Science Fairs Put a Human Face on Chemistry—yours!

In 2002, ACS Director (now President-Elect) E. Ann Nalley commented in C&EN on the deliberations of a task force on K–12 science education (May 20, page 50). She noted three areas that ACS and its members should address: the insufficient number of qualified K–12 science and math teachers, the insufficient course work in science and math required to earn a high school diploma in many states, and the need for science and math teachers to be technically grounded. ACS President William Carroll has stated repeatedly that most chemists were positively motivated to study in the chemical sciences by their high school teacher and that more than half of current high school teachers of chemistry don't have a degree in chemistry.

Thanks to this attention, changes are happening. Recent changes to the ACS constitution and bylaws that encourage high school chemistry teachers to join ACS signal a sea change in attitude. I encourage local section and division members to increase their outreach and programs to welcome high school teachers to ACS membership.

Even more can be done. Historically, ACS has not been particularly active in supporting science fairs, although some local sections and individual members have been involved in science fairs for years. The service they provide is important because often the teachers lack access to equipment and do not have the specific technical expertise to focus their students' projects. In many cases, the first practicing chemist a student meets will be the judge at the local science fair.

To find out when and where these science fairs will be held, call your local schools or search the Web for "science fairs." As an ACS volunteer mentor or judge, you will be able to see the incredible level of focus, energy, sophistication, intelligence, commitment, and diversity in these entrants. These are our science stars of tomorrow, and they need to be encouraged.

Over the past five years, I have been active in local and international science and engineering fairs. I started as a member of the organizing committee and as a judge at the local Intel George Washington Carver Science Fair. My involvement expanded with an invitation to judge at Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF--the largest science fair in the world) in San Jose, Calif., in 2001. I have been an invited judge at ISEF in Louisville; Cleveland; and Portland, Ore., in the past three years, and I will be a judge at ISEF in Phoenix this May. (William Glaunsinger, professor emeritus of chemistry at Arizona State University, is the overall judge coordinator for ISEF for 2005. Contact him and ISEF at http://www.sciserv.org for more information.)

U.S. corporations strongly support science fairs. That support includes, for example, mentoring, equipment and lab access, cash for the fair organization, sponsorship, volunteering for judging, and scholarships and other awards. In my opinion, it is an important cooperative effort in which ACS must have a greater presence.

SOME SCIENCE FAIR CONTACTS

World Wide Web site for science and engineering fairs (a great collection of sites and URLs). http://physics.usc.edu/~gould/ScienceFairs

March 29. New York State Science & Engineering Fair at SUNY Rockland Community College, Suffern. http://www.nyssef.org

May 5–7. Massachusetts State Science Fair at MIT. http://www.scifair.com

May 7. Ohio State Science Day, Columbus. http://www.ohiosci.org/ssd.htm

May 9–14. Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, Phoenix. http://www.sciserv.org/isef

May 26–28. California State Science Fair, Los Angeles. http://www.usc.edu/CSSF

For Intel ISEF, you can be approved as a judge in a matter of days if you have six or more years of technical experience. Historically, chemists have been the largest and broadest group of judges--and we can be relied upon to show up.

You travel and volunteer as a judge at your own expense. If the format follows previous years, on a Monday 1,200 students from around the world and approximately 1,200 teachers as well as about 1,200 parents and chaperones arrive, tour the city, and set up their projects. The judges arrive in Phoenix on Tuesday to register. The exhibits are up and can be studied without the students present. After a quick box dinner, the judges hear from a panel of five or six invited Nobel Prize winners. Next is a detailed discussion of the judging process. The project judging with the students present is all day Wednesday and is finished by about 6 PM, followed by a dinner and a reception for the judges. On Thursday, the public is invited to view the exhibits, and the university, government agency, organization, and corporate awards are presented. On Friday, the Intel-sponsored and -funded Grand Awards are made. Three projects are selected for the top prize, and the winning students receive $50,000 scholarships and an all-expense-paid trip to the Nobel Prize Award ceremony in Stockholm.

For ISEF in Phoenix, plans are currently in motion to have--for the first time--an ACS information booth for student attendees, teachers, and judges. We are also trying to increase the ACS annual contribution to Intel ISEF from the present total of $2,000 to more than $10,000. This increase would help ACS obtain visibility and equity with the other science organizations participating. Finally, we are seeking more news coverage in C&EN of the K-12 science fair effort.

Again, I encourage you to take part in your local and international science fairs. I have always received more value from my volunteering as a judge than the time, money, and energy invested--so will ACS and so will you.