The North Carolina State Science fair happens each year because of volunteers who are pasionate about giving young people the opportunity to be actively engaged in the scientific process of developing an idea, testing the idea and then drawing conclusions and ideas from the results. You don't need a science degree to help.
Dates: March 24 & 25, 2023 (you can volunteer either day or both)
Location: Taley Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Judges
Time Commitment: 2-5 hours in week prior, full day on the day of fair (<15 hours total)
Questions? contact Judge Coordinator, Scott Ryals (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
How it works:
You'll work in a small team of other judges with one of the categories (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, etc.) or in evaluating projects for special awards provided by professional organizations, the military, NASA and NOAA, etc. Be sure to Indicate what you are interested in judging when you sign up. Orientation training will be provided before the fair which describes how the process works.
About a week before the fair, each judge will receive their category or special award assignment, the scoring rubric, and access to the projects materials to familarize themselves with and begin brainstorming some questions to ask each student. Most judges spend about 2-3 hours on this step.
On the day of the fair, judges arrive as the students are checking in, and gather in the judges room to meet up with the other judges on their team, and for final instructions befere beginning the process of reviewing projects and interviewing students. Each judge record scores based on the rubric provided and then caucuses with fellow judges in their category to comapre notes and select the winners. A head judge from each catagory collects up the results to report back to the Fair Director. The Judges Room will be open all day with refreshments available.
There is more detailed information about what to expect as a judge here.
Along with your role as an evaluator of student projects, you are also there to encourage and motivate student to continue pursing science, and even sometimes doing a little teaching. Judges should do what they can to help each student walk away from the fair with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Other Volunteer Roles
Questions? contact volunteer coordinator, Susan Morin (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
On the day of the fair, volunteers gather in the Volunteer Room for check-in and instructions on their volunteer assignment. You will also receive a NC State Science and Engineering Fair t-shirt to wear during the fair help identify you to students and parents. The Volunteer Room will be open all day with refreshments available.
Day of the fair roles
Zoom Moderators
Commitment: 7 hours
Moderators will be in judging rooms in Zoom along with a small group of judges. They will coordinate the welcoming of students, introductions, and timing of presentations. A moderator script will be provided. The moderators will communicate with room hosts via text to facilitate the change in students. Anticipated Hours 8:30AM-2:30PM with a 40 minute lunch break and 5 minute breaks hourly. Larger categories for judging may require volunteers through 3PM.
Zoom Host
Commitment: 7 hours
Zoom Category Hosts will need to be Zoom savvy, able to use breakout & chat features comfortably. The Category host will manage the main Zoom room where students join the meeting. Hosts will greet students upon arrival, add students to their judging room at the appropriate time, and remove students at the end of their judging session. A detailed script with speaking points will be provided for each host. The Zoom host will work closely with the moderators (who are in breakouts) to ensure that students are added/removed from breakouts based on judge readiness. The zoom host will have a tech support team to refer participants to if technical assistance is needed. Anticipated Hours 8:30AM-2:30PM with a 40 minute lunch break and 5 minute breaks hourly. Larger categories for judging may require volunteers through 3PM. A background check is required for Zoom Hosts.
Zoom Tech support
Commitment: 7.5 hours
Volunteers in this role would be troubleshooting level 1 technical issues with students and the families of student participants. They will need to be comfortable supporting technical issues from a remote location and interacting with families of students. The primary focus of this support will be accessing Zoom and managing sound and video settings. Technical issues that need to be escalated will be sent on to a level 2 tech support team.Anticipated Hours 8:00AM-2:30PM with a 40 minute lunch break and 5 minute breaks hourly.
Fair preparations
Data and upload support
Commitment: 10 hours
Uploading project presentation materials, descriptions, and images onto a platform used by judges, participants, parents, teachers, etc. This helps showcase students hard work beyond the fair and has been an invaludable resource for future particiapnts and teachers. Volunteers should be comfortable adding info to a website.
Safety Committee
Commitment: 10 hours
Each project must be reviewed prior to the fair for compliance with ISEF safety rules. You'll work in a team which includes other volunteers with years of experience. The goal is to not only ensure the safety of fair participants and the any subjects in their studies, but also identify problems in time for students time to address them if possible.
Additional Contacts
Fair Directory, Judy Day (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Executive Director, Stephánia Smith (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
