banner
 

Home

Award Winners

News Room

Contact Us

  

Want to participate in an Intel-affiliated science fair during
the 2012-2013 school year?

  • If you live in Alameda County...

    • Go to the Website of the Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair.

    • Project support resources from the former TVSEF will remain available at the TVSEF Website throughout the year.
  • If you live in Contra Costa County...

    • Go to the Website of the Contra Costa County Science and Engineering Fair.

    • San Ramon Valley Unified School District students and teachers should note schedule and rule differences that will apply to them this year.

Changes to the Tri Valley Science and Engineering Fair?

The newly created Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair (ACSEF) has its roots in the expansion of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) affiliated Tri Valley Science and Engineering Fair (TVSEF).

For15 years, TVSEF has successfully served county students living in the southeastern cities of Alameda County. While other science fairs in the state have struggled to continue or have declined in participation, TVSEF numbers have steadily grown, making it a hallmark of science education excellence. During the past 15 years, some 6,195 students have participated — an impressive growth from its first year (1997) of 125 students.

As a result of this success Intel wished to tap into LLNL expertise to expand the science fair to the county level. The ACSEF allows participation for all middle and high-school age students within Alameda County. (Participants from the San Ramon-Danville schools participate in that county's fair). Though Intel no longer provides affiliation with TVSEF, LLNL still plays a vital role by providing sponsorship (with recognition in all ACSEF materials), expertise in planning and execution as well as judges/mentors for students.

Students benefit by having access to increased resources, a greater sense of competition, and affiliation with both Intel and the Lab's names.

This expansion also marks a natural progression for the Lab and TVSEF. LLNL isl stillactively involved in the county's science fair, though not to the extent of previous fairs. This allows LLNL to focus its resources toward other vital education needs, such as the establishment of engineering academies within all local school districts.

 

How does the 2011-2010 science fair compare with years past?
What changes What stays the same
  • GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE
    • Bigger: the former TVSEF service area grows to include all of Alameda County.
    • Smaller: the portion of the former TVSEF area in Contra Costa County is now served by the Contra Costa County SEF.
  • SCHOOL DISTRICTS
    • Inland districts (Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol) continue in the Alameda County SEF.
    • Costal districts (from Abany and Berkeley on the north to Newark and Fremont on the south) will participate in the same Alameda County SEF as the inland districts.
    • Oakland Unified becomes by far the largest district to send projects to the Alameda County SEF.
    • San Ramon Valley Unified School District will send its projects to the SEF in its home county (Contra Costa) for the first time.
  • FAIR VENUE
    • Chabot Community College (Hayward) will become the location for all Alameda County SEF events.
    • Judging and awards will occur on consecutive days, not the same day.
  • LEADERSHIP
    • Director: Patti Carothers is the Alameda County SEF director, working with the board of a nonprofit LLC created just to manage the science fair.
    • Sponsors: many former TVSEF sponsors (including LLNL) plan to continue donating to the Alameda County SEF, while new sponsors from the newly served part of the county will join them.
  • RULES AND POLICIES
    • The Alameda County SEF inherits its affiliation with the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) from TVSEF.
    • Hence, the same ISEF rules and forms apply to Alameda County SEF participants as those that TVSEF participants are familiar with from past years.
    • The standard ISEF criteria will be used to evaluate projects, as they were for TVSEF.
    • Some local procedures (about allowed projects and the format of the application cover sheet) are slightly different for the Alameda County SEF.
  • SCHEDULE
    • Deadlines: The high-risk-review (late October) and last-chance (early January) deadlines for students to submit projects remain the same.
    • Event: The dates for project set-up, judging, public display, and awards for the Alameda County SEF are March 20-22, 2012, about the same as for the former TVSEF.
  • VOLUNTEER STAFF
    • IRB/SRC: The Institutional Review Board (who monitor human-subject projects) and the Scientific Review Committee (who monitor project risks and safety features) for the former TVSEF have largely volunteered to continue serving in those roles for the Alameda County SEF.
    • Judges: Volunteer TVSEF project judges from LLNL and other local companies/agencies will be encouraged to volunteer again in 2012. The Alameda County SEF plans to use judge-support software adapted from ISEF, and to use a judge coordinator with both TVSEF and ISEF experience, to actively promote fair and reliable project evaluation.

Click to view the Tri-Valley Science & Engineering Fair Movie.



 

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | 7000 East Avenue | Livermore, CA 94550

logos
Operated by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration

Updated August 2011 | Privacy & Legal Notice | UCRL-WEB-215563