[Nsa] Recruiting Judges for the Wyoming State Science Fair

[Gang Lu]

Dear NSA members,

The following message is being sent to you on behalf of Rich Loft 
concerning the Wyoming State Science Fair on Monday, March 7, 2011. Hope 
you can help out.

Regards,
Gang Lu and Simone Tilmes



---------------------Message from Rich Loft-----------------
  As part of our plan to forge E&O bonds with our partners in Wyoming, I 
would like to ask your assistance in recruiting NCAR Judges for the 
Wyoming State Science Fair (WSSF). In short, I am asking you to express 
the support of the directorate by broadcasting this opportunity to our 
science and engineering staff.

The WSSF will be held in Laramie Wyoming at the University on March 7th. 
Students competing in the fair come from grades 6 - 12 and from all over 
the state. The organizer of the Science Fair tells me "Many judges are 
needed!" and she says “NCAR should send as many as you can!”  I think 
this is a great way for NCAR to encourage science education in the state 
of Wyoming.

The information by WSSF includes the following:

Schedule of Events:
         Monday, March 7, 2011
         7:30-10 a.m.      Breakfast – Wyoming Union Senate Chambers
         8:00-8:30 a.m.    Judges registration** –Wyoming Union Senate 
Chambers
         8:30-9 a.m.       Judges meeting – Wyoming Union Senate Chambers
         9:00-11:30 a.m.   Judges review projects without students
         11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunch – Wyoming Union Senate Chambers
         12:30-4:00 p.m.   Student interviews by judges – students 
remain at their projects in the Union Ballrooms
** If unable to attend the registration and orientation, check in at the 
judging table in the Senate Chambers when you arrive.

Time Commitment:
   The critical time commitment for a category judge is for about three 
hours between 12:30-4 p.m.  The orientation meeting and morning judging 
are encouraged, yet optional.  Category judges work in a team to award 
the top five places in a category.  There are also many special awards, 
which can be judged during a shorter time period throughout the day, 
morning or afternoon.

What the Judges Do:
   The judges meeting occurs at 8:30 Monday morning, March 7th. The 
judges are then invited to view the projects, without students present, 
from 9-11:30.  Lunch is provided in the Senate Chambers, where other 
judges will be gathering and collaborating.  Judges then “interview” the 
students (with their projects) between 12:30-4 PM. Per category, judges 
also collaborate with each other to select the first, second, and third 
place projects.  Usually, this happens by 4 or 5 PM.

Judging Categories:
include Animal Science, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Biochemistry, 
Cellular and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth and 
Planetary Science, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Materials and 
Bioengineering, Energy and Transportation, Environmental Management, 
Environmental Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Medicine and Health 
Sciences, Microbiology, Physics and Astronomy, and Plant Sciences.

Qualifications:
   NCAR judges would be mixed and paired with University professors, 
graduate students, and community specialists.   Judges do not have to 
have prior experience judging, just an interest and knowledge in their 
judging category.

Travel Costs:
   CISL will reimburse the travel  (2 hours each way) of any NCAR judges 
agreeing to attend, including an overnight stay.

How to Volunteer:
   Interested individuals should contact Susan Cross (susanc at ucar.edu) 
to volunteer or to ask for more information.

Thanks in advance for your help.

best regards,

Rich Loft
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