(science fair name) Judging Procedures 2008

1. Dress in a manner consistent with being a graduate student in speech-language pathology or audiology.

2. Meet with (names) 30-45 minutes before judging begins in the special judging room (location). Exchange cell phone numbers. Report to special judge coordinator (name), to let him / her know you are there and that you will be attending the awards ceremony.

3. Divvy up the projects in the project list to make a preliminary walk through. The floor typically opens at 9 a.m. for judging. If you see a project relevant to speech-language pathology or audiology that is not on the list, add it. Stop by each booth to introduce yourself, to chat for a few moments, and to give them the (your agency) brochure. Use the first column on the list to rank order the projects for your final judging selection. The ranking should be based on project relevance, student age, presence, single author, etc.

4. Regroup to pare the list down to the final selection based on your rank ordering. Note that because of time constraints, each team will be only able to review 3-5 projects.

5. Judge the projects:

a. Examine the project board;

b. Interview the students (to get the student at ease);

c. Ask the student to give his or her presentation;

d. Review the student’s paper away from the project;

e. Return for questions;

f. Talk about speech, language and hearing sciences; and

g. Take a photograph of the student by his or her board.

6. Decide the winners:

a. Meet shortly before noon to discuss the projects and select the winners;

b. Ask the special judging folks to print students’ names on the certificates; and

c. Visit the winning students and suggest it would be a “good idea” for them to attend the ceremony (otherwise they may leave).

7. Go out and have a nice lunch (on your agency)! Fill in the student’s name and the award amount on the blank checks. Decide how to divide up the cash and prizes from the prizes and donations you have collected.

8. Return to the venue for the awards ceremony which starts at (time):

a. Try to position yourself between the third and eighth spot in the special awards line (too early and the crowd is not settled yet / too far back and the audience gets bored);

b. Write down the organizations present and their awards (this will help in planning for next year); and

c. Announce the winners. Since it takes a minute for the students to make their way down to the podium, this is the time to read the speech that identifies you, (your agency), and your sponsors; and

d. Take a photograph of all the winners together, using the science fair name as a backdrop.

9. Prepare a report for (your agency) at its next board meeting. Include your comments and recommendations to enhance presence and impact for next year.

10. Write an article with 1-2 photographs for the agency newsletter. Email to the (your agency) publications vice-president for inclusion in the next newsletter and to post on the website.