Dorothy Tepper Head Special Awards Judge Workshop #5 11/19/14

What are Special Awards? Different award category than the cash awards given at the middle- school and high- school levels for 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd place, and for Honorable Mention. Given to recognize outstanding students and to increase public and students’ awareness of the mission and scientific work done by the awarding agency Special Awards are given by: government agencies, professional societies, etc.

Government Agencies - NOAA - U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services - U.S. Navy/Marine Corps Office of Naval Research

National Professional Societies American Meteorological Society American Psychological Association Association for Women Geoscientists Society of In Vitro Biology U.S. Metric Association Yale Science and Engineering Association

State-Level Organizations and Academic Institutions - Virginia Biotechnology Association - Virginia Dental Association: Science Talent Awards Program - Virginia Tech Statistics Award - awarded by Undergraduate Statistics Club at Virginia Tech

Foundations, Private Companies, and Honor Societies ASM Materials Education Foundation Intel Excellence in Computer Science Leidos Corporation Merck (only at state –level science fair) Mu Alpha Theta

What types of awards are given out in the Special Awards category? Certificates of Achievement Medallions and lapel pins Cash awards * The Office of Naval Research awards all 3 types of prizes to each of its high- school- level prize winners

What is the judging procedure for the special awards? It varies with the agency providing the Special Award: Some agencies provide very specific instructions for the judge along with a rating form for each project. Other agencies are less strict and give the judge more latitude. Some agencies will provide a judge from their organization.

Which Special Awards were presented at the Fauquier County 2014 Science Fair? Virginia Lakes and Watersheds Association U.S. Navy/Marine Corps Office of Naval Research

VA Lakes and Watersheds Association Non-profit organization dedicated to conducting scientific and educational efforts to protect the quality and uses of Virginia’s lakes and watersheds. Awards given to science fair projects that pertain to storm water studies, water-quality improvements, and watershed investigations.

VA Lakes and Watersheds, cont’d. Criteria for awards: Relevance of project to their association’s mission Sound scientific method Clarity Project appearance Awards: One middle-school award: award letter and $50 gift card One high-school award: award letter and $100 gift card

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research Awards given only to projects done by individuals, not to group projects Two awards given at middle- school level: Certificate of Accomplishment Two awards given at high- school level: Award Certificate and Letter of Congratulations signed by Chief of Naval Research Medallion Monetary award

How will we determine which Special Awards will be offered at our 2015 Science Fair? We will receive a regional-fair level Special Awards Packet from the Awards and Education Program of the Society for Science and the Public. Their programs include: - the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair - Broadcom MASTERS competition The Packet will contain a list of the 2015 Special Awards and specific information about each award.

The Special Awards Packet should arrive by Christmas! Special Awards Packet

As Head Special Awards Judge, I’ll do the following when the packet arrives: a. investigate the various awards available b. determine with Vineeta Ribeiro and possibly others which awards we would like to present at our fair c. contact each organization we want to involve d. line up a judge for each Special Award (some judges may cover more than one Special Award)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT I’d like to announce a discovery I made a couple of weeks ago that will be of great interest to all of you and especially to wildlife biologists!

New species of deer: Pumpkinheadus Halloweenus!! © Copyright Dorothy Tepper, all rights reserved