Science is one area of secondary academics that has numerous lucrative and well established opportunities for competition.  There are many historical and cultural reasons for the link between competition and science.  Our cultural roots include an economic system that encourages innovation in an environment of risk.  Science competitions can provide the intellectual tools that help innovate solutions to human problems.  In our economic system (including copyright and ownership of ideas) science can mean insights that provide great material reward, improve the physical needs of our fellow humans and enrich the author of that idea or insight.

     Those institutions and persons who have experienced directly the impact of science on solving the physical needs of people are very interested in helping young people develop science reasoning tools, insights and imagination.  The result is an overwhelming number of lucrative Science Competitions designed to encourage the development of scientific reasoning in a variety of formats.

      The "Science Fair" is one of the most established programs with awards, trophies, ribbons, scholarships, prizes and cash at local levels, regional levels, state levels and the international level.  Each level has ever increasing rewards in a wide variety of disciplines.  Competitions can focus on developing intellectual skill sets like the Physics Competitions at the state, national and international levels.  Essay contests and technology use competitions are meant to encourage science based creative and imaginative solutions to human problems.  

 

         Character traits every science competitor is on public display at every competition.  Students have the opportunity to showcase personal character traits like initiative, personal discipline, persistence, focus and courage.  These character traits are often associated with success in any endeavor but they are more clearly displayed when students take part and genuinely compete.  A student with any extracurricular science competition in his or her background immediately reveals character traits that decision makers know are important.  The resume of the student, win or lose, is enriched with the evidence that a student took part in a science competition.
        There is the possibility that a student will develop interests that foster life long pursuits in medicine, technologies or any subset of the natural sciences.  Such interests, when pursued as youth, can be found at the root of many scientific and engineering careers.  This can not happen if it is not tried!
        There are the immediate possibilities of winning.  The local university offers a full four year scholarship to the regional science fair winner along with the many special awards (just at the local level).  The University of Alabama offers full and partial scholarships for Physics Competition winners.  The Dupont Science Essay provides experiences, trips and significant cash awards for science writers.  State and International level competitions have significant resources available to winning competitors.  These awards can be used to leverage ever greater levels of assistance when these students look to further educational opportunities.
        Finally there is the experience.  Students must learn to manage effort, time and emotion.  The executive skills used and developed can last a lifetime even if the student never wins or even develops and interest.  Students learn to communicate and relate to peers and judges in productive ways.  Communication skills, alone, can provide the student with life long skills used frequently in whatever vocation the student may choose to live out.

     The most important feature of this external competition required of ALL Honors Science Students at McGill-Toolen is that the students generate an entry by April 15th.  Students have from the first day of school until April 15th of the next year to display the responsibility and initiative required for an external science competition entry.
     The requirements of the many dozens of competitions mean that the instructor is NOT in a position to judge each entry.  The result is that the arbitrary scoring system is fairly straightforward.  The scoring system is generous, provides the student with a generous test score for any successful submission and encourages the student to display responsibility and initiative by independently meeting the requirements of the external (to the class) competition independently.
    When students require teacher review and comment prior to entry then 5 points are deducted for each review and comment by e-mail (this is to encourage student research, initiative, responsibility and attention to task). Student who come before or after school are NEVER charged!
    The quality of your work MUST be at least to the quality demanded of your "Lab Report Guidelines" provided at the start of the year and used throughout the year in the classroom.  This may require that your instructor be provided with a link or copy of what you submitted.  Topics and analysis must meet the standards expected of students in the classroom or points will be deducted from a ninety,  If your submission wins then no deduction will be applied however!

Late Projects:
     When a student successfully registers a project a 70 is granted (unless there is a deduction).  When confirmation of a project or entry related to physics occurs a 90 is granted.  Even if the project is unrelated to physics only 5 points are deducted (must be some science!)  If the student wins (at the local level) then a 100 is granted (even if NOT Physics!)  If the student wins at the state (or higher) level then a 110 is granted.

     In the case of the AAPT Photo Essay contest students are given a confirmation number (with out deduction) when the email a photo and appropriate essay to [email protected] for review, approval and a confirmation number. The essay must reflect the physics correctly in the photo and only the first 15 entries are provided with guaranteed free registrations. Photos and essays that are later may not be accepted so every possible contestant is encouraged to act hastily. "Those who hesitate are lost!"
All online competitions (such as the Google Science Fair) must provide a link to entry for instructor verification and review. Entries into online essays require that a time dated stamped email with essay be provided to the instructor PRIOR to the deadline for external science competition entry along with a screen shot or confirmation or registration number emailed to [email protected].
     Projects submitted after the April 15th deadline lose 10 points the first day late and then 2 points per day.  No late external science entry or project can earn more than 60 points.

     Science is one area of secondary academics that has numerous lucrative and well established opportunities for competition.  There are many historical and cultural reasons for the link between competition and science.  Our cultural roots include an economic system that encourages innovation in an environment of risk.  Science competitions can provide the intellectual tools that help innovate solutions to human problems.  In our economic system (including copyright and ownership of ideas) science can mean insights that provide great material reward, improve the physical needs of our fellow humans and enrich the author of that idea or insight.

     Those institutions and persons who have experienced directly the impact of science on solving the physical needs of people are very interested in helping young people develop science reasoning tools, insights and imagination.  The result is an overwhelming number of lucrative Science Competitions designed to encourage the development of scientific reasoning in a variety of formats.

      The "Science Fair" is one of the most established programs with awards, trophies, ribbons, scholarships, prizes and cash at local levels, regional levels, state levels and the international level.  Each level has ever increasing rewards in a wide variety of disciplines.  Competitions can focus on developing intellectual skill sets like the Physics Competitions at the state, national and international levels.  Essay contests and technology use competitions are meant to encourage science based creative and imaginative solutions to human problems.  

 

         Character traits every science competitor is on public display at every competition.  Students have the opportunity to showcase personal character traits like initiative, personal discipline, persistence, focus and courage.  These character traits are often associated with success in any endeavor but they are more clearly displayed when students take part and genuinely compete.  A student with any extracurricular science competition in his or her background immediately reveals character traits that decision makers know are important.  The resume of the student, win or lose, is enriched with the evidence that a student took part in a science competition.
        There is the possibility that a student will develop interests that foster life long pursuits in medicine, technologies or any subset of the natural sciences.  Such interests, when pursued as youth, can be found at the root of many scientific and engineering careers.  This can not happen if it is not tried!
        There are the immediate possibilities of winning.  The local university offers a full four year scholarship to the regional science fair winner along with the many special awards (just at the local level).  The University of Alabama offers full and partial scholarships for Physics Competition winners.  The Dupont Science Essay provides experiences, trips and significant cash awards for science writers.  State and International level competitions have significant resources available to winning competitors.  These awards can be used to leverage ever greater levels of assistance when these students look to further educational opportunities.
        Finally there is the experience.  Students must learn to manage effort, time and emotion.  The executive skills used and developed can last a lifetime even if the student never wins or even develops and interest.  Students learn to communicate and relate to peers and judges in productive ways.  Communication skills, alone, can provide the student with life long skills used frequently in whatever vocation the student may choose to live out.

     The most important feature of this external competition required of ALL Honors Science Students at McGill-Toolen is that the students generate an entry by April 15th.  Students have from the first day of school until April 15th of the next year to display the responsibility and initiative required for an external science competition entry.
     The requirements of the many dozens of competitions mean that the instructor is NOT in a position to judge each entry.  The result is that the arbitrary scoring system is fairly straightforward.  The scoring system is generous, provides the student with a generous test score for any successful submission and encourages the student to display responsibility and initiative by independently meeting the requirements of the external (to the class) competition independently.
    When students require teacher review and comment prior to entry then 5 points are deducted for each review and comment by e-mail (this is to encourage student research, initiative, responsibility and attention to task). Student who come before or after school are NEVER charged!
    The quality of your work MUST be at least to the quality demanded of your "Lab Report Guidelines" provided at the start of the year and used throughout the year in the classroom.  This may require that your instructor be provided with a link or copy of what you submitted.  Topics and analysis must meet the standards expected of students in the classroom or points will be deducted from a ninety,  If your submission wins then no deduction will be applied however!

Late Projects:
     When a student successfully registers a project a 70 is granted (unless there is a deduction).  When confirmation of a project or entry related to physics occurs a 90 is granted.  Even if the project is unrelated to physics only 5 points are deducted (must be some science!)  If the student wins (at the local level) then a 100 is granted (even if NOT Physics!)  If the student wins at the state (or higher) level then a 110 is granted.

     In the case of the AAPT Photo Essay contest students are given a confirmation number (with out deduction) when the email a photo and appropriate essay to [email protected] for review, approval and a confirmation number. The essay must reflect the physics correctly in the photo and only the first 15 entries are provided with guaranteed free registrations. Photos and essays that are later may not be accepted so every possible contestant is encouraged to act hastily. "Those who hesitate are lost!"
All online competitions (such as the Google Science Fair) must provide a link to entry for instructor verification and review. Entries into online essays require that a time dated stamped email with essay be provided to the instructor PRIOR to the deadline for external science competition entry along with a screen shot or confirmation or registration number emailed to [email protected].
     Projects submitted after the April 15th deadline lose 10 points the first day late and then 2 points per day.  No late external science entry or project can earn more than 60 points.

A unit quiz located at www.physbuzz.org can be used to replace missed class work or improve assignment grades and will NOT be available after the unit is over!

 

The "Hot Seat Team Cipher" Competition has a 10 point assignment bonus for the assignment and a 5 point test score bonus for the winners.  Help your team win through disciplined preparation!