Science Fair History
Overview of the Science Fair Program

Over the last seven academic years (2007-8 through 2013-14) SFAFS volunteers participated heavily in the preparation and judging of local (mostly) elementary school science fairs in the Santa Fe Public School District (SFPS). We judged both at the individual school fairs and also at the Science Expo, an event in which the best projects from the individual schools were judged again. Expo winners representing each of the grade level groupings were selected. Our work also included varying amounts of pre-fair consultation with students, helping them pick doable, inexpensive, safe science projects.

The principal criteria for a student science project are that it ask a question that can be answered using the scientific method and that experimental data be collected and interpreted in the process. Such projects are said to be "inquiry-based." Others, such as models of the solar system, or mock papier-maché volcanoes, are referred to as "demonstrations." Since a major goal is to teach the value of inquiry-based learning, there is a strong emphasis on guiding students and teachers toward producing inquiry-based projects. In 2011-12, SFPS began a "triage" process whereby only inquiry-based projects were selected for outside (SFAFS) judging. The others were judged by in-school and administration personnel. This process was continued in 2012-13, but then in 2013-14 we reverted to a process in which all projects were judged on an equal basis.

For SFPS, the take-home message is this: from modest beginnings seven years ago (8 participating schools and ~614 student projects (not including the appearance of 82 of them again at the Expo), the SFPS science fair program has grown to as many as 19 (out of 23 total) schools and as many as 3000 student projects (not including the Expo). Thus the program is now a mainstay of science education for SFPS elementary and middle schools – students and teachers alike are learning the processes of inquiry-based scientific discovery. We are seeing true excitement on the faces of many students, and some first-class work in addition.


We also think that a well–executed inquiry–based science fair project is a superb way to advance the goal of inquiry–based learning generally. The great thing about work like this is that the student is responsible for all aspects of it, from start to finish, including generating the idea in the first place. Most other inquiry–based school activities are not nearly so thorough.

• 2007-8: SFAFS judged 18 fair days (16 SFPS,1 outside, plus the first-ever District-wide science Expo). This represented eight SFPS elementary schools (some on more than one day), one outside the District, and the Expo. Seventeen volunteers contributed ~358 hours judging ~778 projects including Expo (~763 SFPS, ~15 from outside the District). The Expo included 82 projects, each one judged twice. There was one SFPS fair where SFAFS did not judge.


• 2008-9: SFAFS judged 19 fair days (12 SFPS, District Expo, six outside). This represented nine SFPS elementary schools (some on more than one day), six outside the District, and the Expo. Twenty-two volunteers contributed ~457 hours judging ~1083 projects including Expo (~907 SFPS, ~176 outside the District). The Expo included 127 projects, each one judged twice. Pre-fair orientation work with students was done at one school. There were six SFPS fairs where SFAFS did not judge.


• 2009-10: SFAFS judged 17 fair days (14 SFPS, District Expo, 2 outside). This represented 11 SFPS elementary schools (some on more than one day), two outside the District, and the Expo. Twenty-seven volunteers contributed ~505 hours judging ~1724 projects including Expo (~1623 SFPS, ~101 outside the District). The Expo included 151 projects, each one judged twice. There were two SFPS fairs where SFAFS did not judge.


• 2010-11: SFAFS judged 22 fair days (18 SFPS, District Expo, 3 outside). This represented 12 SFPS elementary schools (some on more than one day), three outside the District, and the Expo. Thirty-two volunteers contributed ~802 hours judging ~2080 projects including Expo (~1833 SFPS, ~247 outside the District). The Expo included 149 projects, each one judged twice. Pre-fair orientation work with students was done on seven days at three schools. SFAFS judged at all SFPS fairs.


• 2011-12: SFAFS volunteers judged 26 fair days (21 SFPS, the District Expo, and 4 outside the district). This represented 17 SFPS elementary and middle schools (some on more than one day), 4 outside the District, and the Expo. Thirty-eight SFAFS voluneers contributed ~814 hours judging ~2249 inquiry-based projects including Expo (~2055 SFPS, ~194 outside the District). The Expo included 208 projects, each one judged twice. Pre-fair orientation work with teachers and parents was done at one school (a Science Night) and at one District-wide teacher's meeting. SFAFS judged at all SFPS fairs.
  
  SFPS student projects totaled ~2768, of which ~1639 were inquiry-based and ~1129 were non-inquiry based. This represented a substantial overall increase in participation within SFPS.


• 2012-13: SFAFS volunteers judged 29 fair days (23 SFPS including the District Expo, and 6 outside the district). This represented 18 SFPS elementary and middle schools (some on more than one day), 5 outside the District (one of them on two days), and the Expo. Thirty-five SFAFS voluneers contributed ~1064 hours judging a total of ~1903 inquiry-based projects including Expo (~1683 SFPS, ~220 outside the District). The Expo included 204 projects, of which ~44 (two per judge) were judged a second time. This was a departure from previous years, when all Expo projects were judged twice. Pre-fair orientation work with students and parents was done at two schools. Orientation work with teachers was done at one District-wide teacher's meeting. SFAFS judged at all SFPS fairs.
  
  SFPS student projects totaled ~3061, of which ~1433 were inquiry-based and ~1628 were non-inquiry based. While the total number of projects is ~10% higher than the year before, the number of inquiry-based judgings dropped by ~13%. While the reasons for this are not completely clear, some of the drop is because Expo projects (all inquiry-based) were for the most part only judged once this year. It also appears that the definition of what it means to be an inquiry-based project has tightened considerably. It also may be that the new schools (or teachers) having a fair for the first time are not yet well versed in the processes of inquiry-based science projects and are not requiring them of their students.
  
  
• 2013-14: SFAFS volunteers judged 28 fair days (22 SFPS including the District Expo, and 6 outside the district). This represented 18 SFPS elementary and middle schools (some on more than one day), 6 outside the District and the Expo. Thirty-eight SFAFS voluneers contributed ~1610 hours judging a total of ~2465 projects including Expo (~2125 SFPS, ~394 outside the District). The Expo included 180 projects, judged by 27 judges. Of those, ~54 (two per judge) were judged a second time. (Each judge identified 2 projects among the ones he/she judged as possibly prize-worthy, and those were judged a second time).
  
  This year there was no attempt to divide up the projects according to whether or not they were inquiry- based. All projects were judged by the SFAFS judging corps.
  
  This year, pre-fair orientation work with teachers and students was done at all participating schools. This is a significant departure from past years. Although this effort is time-consuming, we believe this was a significant positive addition to the program. Orientation work with some of the school science coordinators was done at one District-wide teacher's meeting early in the year, and at two smaller gatherings. SFAFS judged at all SFPS fairs.

• 2014-15:  This year, prior to the start of the science fair season, ten of our judges made visits to eleven different schools to talk directly to ~2000 students.  During the classroom visits judges shared with the students and teachers how to set up a strong science fair experiment and answered questions.  In some schools, judges were able to meet with students to give them individual guidance.  Forty SFAFS volunteers judged 28 fair days, contributed ~1280 hours judging  a total of 2324 projects.  Including pre-fair visits judges contributed ~1440 hours.