The involved and energetic student has spent weeks, perhaps months on a science fair project. And now judgment day is approaching. Winning a prize would be nice, not earth shattering, but certainly a feather in the cap of the student. There are several things that the student should know to impress the judges.
Some science fairs actually permit you to meet and talk to the judges. You want to take advantage of this opportunity to make a good impression. Be prepared to discuss your project and summarize it in just a few minutes. You should have enough information to give the judges an idea of what it is all about without going into too much detail. Your speech should include how you got your idea for the project, how you did the experiment, your result and conclusions.
Try to think of the questions the judges will ask and prepare your answers. For practice, you might try explaining your project to someone else and make believe that they are judges. They may ask things like "How much help did others give you? Why is your project important? What is the most interesting thing you learned doing this project? What problems did you have doing this project and how did you solve them?"
Don't look like you just got through with football practice when you appear before the judges. Dress nicely. Do not mumble. Speak up and appear confident. Make good use of your graphics and charts and photos. Point to them when appropriate to demonstrate your points. Explain why your project is important, and how it will help people.
Judges tend to emphasize creativity, originality and thoroughness. The guidelines are often made available before the fair. If you know exactly what the judges are looking for you can emphasize these points in your presentation.
Try to get feedback from the judges. Talk to them or email them after the science fair. This feedback will help you in the future.
In any event, this is your time to shine. Be confident, enjoy yourself and have fun. Over 200 award winning science fair projects can be found at www.terimore.com .
