Each year, the USMA provides metric award certificates to regional and state science fairs throughout the US.
The USMA Regional Award is for the best use of the SI in a science fair project. The science fairs involved are the regional and state science fairs affiliated with the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
The ISEF is organized and directed by The Society for Science and the Public, Inc. of Washington, DC. Science for Society also publishes Science News. The International Fair is held each year in a different major city. The best overall projects at the Regional and State fairs are sent to participate in the International.
There are about 500 to 600 ISEF affiliated fairs each year. There are fairs using the USMA award in about 45 states each year as well as in the District of Columbia and a few US territories such as Puerto Rico. In recent years, about 200 of these fairs have used the USMA award. Some of them request and award more than one certificate. That, plus the fact that some fairs allow students to participate as teams of two or three, means that sometimes more than one student per fair receives an award.
The Science for Society posts awards materials, the Certificate template, plus a page of instructions and guidelines for the judges to their online portal for all affiliated fair directors. If the fair chooses to use the award, they usually arrange for some of their local judges to evaluate the projects for the USMA award. Please contact ISEF@societyforscience.org for assistance accessing their science fair information.
Frequently fairs request USMA to provide USMA members to judge for the award. The USMA also gets occasional requests from USMA members who are interested in judging at a fair. The coordinator of the award program tries to match up volunteer judges with science fairs in their area when possible.
The USMA Science Fair Award program coordinator’s information can be found on the officers page.
Volunteering to judge
If you’re a USMA member interested in judging a science fair, read how to judge for the USMA Science Fair Award.
Instructions and judging criteria
Science Fair Coordinators should download the USMA Science Fair Award Instruction Packet (PDF), which includes judging criteria, tips for breaking ties, and reporting. The Judging Guide is found on the last two pages of the instructions. Science Fair Coordinators should request the Award Certificate Template from the Science Fair Program.
Coordinators are encouraged to provide students with the judging criteria during the science fair planning phase. Although written for USMA’s Science Fair judges, students and teachers should consult the Judging Guide as projects are prepared. It can be helpful in understanding how a science fair project will be evaluated for its metric use.
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