How to Participate
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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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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:
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
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