Robert M. hooker1
Indiana Central College Indianapolis and Richard T. Rapalaz Eli Mly and CO. Indianapolis
I
I I
The National Science Fair-International and the ACS Chemistry Awards
During the 11th National Science FairInternational at Indianapolis in May, 1960, the American Chemical Society presented the "ACS Chemistry Awards" for the first time. The Society plans to continue these awards in future National Science Faire; this paper is presented to explain the mechanics of the awards and to inform interested high school teachers and students of the basis of selecting the winners. The National Science Fair program, sponsored by Science Service and other organizations both academic and industrial, has as its main objective inspiring greater interest among students in the fields of pure and applied science. This it does by identifying and encouraging the scientifically gifted students, by permitting the younger group to express themselves by using their skills and interest in science, and, indirectly, by reinforcing science teaching and creating a demand for better science instruction. Scientific organizations provide time, effort, and money to support this program. Many scientists, independently or through t,heir science afiliations, give technical service and advice in the role of advisors to the individual exhibitors, help to organize the science fairs, and aid in the arduous task of judging the many exhibits. Although many local sections of the ACS have been cooperating with t,he National Science Fair program for several years, 1960 was the first year the national organization participated. The ACS Chemistry Awards were two $100 gifts for purchase of books or equipment, one to the first place boy and one to the first place girl chemistry project winners. The first, place and runner-up boys and girls were each given an inscribed plaque and a year's subscription to the JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION.These awards were in line with the presentations made by other national scientific organizations. The awards were presented by the ACS chairman of the local section to the winners a t one of the award banquets. Each plaque was returned to the ACS representative for the purpose of engraving it with the winner's name and school, then was re-presented to the winner at a meeting of the local section of the ACS in his area. The local ceremony also included the presentation of an inscribed certificate recognizing the winner's sponsoring teacher. The judges for these awards are selected by the ACS representative from the local and surrounding ACS sections and are persons who have not acted as judges for either a state or local science fair during the year. The four judges from four different ACS sections for
' Chairman, Indiana Section, ACS,
1959-60.
Chief of Judges for the ACS Chemistry Awards at the 11th National Science Fair International.
the 1960 Nat.iona1 Science Fair Chemistry Awards were eminent chemists in four different fields of chemistry: three came From universities and one from an industrial concern. The projects to be evalnated by the judges varied from simple devices illustrating fundamental laws to complex modern equipment, from collections and data, processing t o sound experimental studies and interpretations. Since true chemistry encompasses so many branches it was necessary to scan all entered exhibits for possible chemical nature. I n this manner then, projects that were not listed as chemistry exhibits, but could be defined in this category by the judges, were considered. The ideas for the science projects came mainly from books and magazines, from faculty members, and from summer work. Moral as well as scientific support was constantly furnished by parents and teachers. Typically, the initial step of formulating the idea and concept was followed by a thorough library search and then by correspondence with academic and industrial scientists to concentrate the basic interests. As the plan developed and unfolded, any shortcomings in the idea or in the student which became apparent necessitated more reading, further consultation, more correspondence, and additional discussion. With the experimental work under way, the project could take a complete change of course or it could run tangent to the original concept; consultations with academic and industrial scientists were continued. The student was able to show his creative ability a t the different stages of the project, in selecting the method of approach and the experimental design, in recording his observations of the expected and the unexpected, and in interpreting his results. The completed project then became one of good basic ideas, experimental studies, and wellorganized data which represented for the young student a rewarding intellectual research experience. The more successful exhibits had certain characteristics apparent to the interested observer, including a clear statement of (1) the purpose of the project, (2) the method of solving the problem, (3) the recording of experimental observations, (4) the interpretation of the experimental results, and ( 5 ) the conclusions, support,ed by the data obtained. According to t.he National Science Fair rules, the exhibits are judged on creative ability, scientific thought, thoroughness, clarity, dramatic value, and technical skill; the values range from 10 to 30 points for each part with a total point value of 100. Each chemistry project was evaluated by each of the teams of two judges. The initial screening to eliminate less than Volume 38, Number 4, April 1961
/
209
.
outstanding projects was based on a committee elimination rather than upon any one individual's judgment. I n the final judging, originality and ability were stressed along with interest, neatness, and clarity of presentation by the exhibitor (the posters and legends which accompanied the exhihit and their explanation by the contestant were also considered). The judges were interested in the main purpose of the exhibit, the fulfillment of its objectives, the description and procedures used, the results achieved, and whether further work was needed. They were not interested in routine analyses or cookbook projects, in the building of an apparatus without making use of it in a novel way, in collections as such, or in a colorful and unusual display which demonstrated a lot of work but little scientific planning. All of the judges felt that it was necessary that the student have a deep intellectual interest in the subject as well as a
210 / lournol o f Chemical Educofion
knowledge of the area surrounding his particular exhibit. They wanted the exhibitor to show that he could and did think independently when preparing his exhibit. Since most of the contestants had the advice and help of one or more senior scientists, the judges spent considerable time in determining whether the student was working as an individual dependent on his own intellectual resources or was being completely directed by the sponsors. Perhaps the greatest result of these fairs is the discovery of our most fundamental natural r e s o u r c e the young men and women with the potentialleadership that human society requires for continued existence in a world of change. To keep America strong we must constantly advance our technological progress; we know that to these students will fall the responsibilities for our scientific, industrial, and cultural advancement and the future of this nation.
