Student manuscripts MUST be submitted ELECTRONICALLY via email in Microsoft Word saved in 97-2003 compatible format AND in PDF format.
If you do not have access to the full version of Adobe Acrobat to convert your Word file into PDF, please click on the following link for a free online PDF converter:
DEADLINE FOR PAPER SUBMISSION is March 1, 2012.
New Mexico Junior Academy of Science
Regional and State Scientific Paper, and
Oral Competition Rules, 2012
Written Paper due date: March 1st by 7pm.
Papers should be submitted as PDF files OR as Microsoft Word files. If you have a Mac please convert accordingly.
Powerpoint Presentation due date: Â March 7th by 7pm.
PowerPoints should enhance your presentation: not stand alone. Slide should be easily read in about 15-20 seconds. Don't read off of your slides!
Oral Competition: Johnson Center March 15th 4pm to finish. This is the oral part of the competition where you will present your project in front of judges, peers, friends and family. Please dress nicely for the competition. Please arrive at least 15-20 minutes before hand. If you are competing in the Regional Science Fair the next day: please either set up at 3pm or do so quickly following this competition.
Each paper may have only a single author and presenter. But if a student has been part of a team project and would like to write a paper and make an oral presentation, this is acceptable. The student should describe the project, the work he/she did and how it fit into the overall project. The student should be prepared to answer questions from he judges on the entire project. The written manuscript and oral presentation carry equal weight in the overall scoring. Fewer than five entries in one division may cancel the competition for that division. Although the project need not be entered in a science fair, the paper MUST reflect actual science experimentation by the student, or theoretical work of the student in an area of pure mathematics or physics, or the development of a scientific computer model. Papers that are simply literary 'search' papers are not acceptable for competition.
Rules for the Paper Competition
1. Submit an entry form along with either a pdf or Microsoft Word electronic version of your paper. If you are using a Mac, please convert to one of these forms for submission. The first and second place winners of Regional Competitions will be asked to submit electronic copies to the State Competition Officials at NM Tech. Before submitting your paper to State competition… please be sure to review judges suggestions for ways to improve your paper and make changes accordingly.
2. All papers must include the following elements:
(a) Title page with the following information:
(b) Title of the paper,
(c) Name of the student author,
(d) Home address,
(e) Home phone number,
(f) Age,
(g) Grade of the student,
(h) School name,
(i) School address,
(j) School phone number, and
(k) Name of the teacher or sponsor who endorses the project.
3. The maximum length of the paper is 1500 words, not including references, figures, tables, and appendices.
4. Please provide an electronic version of the paper as a Pdf file or as a Microsoft Word file. Number the pages of the body of the paper in the upper right-hand corner and put the title of the paper and the last name of the author in the upper left-hand corner. Do not number the title page, reference page(s), or appendix pages. The entry fee is paid at the time of the oral competition.
5. For the necessary components of a scientific paper see instructions below or on the NMJAS website: http://www.nmas.org/junior.html: Technical Paper Guidelines.
7. A student may secure help in structuring, proofreading, and typing the paper. However; any and all assistance MUST be noted in the acknowledgments.
Rules for the Oral Competition
1. If there are more than 12 papers submitted in any division, the judges will select the top 10 to 12 entries for the oral competition, from the written papers. Students will receive notice as soon as possible if judges eliminate their papers from the oral competition.
2. Presentation time limits will be strictly enforced. Each presenter has 10 minutes maximum for the presentation and 5 minutes after the presentation for judges' questions. So, we suggest that you practice your presentation a number of times in order to get it done in the allotted time. Although other presenters, parents, teachers, and friends may attend the session, only the judges may ask questions.
3. It is strongly recommended that PowerPoint be used for the oral presentations. If the presentation includes a video, the video file must be saved along with the PowerPoint file on CD or flash drive. The State competition requires that the PowerPoint files be sent to the State Director several days in advance of the competition because they must be pre-loaded on permanently installed computers. Slide projectors and overhead projectors will not be provided unless arrangements are made in advance. NO AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS, such as hand-held demonstrations, chemicals, etc., are allowed. Also, try to keep the "animation" to a minimum: use sparingly and only to enhance an important point. Overuse of "glitz" can actually be distracting. That said; feel free to choose your backgrounds and such. Don't read off of your slides: bullet points or simple phrases work best on a slide… with you explaining in front. Embedded video is allowed but you should arrive early to make sure it works on our computers.
4. Copies of the current Judging Forms are available on this web site at manuscript judging and oral judging so there will be no confusion between Judges' expectations and presenters' preparations.
5. Each regional director is responsible for ensuring that no more than two entries for each division, junior and senior, are sent to the State Competition.
6. The order of oral presentations will be determined by random drawing. Failure to appear for the competition on time and ready to present may result in disqualification.
7. In order to promote professional courtesy, and to minimize distractions, all presenters are required to stay for the entire paper session. You should arrive at least 15 minutes before it begins, and stay until the last paper has been presented. Coming or going during the session may cause you to be disqualified.
SPONSORS: IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SEE THAT THE RULES ARE FOLLOWED. USE THIS SHEET AS A CHECKLIST, SO THAT THERE ARE NO OMISSIONS OR MISUNDERSTANDINGS. SIGN THE TITLE PAGE, AFTER YOU HAVE CHECKED THIS LIST CAREFULLY.
****If you have questions, feel free to contact your Regional Director or the State Director. But please .... do so well before the date of the competition.
Guidelines for Technical Research Papers for the New Mexico Junior Academy of Science Paper and Oral Competition.
Website: Â http://www.nmas.org/junior.html
Technical papers differ from other literary papers in their composition. The following characteristics distinguish science research papers: the abstract; captioned text; author-date citations; and a list of references.
You must first do an experimental science investigation. Keep careful record of everything you do and all your results. Then write your paper. Your paper must include the following components, each of which should start on a new page.
Title Page: Title of paper, student's name, age, and grade; school name, address, and phone number; student's home address and phone number; and the name of the teacher or sponsor who endorses the paper. Both the author and the teacher/sponsor should sign the title page. Please type the title at the top right of each page of the manuscript.
Acknowledgments: On this page thank individuals who have helped you in any way with your project.
Abstract: A brief summary of the content of your paper. In one or two paragraphs, define the problem, describe the methods you used in your project, summarize the results, and state the conclusions. The abstract should be on a separate page and is not numbered. It should be no more than 50 words.
Body of Paper: The body of the paper is composed of four main sections; Introduction; Methods; Results; and Discussion or Conclusions.
Introduction: Describe the background for your work; state the problem or questions, and the goals. In describing the work or conclusions of others credit is given by the use of author-date reference citations. The complete reference is listed in the References section.
Methods: Summarize in your own words what you did, what materials you used, and what instruments you used. Describe the work so someone else could duplicate it.
NOTE: if you have long involved methods; keep it simple here and go into detail in an appendix. Make sure that you refer to that appendix in the appropriate section of your methods section.
Results: Describe the results of your experiment, mathematical work or design project. Raw data include all observations or data that you obtain. These are not included in the body of the paper, but can be included in the Appendices.
NOTE: if you have long involved results and or data analysis; keep it simple here and go into detail in an appendix. Make sure that you refer to that appendix in the appropriate section of your results section. Analyze your data, then present them in the form of graphs, tables, or descriptions. Do not draw conclusions in the Results section… reserve that for the Discussion section.
Discussion: Describe your conclusions (even the obvious ones) and, if appropriate, discuss suggestions or implications for further work.
References: This is the place where you list the complete information about the references you cited in the body of the paper.
Glossary: In general, define new terms in the body of your paper. If you have many new terms or symbols, you may need a Glossary.
Appendix (optional): this is where you can go into a lot of detail regarding your methods, data analysis, and results.
Limit papers to 1500 words: excluding references, glossary and appendices.
POWER POINT presentations MUST also be submitted electronically via email and should be saved in PowerPoint 97-2003 compatible format.
DEADLINE FOR POWERPOINT SUBMISSION is March 7, 2011.
A registration fee may be collected. Checks can be made out to the NM Academy of Science. Check with Dr. Joachim regarding whether or not a fee will be charged for the regional paper competition.
E-MAIL SUBMISSIONS to Dr. Lorna Joachim at lfjoachim@comcast.net.
Please call Dr. Lorna Joachim at 505-710-4007 if you have any questions.
If the Academy receives fewer than five entries, it reserves the right to cancel the competition for that division.
This region's NM Academy of Science chapter invites the top 10 to 12 entries in each division to give a formal oral presentation to the judges on Thursday, March 17, 2011. Winners will compete for cash prizes and will hear the results during the general awards assembly on Saturday, March 19, 2011. The first and second place winners in each division will advance to the State competition to be held in April in Socorro, New Mexico in conjunction with the NM State Science & Engineering Fair (April 2011).
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF STATE ENTRY: To Be Determined (normally sometime around March 24th)
Students: The New Mexico Academy of Science hopes you will challenge yourselves to take the next important step in scientific investigation and communicate your results.
Teachers and Sponsors: We hope you will suggest this competition as an enrichment activity for students who are doing high-quality research.
Parents: We hope you will encourage your student to participate in the competition because written and oral expression of ideas develops a solid foundation for any future venture.
Sincerest thanks to all of you for your participation in activities supporting science education. Please contact the Regional Science Fair office at 277-4916 if you have questions about how to enter the competition.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lorna Joachim
Central Region JAS Paper Competition Coordinator
University of New Mexico
505-710-4007
lfjoachim@comcast.net |