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Information
FAQs
FAQs about Professional Society/Special Award Judging
at the Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair
ADVANCED JUDGING: INTERACTING WITH STUDENTS
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF JUDGING: CHOOSING WINNERS
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE GSDSEF
SPECIAL AWARD JUDGING BASICS:
What?
Note: What were previously referred to as "Professional Society Awards" are now called "Special Awards." This updated name better reflects the wide variety of organizations that participate in sponsoring these recognitions.
“Special Award” is a broad term used to describe any recognition given independently by a participating group, organization, or company at the Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair (GSDSEF). This includes industry organizations, professional societies, special interest groups, nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies.
When?
● Wednesday of Fair Week, which is typically the second week of March each year
● See GSDSEF Schedule for exact dates
Where?
IN PERSON:
Balboa Park Activity Center: 2145 Park Boulevard San Diego, CA 92101
● Website: https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/centers/bpac
● Map: Google Map Link for BPAC
● NOTE: We advise carpooling whenever possible
Virtual:
● zFairs - gsdsef.zfairs.com (registration required)
● No student interviews; select winners based on materials uploaded to zFairs Showcase (Abstract, slide deck, etc.) only
● Winners List due by 4:00pm on Judging Day
Parking
● Free parking available in parking lot
How do I know which projects to look at?
● Each Organization has its own method to determine which projects to look at, so please check with your point of contact or head judge if you are unsure.
● You may preview all projects online, including Abstract, deck, etc. in the zFairs Student Showcase, 1-2 weeks before Fair Week.
● To identify which projects meet your judging criteria, use the search bar for keywords or categories
● Your Judging Captain may also be sent a spreadsheet of all Abstracts ahead of the event
What is “Preview Night”?
● Preview Night is a chance to get an early look at the projects while they are being set up, on the Tuesday of Fair Week—and closes at 7pm.
● Preview Night is an opportunity for your team to get an advance look at the projects, before official judging. While most of the projects will be present, students will continue to arrive during your preview time - a project that is not in place may simply be arriving late, rather than a no-show
● PLEASE NOTE that this is NOT an opportunity for formal judging. Students will be in and out, setting up their projects and will NOT be available for interviews or questions
● To get the most out of your Preview Night experience, we suggest that you pre-select projects based on their titles and the Abstracts (see the above Q&A on “How do I know which projects to look at) and use Preview Night as an opportunity to refine your list prior to the actual judging. You may see projects that are interesting and meet your team’s criteria but are not on the list, or others that you can rule out without an interview
● You do not need to attend as a group or check in to view projects. Although most preview night teams do arrive as groups, we also have individuals who come without their team
● VIRTUAL projects previews are also available online at gsdsef.zfairs.com in the week(s) leading up to the event
What should each Judge bring on Judging Day?
● A writing tool that you are comfortable with (a limited number of pencils are available on site)
● A clipboard, if possible, to provide a firm surface for writing (a limited number of clipboards are also available on site)
● Paper (or a judging form from your Organization) to take notes
● Your head judge’s contact information (where/when to meet, cell phone number, etc.)
● A lanyard with the name of your organization will be provided. If you wish, you may bring a business card to insert into your lanyard
Is there a dress code?
We strongly recommend that you wear comfortable walking shoes to ensure good traction on the material used to cover the Balboa Park Activity Center’s wooden floor. The students are asked to wear professional attire, to show that they are taking this seriously, but we do not require this of our judges. If you have an identifying badge, ribbon, pin, or other item from your organization, we encourage you to wear it.
Do I need to check in with the GSDSEF on Judging Day?
● Only the Judging Captain for your team needs to check in with the GSDSEF. That person will also need to check out before leaving, to ensure we have all our paperwork for your winner(s)
● The Judging Captain will be given name badges and lanyards, as well as the Judging Form that needs to be turned in before they leave
How do I find my team?
IMPORTANT: We do not have a good answer to this question!
● Since there are typically about ~400 students and 250-300 judges, it is loud in the Balboa Park Activity Center, and therefore announcements we make using the PA system are not always easy to understand
● Some teams have reported problems with cell phone reception as well
● We strongly suggest that your team make arrangements ahead of time for meeting outside the building
● The happiest teams are often those which meet for lunch and carpool to the GSDSEF
How will students and volunteers know I’m allowed into the building on Judging Day?
You will be given a lanyard and ID badge, identifying you as a judge. These will be in a packet handed to your Judging Captain, so please be sure you know where to meet your Judging Captain before entering the building. If you arrive late, we do have extra credentials and a list of judge names, so we can check you off.
Can you give me some tips on how to judge student projects?
Your team will have its own criteria for selecting winning projects. The GSDSEF does have its own standards and judging forms used by the Categorical and Grand Award Judges. Links to all of the material we provide for morning judges (the categorical judges who award placements in the GSDSEF) can be found at the BOTTOM of our page about categorical judging under GSDSEF background. In addition to the GSDSEF’s standards, we also have suggestions for interviewing students. Of course, your team is likely to have significant differences from our example.
Will there be food available on-site on Judging Day?
Meals are not available for purchase at the Balboa Park Activity Center. There are a few snack and drink machines in the foyer, but we strongly suggest you make your own arrangements with your team about lunch. Some teams choose to meet for an early lunch and then carpool to the GSDSEF, while others prefer a later lunch, after judging. You may not bring food or drink into the judging area, except for water bottles with lids.
Where can we sit to eat, or while we discuss who our winners are?
We will have a Judges’ caucus area set up inside the Balboa Park Activity Center. However, spaces are limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. There are a very limited number of chairs and tables outside the Balboa Park Activity Center, as well as a low wall surrounding the area. You are welcome to bring your own folding chairs, tarpaulins or blankets to sit on while you discuss your team’s choices. If you do bring your own items to sit on, we suggest you leave them in a safe place until you are ready to use them.
ADVANCED JUDGING: INTERACTING WITH STUDENTS
What suggestions do you have for interacting with students?
● Please introduce yourself, and let them know which organization you are with
● Please be gentle! Many of our students are very intimidated by presenting their projects to adults, especially the younger ones; they do not have the same detailed level of expertise as most adult scientists (although a few of them are always amazing on their narrow topic)
● We suggest you ask open-ended general questions to begin -- for example “How did you determine if your results were statistically significant” rather than “Where is your Poisson Distribution?” You can always add more detail in follow-up questions
Can I tell a student that they have won our award?
Please do not tell students they have won! We want the students to attend the Awards Ceremony and be pleasantly surprised
Can I take photographs of our winners?
All students will have signed a media release permitting GSDSEF to use their images for promotional purposes.
With that said, if you would like to take photos, please ask if it is OK with the student first, and try your best to suggest that you are photographing many of the students you interview, not necessarily the winners. Please do not make a special point of photographing anyone, because we don’t want to tip off the winners, and we also don’t want students to believe they won only on the basis of having a photogenic project.
Can I give my card (or my organization’s flier) to a student I interview?
If you brought enough for everyone, feel free – and please mention that you are giving this to every student. Please, do not give items to only a few of the students you interview, since students often interpret this as indicating whether or not they won, and we don’t want anyone to feel discouraged or be unpleasantly surprised at the awards ceremony if they did not win, nor to skip the ceremony because they “know” they won.
Can I Contact a Student About Their Project?
We only provide student contact information to your team’s Judging Captain. However, you are welcome to leave a message for the student, and we will ensure that the student receives it.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF JUDGING: CHOOSING WINNERS
How do we let the GSDSEF know who our selected winners are?
Your Judging Captain will have a form to return, with information about your winners. Only one form is needed per team.
How do we know how to reach the winners?
When you turn in your Winner form, your selections will be inputted into the zFairs system and a list of contact information will be generated and printed for you on the spot. We request that you DO NOT reach out to your winners until after the Awards Ceremony.
What if the contact information is wrong?
Always a possibility, since the students type in the information themselves in most cases.
We try to verify their contact information before they leave the GSDSEF. If you can’t reach the student, e-mail sejal.pabari@gsdsef.org and let her know about the problem -- we will try to get you better information.
When do I contact our winners?
It is our expectation that each Organization will reach out to their winners as soon after the Fair as possible. This initial communication may be a simple “Congratulations” email, or provided detailed information about next steps. It is important to establish this connection, so that students are not left wondering where their prize is.
Students are asked to reach out to GSDSEF if they have not heard from their Professional Society. We can avoid much back and forth if you reach out to your winners in a timely manner.
How do students get their prizes?
The way that students get their prizes varies from one organization to the next. Sometimes, an item is left at the GSDSEF to deliver on the weekend, when students pick up their projects and take them home. Far more often, the organization will contact the winners directly, and either mail their prize or arrange to hand it over at their own event such as part of the program at an organization’s board meeting, or a part of a larger awards ceremony at an annual symposium held locally.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE GSDSEF
What is the GSDSEF?
GSDSEF is short for Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair, which has been celebrating students since 1955. For more information about the GSDSEF, please see our about page.
What Other Judging opportunities are there?
● In addition to the Special Awards Judging, we also have “Categorical Judging” and “Grand Award Judging”
● The Categorical Judges are our morning judges, and they select the First through Fourth place winners in each category. They also make recommendations for California Science Fair selections and for the Grand Awards. For more information about becoming a Categorical judge, please see information under the "Judges" dropdown menu.
● The Grand Award judges are typically our most experienced judges, and they choose the GSDSEF’s top winners, many of whom go to the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair. This judging happens at the same time as the Special Awards judging
Who pays for all this?
The GSDSEF is an all-volunteer, registered tax-exempt California non-profit 501(c)3 Corporation, operating as a Public Charity Status. We are totally dependent on donations from industry, business and friends like you to make the science fair possible. EIN #23-7332855. For information on how to donate, please see information under the "Sponsors" dropdown menu.
ALL ABOUT SPECIAL AWARDS
What is a Special Award?
Note: What were previously referred to as "Professional Society Awards" are now called "Special Awards." This updated name better reflects the wide variety of organizations that participate in sponsoring these recognitions.
“Special Award” is a broad term used to describe any recognition given independently by a participating group, organization, or company at the Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair (GSDSEF). This includes industry organizations, professional societies, special interest groups, nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies.
How does an Organization sign up to participate?
Contact Sejal Pabari, the GSDSEF Special Awards Coordinator, at sejal.pabari@gsdsef.org. The GSDSEF will need to know a little bit about your organization, how you plan to determine your winners, and what you plan to give the student winner(s).
Can you give me an overview of how Special Award Judging Works?
Once your organization has signed up to participate, your organization determines, based on its own criteria, which projects to judge. Many teams use the Project List (including the Abstracts) to determine which projects should be looked at most carefully. Preview Night is held the evening before Judging Day, and gives you a chance before judging to look over projects in a little more detail.You may also preview projects online. Your team judges projects in person or online on Judging Day, and the Judging Captain fills out paperwork to let the GSDSEF know who your winners are. The Judging Captain receives contact information for your winners, and your organization arranges to get the award to the student. More information about each process is below.
How do individuals sign up to judge for a Special Award?
Individuals sign up through their Organization, not online with the GSDSEF. If you are interested in judging but do not know who to contact, please contact Sejal Pabari, the GSDSEF Special Awards Coordinator, at sejal.pabari@gsdsef.org. She can let you know who to contact, or get you started as a new team.
I STILL HAVE A QUESTION!
If you still have a question that is not answered above, please contact Sejal Pabari, the GSDSEF Special Awards Coordinator, at sejal.pabari@gsdsef.org.