Dr. Lynwood Randolph judges an entry at the 2009 Sci-Tech science fairThe Education for Tomorrow Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving Montgomery County, is seeking volunteer judges for its 2010 SCI://TECH science fairs.
Executive Director David Norton said this is the first time they have had to publicize the call for volunteers, and the reason is the fairs have grown significantly in the last five years.
There are 260 student entries in the Chevron Phillips Chemical Company Senior High Science Fair, slated for 7:30 a.m. – noon Saturday Feb. 13 at Conroe High School.
Norton said they need 100 volunteers. So far, they have approximately 60.
There are 1,200 entries in the Consolidated Communications Junior High Science Fair, which is running in conjunction with the Truth Chemical Private School Science Fair. The fair is 4:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Friday Feb. 19 at Lone Star College-Montgomery.
Norton said they need 450 volunteers. So far, they have approximately 125.
At the junior high level, there are no restrictions on volunteers' backgrounds or work experience when it comes to being a judge.
"This is the first time these kids have really done anything formally, so the volunteer's job is to ask what they did, how they did it, why they did it," Norton said. "Basically you are being a mentor."
Ashley Musil, publisher of the Kids Stuff directory, volunteered as a junior high judge last year.
She's coming back this year.
"It was enlightening," Musil said. "Those kids are so smart and so talented, more than I think I expected them to be. The kids were doing stuff that's probably more on a college level."
Musil said she's thankful there were enough judges to where she was able to visit student booths with another judge.
"If I didn't think of some questions to ask, she did, and vice versa," said Musil, a Spring resident. "We each took notes, and afterwards the whole group had a conference and decided how to place the students. It takes the pressure off the individual, because it's group judging."
Dr. Ronald Laugen judges an entry at the 2009 Sci-Tech science fairFor the senior fair, Norton said they need scientifically-minded volunteers for judging.
"It's best if they have a technical background of some sort," Norton said. "It doesn't have to be a PhD, but it should be some kind of science-related experience."
Volunteers can choose the top three categories they would like to judge.
There are 13, including biochemistry/microbiology, behavioral/social, chemistry, computer science, earth space science, environmental science, animal science, plant science, medicine health, energy and transportation, mathematics, engineering, and physics.
While the science fairs will definitely be a go no matter how many volunteers sign up in the end, the risk is in students only seeing one or two judges instead of a handful.
"They have worked so hard on their projects," Norton said. "We want them to be able to talk to three or four judges each."
Houston resident Scott Zeglin will volunteer at the senior fair, because he has experienced himself the value of science fairs when coupled with a significant number of judges.
Zeglin, 25, entered science fairs all through junior high and high school.
"The presentation was always the best part, and getting to speak with so many different judges who are experts in their fields," said Zeglin, a graduate of The Academy of Science and Technology at The Woodlands College Park High School. "They provided critiques and shared so many ideas with me. I learned from it every year."
Zeglin regularly advanced to higher-level fairs. He even earned third place at the international level, and was one of 40 finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, a highly competitive event that regularly draws more than 1,500 entries.
Zeglin eventually went on to Rice University where he majored in biological sciences, followed by a three-year career conducting pharmaceutical research on pathogens and infectious disease at Merck.
"I can honestly say," Zeglin said, "that Sci-Tech was a springboard for me."
Want to help?
What: Sci-Tech science fairs
When: 7:30 a.m. – noon Feb. 13 and 4:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Feb. 19
Where: Conroe High School and Lone Star College-Montgomery
How: call 936-271-6150 or visit www.efta-us.org [1] by 5 p.m. Monday Feb. 8