UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING EXPO

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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
EXPO

• (DISTRICT SCIENCE FAIR)

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Projects from Students in 712

• The Southwest District serves five Ohio counties
  Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, Preble and Warren.
• Takes place on a Saturday in March March 14,
  2009, this year. Must fit with the universitys
  academic and basketball calendars.
• 300 to 400 student projects each year.

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Thomas A. Cruse,associate provost, is
thedirector of the UC SEE
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Goals

• Encourage studying science, engineering and
  technology.
• Make science fun.
• Bring people to campus.
• Meet faculty.
• Make it an event for the entire family.
• Etc.

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SEE Oversight

• A Steering Committee
• consists of representatives of groups at UC
  involved in the SEE such as campus police,
  building managers, communications, parking,
  judging leader, awards chairpersons
• meets regularly before the event
• An Advisory Board
• consists mostly of teachers from the schools
  sending students to the SEE
• meets regularly before the event

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Awards

• Students compete for awards and scholarships at
  the UC SEE (more than 50,000 last year)
• Approximately 100 projects from the UC SEE
  advance to the State Science Day in Columbus in
  May each year.
• Several projects advance from the UC SEE to the
  International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
  each year.

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What UC Provides

• Pays the entrance fee for all students who
  advance from the UC SEE/Southwest District to the
  Ohio Academy of Sciences State Science Day in
  Columbus.
• Pays all of the expenses for the students who
  advance from the UC SEE to the ISEF, which will
  be held in Reno, Nevada, this-coming year.
• Provides free parking for everyone involved in
  the UC SEE.

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Student Participants

• Typically come to the UC SEE after participating
  in their schools science fairs.
• Register for the UC SEE with the assistance of
  their teachers, schools and University of
  Cincinnati personnel.
• Choose one of 13 categories (e.g., Physics) in
  which they will be judged this is reviewed by
  teachers and UC personnel.

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Judges

• Approximately 200 judges participate each year.
• Judges register in advance either on our Web site
  (http//www.uc.edu/sciencefair) or with a
  postage-paid post card.
• Judges typically are teachers in schools,
  professionals in industry or from the university
  communities.

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Judges (Continued)

• Before the event, judges are assigned to one of
  15 groups based on their expertise and the number
  of student projects in each of the 13 categories.
  (Physics has always been the most popular
  category).
• The two extra groups of judges are judges for
  special awards (typically awards from industry)
  and judges for the ISEF. ISEF uses different
  criteria from the OASs 13 categories.
• Judging captains are appointed for each of the 15
  groups. Captains need not be experts in any of
  the STEMM disciplines.

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Judges (Continued yet again)

• Judges who are teachers may, by also
  participating in an afternoon workshop and the
  awards ceremony, earn 1 CEU (free) and/or 1
  graduate education credit (at reduced cost).
• Judges who are professional engineers may, by
  also participating in an afternoon workshop and
  the awards ceremony, earn a certificate stating
  that they have 7.5 hours of professional
  involvement.

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All judges are given

• A continental breakfast in the morning.
• A packet containing judging materials and various
  souvenir items pens, magnets, clipboard, etc.
• A box lunch after the judging.
• A thank-you letter after the event.

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The Venue

• The UC SEE takes place on UCs Uptown campus.
• Most of the days events are scheduled in the
  large Tangeman University Center (TUC).
• Tours of the UC campus, workshops, and
  specialized demonstrations (e.g., chemistry) take
  place in other buildings.
• The awards ceremony takes place in late afternoon
  in the Shoemaker Center (home of UCs Fifth Third
  arena).

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The Event

• Students and their parents set up the displays
  either the night before or the morning of the
  event.
• Judges training begins at 8 a.m.
• Judging takes place from 9 a.m. to 1230 p.m.
  During this time the judging hall is a no parent
  zone.
• During the judging, events for parents and family
  members are taking place (zoo shows,
  demonstrations, tours, booths, movies, etc.).

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The Event (continued)

• After the judging, the exhibit hall is open to
  the public for viewing, the food court is open
  for participants and families campus tours and
  demos are still going on.
• Scores are tallied in a central room.
• At 3 p.m., the keynote speaker talks to the
  entire group (about 1,200 people) in the
  Schoemaker Center.

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The Event (yet again)

• The awards ceremony begins at 4 p.m. Tom Cruse
  and a guest emcee do the honors with the winners
  names also projected behind them.
• After the awards ceremony, winners are given
  materials and instructions for advancement to the
  State Science Day and/or the ISEF.

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After the UC SEE

• Several weeks after the UC SEE, qualifying
  students and their families are invited back to
  UC for some critical judging and advice before
  advancing to State Science Day and/or the ISEF.