Course Description

Science Research Program – Grades 9, 10, 11, 12


Full Year – Level H: Incoming freshman and sophomore students must apply for admission to this program in January of the prior academic year. Acceptance into the program will be based on a science teacher recommendation, a written essay, and excellent academic grades.


This is an ongoing program that is taken in conjunction with the student’s regular science course. There are several tiers to the program. During Year 1 students learn the components of scientific research including the scientific method and apply these concepts in various settings including designing and conducting an authentic science research project and communicating results by participation in at least one local science fair. Students also explore various applications of science topics through field trips, guest speakers and class projects. Advanced students (Years 2-4) select their science research topic, locate an out-of-school mentor (either in industry or at a local university) and compete in a variety of science fairs including the CT State Science Fair, Southern CT Invitational Science and Engineering Fair (SCSEF) and the CT Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (CT JSHS). Advanced students pursue their selected research in depth, perform statistical analysis and compete at a number of local and/or national science fairs and competitions. In Years 2, 3, and 4 students are grouped together in a non-traditional classroom setting and are required to meet individually outside of class with their Science Research Instructor biweekly to review individual goals and assess progress. All students participate in the culminating annual activity, Amity’s Science Symposium.


Monday, February 6, 2012

2012 SCISEF Fair - Student Feedback

Please reflect on the following (each question in detail):

What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?

What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?

What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?

How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?

Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.

In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?

Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?

Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.

What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?

Thank you!

49 comments:

  1. My overall impression of the fair was a good one. I enjoyed walking around and seeing all the projects, and it exceeded my expectations. I anticipated a ton of diverse projects but couldn't imagine as many as there were. The judging process was nerve-racking, but the judges were fair and helpful and gave a lot of good advice to my project. The most helpful comment was about making my project more controlled, and the least helpful was about making the textbook more interactive in my experiment. The food was pretty good, but the bagels were a little dry from sitting out too long. Dr. Riskin's presentation was very funny and engaging and I wasn't bored at any point. I think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare me for talking about my project and what to say and how to say it. What I learned about my project was that it needed to be more controlled and I could improve it by controlling it more. The internet engine project left a lasting impression on me because it was new and cool. I didn't get to talk to other schools' students, but I wish I had, but I was busy with the judging process. I felt very prepared going in and I am not sure that anything can be done to make it better.

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  2. I enjoyed the science fair. I liked the judges' feed back a lot. One judge suggested that I look into how insulin causes the transmembranes to come out of cells to recieve Glut proteins in the blood which causes the glucose to be used as energy in cells.The food was ok. I liked the bagels but I don't really like sandwiches. I thought that Dr. Daniel Riskin was very nice and funny. Even after he presented he was funny when we went to talk to him. The mock science fair prepared me in the way that I knew what I wanted to say to the judges. For the next science fair I am going to look at a more medical perspective on my project and possibly change my hypothesis. Before the fair I did not have a lot of backround info but the judges gave me alot of related topics. I thought the project about putting in a 3G chip into insulin pumps was cool because I have always joked about having wifi in an insulin pump. I know that you can put music in an isulin pump but now wifi might be possible.I talked to the mom of the kid who did the 3G pump project and we talked about studies being done now about Diabetes and blood sugar. I told her about a study that might help her son with his project. I think explaining the actual things students need for the fair will help new students be more prepared.

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  3. The science fair was a lot of fun. I enjoyed presenting my project to judges as well as my peers.There were many more participants than I expected. The judges were very critical. They capitalized any any possible error that could have occered in the projects. But, their comments were very helpful at the same time. One judge brought to my attention a different way could go about collecting data. She said I could go to a board for soccer and ask them to give them my survey for one age group. This way i am getting more information and narrowing it down to one sport. The food at lunch was also delicious. Rskin's presentation was fantastic. He really brought out the true meaning of a scientist. He showed how much fun science really is when you are studying something you love. The Mock science fair helped me get used to presenting my project infront of people i didnt know.I learned many things while i was there. One thing i learned was that i need to make a stronger controle group. I talked to many kids i didnt know from other schools. I conversed with them about their projects. Something that we could do better is prepare better for answering questions. That was probubly the hardest part about the judging.

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  4. -Sarah h
    SCISEF was so much fun, it was extremely interesting to see other students projects and what they have been working on.The science fair exceeded my expectations because I thought I would be kind of intimidating but it was actually a lot of fun.The judges that judged my project were really nice and gave me ideas for furture projects. There was one judge that would interupt me and ask a question every 30 seconds which was annoying, but it helped me see how I could improve my project.I wish that there was more of a variaty for breakfast and lunch; I do like bagels and sandwhiches but why couldn't there be any muffins, fruit, salad, soup???? But the cookies were really good!Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on bats was hilarious,it aslo made me realize why I like science and why I did science research in the first place. The Mock Science fair helped me a lot since it prepared me for presenting in front of an aduience, which was ver important.I didn't really learn anything about my project during the science fair, but I know I want to improve the setup of my poster and work on presenting in a noisy room. To better prepare us for the next science fair, I believe we should ptractice presenting more and know our project forward and backwards.

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  5. 1. My overall impression was that the SCISEF Fair was well organized and had a great atmosphere. I enjoyed that the judges helped me feel comfortable in front of them, as I had been nervous to present before. My expectations were met by the fair because it was well planned out and had a good variety of projects that I enjoyed learning from. It was similar to what I had anticipated because I thought that the fair would be judged by people with knowledgeable insight in many of the fields of study that were dealt with, and this certainly was the case.

    2. The judging process did go on longer than I had expected due to the judges asking questions. Nonetheless, the judges were very fair and helpful in the fact that they gave me constructive criticism to think about, but also applauded my efforts so far.

    3. The most helpful comment I got from the judges was that I had a very good project overall and just needed to work out some variables that could have been controlled better. The least helpful comment I got was one that said that my project (dealing with solar and wind energy) wouldn't work at all if I were to bring my equipment for measurement outside due to an inability to record input power data. I disagreed with this because if I were to bring my equipment outside, I could simply measure the voltage of each energy type instead of dealing with the efficiency.

    4. The breakfast had good food overall, but it lacked in variety since there were only bagels and butter. Also, the sandwiches at lunch weren't that tasty to me.

    5. I did enjoy the presentation on bats because of the humor that had been incorporated into a presentation on how to be a better scientist and person, while also showing some of Dr. Riskin's passion for bats.

    6. The mock science fair helped me prepare by showing me how it would feel to present in front of judges so that I knew what to work on in terms of my oral presentation.

    7. I learned that to get a better reading from my solar module, I should really take it outside and gather data for the next science fair. I had time to view a friend's project who had a monitor and computer integrated into his poster, due to the fact that his project dealt with a type of question-answer search engine. This left a lasting impression on me because of its creativity and another field of study that I could try experimenting with in the future.

    8. I didn't get a chance to talk to students from other schools.

    9. To better prepare students, we should tell them the actual format of the fair itself and that the judges will be asking questions, so that everyone should know their project like the back of their hand. This could greatly improve interaction and conversation between the judges and students.

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  6. What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?

    I thought that the fair went well. I enjoyed seeing the projects from other schools, though some of them were too overly complex to understand. I was not surprised by anything, except by how complicated some of the projects were... I wonder if the mentors, rather than the students, actually came up with many of these projects. However, independent of the other projects, I greatly enjoyed the fair.


    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?

    While my judges were very helpful, I think that the judging process did not go as well as it could have gone due to the judges being voluteers... for many of us Freshman, this was not a problem, but the lack of specialists in the fields may have had an adverse effect on some of the older students with more complex projects. My judges provided little feedback at the time of the fair, but they may provide some comments once the score sheet is returned to us.


    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?

    As mentioned above, I did not receive many comments (just questions) from the judges. They did give me some recommendations, such as looking into the statistics of how I would analyze my data and sources of experimental error.


    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?

    I didn't have any of the food.


    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.

    I very much enjoyed Dr. Riskin's presentation. The sign of a good scientist, but also a good speaker, is that they can make a topic in which few are interested into an extraordinarily interesting topic. Riskin succeeded in making me, and many others, interested in bats, while deftly weaving life long lessons of science.


    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?

    The Mock Science fair helped me to prepare what I was going to say to my judges, as well as provide me with a time reference that my presentation should fit inside. I would definitely like to have this again, and possibly have more people from more classes come in to see our projects.


    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?

    As mentioned above, many of the judges were volunteers and thus not experts in our fields of study. Therefore, I did not learn much about my project, but, by looking at the other projects, I gained an insight in to what my next steps were. The projects that left a lasting impressions were not science projects, as many of these were created by students' mentors and too complicated to understand. Those that I remember were more often than not engineering projects, as they were attempting to use technology in a new and novel way and did not have a hypothesis or testable variables.


    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.

    I talked to some students from other schools, however, I had to spend a lot of time by my poster for two reasons: 1. I didn't want to leave my computer and timer alone for too long. 2. I was never sure *exactly* when my judges were going to come by, as the times set forth on my information sheet were only rough estimates.


    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?

    Much could be done in preparation for future science fairs. I believe that the science research program should start earlier; we could begin working on our proposals in September rather than taking personality tests. In this way, everyone could have a completed project that they did not feel rushed on by the time of SCISEF.


    ~anon

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  7. What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?

    My overall impression of the SCISEF fair was that it was very interesting to see the projects that high school students are capable of doing. I believed it was a good first impression for a first year student. It helps us get prepared for the ones to come. I specificaly enjoyed listening to my friends' presentations. The fair did meet my expectations of being a good expirience. I have never done anything similar to this before so I cannot say whether it was similar or different to past experiances.

    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?

    The judging process was very enjoyable too because I got to tell people about my project. The judges were fair and helpful. The first two judges were better for me than the last three due to the way they reviewed me.

    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?

    The most helpful comment was a way to make my graphs have better clarity. What was least helpful was when the judges started talking about altering my expiriment so it would change the entire purpose.

    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?

    The food was very good after a long day of talking and presenting.


    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.

    I thought that Mr. Riskin's presentation was very inspiring about chasing dreams. He became what he wanted to become all because he didn't let people turn him down.

    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?

    The mock fair helped me get a feel for how the judging process would work and how the set up of the acctual fair would look like.

    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?

    I didn't learn anything new about my project due to the judges lacking in musical background. I briefly reviewed other students projects. The project on green energy left a lasting impression due to the big variation in the data. It really made the graph stand out and had me look at it.


    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.

    I didn't talk to students from other schools due to the presentation timings. Those who I wanted to speak to were presenting when I was off.

    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?

    I don't believe there is much that could be done to prepare students for the science fair anymore than what was already done.

    Alec Melotto

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  8. One thing I liked especially about the fair was meeting new people and sharing and hearing a variety of ideas. The fair exceeded my expectations. I thought I was simply going to sit by my poster for 3 hours and talk to some mean judges. I experienced quite the opposite. It was fun to go around and see other student’s projects and the judges were very nice and encouraging.

    The judging process was very nerve racking at first but once I got talking I had fun with it since I really like my project and what I'm doing. The judges were very helpful and pointed some things out to me that I should take into consideration.

    The most helpful comment from the judges was that they told me I should control one of my variables that could have greatly affected the results of my data if I don’t do so. The feedback from the judges was generally positive and helpful.

    I thought that the food was good and there was a good variety. There was something for everyone.

    I thought that Dr. Daniel Riskin’s presentation on bats was amazing. He is truly a great example of what you can do in the science field if you keep asking questions about what you love. He really motivated me to want to know more about my topic of psychology. He was also very funny which made the experience fun. I actually sat next to him while awards were being announced and he was very inspiring.

    The Mock Science Fair helped me prepare for the real science fair in several ways. It helped me gain confidence in my project knowing that I’ve spent many hours working on this and that everything was going to go smoothly since I knew a lot about my subject. It also helped me talk in front of people like the judges calmly.

    I learned a lot of things about my project and that I may need to make my points more clear about what I am looking to find out and accomplish by doing this project. I can improve my project by making it more specific and be sure to control some important variables. I did have some time to view other student’s projects which was a lot of fun to get ideas for future projects and also to see the results of some pretty interesting projects. Other projects about psychology and behavioral science left me with a lasting impression since that was my category and I was interested in what other students are learning about human behavior.

    I talked to several students from other schools; I thought this was one of the best parts of the fair since I love meeting new people and making new friends.

    I thought that I was prepared for the science fair very well and once it got going it was like I had done it a million times.

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  9. My overall impression of the SCISEF fair was that it was a successful fair with good organization and an interesting projects. I enjoyed that there were breaks in between judging to look at other posters or to talk with other students. The fair mostly met my expectations, as it was well organized and there was ample time for judging and relaxing. This was my first science fair, so I did not know totally what it would be like. The judging process was organized and the judges came to the right place at the right time. However, I couldn't be sure that they were fair, and they were only partially helpful. One of my judging groups gave me many questions that made me think more about my project, but no specific recommendations. The other group did nothing different from this, just giving a lesser amount of questions. The most helpful comment the judges gave me was (in the form of a question) to remember to include how to improve upon the experiment. The least helpful was asking whether I had ever been to a cave or whether I would continue on this field of research. I did not eat breakfast at the fair, and I brought my own lunch (accidentally and on purpose), but the cookies were tasty. Also, when someone I was sitting with was eating a sandwich, he came across a spot on it that looked suspiciously like blood (though it probably wasn't) and another person did not enjoy the sandwich he was eating. Dr. Riskin's (the bat guy's) presentation on bats was entertaining and informative at the same time, and kept my attention (for the ten minutes I was able to listen to him), and I wanted to watch more. The mock presentations (more than the mock science fairs) helped me refine what I said to the judges and gave me helpful advice on what to include on my poster. About my project specifically, I learned that I should do more research and that I should investigate more on whether there would be a difference between supersaturated solutions and a saturated solution at room temperature on stalactite growth. I will do this before the next fair. I looked at almost all of the other student projects, and so many were interesting, none left a lasting impression on me. I talked to a student from another school presenting next to me, and he was friendly/interesting about the fair and did not bite. To prepare students for upcoming science fairs, we could start doing our final research projects earlier (ex. early November) with the proposals accepted even earlier, to have more time for research and writing a paper/ making a poster. Yes, good fair. All did good.

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  10. What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?

    I thought that the fair went well. I enjoyed seeing the projects from other schools, though some of them were too overly complex to understand. I was not surprised by anything, except by how complicated some of the projects were... I wonder if the mentors, rather than the students, actually came up with many of these projects. However, independent of the other projects, I greatly enjoyed the fair.


    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?

    While my judges were very helpful, I think that the judging process did not go as well as it could have gone due to the judges being voluteers... for many of us Freshman, this was not a problem, but the lack of specialists in the fields may have had an adverse effect on some of the older students with more complex projects. My judges provided little feedback at the time of the fair, but they may provide some comments once the score sheet is returned to us.


    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?

    As mentioned above, I did not receive many comments (just questions) from the judges. They did give me some recommendations, such as looking into the statistics of how I would analyze my data and sources of experimental error.


    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?

    I didn't have any of the food.


    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.

    I very much enjoyed Dr. Riskin's presentation. The sign of a good scientist, but also a good speaker, is that they can make a topic in which few are interested into an extraordinarily interesting topic. Riskin succeeded in making me, and many others, interested in bats, while deftly weaving life long lessons of science.


    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?

    The Mock Science fair helped me to prepare what I was going to say to my judges, as well as provide me with a time reference that my presentation should fit inside. I would definitely like to have this again, and possibly have more people from more classes come in to see our projects.


    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?

    As mentioned above, many of the judges were volunteers and thus not experts in our fields of study. Therefore, I did not learn much about my project, but, by looking at the other projects, I gained an insight in to what my next steps were. The projects that left a lasting impressions were not science projects, as many of these were created by students' mentors and too complicated to understand. Those that I remember were more often than not engineering projects, as they were attempting to use technology in a new and novel way and did not have a hypothesis or testable variables.


    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.

    I talked to some students from other schools, however, I had to spend a lot of time by my poster for two reasons: 1. I didn't want to leave my computer and timer alone for too long. 2. I was never sure *exactly* when my judges were going to come by, as the times set forth on my information sheet were only rough estimates.


    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?

    Much could be done in preparation for future science fairs. I believe that the science research program should start earlier; we could begin working on our proposals in September rather than taking personality tests. In this way, everyone could have a completed project that they did not feel rushed on by the time of SCISEF.


    ~Eli

    ReplyDelete
  11. My overall impression of the SCISEF Fair was that the fair ran very smoothly and went quite well. I enjoyed walking around and viewing other student's projects, and the diversity of the projects was incredible. The SCISEF projects this year were certainly more scientific and education than in previous years. The judging process was quite interesting for me. My first group of judges did not seem to understand anything I was talking about. They asked questions that I had clearly tried my best to explain in the actual presentation of my study. Furthermore, my second round of judges did not look over my poster in the beginning. Instead, they seemed rushed as if they wanted me to present quickly so they could be finished with their judging for the day. The second round judges only asked questions about my mentor and the lab that I was working in. While I was happy to answer these questions, I wished for the judges to focus more on my actual experiment rather than asking about my future plans for college and my grades so far in school. I felt that these questions were quite personal and shouldn't be asked by a judge. The judges didn't seem to give me any positive or negative feedback, leaving me completely confused on whether the judges liked my project or not. The morning breakfast that consisted of bagels and juice was extremely nourishing. I enjoyed being able to sit down before I had to present and enjoy a good bagel and talk with some of the other participants in the fair. The food helped me stay energized and I occasionally walked back to the cafeteria in order to get some water before the next round of judges. The sandwiches were also very tasty, however, the lunch portion of the science fair was not of the same magnitude that it was in previous years. Last year, there were far more food choices, and I felt that since this year's fair had a significant increase in the number of participants, there should have been a bigger supply of lunch. Dr Raskin's presentation was absolutely wonderful. Dr Raskin was very engaging with his audience which allowed for every individual to be focus on his inspiring life lessons. In previous years, the guest speaker was often lacking in excitment at some points, however, Dr Raskin never lost my interest. His presentation was truly insperational. The Mock Science Fair was extremely helpful, as it allowed me to practice how I was going to present my research to the judges and the public during the public viewing hour. Unfortunately, I was unable to talk with other students from other schools. Because there was no sort of announcement as to which round of judging it was, I was constantly standing by my poster and had no time to talk with other students. To make the SCISEF Fair even better, I believe that judges should not ask about personal questions and that there should be announcements as to which round of judging we were currently in. Other than that, the SCISEF Science Fair had to be one of the bests!

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  12. What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?
    My impression of the SCISEF Fair was that it was really fun! Despite not being able to participate, lisening and giving moral support to my friends made me happy to be there. Of course the fair met my expectations, as everything seemed to progress smoothly, and it seemed as though everyone had a good time.

    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?
    I didn’t present…

    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?
    I didn’t present…

    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?
    I brought my own lunch, but I heard from friends that the vegetable sandwiches were not that good, and it seemed to be a little thrown together on the spot.

    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.
    Yes! I did enjoy it. He seemed to spread his enthusiasm for bats, and put in a little humor to his presentation. Not to mention that he just loved to go on and on about bats, and that made it fun for everyone who was listening to hear the fun facts about bats.

    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?
    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?
    Well, I had time to see some student’s projects, and they all seemed very interesting. All left an equal amount of impression…because they were all so interesting!

    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.
    No, because I was too busy giving moral support to friends to engage in conversation with others.

    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?
    I think students were pretty prepared for this science fair, so there isn’t much to prepare. One suggestion is to just practice, because practice does make perfect.
    Thank you!
    Jen Zhu

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  13. Zelun Wang
    Blog: 2012 SCISEF at Amity
    My overall impression of the fair was very positive. I enjoyed how smoothly it was run, with seamless transitions from one segment to the next. I set very high expectations for the fair, and I feel that those expectations were certainly met. The 4-5 hours of the fair felt like they passed by so quickly, whereas at previous fairs time seemed to pass much slower.
    The judges were much better at this year’s SCISEF than at previous fairs that I have attended. Specifically, they were very critical—diligently questioning the research question and purpose, as well as closely scrutinizing the statistical analysis and prompting more thought into the conclusions drawn. They also paid close attention to sources cited. The judges were certainly fair and objective, and they truly seemed interested in our projects.
    The most helpful advice the judges gave, for me, involved the use of my equipment. One of my judges was actually knowledgeable about the experimental equipment I used and suggested alternate methods of calibration that may be better suited for my study. I don’t recall anything the judges said that was not helpful.
    I enjoyed the food. True, the food was nothing special beyond school cafeteria catering, but the provision of drinks, chips and cookies cured our hunger and thirst as we waited to present.
    Dr. Riskin’s presentation was fascinating. He had my full attention from start to finish. His talk was not really about bats, but about scientific inquiry. Through talking about his own experiences in science, Dan encouraged us to pursue a career in science in a very appealing way. His presentation was energetic, and I specifically enjoyed how his visual aid consisted mostly of colorful images rather than mundane words.
    I was sick the day of the mock science fair, but I can imagine and speak from past years’ experience that the mock science fair gave students the chance to practice presenting through the main points of their projects and hear useful feedback from fellow students.
    Through judges’ interaction, I learned several new things about the way I should analyze my data. On my poster board, I only presented graphs on two variables graphed against each other in scatterplots. However, both sets of judges suggested that I also present the data graphed over time. I hope to make such changes for my next project. One other project that I viewed dealt with creating useable energy from the collision of quartz. I just thought that this concept was quite novel and interesting.
    I still felt a little sick from Friday so I made no effort to make new friends, but one student whose project was next to me tried to talk to me. Specifically, he gave me his negative opinion of several projects that he saw. I felt that his criticism of other people’s project displayed his own bitterness and insecurity, and so I was quite happy to see his proposal project win an award, since he seemed like he needed that confidence boost.
    I think we need to better examine what judges look for in each fair, and tailor student presentations to fit those parameters. At this fair, there were seemingly mediocre projects that won high awards, while other intricate projects were ignored for recognition. Clearly, the judges scored based on specific points, and to maximize amity earnings we need to find out what those points are.

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  14. Overall, the fair was entertaining and a good learning opportunity. I enjoyed how the fair was put together, and everything went smoothly. It met my expectations, just like last year, if not better. However, there were things that I disliked about the fair; particularly some of the judges (but I’m biased). Compared to last year, most things were similar, but I really enjoyed this year’s guest speaker and the food better. My only real complaint is that there needs to be more chairs for the student presenters to sit down. The session between the judging process was confusing; some judges showed before the allotted time, and it was required for presenters to stand next to their posters 30 minutes before their actual session. Some of the judges were nice, some were not so nice; some were extremely critical, and some were helpful. The most helpful comment was the judge who suggested the next idea for me, and new variables I could be looking at. However, it was also the same judge that asked me if this was all the data I had and went on to ask me questions about cancer treated PDT, something that had no relation to me. This year though, the food was better! I wish there had been a few more choices for the sandwiches, and more snacks, but overall, it couldn’t have been better considering how many kids there were. Dr. Riskin’s presentation was also really enjoyable. He was such an enthusiastic and funny presenter that it was impossible not to be entertained and get into it. The presentation was more on scientists in general rather than bats. I wish the Mock Science Fair had a wider range of audiences, since with classmates, it’s harder to present seriously. I learned though about laser wavelengths and cutting edge research in cancer treatments, and improvements to my bacteria culture method. It also gave me further insight into the next steps of my research. Unfortunately, I did not have much time to see all the projects. I did talk to some other kids, but mostly, people grouped with their schools. Hopefully, in preparation for upcoming science fairs, we can seriously present so better feedback can be received.

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  15. What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?

    The fair was very well organized and carried out well. Some of the projects were of course overly complicated and colluded. I enjoyed the fair and it exceeded my expectations. It was very similar to past fairs but was much better organized.


    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?

    The judging process worked very well for me. Both rounds of judges were passionately interested in my project, and gave amazing advice for the future.


    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?

    The most helpful suggestion from a judge was one who asked if I got any background hearing history from my participants. I will make sure to add this into next year’s survey and I addressed for possible errors in my next presentation.

    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?

    I didn't have any of the food but the lunch period itself worked out well. It was annoying though that round 6 went into lunch so much though.


    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.

    Dr. Riskin’s presentation was passionate, involving, and intellectually stimulating; not at all creepy. He made me want to be a scientist for a while. I’m still thinking of that as a possibility for my future. I also know that what he said held truth to it because I saw you nodding along to most of what he said.


    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?

    The Mock Science fair didn’t really help me prepare what I was going to say to my judges. While it was nice to say it once, presentation has always been my strong point.
    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?

    I learned a little bit from my judges and being put on the spot. For me that has always been the best way to learn and evolve and what I enjoy most. I want to improve my project for next year by adding more information to the annual survey and acquiring a wider age range. Other students projects were mostly a gumbiliah of convoluted scientific terms.

    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.

    I talked to several students from other schools but I already knew them threw debate. It is very nice though to meet other youth in the “science community.”


    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?

    The best way to prepare students for upcoming science fairs would be to present our projects to artificial judges as we do now, but have a realistic spectrum of judges ranging from the judges that just love your project, to the judges that are very rude and don’t care about your project at all.

    Elliad Dagan aka Dr. Mantis Tobaggonan

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  16. Overall I thought the science fair ran very smoothly and was a great success. I greatly enjoyed talking to others about their projects as well as the lunch and cookies. As a whole the fair went above my expectations. It was very similar to what I experienced in the past however I think the food was set up better. Not only was there a lot of room to sit but there also wasn’t a lack of seating area. In previous fairs this was not the case.
    For judging, I received two sets of judges. One set had two judges while as the other set had three. In both cases I found that the judges were very fair and helpful. They asked very good questions and let me know when I was low on time. The most helpful comment I received from the judges was to explain phytoextraction slightly more. I was fortunate enough to have judges that didn’t give me any poor comments.
    As I said, I found the lunch and breakfast to be very well organized. The only thing I would change is that I would include a sandwich with meat but no cheese. It’s not kosher to eat meat and cheese together. I know it’s easy to remove the cheese but many people might like if there were a sandwich without it.
    I thought Dr. Riskin’s presentation was outstanding. He did a very good job at keeping his presentation entertaining. He was definitely one of the best speakers I’ve heard.
    I felt that the mock science fair greatly prepared me for SCISEF. The mock fair gave me a chance to present my data and work out any common mistakes or timing issues.
    As I was presenting, I realized that it would be very helpful to include some pictures of my study to incorporate into my presentation.
    After I was done presenting I did talk with some other presenters. They told me about their studies.
    I honestly don’t think there is much more that can be done to better prepare students. I feel like we were very well prepared.
    -David Powers aka Dr. Tobaggonan

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  17. Overall, my experience with the 2012 SCISEF was pleasant, despite a few unexpected incidents. I enjoyed that the fair was at our school instead of elsewhere because it wasn't a hassle going to/from it, which was a huge plus. Lunch was also fairly good, although breakfast could have used a bit more variety (not just bagels.) The environment was vibrant and energetic, and most of the presenters from other schools were very nice and approachable.
    However, there were a few aspects of the fair, as well as isolated incidents, that detracted from the overall experience. The first was the organization of the judges and judging rounds. I found it unfair that while most people had two rounds of judging, some (such as myself and Satish) had to stay for a third round - judging should be uniform in all regards, as some people might want a third round while others might not. Furthermore, there should be more of a plan to follow when certain judges don't show up. I had three rounds scheduled, but my first round of judging never happened so I spent 30 minutes nervously talking to myself and standing next to my poster for no reason at all. While I was told that I would get three rounds of judging in the end, it never happened. Another problem I had was with the judges themselves. First and foremost I think that they should be screened beforehand and maybe rewarded for their participation. Some people are just not cut out to be judges, whether it's because they're too harsh, too nice, lack a scientific background, or for whatever reason. Specifically during one of my rounds, one such judge was talking on her phone the entire time during my presentation. When she got off her phone at which point I was still presenting, she did not look at my poster once and instead at looked everything else around her. Whenever I glanced over at her, she seemed to be distracted and not paying attention. When I had finished presenting, that judge asked me a question that I had very, very clearly answered and underscored time and time again throughout my presentation. Regardless, I made eye contact with her and answered it again while looking at the other judge (who actually seemed engaged and interested.) At the end of the presentation (questions included), the judge that wasn't paying attention told me that I was "extremely rude and disrespectful" for ignoring her throughout my presentation and that I "need to work on my presentation skills so that [I] don't come off as rude." I was personally baffled, but swallowed my pride and took the criticism. The other judge also looked a bit dumbfounded and shook my hand and told me that I did a good job. Later, after lunch, the judge that seemed interested in what I was saying came up to me and told me that she was shocked by what the other judge said and apologized on her behalf, and said that my presentation was excellent. This is just one isolated incident, but we should try and prevent it wherever it may occur.
    One big problem that I had with the fair was the amount of three-way ties for first place. It bothered me because the whole point of having a first, second, third and fourth (honorable mention) place winner is to distinguish superior performers of the fair. When you have a three-way tie, then what's the point of having "winners" in the first place? Why not just give everyone 50$ and a medal? That's another aspect of the three-way ties, the monetary value. If they can clearly afford $300 for three first place winners, then they should just give $100 to every winner of a medal.
    The guest speaker was excellent, hands down the best in my three years in Science Research out of all events. Dr. Riskin was engaging, relatable, fun, energetic and left me as a potential scientist feeling motivated and refreshed.

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  18. Overall, I was extremely impressed with the organization and efficiency of the fair. It was very simple to find my poster area. In addition, the judges arrived on time. The fair was much better organized than last year. My only problem was that the last round of judging which started at 12:30 did not allow for students to eat lunch until after 1:00, as I was forced to do. Perhaps, in the future, there can be a break for lunch, after which, judging can resume.

    The judging process was very smooth, as the judges arrived on time, and knew what they were doing. The judges were extremely supportive and motivating. A few judges in particular left me with a few kind words, encouraging me to continue in science, and telling me that I would be more successful. The judges did tell me possible things to do in the future.

    The most helpful comment from the Judges was to continues in the field of science and to continue researching my passions.

    The least helpful comment was extremely minor, as the judge asked me to repeat something about my methods, when I had already been through with it. But in reality, my judges were kind and did not have any poor commentary.

    I did not eat the breakfast, as to me, bagels were not particularly enticing. The lunch was okay, but I was a bit disappointed with the vegetarian option, as all it was, was a salad inside a bun. .


    I loved Dr. Riskin’s presentation, as he was very engaging and passionate. Dr. Riskin was very informative and motivating. He only reaffirmed my decision to pursue a science career, as he demonstrated the versatility of a career in science.

    The Mock Science Fair did not particularly help me prepare for the Fair to be honest, Before the Mock fair I had already been well developed and practiced presenting.

    I realized that I could use the data I already had and divide the participants by age group and determine whether there was a correlation in age groups.
    I did have time to look at other student projects, but I do not remember any projects in particular.

    I did not have the chance to talk with students from other schools, as there were so many students from our school to talk to!!

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  19. I really enjoyed the fair. It was similar to what I expected, since I attended last year. I met a lot of people, so it was an enjoyable experience. The food was impressive and the judges were very nice.
    The judges were great! Seriously. The minute they came the tension melted away and we were laughing and having a nice time. Even though they were judges, I felt comfortable and as if I was presenting to a friend.

    The most helpful comment was to change the way I'm analyzing one of my variables. It makes so much more sense, and takes up less time.


    I LOVED DANIEL RISKIN'S PRESENTATION!!!! He is so funny!! PLEASE INVITE HIM AGAIN.

    The mock science fair was not helpful. Maybe you can make it smaller next year, so students con spend more time on their projects.
    Izabela Banka

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  20. The fair was very entertaining and a wonderful learning opportunity to start off the 2012 science fair season. I enjoyed how well the fair was put together, and everything went smoothly because of the tremendous help by the volunteers and parents. It was almost as good as SCISEF 2011; however, I preferred last year’s fair because I simply liked the location better. There were things that I disliked about the fair; particularly some of the judges. For example, I had three rounds of judging instead of the normal two that every other participant had. Compared to last year, many things were quite similar, but I enjoyed this year’s guest speaker far more. The order of the judging sessions was kind of quite confusing. For example, some judges showed before the allotted time, and it was required for presenters to stand next to their posters a while before their actual session. Each judge was different with some providing helpful advice that would assist me in the future, but others were simply too critical. This year though, the food was definitely worse. I wish there had been a few more choices for the sandwiches and maybe other types of food. Dr. Riskin’s presentation was also really enjoyable. He was very conscious of his audience and thus made a good presentation. The presentation was more on scientists in general rather than bats. I wish the Mock Science Fair had a wider range of audiences and not just other students. The mock science fair gave me further insight into the next steps of my research. Unfortunately, I did not have much time to see all the projects. Hopefully, in preparation for upcoming science fairs, we can present more seriously to our fellow classmates in order to prepare ourselves more.

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  21. Overall, I think the SCISEF fair went smoothly and exceeded my expectations. It was very well organized, and the judging stuck very closely to the schedule. This was different from last year, because my judging was very late last year. The judging process was very well-structured, and the judges were fair and helpful. The people who judged my projects were very nice, and talked normally, keeping the atmosphere light. The judges gave me good ideas for finding out how to do statistics for my project, as well as future work I could possibly do. It was not helpful when one judge told me that I needed a bigger sample size when I already told them the sample size was less than ideal. The food was decent. Dr. Daniel Risking’s presentation was very interesting. He presented interesting information, and gave good advice about being a scientist. He was also a very interesting man. The mock science fair helped me because I saw all of the flaws in other people’s projects through judging them, and looked for those same flaws in my own project. I can try to get more people to increase my sample size for my project. I saw some other people’s projects, and they were very interesting, especially the supercomputer. I did not really talk to other students from other schools. It would be better to have deadlines for data to students have more at the time of the fair.

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  22. Overall, I enjoyed the science fair. It was very organized and it had a very friendly environment. It was a very enjoyable experience. Also, the judges were very nice and the food was very good. All of my expectations were met in that the judges were very thorough, the atmosphere was good, and all of the presentations were very good. It was a lot better than I expected it to be because it was much more fun and organized than I thought, and overall, I thought it was better than it was in the past.
    The judging process was much better than last year. The comments were very constructive and pointed and they seemed very knowledgeable in my subject. They were very fair and getting judged was an overall very helpful experience.
    The most helpful comment was about different was that I could statistically analyze the data sets that I had. They gave suggestions as to how I could show and explain different data sets. The least helpful comment was when judges asked me about the other portion of this study that my lab group is not involved in.
    The food, as said before was very good and there was definitely enough.
    Dr. Riskin’s presentation was very good. He knew what he was talking about and he made the presentation very enjoyable and humorous. I think that he was an overall exceptional speaker.
    The mock science fair was very helpful in that it gave me an opportunity to organize my thoughts and how I would present those thoughts before I actually had to present to judges. This was very important to the organization of my presentation.
    I learned that perhaps a better way of presenting some information of my data would be through a quadratic equation to compare to my fluorescent standard test, while originally, I did a linear equation. This would improve my project in the future, and is a very helpful method of improvement. I did not have much time to look at other projects, but one that I did see that left an impression was the amity project that showed a search engine that would be able to find answers to specific questions that you ask it. I thought that was a very cool project.
    I did not have any time to talk with kids from other schools, though I did see some projects. None of them left a lasting impression on me, however I do remember that there were some that I thought were cool, though, again, I do not remember any of them.
    There was nothing that I can think of that would have contributed to the outcome of the science fair. Overall, I thought that the fair was very well done, and that it was executed very well, and I had a very enjoyable experience participating in it. There was also nothing that I can think of that would have helped prepare people and students for the fair. It all went over very smoothly.

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  23. Qi Yan
    What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?
    My answer to this question is very biased. I hate always hated SCISEF so naturally my impression of SCISEF is negative. Yes it met my low expectations. At least the judges came on time this year. It was a good thing that it was at Amity so I did not have to wake up at 6.
    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?
    The Judging process was ok, the judges were also ok, they seemed bored and often looked at the ceiling and elsewhere. They asked random questions that didn’t really have to do with my project. Some were helpful though and asked good questions.

    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?
    This is a good project. Good start on life. Where do you live?

    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?
    Ok, sandwich was a bit dry.

    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.
    Yes it was funny and interesting and engaging

    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?
    Sort of, the judges asked some hard questions that students did not ask.

    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?

    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.
    No, I roamed around the hallways during my spare time.

    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?
    Ask lots of questions because that what judges do.

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  24. I thought SCISEF was a great fair, I loved it. I enjoyed the quick judging, the food, and the guest speaker. The fair seemed a little disorganized, but was very similar to the two previous SCISEF fairs I have attended. The projects were of the same caliber as the previous fairs, except for Amity because we didn’t win enough. The judging was not bad, the judges seemed fair. Their questions were not very difficult to answer, they merely asked clarifying questions. The judges gave one comment about the cost analysis, which was very helpful. One useless comment was about how they had to do a lot of work beforehand. The food was fine. Daniel’s presentation was very funny, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially the pumpkin part. The mock science was very useful because it was another opportunity to practice my project, which is a huge factor in science fairs. I did not learn much new about my project, but to improve it I would try to get more data and have a more comprehensive cost analysis. I saw one project about waste water algae, which was interesting because it seemed like a good way to recycle algae. I did not talk to other schools, I never talk with the competition. Lol. I think we should have a wider variety of projects, less behavioral, and also more chances to practice our presentations.

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  25. My overall impression of the SCISEF fair was a good one. I enjoyed it more than last year, especially since it was at Amity instead of some other unknown school. The judges were very helpful this year. Last year, the judges gave lots of useful feedback but this year even more so. Both groups seemed fairly interested in the project. I didn’t eat any breakfast at the fair. However, I did have lunch. The sandwiches were good as were the cookies. It was much more open in our cafeteria compared to last year where it was cramped. I very much enjoyed the guest speaker. The part on the bats was interesting but that wasn’t all that was learned. He said many useful ideas to think about while doing anything science related or just life in general. Something like doing something you enjoy is useful both as a scientist or any other occupation. The mock science fair was good because it showed me which parts of my presentation needed improvement, which parts were fine, and how I was compared to everyone else. Although judges showed interest, this isn’t the standard project with an IV/DV/Hypothesis, etc. so they didn’t tell much that needed improvement. I didn’t talk much with people from other schools. I think this should’ve been encouraged more as I’m sure it would’ve been a valuable thing to do. Telling people how it should be a fun thing or anything to cut down the level of nervousness would be helpful.
    -Ben Staniewicz

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  26. Kristin Zakoworotny

    What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?
    Overall, SCISEF was a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the projects, presenting, and listening to the keynote speaker. Many of the projects were fascinating and the judges were great. Everything was exactly liked I anticipated, except for the food. I though the sandwiches were below average, but the cookies were pretty good.
    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?
    The judges were really nice. My judges asked questions and seemed genuinely interested in my project. They asked a lot of questions, but I wish they had given me more constructive criticism. One of the judges was very helpful and suggested further experiments that I could do. But, they were fair and somewhat helpful.
    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?
    One of the judges made a comment that made me realize that data will not be very accurate. He did not like the idea of a correlation study because it doesn’t prove any cause effect relationship. Also, he said that there was no way to prove that the correlation is because of musical instruments. There were not any unhelpful comments.
    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?
    I didn’t eat the breakfast, but the sandwiches were not very good.
    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.
    I though Dr. Riskin’s presentation was very funny and animated.
    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?
    I thought the mock science fair was especially helpful to the first years because they could present their projects to advanced students and get feedback.
    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?
    I learned that even if a correlation is found, it does not mean that there is a correlation between music and math. The correlation could actually be a correlation between how hard students are being pushed by their parents since people that play instrument usually have parents that motivate them.
    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.
    No. I didn’t not talk to students from other schools.
    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?
    I think people need to practice their presentations more.Also, the food needs to be better.

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  27. The SCISEF fair was very successful. Overall, the enthusiasm for the science fair was great and it was well organized. The keynote speaker had a great presentation that was humorous and entertaining. It was very similar to what I experienced in the past.
    The judging process was nerve-racking. However, as I started presenting, I got less nervous. The judges gave good advice and new ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of before.The most helpful comment from the judges was to cite my sources from the original documents. Most of my cited sources were summarized for me.The food was good.I really enjoyed Dr. Daniel Riskin’s presentation. He was not only funny, but he really got the audience’s attention. His love for bats was inspirational.
    I believe that practicing as much as you can is only beneficial to you. The mock science fair was extra practice for me.I learned that there is so much research that needs to be done. There is never enough knowledge. For the next science fair, I hope to learn more about my study and other studies that have been done. I did not get a chance to see other projects because I was practicing my presentation as much as I can before the judging process. I wish I had more time.I did not talk to students from other schools. There was really no time to interact with them.There are a couple of suggestions that I have. For instance, it is helpful if you can get a microphone and call students that are missing from their poster when they need to present. Sometimes judges come 10 or 15 minutes too early or too late. Though they should already be ready to present, there are always instances when someone leaves there poster. In addition, we should learn to make our posters more creative and appealing to the audience. I believe this can benefit the student.

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  28. The SCISEF Fair was very good. The judges came on time to my poster and the lunch food was good. Everybody was moved from the café to the gym and finally to the auditorium efficiently and quickly.
    The judges were fair and helpful. All seemed truly interested in my project and only asked relevant questions.
    The most helpful comment was: Perhaps you should use only one ant in each Petri Dish. Also exposing one ant to the filter paper in between trials so that the ant’s memory of the previous chemical would not affect the next chemical trial would also be a good idea.
    There was no unhelpful or least helpful judge comment.
    The breakfast food was bland, but that’s because I personally do not like bagels. The lunch sandwiches were good, except the vegetarian one.
    Yes, I enjoyed Dan Riskin’s presentation. Riskin was very frank in his presentation and was also a very good speaker; his voice tone never maintained a monotone sound.
    The Mock Science Fair helped me prepare for the fair by giving me some practice in presenting. As a result, I had some idea on what I needed to improve in my presentation.
    I learned that my procedure needs to be improved so the project’s validity can be improved. To improve my procedure, I will remember to make the necessary changes next time I head to Dr. Gall’s office for experimentation. I did not have much time to look in depth into any other projects.
    I talked to one other senior from Cheshire High School because I recognized him from Yale New Haven Hospital’s Summer Volunteer Program.
    We can prepare students for other upcoming fairs by making them present their posters in class.
    -Brian Liang

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  29. I loved SCISEF at Amity. I thought it was very well done and very organized and I really enjoyed it. It felt more fun and more relaxed, while still maintaining a serious attitude. I enjoyed it more than the fairs at Sacred Heart. I specifically enjoyed the setup of the fair and the environment, although it could have just been due to the fact that the fair was at Amity and that Amity was a familiar environment.
    The judging process was great. I had all courteous and kind judges, although one judge in particular kept interrupting my presentation and asking questions about my presentation that I would answer later. If one thing can be improved, there should be a point in the judges seminar to tell judges NOT to intervene. Another thing during judging was that one Amity student in particular shouted my name in a funny accent and it completely threw me off my presentation and made me lose track and lose focus of what I was saying. Also, another group of Amity students were standing next to me during judging and talking really loudly and I couldn’t focus on my presentation because I was just hearing what they were saying.
    The food was terrible. I was really let down from the previous fair. It was basically the same food from the cafeteria which is not good at all. Hopefully this can be improved on during the next fair.
    I really enjoyed the beginning of Dr. Daniel Riskin’s presentation. He seemed very hip and cool and he seemed to be very connected to today’s youth. Unfortunately, I was not able to stay for the entire presentation and I extremely regret it.
    The Mock Science fair helped me to get a feel for the actual science fair and it helped me get used to presenting. It prepared me and helped lessen my nerves because I knew what to do and I felt rehearsed and prepared.
    For the next fair, I can work on preparing my introduction as it was not as well rehearsed as the other fairs. Since it was not rehearsed, it was easy for me to lose my focus so hopefully it will be better during the next fairs.
    No I did not talk to any other students outside of Amity and I did not get a chance to really look indepth at anyone else’s projects. To prepare for upcoming fairs, we need to get better foods.

    -Andrew Chen

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  30. 1. My overall impression of the SCISEF Fair was a very positive experience. I learned a lot from looking and learning about other students’ projects. Some things I really enjoyed about the fair was the ability to look at other students work and listen to them present. The fair indeed meet my expectations and I look forward to participating next year. The SCISEF Fair was similar to what I anticipated: there was no real surprise in the judging process, layout of fair, etc.
    2. The judging process was very helpful, it was a great idea that students had two chances of impressing and presenting their projects. The judges also gave some very helpful and encouraging feedback which will be helpful in future presentations and fairs.
    3. The most helpful comment from the judges was their analysis on the data. They gave good advice on how to display future data for two of my pie charts and analysis were unclear. Also, they gave good ideas for future studies and experiments. All the judges gave very helpful comments and there were none that would not be taken into account.
    4. The breakfast was good. Maybe for future fairs having one other option than bagels would be preferable. Also the juice and coffee selection was very good! The lunch was also really good. The sandwiches were delicious and the salad was a good side as well as the chip selection and cookies. The juice was also really good.
    5. I found his presentation very interesting. His presentation was very unexpected to what I anticipated. The presentation was very engaging and had the audience, including me, laughing. Also, the videos of the bats and the multiple pictures were very interesting. Dr. Riskin’s presentation was very interesting and I found that the lessons and advice were very helpful and inspiring.
    6. The mock science fair helped me prepare for the fair by being able to practice my presentation in front of people in a “fair-like” environment. By practicing multiple times helped me to practice the material I need to cover and the information/background I need to explain. Overall, I think the mock scienc fair was very helpful.
    7. I learned that my project needed a better data analysis. I needed more statistical relationships between the two sets of data. These are all improvements I could make for the next fair. Also, maybe for my presentation, I could show a version of the online test given to the students, instead of the judges not knowing what the other group of students were learning. Some projects that made an lasting impression were projects that incorporated a visual, whether a video or a model, it was very interesting and left a lasting impression.
    8. I did not really have time during the fair to talk to other students from other schools. In the future, it would be noted to talk to other students
    9. For future science fairs, it would be a good idea to have the students ask or prepare questions for other students about their projects. I found that I was unprepared for the judges questions and if we had a session during class where we all asked good questions to each other, may in fact better prepare students for upcoming science fairs.

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  31. The SCISEF fair was a new experience that helped me have a new insight not only on my own project, but science from the other projects too. I enjoyed how the fair let us roam around the area freely when we weren’t being judged. This gave me the opportunity to look at other people’s projects, and learn about what they did. The fair also met my expectations. They were rather organized and seemed to be following their schedule. I anticipated that this fair would have us stand by our poster the entire time, but instead we got the opportunity to walk around and look at other people’s projects. The judges I had were very fair and considerate. When I was being judged, I’d first have them look at my board, then begin presenting. At the end, the judges gave me fair advice and also asked some questions for clarity. Their questions helped me improve the next round by adding that information in. The food was good. The lunch meal had a variety of food, and I do suggest that there should be a wider variety of food for breakfast. I greatly enjoyed Dr. Dan Riskin’s presentation. While Dr. Riskin was presenting, he taught us valuable lessons. Other than just merely stating informational facts to help us learn, he added stories to support his presentation. What appealed to us the most was the sense of humor he had in his presentation, which was rather unexpected. He told everyone hilarious facts and stories, which became beneficial later since it helped me remember more about his presentation. Dr. Riskin easily connected with audience. The Mock Science Fair was a great tool to help us prepare for the real fair. Having other students pretend to be judges gave me the opportunity to present as if it were the real fair. They also gave me some advice in ways to improve my presentation and board. The judges gave me some great advice on how to improve both my board and how I present. For the next fair, I may take in consideration their suggestion of comparing how many words were memorized before and after exercise to heart rate before and after exercise. I did have time to view other student projects. The ones that appealed to me, although I do not remember which ones, were very original and appealing. I talked to students from another school a few times, but not many. We mostly discussed about some other people’s projects. For future science fairs, I suggest that we should have teachers to act as our judges. They can criticize us better since students tend to miss important details.

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  32. The SCSEF Fair was overall an excellent fair. In general the fair ran smoothly and the judges came on the scheduled time un like other fairs. There were lots of interesting projects and it was enjoyable to listen to. I expected the fair to be long and drag on but it was actually interesting and time passed quickly. In past years the judges were not a responsive to my projects or seemed as thou they just wanted to get out because they had better things to do. But, this year the judges were interested and had interesting things to say and ask to me. The judges were helpful and gave interesting feedback. Although, some comments were a rude and their responses, to my project, where less than expected, below the realm constructive criticism. The most helpful comment was probably when they asked why I chose to do this project. While, the lest helpful comment was when they told me I should have done this as a theoretical project and that java was to advanced for this project and I should have used a more basic program because it would suit the level of my project. I didn’t have breakfast at the fair but lunch was ok. Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats was interesting and engaging of the audience. He got everyone laughing and paying attention even for a not normally interesting topic like bats. His presentation and speaking skills were in general great. Unfortunately, I was sick and un able to attend the mock science fair as I was sick that day. Although, in previous years I found it to be extremely helpful as it was a good way to get a feeling for what to except. I didn’t learn anything new about my project from the fair but think I can improve it by fixing some of the tittles on my poster.

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  33. 1. I thought the day went very smoothly and was an overall positive experience for everyone. My favorite part was getting to spend time with all the SRP students from different classes and seeing everyone's projects. The guest speaker was also a highlight of the day - Dan Riskin's presentation far exceeded my expectations. I also liked this year's fair better than last year because of the weather last year. Besides the hour and a half long drive, I remember it was raining and we had to walk a good distance with our posters from the buses to the gym and then from the gym to the cafeteria for lunch. The logistics were better/more convenient this year.

    2 & 3. The judges were friendly and helpful. They listened to your whole presentation and asked questions afterward. My first set of judges were very enthusiastic and interested in what I was presenting. They asked a lot of helpful and relevant questions, leading to a good conversation and hitting on pretty much all the things I had anticipated. The second set of judges were less enthusiastic. One judge asked me how much of the project was my own, which I'm sure he asked everybody.

    4. The breakfast was good - I liked the bagels and juice. Lunch was all right. The cookies were very good, but the sandwiches and salad were just okay.. I think they had pasta salad last year, which I enjoyed.

    5. I loved Dan Riskin's presentation on bats, especially his sense of humor. He did an awesome job presenting scientists as very cool, interesting people. His passion for his work was very evident, and he seemed like the happiest guy on the planet - with an amazing job, family, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunies. His life lessons were also very good advice - he would be a good role model for any aspiring scientist.
    6. The mock science fair was a good chance to practice our presentations and articulate our thoughts to an audience that wasn't familiar at all with our projects, unlike the students in our class. It was good to stand in front of our posters and simulate the setup of the actual science fair.

    7. I didn't learn anything specific that was new about my project, just because I have been working on my project/presentation and refining it for so long. I definitely have my work cut out for me for Intel though, with two new posters to design and print. I did get a chance to view other student projects, and I was very impressed with a lot of them. I don't remember specific project titles, but there were a lot of good research proposals as well as behavioral and health completed projects.

    8. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to talk much with students from other schools, except for the one student from Hamden that I became friends with at National JSHS last year.

    9. I think the more practice we have, the better. I can't think of anything specific, but finishing up data collection, final drafts of papers, and powerpoint presentations will all be very helpful in preparing for future science fairs.

    -Zizi =)

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  34. My overall impression of the Science Fair was that it was a very insightful experience. Specifically, I gained experience in how to present properly and what the judges expect of me. The fair met what I expected it to. It was definitely different from the science fairs I have experienced in the past, however I felt that for this particular science fair the judging wasn't subject oriented so it may have been hard for them to really comprehend what the project was about, specifically in my case.

    The judging process, I felt was satisfactory, although as I stated previously I thought the judging should have been more subject oriented to make the competition more fair. In my specific case I also felt the judges relied on the poster, and didn't really listen to my presentation.

    The judges did help a lot with their suggestions for continuing my project such as replacing large computers in schools with management programs of a type. The least helpful insight however was they seemed to focus on the Jeopardy application of my project whereas the project was based around showing java can compete with the supercomputer and Jeopardy was just used as a control.

    The food was pretty good, I wish there were more than just ham sandwiches.

    I really enjoyed his presentation and mostly the humor and his ways of making science fun. I also think his life lessons were quite intelligent and everyone should follow them.

    I think it helped me simulate presenting in front of the judges and the feedback from the advance students really helped me improve my presentation.

    I don't really think I learned anything new about my project. I didn't really have time to view other projects either because people were constantly wanting to play with my project.

    I did and some of them (Staples High School) were very nice and intelligent, as well as having a lot of good insight. However some of the other students were rather rude and abused my project.

    I don't think there is much you can do to prepare for the science fair just make sure you have all your materials and practice, practice, practice!

    - Noah Gallant :D

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  35. SCISEF was a great experience! As my first science fair, it taught me how to present calmly and thoroughly. The first round of judging went a lot more smoother than I had thought it would. Because of this, I felt much more confident for my second round of judges. Sometimes, it was hard to explain segments of my project and answer tricky questions asked by judges. This lets me think of how I will respond in future science fairs. Looking at other posters gave me a broad view of all the different topics that were being researched. Many projects were very creative, and have given me ideas for future research subjects.
    For me, the keynote speech was the highlight of the fair. Daniel the "Bat Guy" had a great presentation, and really made me think differently about pursuing a career in science. He was a very engaging speaker, and made collecting and testing bats seem interesting and fun, almost like a vacation!
    Overall, SCISEF was good practice for many science fairs to come. I look forward to improving and presenting my project in the near future.

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  36. The SCISEF fair was fun and exciting. I enjoyed looking at all the different projects and all the different results. I saw things I have never even heard about. Just like other science fairs I have visited this science fair had many different topics and many different experiments.

    The judging process wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The first round of judges was really nice and gave me many useful suggestions. The second round of judges was intimidating but they did give me useful feedback.

    The most helpful comment from the judges was when they told me how to represent my data and what future plans I could look toward. The least useful comment from the judges was when they told me to add more participants. I already knew that I needed more participants to improve upon my data collection.

    The food was good and tasty.

    I enjoyed the presentation on bats very much. I have never seen a bat run and that was very amusing to watch. Also the presentation helped me learn how to improve upon my experiments and how to build up on my research. It also got me interested in researching bats.

    Mock science fair helped me prepare for the science fair by allowing me to present my poster. It also helped me by allowing people to give me feedback on what was good and what I could improve upon.

    I learnt that my project data could be represented in a different way. I can improve by changing the graph. I did have time to look at other projects. I found Leah’s project very affective. Every day that much salt was being used and I never even knew it.

    No I did not talk to students from other schools because I didn’t know them.

    Vimratha Teepireddy

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  37. Overall I think the day went well. I enjoyed walking around and seeing other people's projects even those of people who were much more advanced. I also got to see some people that I knew from other schools which was fun. My favorite part was the guest speaker. I was afraid it was going to be boring and I would just fall asleep in my chair, but he was really interesting and funny and made science seem more accessible. I was afraid the day would be high- stress and high-pressure but it was just a lot of fun. The judges were nice and friendly and waited for me to give my whole presentation before asking me questions. They gave me good advice without being rude and just a downer. I think they were fair and accurate. There was one who started asking funky questions but it was fine because he was old so I let it go. There also was a judge who gave me a stare that was quite frightening but the other judges were nice so I focused on them. The food was good I liked the bagel and drinks though the bagels did get stale by the time we got there. The lunch was fine i couldn't complain. Dan was a fantastic presenter and made a career in science seem like a bucket load of fun. He was funny and seemed nice and made the time pass very quickly. I liked the mock science fair because I had a chance to practice so when i went to the fair I wasn't so nervous. I learned that i definitely need more participants to give a more accurate presentation and that there are definitely many more routes i could take with this project and expanding it if I wanted to. I got a chance to talk with a lot of students from other schools and hear about why they chose their project. There was also a student who i knew because she swims against me so I said hello and we checked out each-others posters. In the future to prepare we could have the powerpoint presentations be done with more listeners but other than that i felt very prepared.

    -Olivia LeVine

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  38. Sarah Stein
    Overall, the science fair was really fun! I liked being able to walk around and look at other people's projects. It was also fun presenting to the judges and meeting other people in the cafeteria. It greatly exceeded my expectations.
    The judges were very helpful. They were kind and made sure not to put you on the spot. The judging process was a little nerve-wracking, but in a positive way.
    The judges commented on my methods of study and also my amount of participants, which helped me. They also got me to think about what I would like to do in the future for my project, which is going to help me figure out what to improve. Nothing they said was unhelpful.
    Since I didn't have breakfast, I don't know what the breakfast foods were like. However, I thought the sandwiches at lunch were good. Even if they were bad, I still would have eaten them because I was so hungry! But maybe if snacks and sides like carrots or pretzels were added to the mix, more students would enjoy the lunch.
    I really enjoyed Dr. Riskin's presentation on the bats. I am not really a bat person, and usually find them slightly gross. Nevertheless, Daniel Riskin's presentation was very engaging and he was very funny. Also, his advice on working in the science field was interesting.
    The Mock Science Fair helped me prepare for the fair because I got to practice my presentation a few times. It also gave me a chance to see what others thought of my poster.
    I learned that my project is pretty vague and has lots of factors that could be affecting the outcome, so to continue my project, I will attempt to limit the factors. I was very interested in other people's projects as long as they were relatable. If I could understand the concept, I found the presentations engaging.
    I briefly talked to some students from other schools about their projects. They were very friendly and not at all cold.
    We can make sure people have enough time to perfect their posters. Some people were rushed and didn't have time to add graphics or eye-catching features to their poster presentations.

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  39. Zoya Fan
    I thought that overall, the science fair was a great experience. I thought that it would be very stressful and imposing, but I found that I actually enjoyed presenting my work to the judges. Also, I had an opportunity to talk with people about their projects or concerns about presenting. I think that it was very helpful to have friend around who are supporting you.
    I think that the judging process was fair because of the 2+ rounds of judging. The judging process overall was a helpful experience because it showed me what I did a good job on and also what I needed to improve. It was helpful to get feedback from professionals and also see my project from a different perspective.
    The most helpful comment from my judges was a suggestion on how to rework my procedure to get more accurate data. Though all my judges were very helpful, some of the questions they asked I either didnt understand or I didnt think were very relevant to my study.
    The food was very good, but I think that in the future, perhaps there should be more of a variety of choices. The sandwiches were very good.
    I was not able to enjoy Dr. Riskin's presentation for I had to leave early. However, I heard from friends that it was very interesting and that Dr. Riskins presented in a nontraditional way that was very engaging.
    The Mock Science Fair helped me prepare for SCISEF because I got used to explaining what my project was about multiple times. Also, I got a chance to see how other people presented and how I could improve my presenting approach. My only complaint is that there was not enough time to thoroughly prepare for the next day.
    Throught the science fair, I learned a lot about my project. As I talked to the judges, I felt proud of my work and I was glad to talk about it. Also, I learned that the best thing for me to improve was to gather more participants and rework my procedure to create more accurate results. I had a little time to take a quick look at other people's projects before the fair actually began. The projects that left me with a lasting impression were the ones in which you could see how much work the researcher had done and how much time and devotion he/she had put into it.
    I didnt have much time to talk with students from other schools and I felt that it would be ackward. However, I got a chance to talk a little with a student from another school whose poster was next to mine. She told me about her project and I told her about mine. Also, she was there during my last judging and afterward she encouraged me.
    The preparation for future science fairs could be improved by setting aside more time for practice presentations and talking more about what the experience is like.
    Zoya

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  40. Rachel Marcus
    I found that the fair was great. It was my first one and I loved it. Seeing all of the different projects about everything from kidneys to shark scales. I made a lot of friends really quickly and it turned out that we were right across from each other. This helpe my nerves greatly and I felt a lot more comfortable.
    The fair exceeded my expectations greatly. Since it was my first fair, I had no idea what to expect. I didn't think i would have as much fun as I did. I had so many different scenarios that could have been what they fair was, but it was never true, thankfully. My first thought was that the judges would be extremely tough on students and be ery harsh, but it was no where close to that in reality.
    I found that the judging process was absolutely excellent. My sets of judges were extremely kind, sweet people who gave me so much help. ONe group told me to take a part of my procedure out the experiment totally to make it more simpler.Another group said that even though I don't have a mentor, I should try to contatct one of the researchersi n the studies that I referred to in my bibliography because they believe aht I might have some data that will be extremely helpful in that sort of fieldc and they would love to see that credit be3 mine in the science world.
    The most helpful comment from the judges would be to contact one of the people from my references because it gave me a spark of passion into my experiment that I needed and it showed me that I might really be doing something that can already help the scientific community.there was definetly was not a least helpful comment from the judges because everything that they said is going to helpme take my project to a new level to succeed.
    The food was good and I was extremely happy and surprised that they provided coffee and tea for breakfast. I would suggest a little more of a selection.
    I loved Dr. Riskin's presentation because he created ways to keep us occupied and he already immediately caught my attention because he was talking to me right befor e his presentation since I was right behind him. Ilearned many new tings about bats that fascinated me like the vampire bats being able to run.The Mock Science fair helped me prepare for critiques and prepare myself to explean my study clearly and thouroughly.
    I learned that my project is a much more impressive project than I first thought and that what my data will show can help bring something new to researchers studying the affects of memroy cognition and behavior.i learned how I can improve my study for the next science fair to be more impressive. I did have time to review some other students projects. Some lasting projects that were impressive to me were about shark scales, kidney developement and melanoma. THese projects had a lsting impression on me because o their uniqueness and how the students were so passionate about their projects.
    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.
    I talked to many students from other schools. We talked to each other about everything from about our schools to how we became interested in science research and past experiences this helped me calm my nerves down and be more prepared to know what to expects.
    I believe that to better prepare students for upcoming fairs is just to practice more and more. This way, we know what we can do better for our projects and prepare ourselves for tougher questions that wwe first weren't prepared for at all

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  41. Shaunak Pandit
    My overall impression of the science fair was that it was very organized and everything went exactly as planned. I enjoyed the presentation by Dan Riskin. Also it was very nice to have some time before presenting to socialize. I think that this year it was much more organized than when SCISEF was at Sacred Heart. The judging process was very good and my first-round judges were very into the presentation and even the questions that they asked helped me further explain the project. The second round of judges on the other hound were very serious and did not respond nearly as well as the first round of judges. My judges told me that I was very energetic and explained the information well and this helped me a lot for my second round of judges who didn’t ask any questions. The breakfast was like bagel heaven and it was very good. The lunch was also very good with the cookies. I enjoyed Dan Riskin’s presentation on bats a lot. It was fun and captivated the audience. He included lots of humor and information about what he studied with lots of funny information. I think that the mock science fair did help me a lot because the worksheets said what was missing and I fixed all of the problems. I did not learn anything new about my project because none of my judges were in the field that I did my project in. I viewed other peoples projects and saw that many of the other innovative projects. I tried but did not talk to many students from other schools. I think that teachers should come in and have first-year students so that they have some experience with presenting.

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  42. I thought the fair went very well this year. It was nice having the fair at Amity this year for a change. I’m excited that we even get to host it next year. Though it was a bit different (I have to admit the food at Sacred Heart was much better.) I liked everything overall.
    The judges were somewhat helpful. I feel they could have offered more feedback. When we were being judged, all they did was ask us some unrelated questions mostly pertaining to our “experience” working in a group, and that was about it. I feel part of the problem was that the judges did not fully understand the nature of our project.
    The lunch was pretty good, but the breakfast really has to get an overhaul. This was not just at Scisef though, the “citizenship” breakfasts also suffer from the same problems, particularly the juices. The bottled juices honestly just taste awful.
    I loved the guest speaker, easily the highlight of the day for me. He was very funny and entertaining and really knew how to connect with his audience. I’d love to have him back.
    The mock science fair helped our team get organized. We kind of had to throw a binder together last second and having to set up the poster helped us to figure out what we needed to bring to the fair. It also helped me practice trying to explain the project to people who have never heard of it before.
    The only advice I can give to better prepare students is to explain to the freshmen what the judges will be looking for. I had many of them come up to me this year and ask what the judges grade people on.

    TJ Meehan

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  43. Gabrielle Totten

    What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?
    I think the fair went really well. It was not as stressful as I thought it would be which was a pleasant surprise. It was also a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I liked that we got a sufficient amount of time between the two judging sessions.

    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?
    All of the judges I had were very friendly and gave a lot of constructive criticism.

    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?
    Both sets of judges advised that I email Dr. Carol Dweck herself which had not even crossed my mind but I will be sure to do it! Nothing that the judges said was not helpful at all.

    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?
    I didn’t have breakfast at the fair but the lunch was good.

    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.
    Unfortunately, I had to leave early and could not watch his presentation but I heard that it was very interesting.

    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?
    In the mock science fair I got to present a few times to a lot of people including the advanced students which was very helpful. They gave great feedback and I got to ask them questions.


    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?
    I wouldn’t necessarily say I learned anything new but I did get great feedback that will improve my project. I now know how to present more thoroughly which will definitely help for next time. I thought that Noah’s project with the computer in the board was really cool because I would have never thought to do that.

    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.
    Yes, I did talk to a few kids from other schools. I wouldn’t say that I was socializing with them, but a few students came over and asked some questions about my project. Everyone I talked to was very friendly.

    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?
    I think that something that would help me personally would be to give us more time to actually do the project. I felt somewhat pressed for time and I couldn’t get enough participants in the time frame.

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  44. My overall viewpoint of this science fair was that it was organized to some extent, although some judging times were fairer than others. The fair was exciting and enjoyable because of its diversity of projects. I learned a huge sum of information just by walking around and observing some of the projects. It met all the expectations that I had set forth. For example, I was able to review peoples’ projects to see what they are like and I received reviews for how I should take my own experiment one step further. The judges had been great and very helpful and the process was not imbalanced at all. A helpful tip the judges gave me was that I should calculate the outliers of my experiment using standard deviation to make my results more accurate. An unhelpful comment that they made was that I should get more participants. I had already stated that in my presentation about three times, yet they still felt the need to reiterate this. The food for breakfast and lunch were fine. I ate the Everything Bagel by itself and it was satisfactory. The presentation made by Dr. Daniel Riskin about bats was quite intriguing and I didn’t get bored at all because he was able to successfully attract my attention and he was very exciting. The practice PowerPoint presentation was really what helped me. It helped me practice what I needed to review for the science fair much more than the mock science fair. I didn’t feel as though the mock fair helped much. All I really accomplished was figuring out what graphs I shouldn’t include on the poster board. I didn’t talk to anyone from the other schools at the fair, but the poster that left the biggest impression was the one that was twice the size of any other and was filled with information I didn’t understand at all. We can all better prepare ourselves for the science fair by presenting more in class instead of having a mock science fair. I really don’t feel as if those help.
    -Owais

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  45. Harsha Lingareddy

    My overall impression was very good. The thing I liked the best about the science fair was going around to each poster and looking at different posters/projects. I had an exception that it was going to be really quiet and boring. I found it was loud and very exciting. The presentation by Dr. Daniel Riskin’s was also one of my favorite parts of the science fair. The judging process was very good. I felt like I did pretty well. I thought I would be very nervous and scared during the presentations, but as the day went along presenting seemed much easier. I felt the judges were fair and also helpful. The most helpful comment was different type of statistic and graphs and more particpants. The least helpful, was about the poster being slightly messy. The food was good. I enjoyed the presentation on the bats; I thought it was very amusing and hilarious. I felt the mock science fair helped me prepare how to present because I had no clue how to present. By doing the mock science fair I developed my presenting skills. Something learned were new ways I could graph the data. I did go vie other project and I felt the coolest project there was the one with the computer on it. That was really cool because the kid that did the project built a computer and it answered all my questions. The thing we can do to improve ourselves for the science fair, is not rush the poster last minute and try to do it at least 4 days before the fare.

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  46. My overall impression of the SCISEF fair was good. I enjoyed viewing other projects and meeting new people from different schools. It was a pleasant experience exchanging ideas to improve our projects and extend our studies even more. I think the judging process was disorganized. Some judges came on time, while others came either too early or too late. For example, for one of the rounds, my judges arrived 20 minutes early. Even though this was an issue, the judges gave their full attention while I was presenting and gave some ideas on what I can do with my project in the future and how I can try to expose the 5210 to adolescents. Personally, I did not enjoy breakfast. Next time, we should have more variety for breakfast, and not just bagels. I enjoyed Dr. Dan Riskin very much. He had a well thought out presentation and engaged with the audience. His jokes were entertaining, but at the same time, important because there were messages in each one. These are qualities of a good presenter and that is why I liked him. The Mock Science Fair was helpful because I was able to practice presenting and get feedback from other students on what I might have to work on.

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  47. Celina Deng

    1.
    Overall I do believe that the fair was extremely organised. Check in went quickly and smoothly, and everyone seemed to know where to go and at what time. This communication made everything go very well. The fair far exceeded my expectations. Although I have never gone to a science fair before, I do have an idea of how they fair-like events should be from photos from past fairs.

    2.
    The judges were very helpful, they suggested improvements that were very helpful, especially with ideas on how to improve my errors. However, I feel that some judges were more lenient than others. My two groups of judges were completely different. The first hardly asked any questions, and I did not gain much from their input. The second group, however, was much more helpful.

    3.
    The most helpful comment that the judges gave to me was that they told me how I could further improve my experimental design. They told me of other ways of measuring population, and also ways to keep the samples pure. The least helpful aspect of the judges was that some had a tendency to repeatedly ask the same question over and over again. Also I feel that the last round of judging should be more strictly monitored, that just because it is the last round, that does not mean that the judges can drone on and on being redundant on their questions, I found that rather irritating. My first round was approximately 15-20 minutes, while my last round, round 6, went into 30-35 minutes.

    4.
    I did not eat much, a bit of water, some juice (the cranberry), and a cookie during lunch, but the cookies were good~

    5.
    Dr. Riskin's presentation was very interesting! Unlike other keynote speakers from past experiences, Dr. Riskin was very informative, like past speakers, but he was passionate about what he was speaking about. While I'm sure that all keynote speakers are passionate about there cause, Dr. Riskin was aware of his audience. He kept us entertained, and really engaged us with enthusiasm in his presentation. I found myself listening the whole time and I still remember most of what he said. If a speaker does not interest the audience, then what they say just goes in one ear, and out the other. Dr. Riskin was definitely not like that. Please invite somebody like him next time~

    6.
    At the Mock Science Fair, I was able to get a feel of other students' projects, also their posters themselves. The advanced students were especially helpful, they gave me lots of tips for presenting, and I really enjoyed all of their presentations too.

    7.
    The judges were very helpful in that they provided another perspective entirely. I really appreciate how they were able to give criticism and point out my errors. Next year, I plan on further improving my study by changing some of the materials, like using an actual transmitter, and my procedure a bit.

    7.
    I was not able to actually talk with other students, but I looked at some of their projects, and they were so amazingly complex and interesting. I was however, able to talk to some other advanced students that I had not met before, and see their projects too.

    8.
    The Mock Science Fair is definitely a great idea to have still. During my class though, Jonathan G. came in from his study hall, and as we presented, he asked some unexpected questions, which was great. Come the day of the fair, some judges actually asked questions like Jonathan. I think that outside "judges" should be used because friends are afraid to ask constructive questions because they don't want to hurt someone's feelings or whatever. This would help us be prepared for what actually will happen.

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  48. What was your overall impression of the SCISEF Fair? Specifically, what things did you enjoy about the fair? Did the fair meet your expectations? In what ways was it similar or different to what you anticipated or experienced in the past?
    Overall, I thought that SCISEF was a great experience. I enjoyed the openness of the fair and the way how everyone could see the other projects. I also liked how we were told when the judges were going to come to our project. The fair met and surpassed my expectations. It was what I expected it to be: in a big gym, filled with people, and having the judges come and greet you. I have not been to a science fair before, but I am sure this one would stand out.
    What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful?
    The judging process seemed simple and fluent. The presenting was for about ten minutes with greetings before and questions after. I found the judges to be both fair and helpful. The first set of judges gave me suggestions which I was able to mention to the second group of judges.
    What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?
    The most helpful comment was suggestions on how I could continue my project and how it can be improved. The least helpful comment by the judges was that I had a firm handshake as that did not exactly help me, even though it was very nice.
    How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?
    The food was fine, but they had run out of drinks by the time I was able to eat, so I did not have anything to drink.
    Did you enjoy Dr. Daniel Riskin's presentation on Bats? Explain.
    I enjoyed Dan Riskin’s talk very much. It was humorous yet inspirational and motivational all at the same time. He had some very good things to say, and his lessons were all very helpful.
    In what way do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the Fair?
    The Mock Science Fair was very helpful. I was able to practice my presentation skills. I figured out some things I needed or did not need on my poster. It also gave me the opportunity to see what some of the other posters looked like.
    Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? Why?
    I learned that my project is actually legitimate and can have an impact and outcome in the real life world. To improve my project, I would do it as a completed project, not a proposal, and have more data and graphs. I did have time to view other student’s projects. The ones that stuck out at me were the one with bright colors and simple title you can read as you quickly walk by.
    Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.
    I did not talk to students from others schools except to say “excuse me” to walk by. I mostly just presented, walked around, or talked to friends and students from Amity.
    What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?
    To better prepare students, we can give them more time to work on the project. We could also have the Mock Science Fair about a week before, not the day before, so there is more time to make corrections and changes that we might know about or learn about at the Mock Science Fair. Also, more presentation practice would make presenting for the judges much easier.
    -LEAH MILLER

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  49. First of all, I would like to thank Ms. Day for making this fair possible, and for all the hard work and countless hours she put into bringing the fair here to Amity, as well as leading us every step of the way. Well done Ms. Day; you’re the best!
    I thought the SCISEF Fair was a very fun and helpful experience. I enjoyed looking at other projects and ideas, which gave me ideas for future projects. I also enjoyed explaining my project to other people to teach them about my study and receive feedback. At the end of the day, the fair beat my expectations by far, because I thought that it would be a rather boring experience but it was completely opposite. I felt really motivated to learn about other projects and share my results and conclusions with other people. This was my first science fair and now I can’t wait for the next.
    I thought the judging process was very smooth and well put together, but I was a bit disappointed with some of the judges. My first round of judges were not very helpful; they didn’t really ask any questions and did not show any interest in my project. During my oral presentation, I noticed that one of my judges was looking away and not really listening to what I was presenting. Also, these judges never looked closely at my poster nor the data presented it. The second round of judges was very helpful though, in understanding, showing interest, and giving me feedback about my project. The most helpful comment from my judges was to make an extra graph to clarify a point I was trying to get across. The least helpful comment was about the way I presented my data.
    I thought the food was great. For breakfast I think there should have been a little more variety than just bagels, and at lunch I thought there were great selections of sandwiches.
    I really enjoyed Dr. Daniel Riskin’s presentation on bats. I thought it was a fantastic presentation because he hooked the crowd and made funny comments and jokes to get across certain points. He increased my passion for science and taught important “life lessons” to follow along the way.
    I thought the Mock Science Fair really helped me prepare for the fair because it gave me a chance to present my project to strangers and receive feedback about what was good and what needs improvement.
    If I learned anything about my project, it is that it is not about what the idea is, but the inspiration that drives you to do it. For the next science fair I want to try to dig deeper into topics I am interested in and formulate testable experiments in those fields. While viewing other student projects, I was appalled at some of the ideas. It was easy to see in some of the projects that it was too sophisticated for their level and a mentor looks like they did most of the work. These projects especially left a lasting impressing because hearing students explain them showed they had no interest in what they doing nor know what they were doing, which is not the goal of doing a research project.
    I didn’t talk to students from other schools because at the beginning some students were rude and laughing at other people’s ideas.
    To better prepare for further fairs, more time and information should be given to student prior to a month before the fair.

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