More than 1,100 Texas middle and high school students will display their outstanding projects at the 2016 Texas Science and Engineering Fair. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) continues its commitment to the success of tomorrow’s workforce by co-sponsoring the event with ExxonMobil for the 15th consecutive year. The fair, which is being hosted by The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center from March 31 to April 2, 2016 in San Antonio.
As a community supported event, the science fair relies on professionals in the science and engineering fields who generously volunteer their time to this event and who are vital to its ongoing success. The fair is currently seeking judges for the junior and senior divisions for 20 project categories. Judges are responsible for evaluating and scoring projects and providing encouragement and constructive criticism. As a part of the judging process, judges will interact with regional finalists, interview finalists, and provide encouragement to students pursuing future STEM disciplines. This event offers judges the opportunity to interact with the brightest young scientific minds in Texas and the future innovators of our nation.
Individuals interested in judging can apply on the Texas Science and Engineering website. There are three types of judges for the Texas Science and Engineering Fair: Fair Award judge, Blue Team Award judge and Special Award judge.
Fair Award Judges Fair Award judges volunteer their time to evaluate projects on Saturday, April 2 and must be present between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Fair award judges are assigned to a specific number of project categories based on experience, qualifications and their field of expertise.
Blue Team Award Judges Blue Team Award judges will select Grand Prize and Best of Show winners from among the winners of the individual fair categories in Physical and Life Sciences. The judging will take place on Saturday, April 2 between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Special Award Judges Each year more than 70 professional organizations, representing a wide variety of disciplines award special prizes to student projects. These organizations recruit their own Special Award judges to evaluate projects that meet the specific criteria of their awards. The judging will take place on Saturday, April 2 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Winners from the science fair’s senior division will qualify for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) competition in Phoenix in May and will also earn a spot at the Texas Governor’s Science and Technology Champions Academy, a weeklong residential summer camp, also sponsored by TWC, which will be held this summer at Texas A&M University. Past winners from this event have gone on to win top prizes at ISEF, visit the White House and attend prestigious universities across the country.