students from other schools that they don’t know. Any research students younger than seniors cannot judge. Many schools who have senior prom conflicts always manage to adhere to the 1 for 2 rule, but those who do not can no longer participate.
Here’s a list of where those science teachers with senior prom conflicts still manage to find judges:
So how do you deal with the no-shows?
1. Touch base with all your judges May 31st to give you time to replace last-minute cancellations.
2. Sign up 20% more judges than the minimum as a cushion.
To help you solicit judges, I’ve attached a “Judge Solicitation Letter” to this email. I encourage you to copy and paste the email, modify as needed, and attach a rubric to your email to minimize any concern that judging is difficult. You’ll see that the letter also points out to potential judges that they get a free catered lunch buffet.
FOOD:
Students should eat lunch ahead of time and bring their own water & snacks. The catered lunch buffet is provided for judges, volunteers, and teachers only.
PARKING:
Parking is limited. It is recommended that students be dropped off and/or carpool. Parents are not allowed to stay but are invited back for public viewing at 4:30p.m. Student judges should be strongly encouraged to carpool.
**NEW - T-SHIRTS:
Official Somers Science Fair t-shirts are available for purchase through the ZFairs website in the “Store” tab. Students will be able to pick up their t-shirt during check-in at the fair. Please encourage students to order a shirt if they would like!
**NEW – PLEASE READ IN FULL**
This year students who are paying individually for their registration fee will be able to do so directly through the website with a credit card. During the registration process, they will click on the “Pay and Continue” button when shown the registration fee and will then enter their credit card information. If students are having their school pay their registration fee, they will also click on the “Pay and Continue” button but will then select the “SCHOOL” tab at the top of the window where they can then check the box that their school will be paying for their registration. Once a student pays, their account will be marked as “PAID”. Students will be flagged as “PAID” once we receive payment from your district if your school is paying.
SCIENCE RESEARCH TEACHER VOLUNTEERS:
Somers has dozens of student and teacher volunteers running this fair, but we still need science research teachers who are staying to help out in key areas, particularly during student and judge check-ins, and public viewing. Fortunately, every year teachers have generously offered to help, and I’ll again be reaching out to you for assistance.
DEADLINES:
Friday, May 6, 2022 The Invoice and Registration Fees ($30 per student) are due in 1 envelope in hard copy by snail mail, postmarked by this date.
Mail to:
William Maelia
Somers High School – Science Research
120 Primrose Street
Lincolndale, NY 10540
Friday, May 6, 2022, 11:59 p.m. The online Student Registration & Judge Registration are due by this date and time.
Register Here: www.ny-ssf.zfairs.com
***NOTE: Teachers must register BEFORE students so that they can select you as their teacher of record
CONTACT:
If you have any questions that cannot be answered by this letter and all attachments, I can best be reached at: [email protected] or by phone (914)248-8585 ext. 4813 [Science Research Office] / (845)527-1718 [Cell].
As you know, this competition provides a unique opportunity for 1st-year science research students to present, via poster board in a competitive setting, their in-depth understanding of their own proposed research that they could conduct given proper resources and facilities, based on a thorough review of previous literature. The purpose is to demonstrate sound scientific thinking and insight, regardless of current mentor status. The rubric is intended to clarify that essentially 80% of the poster is about the student’s proposed research, with 20% about the previous literature. The results of proposed research could be presented 2 ways: 1) showing previous results but talking through expected results; 2) showing newly collected results.
IMPORTANT: This fair has grown so large that we must now limit it to only those schools who meet all deadlines and strictly follow all rules, especially providing 1 judge for every 2 students participating. Please pay particular attention to the JUDGES section.
This year’s competition will take place on Saturday, June 4th, 2022, at Somers High School in Lincolndale, NY. The competition will begin at 1:00 pm and end at approximately 7:30 pm. Presentations will be judged from 2:00 pm to approximately 5:30 pm. Each student (or team) will be judged at least 4 times, Z-Scores will be calculated, and trophies will be given to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each category. Larger categories will be broken down into smaller subcategories to maximize the number of awards. Unusually small categories will be combined into an average size category to be fair to all
CATEGORIES:
There will be 3 main categories: Physical Science, Life Science, & Behavioral Science
SUBCATEGORIES:
- Animal Science
- Behavioral Science
- Biochemistry
- Bioinformatics
- Cellular & Molecular Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Earth & Planetary Science
- Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Mathematics
- Medicine/Health
- Microbiology
- Physics
- Plant Science
AGENDA:
1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Student Registration*
1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Judge Registration
1:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Student Setup and Orientation
1:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Judge Orientation
2:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Competitive Posterboard Presentations
4:30 P.M. – 5:30 P.M. Tiebreaking Round/Public Viewing**
5:30 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Cleanup and Removal of Posterboards
6:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. Awards Ceremony (Times approximate)
*Any student showing up after this time will not be entered
**Any student not present until end of tiebreaking and public viewing at approximately 5:00 may be disqualified
ELIGIBLE STUDENTS:
All students in their 1st year of the science research program are eligible, whether they are a sophomore or junior.
If you have a 1st-year student who competed in WESEF or WR-JSHS: In order to be fair to the vast majority of first-time students who are competing in ANY competition for the first time, teachers must identify any experienced 1st year student who has competed at WR-JSHS and/or WESEF in the student registration. These experienced students will still be eligible to compete, but if they knock out from 1st, 2nd or 3rd place another first-time student who never competed before, a tie will be granted for both students. This will level the playing field for the first-time competitors, but still give all students the same opportunity to win.
JUDGE RECRUITMENT REQUIREMENTS:
As in the past, schools must supply 1 judge for every 2 participating students.
But any school which does not strictly adhere to this rule by the May 6th deadline will no longer be entered into the fair.
Additionally, any school that has more than 20% no-shows on the day of the fair will not be invited back to the fair in the future.
No new student judges will be accepted on the day of the fair unless accompanied by a teacher who can vouch for that judge.
It is imperative that you require your senior judges to stay at least until 5:30pm (and politely ask your other judges the same). There have been major delays in the past due to seniors leaving early, so seniors must sign-out no earlier than 5:30pm. If scoring of all projects is completed earlier than 5:30pm, judges will be released at that time.
As in the past, senior science research students from participating schools are expected to judge students from other schools that they don’t know. Any research students younger than seniors cannot judge. Many schools who have senior prom conflicts always manage to adhere to the 1 for 2 rule, but those who do not can no longer participate.
Here’s a list of where those science teachers with senior prom conflicts still manage to find judges:
- Parents of future science research students (your best bet, after seniors, because they can preview what their child will be doing next year)
- Parents of 2nd or 3rd year research students
- Parents of research students in this competition (as long as they don’t judge anyone in their children’s categories)
- Parents of former research students
- Former research students (they love to help out!)
- Other seniors in AP science courses who aren’t research students
- Science teachers from your school (just not science research teachers)
- Psychologists, social workers, & other professionals from your school
- Any professional that you could answer “yes” to this question: Is he/she qualified to judge YOUR students?
So how do you deal with the no-shows?
1. Touch base with all your judges May 31st to give you time to replace last-minute cancellations.
2. Sign up 20% more judges than the minimum as a cushion.
To help you solicit judges, I’ve attached a “Judge Solicitation Letter” to this email. I encourage you to copy and paste the email, modify as needed, and attach a rubric to your email to minimize any concern that judging is difficult. You’ll see that the letter also points out to potential judges that they get a free catered lunch buffet.
FOOD:
Students should eat lunch ahead of time and bring their own water & snacks. The catered lunch buffet is provided for judges, volunteers, and teachers only.
PARKING:
Parking is limited. It is recommended that students be dropped off and/or carpool. Parents are not allowed to stay but are invited back for public viewing at 4:30p.m. Student judges should be strongly encouraged to carpool.
**NEW - T-SHIRTS:
Official Somers Science Fair t-shirts are available for purchase through the ZFairs website in the “Store” tab. Students will be able to pick up their t-shirt during check-in at the fair. Please encourage students to order a shirt if they would like!
**NEW – PLEASE READ IN FULL**
This year students who are paying individually for their registration fee will be able to do so directly through the website with a credit card. During the registration process, they will click on the “Pay and Continue” button when shown the registration fee and will then enter their credit card information. If students are having their school pay their registration fee, they will also click on the “Pay and Continue” button but will then select the “SCHOOL” tab at the top of the window where they can then check the box that their school will be paying for their registration. Once a student pays, their account will be marked as “PAID”. Students will be flagged as “PAID” once we receive payment from your district if your school is paying.
SCIENCE RESEARCH TEACHER VOLUNTEERS:
Somers has dozens of student and teacher volunteers running this fair, but we still need science research teachers who are staying to help out in key areas, particularly during student and judge check-ins, and public viewing. Fortunately, every year teachers have generously offered to help, and I’ll again be reaching out to you for assistance.
DEADLINES:
Friday, May 6, 2022 The Invoice and Registration Fees ($30 per student) are due in 1 envelope in hard copy by snail mail, postmarked by this date.
Mail to:
William Maelia
Somers High School – Science Research
120 Primrose Street
Lincolndale, NY 10540
Friday, May 6, 2022, 11:59 p.m. The online Student Registration & Judge Registration are due by this date and time.
Register Here: www.ny-ssf.zfairs.com
***NOTE: Teachers must register BEFORE students so that they can select you as their teacher of record
CONTACT:
If you have any questions that cannot be answered by this letter and all attachments, I can best be reached at: [email protected] or by phone (914)248-8585 ext. 4813 [Science Research Office] / (845)527-1718 [Cell].
2019 Fair Video
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AGENDA:
1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Student Registration* 1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Judge Registration 1:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Student Setup and Orientation 1:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Judge Orientation 2:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Competitive Posterboard Presentations 4:30 P.M. – 5:15 P.M. Tiebreaking Round/Public Viewing** 5:15 P.M. – 5:45 P.M. Cleanup and Removal of Posterboards 5:45 P.M. – 6:45 P.M. Awards Ceremony (Times approximate) *Any student showing up after this time will not be entered. **Any student not present until the end of tiebreaking at 4:45 may be disqualified. |
CATEGORIES:
|
Deadlines:
Friday, April 26, 2019 The Invoice and Registration Fees ($25 per student) are due in 1 envelope in hard copy by snail mail, postmarked by this date.
Mail to:
William Maelia
Somers High School – Science Research
120 Primrose Street
Lincolndale, NY 10540
Friday, April 26, 2019, 11:59 p.m. The online Student Registration Google Form & Judge Participation Google Form are due by this date and time.
FOOD:
Students should eat lunch ahead of time and bring their own water & snacks. They will be given water and a snack only AFTER judging is over. The catered lunch buffet is provided for judges, volunteers, and teachers only.
PARKING:
Parking is very limited. Parents are not allowed to stay but are invited back for public viewing at 4 p.m. Student judges should be strongly encouraged to carpool.
ELIGIBLE STUDENTS:
All students in their 1st year of the science research program are eligible, whether they are a sophomore or junior.
ELIGIBLE JUDGES:
Friday, April 26, 2019 The Invoice and Registration Fees ($25 per student) are due in 1 envelope in hard copy by snail mail, postmarked by this date.
Mail to:
William Maelia
Somers High School – Science Research
120 Primrose Street
Lincolndale, NY 10540
Friday, April 26, 2019, 11:59 p.m. The online Student Registration Google Form & Judge Participation Google Form are due by this date and time.
FOOD:
Students should eat lunch ahead of time and bring their own water & snacks. They will be given water and a snack only AFTER judging is over. The catered lunch buffet is provided for judges, volunteers, and teachers only.
PARKING:
Parking is very limited. Parents are not allowed to stay but are invited back for public viewing at 4 p.m. Student judges should be strongly encouraged to carpool.
ELIGIBLE STUDENTS:
All students in their 1st year of the science research program are eligible, whether they are a sophomore or junior.
ELIGIBLE JUDGES:
- Parents of future science research students
- Parents of 2nd or 3rd year research students
- Parents of research students in this competition (as long as they don’t judge anyone in their children’s categories)
- Parents of former research students
- Former research students
- Other seniors in AP science courses who aren’t research students
- Science teachers from your school (just not science research teachers)
- Psychologists, social workers, & other professionals from your school
- Any professional that you could answer “yes” to this question: Is he/she qualified to judge YOUR students?
To register students or judges for the Somers Science Fair, please email [email protected] for the links!
