USGS Scientists Volunteer to Judge Local Science Fairs in Falmouth, Massachusetts


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USGS Scientists Volunteer to Judge Local Science Fairs in Falmouth, Massachusetts

By Adrian Green, Kate Ackerman and Brian Buczkowski
May 2007

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student explains her science-fair project to a judge

Above: A student from Falmouth Academy explains her science-fair project to an attentive judge. Photograph by Susan Moffat (faculty member, Falmouth Academy). [larger version]

During February and March 2007, many scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)'s Woods Hole Science Center participated as judges in local schools' science fairs throughout Falmouth, Massachusetts. Each year, students may choose to enter a science fair in hopes of presenting the winning project, as well as receiving scholarship money funded by science institutions in the area. This year, project topics ranged from environmental and ecological studies to geology and tectonics. Many projects at the high-school level dealt with complex topics, such as studying varying degrees of eutrophication in ponds relative to the population density around the pond, analyzing marine-mammal vocalizations, and investigating the evolution of marine Cyanobacteria. At the middle-school level, the projects were highly creative, with one person hoping to test the hypothesis "Are apples and oranges really that different?"

As judges, the scientists interviewed the students, evaluated their projects, and offered feedback on how to improve their methods and further expand their research. In addition to scientists from the USGS Woods Hole Science Center, volunteer judges came from other scientific institutions in Woods Hole, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. USGS scientists who judged projects created by students at the Falmouth Academy were John Bratton, Brian Buczkowski, Jason Chaytor, Debbie Hutchinson, Marinna Martini, Elizabeth Pendleton, Dave Twichell, and Richie Williams. Kate Ackerman, Seth Ackerman, Matthew Arsenault, Wayne Baldwin, Michael Bothner, Jason Chaytor, John Crusius, Adrian Green, Hyun-Sook Kim, Kevin Kroeger, Kathy Scanlon, Bill Waite, Richie Williams, and Bill Winters judged science fairs held by Falmouth public schools, including Falmouth High School, the Lawrence School (grades 7 and 8), and Falmouth elementary schools.