State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida – STEM Competition
Join your colleagues on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at the RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida to support the young scientists of the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida – STEM Competition.
More than 400 judges are needed in 13 scientific disciplines for both Junior and Senior Sections. Judging is the single most important event of the SSEF of Florida for finalists and, in the words of a recent judge, “Judging was one of the most personally challenging, educational and rewarding experiences I have had in some time. These are truly amazing people!” And from another, “I cannot emphasize enough what a fantastic experience this science fair is for students and judges alike.”
We are pleased that our Judges provide outstanding interview experiences that allow our Finalists to be successful in our affiliate competitions! Our Florida students are able to successfully compete at the highest level of competition and represent the very best in independent STEM research at all levels of STEM related competitions. Thousands of hours have been invested by students across the state as they combine what they have been taught with what they believe possible to create a future as the developers of technologies and the innovators necessary to drive our economy and be creators of jobs for the future.
Why Judge at the SSEF of Florida – STEM Competition?
- Gain personal satisfaction and inspiration from these motivated young scientists and engineers
- Support STEM education
- Serve as an outreach representative for your business, school, or institution
- Take a break and give back to a good cause
More than 950 students representing all Districts in the state of Florida will be in Lakeland to compete for more than 1.2 million in awards, scholarships, internships and prizes. These middle and high school students are the top winners of our 37 regional science fairs from Florida.
Student finalists overwhelmingly say that the most significant interactions that they have at the fair are with the judges. Likewise, judges find their discussions with these outstanding students to be a positive and uplifting experience. The objective evaluation of projects by Category Place Award Judges is the most important aspect of the fair and determines the distribution of prizes, awards, and scholarships.
By volunteering for only one day, you can play an important role in encouraging these students to become the future science and engineering leaders of tomorrow. Judging will take place at The RP Funding Center starting at 8:00 AM and lasting through 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Unfortunately, we are not able to support travel expenses, but we will provide parking and breakfast, breaks, and lunch between Judging Rounds.
A Category Place Award Judge must have one of the following qualifications:
- Have related professional experience beyond receiving their B.A., B.S., or Master's degree, OR
- Have a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent (D.O., Ed.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., etc.), OR
- Be a current graduate student with research experience
- Must agree to the Ethics Statement posted on the website
- Must review the Policies and Procedures for Judging at the SSEF of Florida
Judges may include university faculty and scientists, industrial engineers and scientists, representatives of private and federal research centers and agencies, medical researchers, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students.
A Category Place Award Judging CAPTAIN must have the following qualifications:
- Be accepted as a qualified Category Place Award Judge
- Be able to coordinate the Judging Team for the assigned Category
- Have previous experience as a Judge for the SSEF of Florida
- Be committed to arriving early to coordinate the Category Team and stay for Final Round 3 Judging
- Must NOT have a “conflict of Interest” student/mentee/child participating in the SSEF
- Have fully reviewed the Judging Policies and Procedures -
We would appreciate your help recruiting other judges for the SSEF of Florida by contacting your colleagues and friends. You may direct individuals interested in judging to this website to register, view the descriptions for the 13 Categories in which finalists will compete, and review the Policies and Procedures for Judging.
You may view the Judging Schedule and our Judging Policies and Procedures at https://ssefflorida.com/judging/
You will receive a confirmation after your registration has been approved so please, please MARK YOUR CALENDAR for this important event! As we get closer to March you will receive updates on your judging expectations and parking information.
If you know of any other contacts for Judging, please direct them to this website and/or send the information to [email protected] Thank you and we look forward to seeing you WEDNESDAY, March 25th, 2020 at the RP Funding Center Lakeland.