Each month, Science Fair Foundation BC hosts a virtual meeting for regional science fair organizers where we discuss plans for the upcoming science fair season, share ideas, and learn from each other. This year, we've gathered experts and science fair veterans to speak at our meetings about some of the fundamental components of running a regional science fair. These Speaker Sessions will run from September 2022 to June 2023 and are timed to support science fair committees in planning and implementing an April science fair.

Interested in attending the next meeting? Reach out to info@sciencefairs.ca for the meeting link.

Schedule

An Introduction to Fundraising
September 14th, 2022 at 3:30pm PT

For our first Speaker Session, we'll be joined by Alyssa Brownsmith and Jennifer Halinda and we'll be discussing different aspects of fundraising for a regional science fair:

• sponsorship relationships and outreach
• sourcing and writing grants
• funder recognition and reporting
• timelines

Watch this Speaker Session >

Community Outreach & Marketing
October 12th, 2022 at 3:30pm PT

In our second Speaker Session, Anne-Marie Simard will discuss outreach to schools and educators:

• how science fairs match the current BC science curriculum
• how and when to reach out to teachers to introduce science fairs into their classrooms
• an example of how to run a class or school fair

• the different social media platforms and the goals/purpose of each
• timing, how often to post on social media and what to post
• the benefits of PR

Ethics & Judging Part 1: Rubrics and Scoresheets
November 9th, 2022 at 3:30pm PT

For our third Speaker Session, we'll be joined by Rossi Marx from the Vancouver Island Regional Science Fair, who will discuss the importance of student ethics applications for science fairs. We'll talk about:

• what ethics are in science fairs and why science fairs need them
• the ethical requirements for science fair projects
• what you need to approve ethics applications

We'll also have Gerry Gourlay with us for our first of two judging-focused Speaker Sessions. In this first judging Speaker Session, we'll be discussing rubrics and scoresheets:

• the purpose or goal of a judging rubric
• how to transfer a judging rubric to a judging scoresheet
• what to do after the judges submit their scores

Watch these Speaker Sessions >

Registration
December 14th, 2022 at 3:30pm PT

Peter Scott from SD51 will be joining us for this Speaker Session all about registration for both science fair participants and science fair judges. We'll hear about:

• the purpose of student and judge registration
• the importance of privacy laws around collecting personal information
• ways to conduct registration and clean the data

Watch this Speaker Session >


Judging Part 2: Training and Interviews
January 11th, 2023 at 3:30pm PT

Gerry Gourlay is back for our fifth Speaker Session and our second session on judging. This one is about judge training and student interviews. We'll get to hear a bit more about:

• why and how to hold judge training
• scheduling student interviews
• timelines for judge training and planning student interviews

Watch this Speaker Session >


Awards & The Awards Ceremony
February 8th, 2023 at 3:30pm PT

We're welcoming back Anne-Marie Simard for our Speaker Session on awards and the awards ceremony, probably one of the most important parts of a science fair for youth participants. We'll hear about:

• different types of awards and their criteria
• compiling judge scores to determine award winners
• the different components of an awards ceremony (like thanking your sponsors and announcing winners)

Canada-Wide Science Fair Prep
March 8th, 2023 at 3:30pm PT

For this Speaker Session, we are joined by Kevin Frankham and Linda Haugen, who will be talking about everything that goes into preparing students for the Canada-Wide Science Fair, including:

• the role of the delegate
• what support the CWSF finalist will need
• tips and tricks for being a delegate