Judge's Questions

It's easy, just fill out the registration form on-line. Please remember to include your email address as this is the easiest way for us to send out reminders.

If you wish to be a judge at the CYSF, you must:

1. be at least 19 years old or attending a post-secondary institution
2. have a love of science
3. be free all morning March 19, 2010

Space permitting, all people are accepted as judges until the deadline of March 17, 2010.  You should get an e-mail confirming your registration immediately after registering.

Elementary projects are done by students in grades five and six. Most of these students have competed at a school fair and have won their place to attend the Calgary Youth Science Fair. Secondary projects are from students in grades seven to twelve and have projects that are generally more advanced then those in elementary.

What you need to know:

• First, you must have an understanding of the scientific method;
• Second, you must understand our judging forms and know what information meets the criteria set out in those forms;
• Third you must know how to fill out all the judging forms and when we need them on the morning of the fair.

Where you can find this information:
All these topics are covered in our yearly Judging Seminar. The seminar highlights the events of the judging day, goes through the scientific method, mock judges a project, and explains all the judging forms.  The seminar is 2 hours long and at that time we will also give new judges a judging handbook to take away. The handbook summarizes all the information presented in the seminar, but does not act as a replacement for the seminar. If you can't make it to the seminar contact us at judging@cysf.org and we can send you a link to download and print off a copy.

Here is the schedule for this year's judges seminars:

• Seminar 1: Monday, February 22, 2010, 5:00 to 6:00 PM: University of Calgary Science Theatres 143

• Seminar 2: Tuesday, March 2, 2010, Noon to 1:00 PM: BP Building 3rd Floor, 240-4 Ave SW

• Seminar 3: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 6:00 to 7:00 PM: Stampede Park, Big Four Building

 

We like to recommend you start at the elementary level for at least one year. Elementary projects are generally not as involved as those at the secondary level and don't require in depth knowledge of a subject. Judges at the secondary level must have adequate knowledge of a subject so that they can ask more complex questions about project results.

7:15 am	Judges arrive at Big Four Building, Stampede Grounds
	Judges go upstairs to the right
	Please bring clipboard, pencil and pen
	Take your name tag and meet your team
	Continental breakfast is provided
	Each team has an envelope that contains forms, labels, and schedule. The team should go through the envelop to make sure they have all forms and labels.
7:30 am	Elementary and Secondary committee address judges and go over a few last minute details and give thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors
8:00 am	Judges move downstairs and introduce yourselves to the students you will be judging and let them know what time each of you will be back to judge them. Please remember to introduce yourself to students as a group
8:15 am	Judging starts
	You will judge each project separately (usually about four projects)
	You will have around 40 minutes per project
11:00 am	Meet team upstairs at your judging table
	You and your team will compare notes, rank projects and discuss and assign final marks
	Fill out Judging Team Mark Summary form, this does not need to be an average mark but a mark that all team members feel the student deserves
	We need scores handed in by 11:15 am (no comments, just scores) so the list of projects that should be second round judged can be made.
11:15 am	Prepare one written comment sheet for each student (please make two identical comment sheet if there are two students)
	Please remember to complete the lines for Entry No. and Location No. on the forms
12:00 noon	First Round / Medal Round ends
	At this time, use the envelope to hand in all forms: - Comment sheets - Tally sheets (evaluation forms) - Spare forms

No, you don't need to attend the Judging Seminar, and you can still judge if you don't attend. We strongly encourage all new judges attend as you go over how to judge a project and what to do if you have a problem project. Also, the judging handbook is handed out, so if you are not attending, and have never judged, please e-mail judging@cysf.org to let us know you need a handbook.

No, you don't need to attend the Preview night. The Preview night gives the judges a chance to look at all the project when there are no students and to have one last chance to mock judge a project.

Please contact us to let us know of your interest in judging for future years and we will add you to our data base.

When you fill out a registration form, you must put your friend's names down and they must do the same. However, we can't guarantee that you will be judging with your friends. When we build the judging teams, we like to put experienced judges with less experienced or new judges. This gives us more consistent results and allows new judges to learn from past experience of the other judges.

Click here for the list of Major Award Winners at 2009 Fair.

Please contact the President of the society, Andrea Granger.

Usually there are around 1000 students (600 projects) that participate at the fair. Click here for accurate statistics on previous fairs.

Click here to find out what awards are available to students.

You can still judge as there are many students at the fair. If you arrive in the morning and find that you are judging your child's project, we will switch you to a new team.

There are two ways to receive a judging handbook (only for new judges as the handbook information does not change, just the color does). If you attend the judging seminar you can pick one up there or if you are unable to attend the judging seminar, you can contact us at judging@cysf.org and we will send you a link to download and print off a copy.

The Calgary Youth Science Fair Judging takes place this year on March 19, 2010, in the Big Four Building at the Stampede Grounds. We like judges to arrive between 7:00 and 7:15 am.

 

You can choose from the following three judging seminars:

• Seminar 1: Monday, February 22, 2010, 5:00 to 6:00 PM: University of Calgary Science Theatres 143

• Seminar 2: Tuesday, March 2, 2010, Noon to 1:00 PM: BP Building 3rd Floor, 240-4 Ave SW

• Seminar 3: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 6:00 to 7:00 PM: Stampede Park, Big Four Building

 

The Calgary Youth Science Fair Preview night is held on Thursday, March 18, 2010, in the Big Four Building, Stampede Grounds from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

If you arrive before 7:15 am on Fair day parking is free on the Stampede Grounds when you tell the parking attendants you are with the Science Fair.

Click here to see who our sponsors are.

Please contact the chair of the finance committee, Terry Allen.

Please contact us as soon as possible to let us know you can't attend the fair. Our teams are made up just prior to the fair so as long as you give us sufficient warning it does not cause any major problems. If you had every intention of coming but for some unforeseen reason have to cancel the morning of fair day you must call the number given to you in prior mailings.