tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post2977116352049522594..comments2023-07-05T08:56:13.533-04:00Comments on Amity Science Research: 2015 SCSEF FeedbackDeborah~http://www.blogger.com/profile/05723201955118182716noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-22821260930820943682015-02-25T13:13:33.390-05:002015-02-25T13:13:33.390-05:00Gabrielle Totten
1. What was your overall i...Gabrielle Totten<br /><br />1. What was your overall impression of the 2015 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?<br />My overall SCISEF experience was extremely positive. The fair was well organized and all of my judges were timely. As a senior, I have competed in SCISEF three times before this one. Therefore, I went to the fair knowing what to expect. The whole process was exactly the same as in the past. The only differences were in the food and the game we played while waiting. I greatly enjoyed both of these changes.<br /><br />2. What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful? Be specific.<br />I had a very positive judging experience. As opposed to science fairs in the past, I do not have any funny or bad stories about my judges. Each of my judges was extremely respectful. They asked questions that I found to be fair and legitimate. <br /><br />3. What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?<br />The most helpful comment I received was that it would be interesting to collect the participants socioeconomic status. Unfortunately it is too late to add that, but it is an interesting point to consider. Most of the other comments/ questions were about my participants and my methods for recruiting. <br /><br />4. How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?<br />The food was much better than last year! Breakfast was pretty standard. I ate the vegetarian sandwich and it was okay. I tried someone else’s, however, and it was very good! My favorite part was definitely the chips! <br /><br />5. Did you enjoy the Keynote presentation by J. Alan Clark, Associate Prof of Conservation Biology at Fordham University? Explain. <br />I greatly enjoyed this year’s presentation. The man was inspiring in terms of career choices and changes in his course of action. I liked learning about a topic that was so foreign to me. I had no idea such research was being done. The presenter also was very funny, which made the presentation far more enjoyable.<br /> <br />6. In what way(s) do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the fair?<br />I, quite frankly, was not prepared at the time of the mock science fair. Luckily I could get some graphs onto the board so I could practice a rough version of my presentation. The most the mock science fair helped me was seeing Ryan’s project, as it inspired me to get mine printed at the school.<br /><br />7. Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? <br />In order to improve the presentation for the next fair, I will gain more participants and complete more statistical analyses.<br /><br />8. Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?<br />I was not able to go around and look at other projects. <br /><br />8. Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.<br />I talked to one girl from Joel Barlow High School who was standing across from me. We both were waiting for our judges. We talked about our past experiences at SCISEF.<br /><br />9. What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?<br />This year was a bit different than the past years, in that we didn’t have much time to present. I would have liked to present to the class and have gotten their feedback.<br /><br />10. Overall on a scale of 1 (terrible) to 5 (amazing) --> How enjoyable was your SCSEF experience?<br />I would give this year’s SCISEF a 5/5. Overall I think the fair ran very smoothly and the judges were helpful and fair. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-66816766070865513352015-02-25T11:55:50.506-05:002015-02-25T11:55:50.506-05:001. What was your overall impression of the 2015 S...1. What was your overall impression of the 2015 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?<br /><br />I thought that the fair this year was a success, though it does have some flaws. I thought there were a lot less people this year and that the gym wasn’t as crowded. I also think the fair should be shorter; there was a lot of time wasted doing unnecessary things.<br /><br />2. What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful? Be specific.<br /><br />I do not like the judging process at SCSEF. The judges are judging something that is often not in their field of study, so its hard for them to understand both magnitude and the purpose of various projects. They are not helpful because they often don’t give helpful feedback. I also feel like much of the judging is on the presentation and not the content. <br /><br />3. What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?<br /><br />I didn’t really have any helpful comments from my judges, the just asked questions and I was there to answer the questions. I was able to answer most of their questions. I thought it was least helpful when the judges applaud your project, say it is really good, but then end up scoring you low. I think they should be up front with their feedback. <br /><br />4. How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?<br /><br />Both breakfast and lunch were amazing. <br /><br />5. Did you enjoy the Keynote presentation by J. Alan Clark, Associate Prof of Conservation Biology at Fordham University? Explain. <br /><br />I enjoyed the presentation but I think it got way too long. I was interested in what he was doing and what he did in the past. I thought it was totally unnecessary to talk about what his graduate students were doing, and that definitely could have been cut out. <br /><br />6. In what way(s) do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the fair?<br /><br />The Mock Science Fair allowed me to fix my presentation and also fix up my poster a little before the fair. It allowed for my to smoothen out the wrinkles. <br /><br />7. Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? <br /><br />I learned that I need to make my implications section longer, since the whole point of my project is its implications. For the next fair, I will definitely make the size of this section bigger and talk about it more in my presentation. <br /><br />8. Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?<br /><br />I always do a quick run through with students projects and I never really like what I see. A lot of the projects are way beyond a high school level, to the point where it is apparent that the students aren’t really doing any of the work. <br /><br />8. Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.<br /><br />Not really. There were a lot less people this time and my area was completely surrounded by Amity kids. <br /><br />9. What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?<br /><br />I would say presentation skills. I feel like so much comes down to the presentation that we should focus on that a little more. <br /><br />10. Overall on a scale of 1 (terrible) to 5 (amazing) --> How enjoyable was your SCSEF experience?<br /><br />I would say 1. I feel like there is way too much “woo”ing the judges with overly complicated projects at these fairs. Also, if the judges have a problem with the presentation or project, they should bring it up and talk about it. The judges are not helping us if they are not being critical. By applauding us and saying good job, we aren’t learning.<br /><br />Matt WhitehillAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-13768888947946204282015-02-14T19:17:11.641-05:002015-02-14T19:17:11.641-05:00Katie Meehan
1. SCISEF was great this year and de...Katie Meehan<br /><br />1. SCISEF was great this year and definitely met my expectations. The food was edible finally and the people were great. The people and judges were similar to other years, but lunch and the Keynote speaker were very good and much better than years before.<br /><br /><br />2. The judging process was slightly better than normal. My first set of judges were very kind and helpful. They asked many questions and were very encouraging. My second set of judges were not as helpful. They were kind but did not seem as interested in my research and did not ask very many questions.<br /><br />3. The most helpful comment from the judges was to relax and to not be nervous. For my first presentation, I was very nervous and the judges could tell, but they were very reassuring. The least helpful comment is always when the judges suggest to get more data. I am already aware that I do not have a lot of data collected yet, and them reminding me of this was not helpful. <br /><br />4. I did not have any of the food at breakfast, but the coffee was very good. (Caffeine can never be bad) The Panera catering was also very good, but next time, more cookies are a must. <br /><br />5. The Keynote presentation was fantastic. Professor Clark was very funny and I loved his obsession with penguins. Also his research was very interesting and his path to his career was very reassuring and comforting, considering I still am not sure what I am doing with my life.<br /><br />6. I believe the Mock Science Fair helped prepare me for SCISEF by allowing me to become more comfortable presenting my new data. I got new data after the PowerPoint presentations and had not presented it to people yet. The Mock Science Fair gave me the chance to rehearse talking about that and also to make sure that I didn’t run out of time.<br /><br />7. I did not learn anything new about my project, but for next fair I plan to have more data and more results to discuss.<br /><br />8. I had a little bit of time to view other student projects, but none left a lasting impression because nothing compares to Amity’s projects.<br /><br />8. I did not talk to any students from any other schools because I am very antisocial and am not good at talking to other people.<br /><br />9. To better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, I suggest more than one mock science fair. Especially for Freshman, since they have never presented to judges or with a poster before.<br /><br />10. My SCISEF experience this year was a 5.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-79277591696066218652015-02-13T10:29:33.419-05:002015-02-13T10:29:33.419-05:001. I thought that this year’s SCSEF Fair was okay ...1. I thought that this year’s SCSEF Fair was okay compared to the previous two I have attended. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped to. I enjoyed looking at all the other projects students attending the fair conducted this year. Many of them were interesting and fairly well done. <br /><br />2. In the first round of judging, I found that my judges were fairly disinterested and not really paying attention to what I was saying or even what was on my poster. After I finished, they asked a few generic questions and left. In the second round of judging, the judges were more attentive. I thought that I did better in the 2nd round compared to the 1st <br /><br />3. The most helpful comment a judge left me was to be more specific on my methods of analysis. The least helpful comment from the judges to me was asking me to elaborate on a very minor aspect of my presentation<br /><br />4. I ate a banana for breakfast. It tasted fine. The Panera sandwiches for lunch were fairly tasty. I enjoyed the tuna sandwiches<br /><br />5. I actually fell asleep early on in the presentation. All I really remember is that the beginning of his presentation was funny.<br /><br />6. I was out of school the day of the Mock Science Fair. However, by practicing with my poster at home, I made my presentation better and learned what I should limit myself on and what I should elaborate on while explaining my project to the judges<br /><br />7. I learned that I should be more specific on my methods of statistical analysis. For the next fair, I should include more graphs presenting my analyzed data<br /><br />8. After the final round of judging concluded and everyone went to eat lunch, I walked around the gymnasium and looked at many different projects. There was a wide variety, ranging from star systems to analyzing very tiny bacteria. No specific project created a lasting impression in my head, although it did seem to me that there were many projects regarding biology and specific species.<br /><br />9. I did not talk to other students<br /><br />10. To better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, the physical posters should be due a solid 1-2 weeks before the actual fair instead of on the day of the Mock Science Fair (i.e. the day before SCSEF). By doing so, many students would have much more time to practice a poster presentation at home and school.<br /><br />11. I would rate the fair as a 2.5. I didn’t really enjoy the fair very much, though there were some fun/enjoyable moments.<br />Haseeb Khannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-51325773637072795342015-02-12T13:35:32.558-05:002015-02-12T13:35:32.558-05:001. Overall, I quite enjoyed SCISEF. Specifically, ...1. Overall, I quite enjoyed SCISEF. Specifically, it was a fun time to present the research I did for so long. I also liked hearing the other projects and hanging out with my peers. Like in the past, the fair met my expectations. It was an enjoyable experience, similar to the past years.<br /><br />2. The judging process this year was very helpful. In each group of 3 judges, one judge worked in the field of chemistry, therefore I learned a lot about my project. At times, after a judge asked a question, the judge working in chemistry would proceed to answer that judge's question! I learned a lot about hydrocarbons, fracking, and diesel fuel production.<br /><br />3. The most helpful comment from the judges was to look more about why I chose my experimental conditions. The least helpful comment I received was to clarify a statement I previously mentioned.<br /><br />4. The breakfast was delicious! I enjoyed my first scone, and I loved the muffins. Lunch was scrumptious as well, I loved my sandwich.<br /><br />5. I was unable to listen to the keynote this year as I had to leave early. But, I heard positive comments from my peers.<br /><br />6. The Mock Science Fair helped prepare me as I practiced what information I was going to present with my actual poster. Also, I was accustomed to how other students presented simultaneously.<br /><br />7. I learned a lot of new information. I must work harder on my experimental design and try to create a stronger hypothesis.<br /><br />8. I was able to view my friends's projects. One project that left a lasting impression was a project across from me on receptors and cancer. It was a proposal but a lot of work was put into it and the student rehearsed her presentation often. <br /><br />8. No, unfortunately, I was unable to converse this year. I was able to tell other students great job though.<br /><br />9. To better prepare students for upcoming fairs, we should have another mock science fair as it was helpful. Or just in general, to practice presenting and receiving feedback.<br /><br />10. My SCSEF experience is definitely a 4.5. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00211510035104229396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-51150525014533016672015-02-12T09:53:43.781-05:002015-02-12T09:53:43.781-05:001. I was very happy with this science fair. I thou...1. I was very happy with this science fair. I thought it was the best SCSEf I’d been to because of the accuracy of the time of the judges. Also, they judges I had were fair and conversational.<br />2. In the first round of judges, one of them asked questions for a few minutes before the presentation, which was odd but not bad. Other than that both groups were respectful listeners and asked questions that were extensions, not repetitions. <br />3. The judges did not comment on my presentation, just asked questions to sate their curiosity.<br />4. The food was great. I really liked the muffins in the morning. I’m pretty certain that the turkey in the turkey sandwiches was actually ham, though.<br />5. Yes, he was really animated and the subject of his presentation was engaging. He spiced it up with the penguin noises.<br />6. I really wasn’t familiar with my poster before the mock science fair. The fair made me realize that and practice a better order to present.<br />7. I didn’t learn anything new about my project other than better ideas for future work, which I can use in the questioning session in other science fairs.<br />8. I viewed many other projects throughout the duration of the fair. A few of them were surprising to me because they were projects I had considered doing this year, which would have been interesting.<br />8. I briefly discussed things with someone from a different school. <br />9. I thought the preparation for this science fair was all that was necessary. I wouldn’t add or detract anything.<br />10. 5<br />Dana Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-87847092948166276922015-02-12T09:08:26.329-05:002015-02-12T09:08:26.329-05:001. Overall, the 2015 SCSEF Fair ran very smoothly...1. Overall, the 2015 SCSEF Fair ran very smoothly. I thought the online quiz/competition preceding the keynote presentation was a good way to engage the student body, as well as continue the spirit of friendly competition throughout the fair. SCSEF definitely met my expectations - most of the judges seemed to be interested in the projects, and had intelligent questions to offer. The fair was similar to what I experienced in the past - though the judging rounds seemed unnecessarily harsh for most students (many including myself had rounds 1 & 6, a grueling set of time slots).<br /><br />2. The judging process was a good one. Though the judges came a few minutes before both my presentations were slated to start, I was prepared. The judges were very objective and fair, and on the whole were engaged with my presentation. They took time to look at my poster beforehand and followed along as I presented (asking for clarification as needed). The questions the judges asked were relevant (ex. further steps for my proposal, resources I would use if I had unlimited time/facilities, etc.) and helped me give them more necessary information.<br /><br />3. The judges’ most helpful comment was asking about how refractive indices played into the AR effect of my ZnO nanostructures - it allowed me to refine my presentation and provide greater detail on a major aspect of my project. Their least helpful comment was asking how the antireflection nanostructures I grew could be manufactured similarly to nanostructured antimicrobial surfaces - though both are nanostructures, the methods for fabrication are very different (though it wasn’t a bad question to consider out of curiosity).<br /><br />4. The food was generally very good (I thought breakfast was better than lunch), and I enjoyed the yogurt-granola-strawberry item in the morning.<br /><br />5. The keynote presentation was definitely interesting, especially learning about the path Prof. Clark took to get to his position, or his work with penguins. I thought he spoke very well in general. However, I think his presentation could have been a little more engaging - many students were not interested in the presentation.<br /><br />6. I was actually able to refine my presentation skills at the mock science fair (improving upon what I had done at the round robin). The mock science fair also gave me an incentive to finish my poster early, so I had adequate time to make a few adjustments before the fair.<br /><br />7. I learned the best way to explain the methodology for my project to judges. I should also finish my collection of data for the fair, but I can also ensure my methods are slightly clearer.<br /><br />8. I spent a good amount of time viewing other posters at the fair - a couple that stood out to me was a cylindrical energy-producing cell engineered by one student, or a project dealing with calculating the locations of distant star systems.<br /><br />8. I did not get the chance to talk to students from other schools, except for congratulating a couple of winners.<br /><br />9. To prepare better for upcoming science fairs, we should invite more people to the mock science fair (so we have more chances to refine our presentation skills)<br /><br />10. My SCSEF experience was a 5 for sure. Sricharan Kadimihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16128957754311789583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-66685428052961736902015-02-12T08:58:25.433-05:002015-02-12T08:58:25.433-05:001. My overall impression of the 2015 SCISEF Fair w...1. My overall impression of the 2015 SCISEF Fair was that I thought everything went very well. I really enjoyed the keynote speaker this year. I also thought that the Kahoot game we played before awards and the keynote speaker was really enjoyable. The food compared to last year was much better and there were so many options to choose from. The fair did meet my expectations, although one of the judges I had was not very interested in my project while I was presenting, which I thought was rude. The others judges were wonderful and my overall experience was great at this year’s fair.<br />2. The judging process was good this year, my judges all arrived on time or early. The first set of judges I had were all very interested in my project and had a bunch of questions that I was able to answer and receive feedback from. The first group of judges stayed for a good 25 minutes and I continued to discuss my project with them. My second round of judges did not go as well. I had two judges this time and one of the judges was really friendly and paid-attention to the presentation and when he asked questioned he addressed me by my name, while the other judge was really hard to understand and rude. At one point he started laughing…but I wasn’t sure why he was laughing, and during my presentation he was kind of removed and disinterested, paying more attention to the surrounding people and projects.<br />3. I thought all of the comments and questions from the judges were really helpful. The most helpful comment would be that to make sure in the future, for my project specifically, to make sure that the participants were to be gathered from more than one area or town. I did not have a least helpful comment from my judges.<br />4. The food from breakfast and lunch was really good. The variety was large and really nice; there was something for everyone to eat. For breakfast, I had a plain bagel and for lunch, I had the smoked turkey sandwich which was very good. Overall, the food was much better compared to last year’s food options.<br />5. I thought that the keynote speaker, J. Alan Clark, had a really interesting presentation. I personally thought the presentation was really good compared to last year’s keynote speaker because of his topic which I think appealed to more people. I thought that his presentation on penguins was really interesting and fun to watch/listen to, and it wasn’t too long or too short.<br />6. I think the mock science fair helped me a lot in preparing for the SCISEF fair. By participating in the mock science fair, I was able to work on my presenting skills and work out some of the problems that I had or any uncertainty I had about presenting in front of judges.<br />7. I did learn new things about my project. One of the suggestions made by one of the judges was a way in which we could regulate the participants when they take the survey to make sure they are answering honestly and not just randomly clicking. Specifically, one of the judges said to ask each question twice and to see if the persons answer changed or not, if it did it may indicate they were not actually reading the questions being asked.<br />8. I was able to view some of the other students’ projects, specifically my friends from other science research classes because I hadn’t seen them this year. I then practiced presenting with friends until it was time for my judging session.<br />9. I did not talk to the students from other schools because I did not have enough extra time to do this.<br />10. To help prepare students for upcoming fairs, I would continue to have the students participate in the mock science fair, it was really helpful. By having students present more, it will help them when they present during a fair to be prepared and less nervous.<br />11. Overall on a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate my experience at SCISEF a 4 out of 5. The food was really good and I really enjoyed listening to the keynote speaker, but on the other hand I think the judges should be chosen more carefully. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-59289926879641233982015-02-12T08:58:03.870-05:002015-02-12T08:58:03.870-05:006. I think the mock science fair helped me p...6. I think the mock science fair helped me present to my peers and fix upon that. I also think that it helped up get used to the environment, and account the pauses and questions into our presentation time. We also displayed our poster so I got feedback if text to too small etc.<br />7. I learned that my project needs to be completed a couple of days before the science fair [insert exclamation point] My printer always seems to have problems when it comes to science fairs and again, it ran out of toner, so I had to use my old pages of the powerpoint that did not match with the new pages of the powerpoint. Another thing is to not put everything on the poster unless you will be mentioning it in the presentation. Other papers or side info could be kept in the binder to view.<br />8. I got to view other projects but not as much as last year. This year I just walked around but I didn’t pay attention to the titles; some of them were really long… However, I was surprised that many of the posters were all printed, and personally, I don’t like to get a printed poster but I was just surprised. I thought it didn’t look attractive because I love colors but I think they look professional. Some posters were really intense and full of information and I loved how there were so many projects of different topics [insert exclamation point]<br />9. I talked to the students next to my poster and they were nice. To my left from spectators POV was actually Eli and George and they were busy most of the time. Gabby Totten was across from me and I knew her from last year. To my right, I met a girl who was in the same grade as me and she was really nice I think from Sacred Heart. We presented to each other so that was really helpful. We also talked to the guy next to her because we noticed he had really intense and “mean” judges, as one of them kept interrupting.<br />10. For future science fairs, maybe more mock science fairs and round robins. We should also have a poster session on how to design the posters etc. <br />11. I would have to give my experience a 4 overall. The first round of judges brought the rating down, but the second round made it up. The speaker was interesting although I wished there was more interaction like last year, because at some parts I started to lose focus. The KaHoot It was the only interaction that occurred besides the question time. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09980524729089636088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-37582145530872719322015-02-12T08:52:42.674-05:002015-02-12T08:52:42.674-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09980524729089636088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-2796978903906776912015-02-12T08:52:17.901-05:002015-02-12T08:52:17.901-05:00Part one
1. I’ve been to SCISEF last year so...Part one<br />1. I’ve been to SCISEF last year so I’ve established a good impression from the fair last year and the impression is still the same after going this year. I enjoyed the fair; there were a lot of volunteers around so I could ask where facilities were etc. and where to set up my poster. The experience was what I expected and I enjoyed the KaHoot It game at the keynote presentation.<br />2. The first rounds of judges were attentive but I felt like they weren’t into my project as much as the second. There were two people in the group and they were in the first round, so I was surprised that both weren’t attentive because it was only the first round…They didn’t give me much feedback which is what I expected because they weren’t interested, so there wasn’t really much I could do. The second round of judges had three people in the group, and luckily, one of the judges worked with Brian Scholl from Yale’s Psychology Lab so I was happy there was someone to direct the other two judges. This group was more interested because of the same judge’s interest. He suggested to mention a statistical fact of how many people die from car crashes because of change blindness, and “to hook people in with that statement”. The judges were in the last round of judging so I expected them to be tired (they were also 15 minutes late), but they held on and I tried my best to keep them attentive. Overall, my judges were nice and the last round was the most informative.<br />3. The most helpful comments came from the one judge who worked with Brian Scholl, as mentioned above. There weren’t any least helpful comments from my experience, as most asked either questions, or suggested improvements (last group).<br />4. The food was great, and the options were different from last year. I didn’t have breakfast because I had the first round so I went to practice. However, lunch was really good, however, I suggest putting the drinks at the end where the coffee is because I didn’t know where they were and there wasn’t a sign or anything but that’s just my opinion.<br />5. I enjoyed the keynote presentation a lot. The topic was fairly interesting with the penguins and the pictures were adorable [insert exclamation point]-(my number one key is gone, and I only have the key pad ones which don’t have the symbols ). I have to admit that it wasn’t as interesting as last year because I had a high expectation coming from last year but Pogue can’t be everywhere…<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09980524729089636088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-8547776421128908782015-02-12T08:52:07.508-05:002015-02-12T08:52:07.508-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-3497197350804561072015-02-12T08:49:38.892-05:002015-02-12T08:49:38.892-05:001. Overall, I enjoyed the fair. It was a good expe...1. Overall, I enjoyed the fair. It was a good experience for me and the rest of the AAA Team. Although we didn’t win anything, it was good practice for our future presentations (at Sikorsky, hopefully at the EXPO, etc.). Most aspects of the fair met my expectations for what it would be like. The bus left a few minutes after 7:30 and returned at about 3:45- it was good that the timing and agenda of the fair were upheld.<br />2. For the AAA Team, the judging process was rather harsh and inconsiderate. The judges didn’t seem to understand that our project was restricted to the F4U-4 Corsair and that other methods of transportation (e.g. pipelines) were not allowed. One judge was more polite than the others when questioning, however the other 4 we encountered were dismissive and misunderstood the limitations on the scope of our project.<br />3. By far the most helpful judge was in our first round (he’s an engineer, go figure). He asked us not just about our project like the others, but also inquired about how we handle and plan with such an interesting team dynamic. This was very helpful for us because it led to a discussion on how to effectively work together. The least helpful comments (from the remaining judges) were those that blindly suggested alternatives outside the team’s limitations, like the use of a pipeline, a newer plane, and the much heavier weight of cost in our decision making (all of which are limited by the administrators of the challenge).<br />4. Breakfast was good. They had a variety of bagels, as well as an assortment of drinks. The one thing I didn’t like about breakfast was the orange juice. Lunch was not as good as breakfast. I tried the Asiago steak sandwich but didn’t especially like it. But the potato chips from lunch were good.<br />5. I think the presentation was okay. He was very funny and did a great job presenting what he had. But frankly, for me personally, penguins can only be so interesting. While I believe he did a fantastic job with his keynote and has had a very unique journey to becoming a field biologist, I didn’t find the topic very intriguing.<br />6. The Mock Science Fair was important to preparing for the fair for one main reason: practice. Repeating the presentation over and over, while it may become tedious, was critical for being able to effectively portray my information about the trade study. Because we had a team project, the Mock Science Fair didn’t allow us to practice together, but it was still a large help individually.<br />7. Honestly, I didn’t really learn anything new about my project. If anything, I learned that the Corsair, relative to all of the modern transportation methods, is not efficient at all in water transport. Because of challenge limitations, there is unfortunately not much we can do to avoid this issue in next year’s SCSEF.<br />8. I only briefly walked around to view other students’ projects. One that stood out to me was Owais and Arvene’s project with graphene. As friendly competitors in our category, I was disappointed that we lost, but happy that, if we had to lose to somebody, that we lost to them. Their project seemed very complex, and graphene could have a large impact on our lives in the future.<br />9. I didn’t talk to students from other schools. Our team stayed right next to our poster for presentation sessions 1-4, and then proceeded to the café for the remainder of the time, where we also sat with Amity students.<br />10. I think the Science Research Program holistically was very prepared for the fair. We got lots of practice with our round robins and mock science fairs. One change that could improve projects and presentations is more questions for the presenters; the SCSEF judges spent lots of time inquiring about projects.<br />11. 4- Everything was great except for the judges and the fact that we didn’t win.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-73587229226945246902015-02-12T08:44:41.800-05:002015-02-12T08:44:41.800-05:008. Did you talk to students from other schools? Ex...8. Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.<br /> I talk to some student a from other schools, but most of them were when one person knew someone from another school and I was talking with them. I had a nice conversation with a kid from Darien about his presentation and then we talked about sports and other different stuff. <br />9. What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?<br /> We could have the mock science fair be more critical like what we would experience with the actual science fair. Also, we could also do the power point presentation before the actual science fair since it would give us more experience with criticism and presentation skills. <br />10. Overall on a scale of 1 (terrible) to 5 (amazing) --> How enjoyable was your SCSEF experience?<br />I would rate the overall SCSEF experience a 4. I enjoyed the overall experience including meeting new people, Panera food, and a good keynote speaker, I did not enjoy the judging that much, especially when they could not hear anything. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-46269816015605468072015-02-12T08:44:25.760-05:002015-02-12T08:44:25.760-05:00Please reflect on the following (each question in ...Please reflect on the following (each question in detail):<br /><br /><br />1. What was your overall impression of the 2015 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?<br /> I enjoyed the science fair. I loved the food, keynote speaker, and it was interesting looking at everyone's projects. The science fair met my expectations of a good all around experience and average judging. It was different that last year because I had a viable project. Although it didn't work, it was a lot more fun presenting it then a project about moldy bread. Other than that, it was relatively similar except for the food which was different, but good each time. <br />2. What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful? Be specific.<br /> The judging process was interesting. In the beginning it was very loud so they could not hear well. Because of this they asked either repeated questions or meaner questions that could possible disprove the project. Overall it was helpful though, it gave me a good experience of what I should clear up when presenting again at other science fairs.<br />3. What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?<br /> The most helpful comment from the judges was when they told me other implications and said how my project was good in that way. The least helpful was when one of the judges had me define causation versus correlation and explain why if it were correlation then my project would be pointless. He then wanted me to look into it further.<br />4. How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?<br />The food was very good. I enjoyed all aspects of it, but the bread was a little hard. Other than that, all of it was good and I got to take a few sandwiches home at the end.<br />5. Did you enjoy the Keynote presentation by J. Alan Clark, Associate Prof of Conservation Biology at Fordham University? Explain.<br />I enjoyed the keynote presentation. It was very inspiring in that he found what he loved and followed it. He was also entertaining, both comedically and content wise. I learned a lot from his presentation. <br />6. In what way(s) do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the fair?<br /> The mock science fair prepared me for this science fair because it gave me a lot more practice presenting. It also gave me an idea of what the judging would be like through both the judges and students point of view. <br />7. Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair?<br /> I did not learn too much about my project from the judges, but they did give me some good pointers. Some one told me to look up causation versus correlation to see which one it was for my project but I could not disprove his thought since my data was negative. When I continue my research, if it works, most of the critical comments will not be valid. <br />8. Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?<br /> I had time to view the others projects. No one really wanted to present another time though. One project that had a lasting impression was the project about curing cancer. It was very interesting and I thought that I might want to look into the category cancer next year. The project was very in depth and had very good implications. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-6654233527954084542015-02-11T23:18:02.519-05:002015-02-11T23:18:02.519-05:001. I thought the 2015 SCISEF Fair went pretty wel...1. I thought the 2015 SCISEF Fair went pretty well. I thought the judging process was well organized and it was a very educational experience. I really enjoyed the guest speaker as well. The fair was pretty similar to those of past years and it definitely met my expectations. It was nice to be back at Newtown High School because they run the fair very well.<br /> <br />2. Both rounds of judges for our project seemed interested and engaged. They asked good questions that indicated they were listening and understood our project. They were very polite and courteous. <br /> <br />3. The judges did not really offer us that much advice, they mainly just asked us questions. The most helpful questions were probably those that asked for clarification, which indicated we should present the background to the study more clearly. A few of the comments were suggestions for other variables we should look at and ideas for future projects so they were not really helpful to our current project. <br /> <br />4. I thought the food was pretty good. I enjoyed breakfast but I thought the sandwiches were a little bland.<br /> <br />5. I actually really enjoyed the Keynote presentation. I thought Mr. Clark did a good job of making his research understandable and interesting for the audience. He definitely has had a very unique life and it was fun to learn about it.<br /> <br />6. The mock science fair helped me figure out how I was going to explain each point to the judges while making it understandable and not just reading off of the poster.<br /> <br />7. We mainly just learned that we have to update our project when we get EEG results and results for participants with schizophrenia. <br /> <br />8. I did walk around and look at the other projects but I only skimmed them briefly because I was tired and anxious to present. I did not really get a chance to look at any in detail.<br /> <br />9. I did not really talk to students from other schools because I just never really came into contact with any.<br /> <br />10. This year we did not really get to present our PowerPoint to the entire class due to school cancellations and I think that would have been helpful. It would have been good practice for the presentation at the fair.<br /> <br />11. I would give it a 4.5 - I had a good time and it was a great experience to present our project. I really enjoyed the guest speaker and getting an award definitely made the experience a lot better.<br />George Zhanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07495879943757153381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-33080697970065447042015-02-11T22:03:23.868-05:002015-02-11T22:03:23.868-05:001. I thought that the science fair this year went ...1. I thought that the science fair this year went quite well for me. The fair definitely met my expectations and overall I left feeling that it was a good experience and a fun time. I enjoyed the judging process, as all my judges seemed quite engaged in my project and asked thoughtful questions. I also enjoyed the keynote speaker a lot and thought he did a great job of speaking about his research with penguins. I feel that in a lot of ways the fair was very similar to last year but with a few improvements such as the food.<br /><br />2. I thought the judging process was very good this year. Most of my judges seemed to be interested in my project and paid attention during my whole presentation. They were also on time to my presentations which I thought was a great improvement over last year. The judges also asked good questions and politely offered suggestions for future work. <br /><br />3. The most helpful comment from the judges was a suggestion to integrate my application with research articles searched off of google scholar. The least helpful comment was probably a question one of my judges asked. Right after I had finished talking about my future work and wrapping up my presentation one of my judges immediately asked me “So, what is the next step?” Take into account that this was right after I had finished discussing future plans for the project. I answered his question by rephrasing some of my future work and adding on to it, but I thought it was quite weird that he asked the question right after I had discussed my future work.<br /><br />4. The food was very good. I didn’t choose to eat breakfast because I wasn’t hungry and just wanted to run through my presentation a couple of times. However, the lunch was very yummy. I really enjoyed the different choices that were available to me and overall thought it was a great improvement over last year.<br /><br />5. I thought the Keynote presentation by Prof. Clark was quite interesting and I did enjoy his talk about the research he was doing. I also enjoyed the quick game (Kahoot.it) that we played before the presentation started and thought it was a fun addition to the fair. However, in my opinion I felt that last year’s presentation with David Pogue was more interesting. Overall though it was a good presentation and a fun part of the overall science fair experience.<br /><br />6. I think the mock science fair really helped give me some more presenting practice and become adjusted to the feeling of presenting next to many other posters and projects. It was good practice for engaging the audience with the poster and being able to articulate the main points about my study.<br /><br />7. I did learn some new things about my project. One of my judges was actually a researcher who said that the application I developed seemed very interesting and helpful to him. He was familiar with ontologies and many of the things I had mentioned about my project and told me about possible ways to improve it so that it would be even more helpful and user friendly.<br /><br />8. I did enjoy walking around the fair and viewing projects from other students. One that I found very interesting was the use of machine learning in reducing compile time. I thought the idea was very cool and seemed like an original project.<br /><br />9. I didn’t really engage in conversation with students from other schools.<br /><br />10. I think that having a checklist of things to bring to the Science Fair would be pretty helpful. We are told to bring our journal and research paper along with our poster. However, having a checklist with things like research paper, journal articles, poster, and science journal would probably help alleviate pressure the night before the science fair when students are scrambling to get everything together.<br /><br />11. On a scale of 1 – 5 I rate this year’s SCSEF experience a solid 4.5. There wasn’t much that needed improvement in my opinion and overall I really did enjoy presenting and receiving feedback from the judges.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16611166977023910458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-11243979917143645912015-02-11T21:36:52.964-05:002015-02-11T21:36:52.964-05:00Julia Nadelmann continued
9. Did you talk to stud...Julia Nadelmann continued<br /><br />9. Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.<br />I spent most of the time when I wasn’t presenting speaking to students from amity. While the students from other schools I’m sure were very nice, I just felt more comfortable with students from my own school. Prior to my presentation I noticed that some students from another school were looking at my project, but when I came up to my poster they left. In the future I will make more of an effort to speak with the students from other schools. <br />10. What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?<br />I think that the more students practice presenting in front of people who they are not familiar with that are not familiar with their project the better. While the mock science fair is amazing, all of us know one another and have heard each other present before, so there is a level of comfort and understanding that does not exist in a real judging experience. <br />11. Overall on a scale of 1 (terrible) to 5 (amazing) --> How enjoyable was your SCSEF experience?<br />Overall, my scisef experience was a 5, the fair was well organized and the additon of panera food and kahoot made it even more enjoyable. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-20861154661786744122015-02-11T21:35:08.840-05:002015-02-11T21:35:08.840-05:00Julia Nadelmann
1. What was your overall impressi...Julia Nadelmann<br />1. What was your overall impression of the 2015 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?<br /><br />Overall I enjoyed SCISEF. I thought that using panera as a caterer was very nice addition, also the fair was well organized and I did not need to wait too long for my judges. The fair was quite similar in the setup to last year, and as I expected it would be. I also really liked the addition of Kahoot to the fair, entertaining fair participants in that awkward waiting period. <br />2. What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful? Be specific.<br /><br />I thought that my judges were very fair and helpful. I enjoyed talking to them about my research and communicating my results. The judges seemed interested in my research, and although I was really concerned with timing prior to the fair the judges never cut me off. The judges asked me many questions about the future implications of my project, and possible outlets of future research for my project. In my second round of judges(I think the judges were getting tired), my judges started making jokes about “trivia cocaine” and Gandhi doing yoga. <br /> <br />3. What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?<br /><br />The most helpful comment from the judges was when the judge asked me if I had gathered any information on the demographics of my participants that could be further factored in my analysis. The least helpful comment was probably when the judge told me “before trivia crack was famous it was just trivia cocaine”.<br />4. How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?<br /><br />As I life long panera lover, (seriously though I have so many points on my my panera card), I loved the food. I thought that the food was a great improvement from last year. I really liked how they had many options for breakfast. There were muffins, bagels, fruit cups, and yogurt parfaits. The only thing that could have been added were doughnuts. While the lunch was obviously amazing, I typically prefer panera soups and salads to their sandwiches. But, I do understand that serving soup to a large group of people is like asking for a disaster. <br /><br />5. Did you enjoy the Keynote presentation by J. Alan Clark, Associate Prof of Conservation Biology at Fordham University? Explain. <br /><br />Yes, I greatly enjoyed the Keynote presentation. I thought that Professor Alan Clark was a very dynamic speaker. I liked that when he spoke to us, he did not exclusively talk about his research, but he talked about his life experiences in general and his personal story. <br />6. In what way(s) do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the fair?<br />At the mock science fair, I was way over on timing and my presentation was a mess. After I practiced I was able to determine the most logical order in which I should present my project, and what information was necessary to the understanding of my project. <br /><br />7. Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? <br /><br />I learned that I can take my analysis another step farther by monitoring the popularity of the trends over the next time period. For the next fair, I would like to begin distributing surveys to the entire school wide population, so that way I can include information on how accurate the prediction of trends were within the high school population. <br /> <br />8. Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?<br />The project that left the most lasting impression on me was SARAH SAXE’S. That girl has true talent and potential. First of all, her project was extremely well designed, and innovative. Also, her effort to organization was incredible. Her poster looked perfect and was easy to follow, and her binder was just beautiful. She had pretty graphics and a table of contents and included EVERYTHING about her project. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-52694035486360145552015-02-11T20:14:14.405-05:002015-02-11T20:14:14.405-05:001.
My overall impression of the 2015 SCISEF Fair ...1. <br />My overall impression of the 2015 SCISEF Fair was that it was very enjoyable. I loved playing Kahoot with everyone in the auditorium and I really enjoyed the speaker. Both times I have attended the Fair they had very good speakers. The fair met up to my expectations the only thing that wasn’t so enjoyable was my last round of judges because they were quite harsh. The fair was a lot different than I expected in a good way because the food was much better this year.<br />2. <br />My first judging experience went really well the judges seemed really interested in what I was doing and really did want to learn more about horses after hearing my presentation. Although the second round of judges said that I used wrong material for my brace but he didn’t have any suggestions and then he proceeded to laugh at me with the third judge. To say the least, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. <br />3. <br />The most helpful comment from my judges was the comment about getting a patent which I should have done a while ago. The least helpful was the one about my material just because it was kind of an empty statement. <br />4. <br />The food was very good I enjoyed both breakfast and lunch, it was much better than last year it I was very pleased to see they were serving tea instead of just coffee.<br /> 5. <br />I enjoyed the Keynote presentation very much. I liked that the presenter was very real and he had an abstract way of looking at things. People who see things in many different lights interest me a lot. I also like that he challenged us to question our surroundings, I found that pleasantly intriguing. <br />6. <br />I think the mock science fair this year helped a lot more than last year because our posters were set up in semi-similar fashion as they would have been at the fair and we were able to present to some of the other teachers who came down.<br />7. <br />I learned that I definitely need to do more broad background research so I can improve that by spending so time looking at broad topics that could have any relation to my project at all. When I was looking for articles I tended to search very specific topics instead of broad ideas.<br />8. <br />One of the projects that left a lasting impression on me was a project close to mine. I don’t exactly remember what it was about but it left an impression on me because it was so poorly put together. The poster was very unprofessional and half the wording made no sense at all. After seeing this project I realized how lucky Amity Science Research kids are to be so well prepared by our teachers for our fairs.<br />8. <br />I didn’t end up talking to anyone from other schools unfortunately.<br />9. <br />I think we did an excellent job of preparing especially this year with the very realistic mock science fair.<br />10. <br />5<br />Olivia Castronoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-31757001396389633562015-02-11T18:47:37.879-05:002015-02-11T18:47:37.879-05:008)I did have some time to view other student proje...8)I did have some time to view other student projects, and they were mostly wonderfully done. A lot of the projects were so complex; it was hard to understand anything on their board without someone explaining it to me. Projects that left a lasting impression were projects that directly applied to me, like Julia Nadelmann’s. She is studying friendship paradoxes in high school, and I could easily relate and understand how different trends become popular socially. Also,projects relating to GPA or grades caught my interest, as I obsess about both topics everyday.<br /><br />8) I didn’t talk to any other students from other schools this year<br />because I had friends nearby from Amity to talk to, also I was always paranoid my judges would either come too early or late, so I wanted to stay by my poster most of the time.<br /><br />9)Showing upcoming students an ideal presentation and poster would definitely be helpful. We practice presenting a lot, so I think that SR students from Amity are always ready for that. Possibly, if scheduling works out, we could formally present in front of the class before science fairs because, for me, that’s so intimidating, so it will really prepare me for judging. Maybe more question and answer practice would be good because the questions can be the most intimidating part.<br /><br />10)5, it overall a great experience. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-57706896976572289862015-02-11T18:47:23.146-05:002015-02-11T18:47:23.146-05:00Neha Pashankar
1)My overall impression of the SCIS...Neha Pashankar<br />1)My overall impression of the SCISEF Fair was lovely. I really enjoyed it this year because I knew what I was doing, from last year’s experience. Judges are usually the scariest part, but mine were pleasant and polite. The fair exceeded my expectations because when I went, I wasn’t expecting much, but winning third for completed behavior definitely made all the stress of my project worth it. It was definitely a lot better than last year because I knew how the process worked and what to do. Also, my judging experience last year wasn't amazing (one judge didn't understand my project) , and this year, it was so pleasant. Last year, as a freshman, I was petrified the entire time, and I definitely think that affected my judging. This year, I was so much calmer, and I think that helped with a smoother presentation. <br /><br />2)My judges were so kind and attentive. One judge had read my abstract and conducted his own research on the topic of neurocognitive function and bipolar patients, which was such a compliment to me! The judges asked me questions that were easy to understand and showed understanding of my project. I could easily answer all of them, which was definitely a confidence boost! They took some time to read through my poster and look through my binder,and then asked me to begin presenting, so that definitely bolstered their understanding. The time they took reading my poster actually helped me calm my nerves a lot, otherwise I would’ve been shaking while presenting. One judge looked a little skeptical of my project at first, but at the end, she seemed to understand it. <br /><br />3)Most helpful comment from one of my judges was probably about what hospital the patients came from because I assumed that all my patients came from Yale, but I wasn’t positive, so I’ll definitely ask my mentor about that. Honestly, there was no least helpful comment from my judges; they all were very polite and kind. Both rounds of my judges asked me what p-values mean, which I was a little surprised about, but I guess they just asked me to see if I understood what I was talking about. <br /><br />4)The food was delicious; it was so much better than last year. It had my favorite sandwich from Panera (Mediterranean Veggie), so I was very ecstatic to see that; as a vegetarian, sometimes vegetarian sandwiches are lacking. I didn’t eat breakfast because I had already eaten, but the bagels looked delicious!<br /><br />5)I really enjoyed the Keynote presentation, even though I thought I wouldn’t. He made it really interesting, and he went through so much to do what he loved, which I though was really inspiring. I was amazed that he went to college almost four times for every major possible! His work with penguins was really cool, and he’s so lucky he gets to travel around the world for his work! He made each slide concise and easy to understand for his audience.<br /><br />6)The mock science fair helped with my presenting because I had to present about three times just in that hour, so it got easier each time. I also learned to keep my presenting concise because I did have a slight time problem before. Also, Ms. Day’s comments helped a lot otherwise I would have kept my name and my mentor’s name on the board. It also helped me see other students’ projects and evaluate my board based on theirs to see if I should change anything.<br /><br />7)I didn’t learn anything new about my project, but I did learn that for the next science fair, I should put my abstract on my board and print my poster out because it looks more professional. I also learned to make sure everything was clear on my board, so even if the judges miss something I say, they can still understand the concept. Next science fair, I’ll be sure to make these changes (or continue to do them), so it turns out as successful as SCISEF! <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-12973501491665593392015-02-11T17:28:16.846-05:002015-02-11T17:28:16.846-05:001. What was your overall impression of the 2015 SC...1. What was your overall impression of the 2015 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?<br /><br />Overall, this SCSEF was pretty regular. Honestly, it wasn’t anything special or significant, because it was just another SCSEF to me. It pretty much met my expectations. It was very similar to what I have experienced the last two years; you know, the regular procedure (Breakfast, present, wait for 10 years, present, lunch, keynote, awards that I don’t win, go home, sleep, come to school, blog about it, etc.). It was pretty basic to me.<br /><br />2. What was the judging process like? Were the judges fair and helpful? Be specific.<br /><br />My judges were really cool actually! They were all very fair and helpful. In the first round, out of two judges, only one wasn’t really sure what my project was because he wasn’t familiar with twitter and the purpose of tweeting (he’s older, as you can tell), but the other one was cool and into it. In my second round, the judges were a bit TOO into it. They were very excited about my project, almost moreso than I was. However, they gave great advice as to where I could go with it, like on the socioeconomic level.<br /><br />3. What was the most helpful comment from the Judges? Least helpful?<br /><br />Honestly, the different ways I could approach the tweets in Ferguson and the depth that they wanted me to go in (socioeconomic, etc) were really great! They weren’t really UNHELPFUL in any particular way.<br /><br />4. How was the food (breakfast and lunch)?<br /><br />The (coffee) breakfast (coffee) was great (coffee)! ALSO PANERA SLAYED MY VERY EXISTENCE TO BE QUITE HONEST. So, I guess you could say it was alright.<br /><br />5. Did you enjoy the Keynote presentation by J. Alan Clark, Associate Prof of Conservation Biology at Fordham University? Explain. <br /><br />I loved the keynote speaker! He was hip, quirky, relatable, and just super interesting for a hip, quirky, relatable teen like me!! No, but in all seriousness, he was very interesting, and I learned a lot from his presentation. It also didn’t hurt that he cracked a few jokes here and there.<br /><br />6. In what way(s) do you think the Mock Science Fair helped prepare you for the fair?<br /><br />Honestly, the feedback is arguably the most valuable aspect of the Mock Sci Fair. Mr. Musco gave me feedback that I knew the judges would nitpick, and I’m glad he did, because the judges liked that I included that.<br /><br />7. Did you learn anything new about your project? If so, what can you do to improve it for the next fair? <br /><br />I really didn’t learn much about my project. However, I do have things to do to prepare for JSHS. For example, bring all my tweet logs together.<br /><br />8. Did you have time to view other student projects? Which project(s) left a lasting impression? why?<br /><br />Ryan actually pointed out that another student had a very similar project to me. His was regarding twitter, and he used Ferguson as an example. At first glance, I got a bit intimidated because it looked a bit complicated, but really it wasn’t. (He spelled Ferguson like “furgison” which made me feel self-assured. I felt like Beyoncé, essentially.)<br /><br />8. Did you talk to students from other schools? Explain.<br /><br />I did! I made a friend, but I forgot her name. I’m really classy, I know.<br /><br />9. What can we do to better prepare students for upcoming science fairs, if anything?<br /><br />Honestly, I feel like more mock science fairs would do the trick. Other than that, I don’t think there’s much else you could do. Experiencing it is the best way to prepare, in my opinion.<br /><br />10. Overall on a scale of 1 (terrible) to 5 (amazing) --> How enjoyable was your SCSEF experience?<br /><br />Overall, I would rate SCSEF a 3. I would give it a 4, but THEY REMOVED THE HASHTAG FROM THE TITLE OF MY PROJECT IN THE BOOKLET. My heart broke. Sorry ‘bout it.Thomas Boutroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18061487880359763844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-59600583235880384412015-02-11T17:04:43.348-05:002015-02-11T17:04:43.348-05:006) The repetition of practicing was essential. I f...6) The repetition of practicing was essential. I found that I could talk about my project for hours but Ms. Day's unbending adherence to the time restriction helped me pick out some of the most important information. I wish I had time to edit my poster more in between the mock science fair and SCISEF, but I can do that for CSEF, and by then hopefully I'll have even more information to work with. <br /><br />7) One thing that definetly stands out to me about my project was one of my graphs. Both judges seemed to be confused by what I meant which is a good indicator that I need to update it to make it clearer. However, I'm still in the process of analyzing, so hopefully my analysis will be even better at the next fair!Emily Criscuolonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048780266815696533.post-1705360121477299942015-02-11T17:03:30.237-05:002015-02-11T17:03:30.237-05:008) Although I certainly had time to view other pro...8) Although I certainly had time to view other projects in between my judging sessions, I mostly spent my time talking about our judging experiences with fellow science research students. I looked at their projects and some things stuck out to me that I think I should use for my project as far as the actual poster and set up. Some of these are: a video which I can use instead of my small chronological pictures, print my powerpoint on photo paper so it looks more professional, add a different color paper behind my powerpoint slides, and the project that left a lasting impression for me was my friend from a different period. Her binder was extremely well organized including an "included in this binder" piece on the front. I was just admiring how well done it was. I wish I had looked at other people's projects a little better; I realize now it could be helpful for future project inspirations? I did see one student from a different school taking full advantage of this. I saw her running around checking out all the competition she had in her category...<br /><br />9) I didn't talk to students from other schools because I was having so much fun talking to my classmates! At the next science fair I'll be sure to talk to other students and check out their posters. <br /><br />10) I think my biggest problem was organization. To prepare other students for upcoming fairs, I think we should take some more time to get posters perfect, organize a binder, and figure out all the small details that are often overlooked. I got home very late the night before, so hopefully my schedule works out better next time, and I prepare WELL before the actual fair.<br /> <br />11) I think my experience at SCSEF could be rated a 5. I actually had fun! My presenting, the food, and the guest speaker all went really well, and I wasn't expecting to have that much fun at a science fair! I can't wait for next year! <br />Emily Criscuolonoreply@blogger.com