March 9 at 5 pm is the deadline for changes to Judging Folders

Students should do a final check of their Judging Folders before the Category judges start to review them. (1) Don’t use subfolders. (2) Upload videos to YouTube; include the link in your presentation and/or on a separate document with your project code, title and name(s). (3) Use PDF documents and eliminate duplicates in other formats. (4) The Project Abstract should include your project code, title, name(s) and the link (those don’t count against the 250-word limit). (5) File names should include the project code. (6) Form 1C for RRI projects and Form 7 for Continuation projects should be included, but no other forms should be copied over from your Application Folder.

Applications are now being accepted for the Society for Science Advocate Program. This program provides a stipend, training, and year-round support to teachers and mentors who help underrepresented students enter STEM research competitions. The Student/Mentor Connection Grant provides $500 – $750 to connect underserved students with a scientist mentor. Applications are due March 5th.

Please request changes to a project title, field of study, etc. – or to withdraw from science fair – by midnight on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Then the database will close, meta-information will be locked, and judging assignments will begin. (You’ll upload project materials to a new Judging Folder beginning Feb. 26.)

• Check Project Status with the button on the home page. After Feb. 24 any Incomplete project will move to FTQ (Fail to Qualify).
• Is the Field of Study accurate? and the category (RRI vs non-RRI)? 
• Is the title correct, are student names spelled correctly, and is the right person listed as official sponsor?
• If the project is Incomplete, upload whatever information has been requested to your Forms Folder. Inform the person who made the request by email with your project code in the subject line.
• If you need to withdraw, send email to SRC or the Fair Administrators via the contact page. 

If you have a software engineering project in the “Received pile” you
can facilitate SRC review by making sure the following are included:

• Research plan that uses the engineering project format
• A problem and a goal. Quantitative measurements (e.g. actual speed not
  faster)
• A flow chart
• Bibliography in MLA format.  

Thank you.

Project Material Instructions for the 2021 Virtual Synopsys Championship are available for the PDFs (and optional videos) that students will upload to their Judging Folders for review by the judges before the web conferences on March 11th. Individual Judging Folders will be made available – via everyone’s individual Project Page – in February, probably on the 26th.
There is also a Instructions web page.

Thank you for your patience as the Scientific Review Committee makes its way through 700+ applications using the new system of digital folders. It will take a while to finish this number of projects, including email to students if anything is incomplete or needs attention. Please watch your inbox for questions from the SRC.

If you submitted an application, it should appear under your sponsor’s name on the Project Status Page. Please email fairmanager@science-fair.org if it’s missing.

To see if your application is Accepted, please click Check Project Status on this page. Follow a link to the page for your teacher/sponsor. If your application is “Received,” it is waiting for review by the SRC. If it is “Incomplete,” it needs more information or additional form(s). If you haven’t received an email about what’s missing, contact Fair Administration via the Contact page and include your Project Code or the title of your project.

Project Material Instructions for the 2021 Virtual Synopsys Championship are available for the PDFs (and optional videos) that students will upload to their Judging Folders for review by the judges before the web conferences on March 11th. Individual Judging Folders will be made available – via everyone’s individual Project Page – in February, probably on the 26th.
There is also an Instructions web page.

We invite you to encourage future scientists and engineers by judging at our science and technology fair on March 11th.  This year, due to the pandemic, the Championship will be conducted by web conferencing. We expect as many as 1,000 students to participate. Students in grades six through twelve, attending schools in Santa Clara County will demonstrate their research projects.

Both returning and new judges must register online at:
https://science-fair.org/database/judge.php
Don’t forget to click the “Register as a Judge” button after completing your registration form.

Judges who participate are required to be available during the ENTIRE duration of the web conferencing (12:30 to 6:00 PM PST). Judges need a college degree in a field of science, engineering, technology or math.

If you wish to be on a judging team with one friend or colleague who is in your field, please indicate this in the comments field as you register (and make sure that they also register.) If you know of colleagues who would make good judges, please forward this message to them.

Further details, including the schedule and the Judging Guide, can be found at the Judge’s link/webpage on our website:
http://www.science-fair.org

If you have any questions, OR wish to be removed from our database, please email us at:
judging@science-fair.org.

The Synopsys Championship encourages talented students to pursue careers in science and technology.  Please join us to share your passion for science and technology, in support of the next generation of local innovators! There are many opportunities to volunteer, and it all starts with just one afternoon as a Category Judge!

Mentors are available for high school students through the SSSMART Mentorship Program. This  program was set up by the Synopsys Outreach Foundation in collaboration with the SJSU College of Engineering to help high school students prepare for their project-based science event. Students can work with the mentors to ask questions, work through their challenges, and seek additional guidance about careers in STEM.

On the program’s website, students can see a list of mentors and sign up for office hours; teachers can request a virtual classroom visit; and everyone can view live and recorded events and tutorials.