Project reviews and Project Status

Project reviews are ongoing. Some of our SRC volunteers will take a break during the holidays, so response time to your questions may be a bit slower than usual. Thank you in advance for your patience.

• Newly-submitted applications will appear as “Received” at Check Project Status after the administrators check for all the required forms until the SRC starts a review.
• Projects that are “Pending” are in the hands of a reviewer.
• Projects which require SRC pre-approval must wait until they are “Accepted” before experimentation or data collection starts. 
• If your project status is “Incomplete,” you or your teacher/sponsor may have received email outlining what is missing or incorrect. Please respond to the email and we will answer as time permits between now and January 2.

Category Judge registration is now open for the 2023 Synopsys Championship Science & Engineering Fair on March 9, 2023! Category Judges must be present in person from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM in South Hall, San Jose Convention Center. Both returning and new judges must register here.

We need and welcome judges in all fields of study. We are looking for scientists, computer scientists, engineers and others who enjoy talking to enthusiastic young people about scientific inquiry and engineering challenges. Category Judges should have at least a Bachelor’s degree in a technical field or in education (with a concentration in a technical field). See the Category Judging page for details.

If your project needs pre-approval by the Scientific Review Committee, be sure to apply with all your Required Forms by 11:59pm on November 22nd. (What’s most frequently missing? the research plan!)

Pre-approval is required for projects that involve:

    * humans (surveys, questionnaires, testing of engineering prototypes and apps)

    * vertebrate animals (everything from fish to your pet dog, cat or goat),

    * potentially hazardous biological agents (bacteria and fungi), rDNA, human or vertebrate animal tissue,

       Students may not culture bacteria and fungi (grow on agar plates or in flasks containing media) at home.

Pre-approval is also required for continuation projects that build on your earlier science fair project.

Pre-approval projects often need one or more Additional Forms. Check the ISEF Rules Wizard and watch for an email from your SRC reviewer about any missing form(s) or with questions about your project.  You may not start work (experimentation) until your project is approved.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, the world leader in serving science, and Society for Science announced the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, the nation’s premier middle school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition. The Society named Thermo Fisher as the new title sponsor of the organization’s middle school STEM competition in August. Currently called the Broadcom MASTERS, the competition leverages the Society’s extensive science fair network. Thermo Fisher’s sponsorship begins in 2023, making it only the third title sponsor in the competition’s 25-year history.

Two sessions specifically geared to help teachers fill out the Synopsys Championship paperwork will be held virtually on Wednesday, Nov 9 at 5pm & Thursday, Nov 10 at 6pm. It is strongly recommended for teachers who are new or relatively new to the Championship.
    Students attending a school that doesn’t have a sponsoring teacher may have a parent or other qualified adult sponsor their project. These sponsors are required to attend one of these sessions and there will be opportunities to ask questions.
    These workshops will focus on how to fill out the forms correctly, especially projects that require SRC pre-approval, the importance of dates, and meeting Minimum Quality Requirements. It is strongly recommended that you take time to review the ISEF Rules and Guidelines (https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/international-rules/) BEFORE joining either session. A Zoom link will be provided and/or you can contact us for the link.

Congratulations to Rory Hu, The Harker School, and Jeanelle Dao, Stratford School, San Jose, for winning top prizes at the Broadcom MASTERS competition in Washington DC.

•  Rory Hu, The Harker School, San Jose, DoD STEM Talent Award: $10,000
  The Effects of Pesticides, Caffeine and Tea Polyphenols on the Visual and Olfactory Learning and Memory of the Honey Bee
  
• Jeanelle Dao, Stratford Middle School, San Jose, Lemelson Award for Invention: $10,000
  Controlling Doors Using Interface Technology with Steps for People with Hand Disabilities (CONDUITS)

The competition took place in Washington, D.C., back in person for the first time since the 2019 competition. Each of the 30 finalists participated in team challenges in addition to being judged on their science research projects. The challenges leveraged project-based learning and tested their mastery of 21^st Century skills of critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration in each of the STEM areas.

In addition to the top prizes, the Broadcom Foundation and the Society also announced the winner of the $5,000 Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award, first and second place winners in each of the STEM categories of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The organizations also named the two Rising Stars who will be official student observers to Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and the winners of the Team Award, sponsored by TIES.

See the press release for a complete list of winners.

Two question and answer sessions will be held virtually on Oct 20 & Nov 7 at 6:30pm. A Zoom link will be provided and/or contact us for the link. It is recommended that new students, teachers, as well as sponsors who will supervise a PSP (privately-sponsored project), join in to ask questions and get answers. The PPT will give you an overview of how to get started, do’s and don’ts and timelines for the 2023 Synopsys Championship. It is strongly recommended that you listen to the narrated slides BEFORE joining either of the Q n A.

STEM Research Grants provide support to teachers engaging their students in grades 6 – 12 in authentic scientific research.  Teachers can apply by Oct 31st for up to $5,000 to purchase specialized equipment or $1,000 in preselected equipment including Arduino starter kits, camera traps, and PocketLab sensors. Over 5 years, $575,000 has been awarded to 283 teachers. Priority consideration is given to schools that support students who are underrepresented in STEM or those who come from low-income communities. Last year the Society for Science provided STEM research equipment kits and funding to 95 middle and high school educators to help their students conduct research outside the classroom.

While the final application deadline for SRC pre-approval is November 22, you can get an early start on your project by applying before October 22 or November 5. Then your project will be reviewed at an early meeting of the SRC and may be pre-approved even before the final deadline. Reminder: SRC pre-approval is strongly recommended for projects that involve hazardous chemicals, activities, and devices or regulated substances. It is also required for projects that will test a device or software app on human subjects.

Congratulations to Jeanelle Dao from Stratford Middle School, San Jose, and Rory Hu from The Harker School, San Jose, who have been selected as Top 30 finalists in the Broadcom MASTERS competition! They are two of 26 students from the Synopsys Championship who are among the Top 300 semi-finalists in the Broadcom MASTERS competition. More than 1800 middle school students from across the United States participated the 2022 competition. Each one of these Top 30 students received a $500 award. The 30 Finalists will compete October 27- Nov 2 by participating in team challenges in addition to being judged on their science research projects.