| Attention Northwestern Ohio Science Teachers! |
| Northwest Ohio District 2 Science Day NWDSD March 27, 2010 |
Join us for
A workshop for students grades 5-12, parents and teachers
Thursday, September 10
6:30-8:30
Main Library, 325 Michigan St.
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Projects are totally poster displays; no equipment, apparatus, materials, or specimens permitted at student tabletop displays. No materials except photos, may be fastened to display boards. Only research reports and data compilations are allowed on tables. Battery powered computers are permitted if necessary for simulation, modeling, or animation integral and essential to the project results; unessential PowerPoint presentation. The tabletop poster display is not to exceed the dimensions of 36" wide by 30" deep and must not be higher than 7' above the floor. (See more detailed rules below.) Fill out forms online, print out copies, and sign. New forms are available; do not use older forms for 2009 Science Day. Keep your originals; and send in copies with the exception of the Consent and Release Agreement. District 2 must receive the original signed Consent and Release form. Remit $20.00 for each student, payable to Northwest Ohio Science Day. |
Questions? Contact Director Mark J. Camp 419-530-2398 or Mark.Camp@utoledo.edu
Northwest Ohio District 2 Science Day (NWDSD) is the regional science fair for students in grades 7-12 in schools of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Williams, and Wood counties. Students who enter District Science Day are usually the winners from science fairs held locally at their own school, county, or school district. Projects that have followed Ohio Academy of Science standards from students who come from schools where local science fairs are not held are also welcome providing you contact the Director for special permission.
The Junior Academy Council of the Ohio Academy of Science governs NWDSD; one of 16 district science days in the state. The OAS is a nonprofit organization founded to stimulate interest in the sciences, to promote research, to improve instruction in the sciences, to disseminate scientific knowledge, and to recognize high achievements in attaining these objectives. The Junior Academy Council sets quotas of students who can compete in State Science Day and sets the rules for entries and judging criteria.
The 68th Annual Ohio Academy of Science Northwest Ohio District 2 Science Day will be held at the University of Toledo on Saturday, March 27, 2010.
The NWDSD Council, chaired by Mark J. Camp from the University of Toledo, organizes this important event. Members of the Council include teachers representing the counties of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Williams and Wood. We encourage teachers to join us on this committee. If you are interested, call Director Mark J. Camp at 419-530-2398 or e-mail at Mark.Camp@utoledo.edu
3. If a project involves research at a registered research institution or industrial setting and/or involves research with nonhuman vertebrate animals, human subjects, pathogenic agents, controlled substances, recombinant DNA, human and nonhuman animal tissue, and/or hazardous substances and devices additional forms must be completed and submitted with each registration. These forms are available elsewhere on this website and may include Registered Research Institutional /Industrial Setting Form (1C), Qualified Scientist Form (2), Risk assessment Form (3), Human Subjects and Informed Consent Form (4), Vertebrate Animal Form (5A and 5B), Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents Form (6A), Human and Vertebrate Animal Tissue Form (6B), and Continuation Projects Form (7). These forms are detailed, require certain signatures, have time restraints, and must be carefully adhered to. If you have any questions or problems please contact the Director, Mark J. Camp . It is assumed that participating teachers will be familiar with these requirements due to attending the several workshops that have been offered. If you are a new teacher and are not familiar with the requirements please contact the Director. Failure to complete forms will lead to disqualification. Classroom teachers may approve research plans in lieu of review by a Local Scientific Review Committee, if the proposed research does not involve recognized research risks or issues.
4. Students must write a detailed research report. The report usually includes a title page; table of contents; abstract; introduction (problem and hypothesis to be investigated); methods and materials of investigation; analysis of collected data; conclusions or implications; graphs, tables, and diagrams; and references. The entire research report is not to be sent in; just a copy of the one page abstract and a summary report as prescribed on Form 1A Attachment Plan.
The abstract should contain no more than 250 words. Please complete the abstract on a separate sheet of paper. An official abstract form (e.g. ISEF) is not needed. A heading must contain the project title and name(s) of the author(s). The heading does not contribute to the word count. The purpose of the abstract is to provide a summary of your project that will inform interested individuals of the contents. The wording must be written in a manner that any scientifically-minded individual, who may not be familiar with your topic, can understand the project's important points. The following should each be summarized in a few sentences:
The abstract should not include all the details. The key point to remember when writing an abstract is to keep the wording brief and concise. Use complete sentences. Abstracts should only provide necessary information needed to understand the project's basic points and importance. Please note the abstract is a brief synopsis of the pertinent techniques used and a summary of the findings, it is not the same as the report which goes into greater detail of the research process and results.
5. Set up a physical display. This is a poster display (36" wide x 30" deep) exhibiting tables, diagrams, graphs, models, report, etc. No equipment is to be displayed at your exhibit site; only the poster setup and supporting paper documents. Objects, specimens, equipment, etc. must not be attached to display boards. Failure to follow these rules could lead to disqualification.
6. Conduct a local science fair at your school or at the school district or county level. This allows students to practice their oral presentations before Science Day. As a general rule schedule this event sometime in January or early February. The NWDSD date varies because of space utilization, but we’ll always have enough time to process your entries if you hold your local fair early. You should have your local fair no later than Feb. 19, 2010 because entry forms will be due on Feb. 22, 2009. [Please mail them (or deliver them to UT, Bowman-Oddy Laboratory Room 3024 or 3042 ) so that they arrive by this date. Entries must be in by this date. No exceptions!
7. Enter winners (Superior-rated projects)of your local science fair in the Northwest Ohio District 2 Science Day by downloading current forms from the NWDSD website. Make certain all required forms are included and completely and correctly filled out.. Again, if you lack Internet access contact Director Mark J. Camp at 419-530-2398 and necessary forms will be mailed.
Dr. Mark J. Camp, Dept of Environmental Sciences, MS # 604, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606-3390
The Junior Academy Council of OAS endorses the concept of team projects at District and State Science Days. The International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) has also adopted the idea.
Rules for team projects for grades 7-12 at NWDSD are as follows:
Professionals in the fields of science, mathematics, engineering, and education, volunteer their time to judge on Science Day. The judge’s use the criteria set by the Junior Academy Council of the Ohio Academy of Science, and all judges’ decisions are final. The criteria are:
Students receive between 1 and 10 points for each of the four categories. The points are summed to form a rating category. The minimum number of points for each rating is:
Team projects are judged in the four above categories plus a fifth category, teamwork.
In order for a participant to have a reasonable chance of qualifying for state competition he/she/ must score some combination of 10s and 9s in each of the four judging categories -- knowledge achieved, use of scientific method, clarity of expression, and originality & creativity -- totaling a 36-40 or equivalent team point total. i.e. a higher superior rating. In order to assure quality student performances at State Science Day please note that judges will be looking for the following:
1. A Student Research Plan (1A) displayed with an 8-10 page research report. Report must be neat and well organized. Although in most cases judges will not be able to critically review all aspects of the report, any spelling and grammatical errors, notable lack of scientific method, and absence of pertinent references will lower ranking.
2. All completed forms including special forms for live vertebrate animals, human subjects, recombinant DNA, controlled substances, hazardous substances and devices, human and nonhuman animal tissues, or pathogenic agents..
3. A well written complete concise abstract.
4. All superior projects must be free of errors in spelling and grammar on the display board
5. Verbal presentations of participants receiving 38-40 or team equivalent superiors must be completed without reading from note cards or reports or presenting memorized speeches. Appropriate questions from judges must be adequately answered. Participants must be comfortable with terminology and have a thorough knowledge of their research.
6. If project involves experimentation, a control or controls must be present and explained. A minimum of 3 sets of data must be part of the analysis.
Each district in the state of Ohio has a quota limit for students who can attend the State Science Day May 9, 2009 at the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. The quota for our district in 2009 is 122. The procedure for choosing students to fill this quota is:
ALL STUDENTS INTENDING TO COMPETE AT STATE SCIENCE DAY MUST ATTEND THE AWARDS CEREMONY OR HAVE SOMEONE REPRESENTING THEM ATTEND IN THEIR PLACE. STATE QUALIFIERS WILL BE GIVEN AN ENTRY PACKET AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY AND MUST MAIL THIS IN WITH RESPECTIVE FEES AS INSTRUCTED IN THE PACKET. PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED WITH EACH ENTRY PACKET IMMEDIATELY AS THERE ARE IMPORTANT DEADLINES GIVEN. THE ENTRY WILL NEED TO BE POSTMARKED BY TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2009. Be advised that internet access is required to complete SSD registration.
State Science Day for 2010 will be held at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio on May 8, 2010. For information on State Science Day go to http://www.ohiosci.org/ssd.htm
Materials including books, pamphlets, and videos about conducting science fairs are available from:
The Ohio Academy of Science
1500 W. third Avenue
Columbus, OH 43212
Telephone: (614) 488-2228
Email: OAS@IWAYNET.net
Website – http://www.ohiosci.org
Also check the following website for more information on science fairs: