My turn: Science fair judging can be simplified

Science fair season is upon us, and I am sure ours is not the only home sporting a wobbling tri-fold board and a hastily-constructed hypothesis.

Due to my inability to say no, I have helped judge a number of elementary science fairs over the years. Based on that experience, I propose a revised scoring rubric with points in only three categories:

• Originality. Extra credit for projects that require neither baking soda nor vinegar.
• Conviction. I remember a boy whose project theoretically determined the age of fish by counting rings on their scales. He was adamant that the farm-raised salmon he had bought from a local retailer was something like 70 years old. When alerted to the infeasibility of a commercial product requiring seven decades to mature, he agreed, but refused to budge an inch. Points for persistence.
• Honesty. A youngster raced in late one year, long after we had started judging. Questioned by the teacher as to why the project had not arrived by set-up time, the youth answered instantly, "My mother wasn't finished with it yet." Surely such candor deserves recognition.

I hope the next Thomas Edison and Marie Curie are hard at work in Roosevelt County, or that at least their parents are.

Betty Williamson questions the science in science fairs, but she finds them highly entertaining. You may reach her at [email protected]