2021 Virtual Sacramento
Regional STEM Fair
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Everything You Need to Know! |
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Hello, 2021 Virtual Sacramento Regional STEM Fair Participants! We are just nine days away from our first-ever completely virtual Fair experience. Our Staff has been hard at work ensuring that everything will go off without a hitch. Everything you currently need to know for the 2021 Fair is embedded somewhere in this email. If this email still leaves you with questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at sacstemfair@sacstemfair.org.
Good luck to everyone!
NorCal STEM Education Foundation Staff
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In the image above you can see a day-by-day category breakdown of the 2021 Virtual Sacramento Regional STEM Fair. Students will be emailed with their assigned judging appointment this week. Additional judging appointments will be assigned the week of the Fair to accommodate tiebreakers, special awards, and grand awards judging. Students will be notified of the need for a subsequent judging appointment via email. Please be sure to check your email, throughout the week of the Fair (March 15 – 21, 2021). Each judging appointment is one-hour long. Students should not leave their judging appointment until dismissed by Fair Staff.
Students will have five minutes to give judges a presentation on their project. From there, the judges will have five minutes to ask questions of each student. Students will have the ability to share their screen. Once their allotted time elapses, students will be automatically removed from the breakout rooms.
As a reminder, the virtual Awards Ceremony will be hosted on Saturday, March 27, 2021, at 10 a.m. The Ceremony will be broadcast live on the Sacramento Regional STEM Fair social media accounts. Be sure to follow us @sacSTEMfair on Instagram and Facebook in order to participate in the ceremony. Winners will be posted to the Sacramento Regional STEM Fair website after the ceremony.
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Self Nominating Special Awards! |
New to the Fair this year, you (the student) are in charge of nominating yourself for special awards! The 2021 Fair has over a dozen local and regional special awards to give out to some of your fantastic projects. Using the self-nominating form here, it will tell you which award you may qualify for. Then, judges will evaluate your projects and name a winner, out of those who have self-nominated for a special award. All self-nominations must be done by Friday, March 12th.
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Using Zoom in a Virtual Fair |
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Before the Meeting
First, ensure that you have Zoom downloaded on whichever device you choose to present on. You will need access to WI-FI, and a private place to present.
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A Zoom meeting invite will be sent to the email on file early next week with your presentation meeting link. Before you join the meeting, please remember to change your name on Zoom to your STEM Fair ID (Example: 12345).
If you forget to change it before joining the Zoom session, you can always change it once you have been admitted into the Fair by clicking the "Rename" button on yourself on the "Participants" menu as seen below.
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Chatting for Help!
After you join the Main Fair Lobby, you will hear a brief introduction from Fair Staff, and then be placed into breakrooms with your judges. Fair Staff may pop in and out to make sure everything is running smoothly. If you are having any issues, you can always message "The Host" and we will come to help! (Example to the right)
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Sharing Your Screen
If you have a presentation or any other supplemental materials to share with the judges to accompany your presentation, we recommend that you master Screen Sharing.
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When you select the "Share Screen" button, a menu will pop up with all available screens to share on your device. Click on any of the screens you wish to present. Please make sure that any unnecessary items on your device are closed at the time of the presentation. |
If you or the judges have any technical issues with Zoom, Fair Staff will be on standby to help! A small amount of time is factored into your judging window in the event of technical issues. If troubles present, you may be asked to reschedule. This will not affect your score. |
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Important Things to Remember for the Fair |
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No Recording Devices!
No recording of any part of the 2021 Virtual Sacramento Regional STEM Fair! For the safety and confidentiality of the judges, students, and Fair Staff, no additional recording devices are permitted. We understand this is over Zoom, but any student caught recording will be automatically disqualified.
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Note Cards Can Help!
Yes, you are permitted to have note cards to assist with your presentation. The most important part of the STEM Fair is your presentation, so we do not recommend you read your project word-for-word from your notes.
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Keep Them Out!
Please refrain from having any outside distractions! This includes, but is not limited to; Family, Friends, Pets, Noisy surroundings, etc. Any family or friends caught in the judging session with you will automatically disqualify your project. We want to hear you present, not anyone else.
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Interview Judging Criteria
Project Understanding/Knowledge
- Clearly explains the purpose or problem of the project
- Explains the basic underlying concept(s)
- Answers questions knowledgeably
- Clearly communicates information about the project
- Maintains a logical train of thought when describing or explaining aspects of the project
- Understands the concepts of variables and controls
- Logically draws a conclusion, based upon results
- Acknowledges and describes any assistance from others
- Provides evidence that any assistance is within reasonable limits
- Presents project in a clear, understandable fashion
- Has an acceptable project format with all sections completed
- Follows a standard format for citation, including endnotes and footnotes (i.e. APA or MLA)
- Provides appropriate drawings, photographs, and models to describe the project, attracts and holds the attention
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Interview Tips
Remember: You will begin with a short 3-5 minute presentation about your project BEFORE the judges ask you any questions. Here are some tips:
- Practice does make perfect when it comes to speeches!
- Start with the BIG, GENERAL IDEA or QUESTION that you began with - everything has a beginning.
- Connect the big general question or idea to your research topic.
- Provide a brief overview of highlights, like a movie trailer.
- Excite your audience about your project
- Used sparingly, humor, charm, and eye contact may help you connect with your judges.
- Communicate in a natural manner, not rushed, perhaps just a bit slower than usual.
- Place your project into context - how does it affect the real world?
- Wrap up and let your judges know you would be happy to answer questions and always remember to say thank you!
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