The 1998 Virginia 4-H Congress "Move Over World, We're Going To Change Things"

Science Demonstration/Competition at State Congress

This year, the Science and Technology Curriculum Component Committee is offering a new contest area at State Congress--Science Display and Demonstration. This document presents the rules/judging criteria for this new contest.

1. Originality -- The youth presenting the demonstration must have been actively involved in the science experiment demonstrated. However, it is acceptable for one youth to present a research project that involved a team effort. There is no restriction on presenting work that was prepared as a school project or other formal activity. If the original project was a group effort, the youth presenting the work must prepare their own display specifically for this event.

2. Size -- The display must be capable of sitting (freestanding) on a 3 ft x 3 ft space on a tabletop.

3. Display Contents -- The display must "tell the whole story" by itself and will count for 70 out of a total of 120 points toward the final competition score (see Scoring). It must contain the following parts:

4. Title -- the title may state the independent and dependent variables (The effect of salt concentration on the boiling point of water) or may be worded to capture the observers' interest (Does Salty Pasta Cook Faster?)

5. Statement of Problem -- the essential research must be communicated through the problem statement. On a display board, this is often achieved by a statement followed by the experimental hypothesis. (Is the temperature at which a salt/water solution boils higher than the temperature at which pure water boils? Hypothesis: The more salt added, the higher the temperature at which the mixture boils.)

6. Procedure (materials/methods) -- The procedure (materials methods) should be communicated either as a list or in narrative/paragraph form.

Example:

Step 1: Measure one cup of distilled water into a sauce pan. (Control)

Step 2: Place the sauce pan on the stove and bring the water to a boil.

Step 3: Once the water is rapidly boiling, measure and record the temperature to the nearest degree Fahrenheit.

Step 4: Discard the liquid and rinse the sauce pan in tap water.

Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 two times for a total of three trials.

Step 6: Repeat steps 1 through 5 except for each repetition add the appropriate amount of salt to the sauce pan along with the distilled water (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 teaspoons of salt)

or

Materials required for this experiment were distilled water, table salt, a sauce pan, a measuring cup, a teaspoon measure, a thermometer capable of measuring in the range of 200 to 250 Fahrenheit in one degree increments, and a stove.

Procedure: One cup of distilled water was measured into a saucepan. For each trial a measured amount of table salt, varying from none to five teaspoons (in one teaspoon increments) was added and the mixture was stirred and brought to a rapid boil on the stove. Once boiling, the temperature was recorded to the nearest degree Fahrenheit. The boiling salt/water mixture was discarded and the sauce pan rinsed with tap water. This procedure was repeated three times for each amount of salt.

Results--Sufficient graphs and data tables must be presented to communicate the findings and to show how the data supports or denies the experimental hypothesis. Brief sentences summarizing the data may accompany the graphs and tables.

7. Conclusions -- The major research findings are summarized here. This may be done in list or paragraph form. Possible future research studies may be suggested. Example: The data clearly show that the saltier the water, the higher the boiling point. Based on this finding, it would be interesting to see if pasta will cook more rapidly in salted water than in unsalted water.

8. Oral Presentation -- Each contestant will have 10 minutes (plus two for questions from judges) in which to present their research and results. They may use their display or alternatively, prepare other visuals for the oral presentation.

Scoring -- The following table shows the criteria and corresponding value on which displays and presentations will be judged:

Visual Display--Content (50 points)
Statement of problem (10)
Materials and Methods (10)
Results (15)
Discussion-conclusion (15)

Visual Display-Quality of Presentation (20)
Size requirements (5)
Legible (5)
Accurate (no spelling errors, etc.) (5)
Quality of graphs, charts, photos, etc. (5)

Oral Presentation (50)
Knowledge of topic (10)
Recommendations for further study (5)
Acknowledgments (5)
Appearance (5)
Voice quality (5)
Willingness to make eye contact with audience (5)
Speaking without notes (5)
Quality/appropriateness of visual aids (10)

Lori Marsh, Extension Engineer and Associate Professor
Biological Systems Engineering Department
210 Seitz Hall
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0303
TEL: (540) 231-6815
FAX: (540) 231-3199
E-Mail: MARSHES@VT.EDU

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