Princeton Section

 

Guide for Students

2012

How to Participate

 

  1. Obtain information from your teacher about the competition, select your team, and category.

·         Read the “Competition Overview”.

·         Look at the categories; brainstorm some topics for each category and select your favorite.

·         Visit the ChemMatters website to see its current style at: www. acs.org, keyword search ChemMatters.
 

  1. Begin work.

·         Conduct preliminary research. Use at least three technical, professional resources.

·         Discuss roles of each team member and how you will divide up the work.
 

  1. Look for additional sources of information.

·         Are there local chemists, engineers, physicians, environmentalists, or other scientists you could interview about their view of the future of the field? Don’t forget to include them in your references.

·         Search the Web for any indications about where the field is headed (Start with www.acs.org.).

·         Use chemistry you learned in class and let your imagination lead to a new level.

·         Support your innovation with factual information from your resources and with logical explanations.
 

  1. Re-read the “Rules” on the “Competition Overview” page, and create your article and cover design.

·         Remember, this is a feature article in an issue of ChemMatters 25 years from now.

·         Read the “Self-Evaluation Questions” (see the right side of the page) to be sure key elements have been included.

·         Spell check and proofread your document; share it with someone else for feedback.

·         Cite at least three technical references.

·         Include your names, your school and your category on the last page of your entry.
 

  1. Meet the deadlines your teacher sets.

·         Your teacher has to meet a deadline to submit your school’s top entries so that the judges can score the articles before the day of the local competition.

·        Failure to meet deadlines may result in ineligibility for the competition or in omission of information printed in the program.

 

If you are representing your school in the Chemagination competition:

  1. Create the visual display.

·         It should be 24” deep, 40” wide and 48” tall or less, and be able to sit on a table, much like at a science fair. Remember that presentation is key in drawing interest to your article. Pay attention to how your display looks. Make sure it is neat and presentable.

·         You must include the ChemMatters cover design, the title of your article, and your list of references.

·         This should be a visual representation of the article’s content with a minimum of text.

·         Consider “extra touches” like enlarging your cover design, highlighting developments that led to the innovation, graphs, illustrations, or writing a summary of your article for the display.
 

  1. Rehearse answers for questions the judges may ask during the interview.

·         Use the “Sample Interview Questions”.

·         Re-read the “Self Evaluation Questions”  and ask yourself how your project addresses each of the questions.
 

  1. Attend the competition.

·         Dress for success.

·         At least one member of the team must attend.

·         Information will be sent with directions to the competition site, details about the arrival time and parking for the competition.

·         Upon check in, you will be directed to the competition area.

·         Set up your display.

You will receive additional information regarding the flow of events prior to and during the competition.

 

Additional resources:

* Competition Overview

* Guide for teachers

Self-Evaluation Questions

 

The articles and poster displays should show scientific thought, be creative, clear, thorough, and have evidence of teamwork.

 

Scientific Thought

  • The background for the innovation includes information based on chemical principles.

  • There is evidence that the team understands the chemistry behind the innovation.

  • There is a reasonable amount of explanation and description of the innovation in the written article.

  • The conclusion explains how this innovation will help improve the quality of people’s lives 25 years from today.

  • The article includes the challenges in implementing the plan and reflects the team’s understanding of these challenges.

  • More than three sources from scientific literature as well as popular literature are referenced in the reference/resource section of the article.

  • The article demonstrates an understanding to the extent of the influence on the quality of people’s lives and the consequences of the innovation to this quality.

 

Creativity

  • The article presents the idea/innovation in a distinctive manner while incorporating knowledge of chemistry.

  • The innovation contributes uniquely to the quality of people’s lives 25 years into the future.

  • The cover design for the magazine and the pages of the article are designed to fit the style of ChemMatters.

  • The display is clever or unique in such a way so that it stands out from the others in the competition.

 

Clarity

  • The innovation is described clearly in the article.

  • The focus of the innovation is well defined in the article.

  • The chemistry behind the innovation is stated clearly in the article.

  • The chemistry behind the innovation is explained thoroughly and accurately.

  • The poster display explains and supports the article.

 

Thoroughness

  • Each of the rules listed in the “Competition Overview” have been followed.

  • The description of the breakthrough/innovation is complete.

  • The chemistry concepts and content have been explained in the article.

  • Spelling and grammatical errors have been checked and corrected in both the article and the display.

  • The visual display reflects the theme of the article.

  • The display is neat and free of errors.

  • At least 3 technical resources have been cited in the reference/resource section of the article.

  • The diagrams and illustrations in the article are appropriate to develop the theme of the innovation.

  • Time has been spent in preparation for the competition. The team is prepared for the competition.

  • The team is familiar with the resources used to develop the article.

 

Teamwork

  • Each team member was fully involved with the project.

  • The team member(s) presenting the poster understand the intent of the article/innovation and is (are) ready to present in front of the judges.

  • Team members did the work as a team. If other people helped in the development of this innovation, they are clearly referenced in the resource/reference section of the article.

 

 

ABOUT THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

The American Chemical Society is the world’s largest scientific society, representing over 163,500 chemical scientists worldwide. The Society is a leading source of chemistry curricula and activities for students, teachers, parents, and others. Included in the Society’s services to members and the public are workshops, scholarly publishing, meetings, and community programs such as National Chemistry Week and Chemagination.