The STANSW Young Scientist Awards is a major project of the Science Teachers’

Association of New South Wales (STANSW)

ScientistAwards

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STANSW

The Science Teachers’ Association of New South Wales (STANSW) gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following organisations for their contributions to the Young Scientist Awards in 2013.

Major Sponsor

Sponsors and Supporters

Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in MedicineAustralian Catholic UniversityAustralian MuseumAustralian Skeptics IncAustralian Society for Biochemical and Molecular BiologyBHP BillitonBroadcom FoundationCSIRO EducationEducational Assessment Australia, UNSWFocus PressIntel AustraliaIntel USAITworx Consulting Pty LtdNational Measurement InstituteRoyal Australian Chemical InstituteSplash Into ...Spruson and Ferguson, Patent and Trade Mark AttorneysSTEP IncThe Logical InterfaceUniversity of Western SydneyUniversity of Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium

2014

2 Great Prizes to be Won!

AN INVITATION TO STUDENTSAs President of the Science Teachers' Association of NSW I would like all students from Kindergarten to Year 12 throughout New South Wales to participate in this exciting program.

The Young Scientist Awards promote an interest in the study of science among young people of all ages and all abilities. Students can perform an open-ended scientific investigation about a topic that is of interest to them or they can enter the new Models and Inventions category. Entries can be done by individuals or groups as outlined in the ‘Getting Started’ section of this booklet.

The University of Wollongong is the major sponsor of the Young Scientist Awards. The Awards have been generously supported by the organisations and educational institutions listed on the back cover.

In 2014 over $10 000 will be awarded as prizes for the best investigations and models entered in each of the age group sections. One student will be named the Young Scientist of the Year and will win $1000, a trip to Pittsburgh USA to compete in the 2015 Intel ISEF competition as well as the opportunity to be selected as a finalist in the national BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards. Other prize winners may also be eligible for the BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards.

Entry details are found in this booklet, as well as information about entry categories and prizes.

I encourage all students to participate in the Young Scientist Awards and I look forward to seeing many of you at the Awards event.

Maree WoodsPresidentScience Teachers’ Association of New South Wales

MAJOR PRIZESGrand Awards

2014 Young Scientist of the Year Award$1000 award to the student who submits the most outstanding project overall

2014 Primary Young Scientist Awardwarded to the top entry from 3-6

Sponsored by the School of Education NSW, Australian Catholic University

2014 Budding Young Scientist Award to the top entry from K-2

Sponsored by the School of Education NSW, Australian Catholic University

2015 Intel ISEF PrizeTwo students from Years 9-12 will travel to Pittsburgh, USA, to represent Australia at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in May 2015.Sponsored by the University of Wollongong

Sponsored Awards (Cash prizes from the listed sponsors, totalling over $2000)

UWS Greater Western Sydney Science Award (University of Western Sydney)For an entry from the Greater Western Sydney Region that demonstrates particular scientific accomplishment.

RACI Chemistry Encouragement Award (Royal Australian Chemical Institute NSW) Awarded to primary and

NMI Measurement Award (National Measurement Institute)warded to an entry that demonstrates an excellent understanding of measurement.

STEP Environmental Award Awarded for t

ASBMB Award (Australian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

Splash Into ... Young Marine Scientist Award

ACPSEM Medical Physics Award warded to the best demonstration of the application of physics in medicine.

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secondary students who demonstrate particular ability, skill and promise for chemistry.

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he best environmental entry.

Awarded for the entry that displays good understanding of processes in molecular biology.

For a primary school entry that explores the marine world.

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STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For more information go to www.stansw.asn.au/ys/ STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For any enquiry contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

Fulfilling National Goals 3

NATIONAL CURRICULUM FOCUSStudents in NSW schools carry out scientific investigations or inventions as part of their school's science program in line with the NSW 7-12 Science and K-6 Science and Technology syllabuses. The Young Scientist categories and judging rubrics are designed to support the inquiry elements of these syllabuses and the Science Inquiry Skills strand of the Australian Curriculum: Science.

AIMS OF THE YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARDSThis awards scheme is organised by the Science Teachers’ Association of New South Wales to provide support for teachers of science and to foster innovation, creativity and a love of science. The award scheme aids to:

stimulate an ongoing interest in science;

promote involvement in the process and communication of science; and

celebrate the exemplary science carried out by young people in NSW schools.

AGE SECTIONS/CATEGORIESYoung Scientist awards prizes to students from the following years of schooling: K-2, 3-6, 7-9 & 10-12. There are two major categories: Scientific Investigations and Models and Inventions. When entering details about each student project online, schools must specify to which category the project is best suited. If an entry satisfies the judging criteria of both categories, it can be entered into both and be eligible for more than one award.

For 7-9 and 10-12 Scientific Investigations, cash prizes are awarded to the top three entries in the following disciplines:

Biology

Chemistry

Physics

Earth and Environmental Science.

It is important to note that the same rubric and judging criteria apply to each of these four disciplines in the Scientific Investigations category.

CATEGORY PRIZESThere are cash prizes for the best entries in each of the age sections and categories at state level. A student nominated for the award of Young Scientist of the Year comes from the category winners.

All first place winners in Years 7-12 will receive a trophy.

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RULESTo be eligible for an award, students must carry out a scientific investigation or design and construct a working model of an invention and present their findings or inventing process, observing the following conditions:

Entries must be the student’s own work.

Entries may be submitted by teams of students. A team must consist of no more than three members.

The investigation or invention submitted must not have commenced before 1 September 2013. Students will be judged only on work performed since 1 .

To be eligible for ISEF 2015, students must have started their experimentation on or after 1 January 2014. Interested students should review the rules and guidelines for ISEF at

before commencing any experimentation or data collection. Only Year 9-12 students will be eligible for ISEF 2015.

Each project entered into the Young Scientist Awards must include a logbook (or folio for Models and Inventions).

Documentation should be submitted outlining all phases of the investigation or inventing process, a timeline showing when research was conducted and when experimentation or data collection began. This may form part of a logbook.

Students may submit a new investigation or invention to Young Scientist each year. A project in the same field of study as a previously submitted project may be considered a new investigation if it is based upon new hypotheses. To be considered a new invention, significant modifications need to have been made to the working model based on previous evaluations. Students must document how the additional work is new and different from a previous entry.

Projects involving animals must meet animal welfare guidelines for NSW.

If a student’s experimentation or testing involves interaction with human subjects (e.g. measuring human activity, in-depth questionnaires, surveys), approval must be given by an ethics committee constituted at their school. Students must provide evidence of the written consent of each subject and their parents/guardians (if the subject is less than 18 years old). Care must be taken to ensure the anonymity of each subject in all submitted documentation.

Projects involving potentially hazardous biological agents, chemicals, activities or devices, must satisfy the requirements for chemical safety in schools (CSIS).

For projects involving firearms, students must provide evidence of a permit to use such equipment.

Entries must be in line with State and Federal laws and regulations.

If a student conducts any part of their experimentation at a laboratory outside the school, written approval must be obtained from that facility and documented in their entry.

Each student entry must be submitted and endorsed by their school on their entry documentation. Students undertaking home schooling must provide evidence of registration with the NSW BOSTES.

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K-2 $50 for the best 6 Scientific Investigations

$50 for the best 3 Models and Inventions

3-6 $100 for the best 12 Scientific Investigations

$100 for the best 6 Models and Inventions

7-9 $200 $125 $75

10-12 $250 $175 $100

STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For more information go to www.stansw.asn.au/ys/ STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For any enquiry contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

4 The Big Picture

STUDENTS, YOUR ENTRY CAN GO PLACES!STANSW Young Scientist Awards partners with other organisations to provide opportunities for the best entries to represent their state and their country. In the last 8 years, 36 STANSW Young Scientist award-winning projects have been selected as finalists in the national BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards, which includes an all-expenses trip to Melbourne to attend a four day science camp. In the last 15 years, 35 STANSW Young Scientist award-winning projects have represented Australia at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, held in the USA. There are minor differences in the rules and judging criteria for each of these fairs, however, experience has shown that projects that comprehensively satisfy the rules and judging criteria of the STANSW Young Scientist Awards generally perform admirably in the national and international fairs.

SEQUENCING OF SCIENCE FAIRS

REGIONAL FAIRSREGIONAL FAIRS

INTERNATIONAL FAIRIntel ISEF 2015, Pittsburgh USA

REGIONAL FAIRSe.g. University of Wollongong Illawarra Coal Science Fair

STATE FAIR2014 STANSW Young Scientist Awards

SCHOOL FAIRSe.g. Quakers Hill East Public School Science Fair

NATIONAL FAIR2015 BHP Billiton Science & Engineering Awards

SCHOOL FAIRSSCHOOL FAIRS

A regional fair comprises two or more local schools organising a combined display of projects with sponsored awards. In 2013, the largest regional fair in NSW was the University of Wollongong Illawarra Coal Science Fair, with over 700 students from 57 schools. http://smah.uow.edu.au/sciencefair/index.htm

Photo: Mark Newsham Photo: Mark Newsham

Photo: Colin Ross

Win a Trip to Pittsburgh, USA! 5

NATIONAL FAIRNATIONAL FAIR

STATE FAIRSTATE FAIR

INTERNATIONAL FAIRINTERNATIONAL FAIRAt Intel ISEF 2013, there were a record 1611 finalists from 75 countries. Since 1999, 18 STANSW projects out of 35 (more than half of STANSW projects sent to ISEF) have won Grand Awards. This is an amazing feat as historically only one quarter of all Intel ISEF projects win a Grand Award. https://www.societyforscience.org/

STANSW Young Scientist provides over $10 000 in prizes through the generosity of our sponsors. There is no entry fee and we are reliant on our sponsors and volunteers for the running of these awards. On offer there are more than 30 awards in the primary age groups and more than 40 awards in the secondary age groups. Schools are requested to conduct their own preliminary judging and only send their best entries for state level judging.

Since 2007, the best research entries from each state have been sent to the national BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards. When STANSW added our Models and Inventions category in 2012, BHPBSEA added their Engineering category. As of February 2014, 36% of both Primary and Open winners have been STANSW projects. http://www.scienceawards.org.au/default.asp

Photo: Stuart Garth

Professor Paul Chandler, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Outreach and Inclusion) University of Wollongong, presenting Olivia DeStrang, Polly Hartshorne & Lisa Horner from Illaroo Public School with their Years 3-6 Scientific Investigation Award at the 2013 Awards Ceremony Photo: Simon Walker Assessing entries at state level using the scoring rubrics Photo: Stuart Garth

NSW Student Finalists: Dylan Sury, Ethan Butson, James Gabor and Macinley Butson with the Young Scientist Coordinator, Carole Stanfordand the NSW Teacher Finalist, Asmaa Badawi Abdelfattah at the 2014 BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards Presentation Ceremony Photo: Martin Butson

Student finalists’ displays at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, USA Photo: Stuart Garth

STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For more information go to www.stansw.asn.au/ys/ STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For any enquiry contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

6 Getting Started

GETTING A MENTOR

You may wish to arrange for a mentor to advise you in your investigation. A mentor is a person who knows more than you about your particular topic and is willing to share what they know with you. Your mentor can be a family member, a person in business or a scientist. You might find a scientist who works in the area you are investigating. Keep your parents and teacher informed as to your progress in arranging a mentor and the identity of your mentor.

Tell your mentor that you are looking for someone who will listen to your ideas and give you advice to make your investigation more worthwhile. Make sure you tell them that you will be doing all the work. Most adults are delighted to assist a student who is willing to do the hard work. Let your mentor know how you are going to conduct your study. Ensure that you acknowledge your mentor and any assistance that they have given to you during your project.

LOGBOOK/FOLIO

All entries must have a logbook/folio. This is a diary of what you did during your scientific investigation or inventing process. The logbook/folio can be an exercise book especially designated for your project. Here you make rough notes, to-do-lists, draw up plans, record ideas and results. At the end of your investigation or invention, you should use your logbook/folio to decide what should go into the final entry.

Daily entries may contain drawings, illustrations, photographs, or diagrams. Very young entrants can ask an adult to scribe or annotate their logbook/folio. They are not judged for spelling or grammar. Judges use the logbook/folio to understand what you were trying to achieve and how you went about it. Remember to include the date for every entry you make and to include details such as phone calls made, letters and emails sent and discussions with parents or teachers.

It is best to start your logbook/folio by setting out your goals and plans. Then you could record:

& what gave you the idea for your project& how you planned and persisted with the task; & what you were thinking along the way; & what you did; & what you noticed or observed; & whom you consulted for information and feedback; & what went wrong and how you overcame the

challenges.

OVERVIEW OF ENTRY CATEGORIES

In the STANSW Young Scientist Awards, there are two major categories (i) Scientific Investigation (see pp. 7-8) and (ii) Models and Inventions (see pp. 10-11). On the online entry registration, your teacher must specify which category you are entering as these are judged on different days and different locations. You are permitted to enter both categories on condition you meet the respective criteria and your entry is received by August 22. The organisers will ensure your entry is forwarded to each respective judging location.

For Years 7-12 students there is a new sub-category for Scientific Investigation, called Scientific Investigation - Survey (see p. 8). This caters for the increasing number of projects that are primarily surveys, e.g. astronomical surveys, field surveys, geological surveys and statistical surveys. Unlike standard scientific investigations, surveys do not need a hypothesis as they are not concerned with relationships between variables that need testing. Some of the judging criteria for surveys are different from the standard scientific investigation. Scientific Investigation - Survey has its own modified rubric for Years 7-12. It will still be judged as part of the Scientific Investigation category.

Years 7-12 prizes in the Scientific Investigation category are split into the four major disciplines:

It is important to note that the same rubric and judging criteria applies to each of these four disciplines. For instance, students entered into Chemistry will be judged primarily on their investigative skills and not necessarily on their chemistry knowledge and use of chemical formulae.

GETTING STARTED

Getting a good idea is usually the hardest step in putting together a science project. Choose a topic that you are interested in and then look for a problem that needs solving. If you still need inspiration, go online and visit

to see what past Young Scientist winners have produced from 2006-2013. You can improve on an existing idea or create your own original idea. Another great website that groups science fair project ideas into everyday A-Z topics is

You can enter individually or as a team of no more than three members. Team members share any prize money.

From the start, jot down all your ideas and record relevant background information in a logbook.

Make sure all rules and conditions (see p. 3), such as starting dates and human subject consent forms are approved by your school’s ethics committee before any experimentation begins.

Ž BiologyŽ ChemistryŽ PhysicsŽ Earth and Environmental Science.

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http://www.stansw.asn.au/ys/honour.htm

http://www.juliantrubin.com/sciencefairprojectsaz.html

http://www.stansw.asn.au/ys/categories.htmCheck the judging criteria and rubrics.

Type your report and scan a copy of your logbook if it is handwritten.

Only digital files of winning entries will be sent to the BHP Billiton

Science and Engineering Awards.

Category 1a: Scientific Investigations 7

THE PROCESSES OF WORKING SCIENTIFICALLYBy conducting a scientific investigation, you are fulfilling many science inquiry skills from The Australian Curriculum: Science and implemented in the NSW Science K-10 (incorporating Science and Technology K-6) Syllabus. The emphasis of the NSW Syllabus is using

The STANSW Young ScientistAwards provides the perfect framework for you to develop skills in applying the following processes of Working Scientifically:

Questioning and predicting,Planning investigations,Conducting investigations,Processing and analysing data and information,Problem solving,Communicating.

As you refine your idea and conduct your investigation, you should provide written and/or photographic evidence, in your logbook, that you have closely followed the processes of Working Scientifically, as sequenced in the adjacent flow diagram. It is important that you do not commence experimentation until you have completed the Planning investigations stage as you must show evidence of a risk assessment, including an explanation of how you intend to minimise potential risks.

science inquiry to develop science knowledge and understanding, achieved through the processes of Working Scientifically.

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COMMUNICATING YOUR FINDINGSFor the Young Scientist Awards, your scientific investigation must be presented as a formal report. You are to submit this report with your logbook. You may also submit a poster, DVD, USB flash drive, model or any other component that enhances the quality of your entry.

INGREDIENTS OF A GOOD SCIENTIFIC REPORTYour formal scientific report should embrace a comprehensive coverage of the displayed processes of Working Scientifically. Within each process, a number of suggested sections are recommended, however, we understand there will be some flexibility in your final order:

‘ Introduction - The story behind your idea and the reason for doing your particular investigation.

‘ Aim(s) - One or a few sentences that clearly state what you are trying to find out.

Problem Solving

Questioning and Predicting

Planning Investigations

Conducting Investigations

Processing & Analysing Data

Problem solving

‘ Background Research - Before starting your project it is important to find out what other research has been done on your topic. Collect relevant information from libraries and the internet.

Talk with others and find out their thoughts on your topic.

‘ Hypothesis - Based on what you already know and the information gathered from your background

research, formulate your hypothesis. Your hypothesis is your predicted

‘guess’ and it must be able to be suitably tested.

‘ Risk Assessment - Identify and list the risks associated with your

investigation. State how you intend to minimise each risk. Consult you school’s

ethics committee if your research involves animals, humans or hazardous chemicals.

‘ Experimental Variables

Plan how to conduct a fairtest - where one variable (independent variable) is

changed while all other controlled variables are kept the same.

‘ Method - A step by step procedure showing how

your experiment was performed. Include thematerials and equipment

used and perform at least three identical trials.

‘ Results - Organise your data into tables and/or graphs so your findings are clearly displayed. To demonstrate

something has physically changed, include before and after photos, if relevant.

‘ Data Analysis - Identify trends, patterns and relationships in your data. Perform simple or

complex statistical analyses of results.

‘ Discussion - Comment on your results, highlighting new findings or sources of error.

‘ Conclusion - Include a short statement indicating whether your results do or

do not support your hypothesis.

‘ Further Research - Based on your findings, what is your next step? Are there further

applications to your research?

You must acknowledge any assistance you were given and cite all references used in full.

Note:

http://www.stansw.asn.au/ys/refer.htm

2. Questioning and PredictingFind out what is

currently known about the question or problem

1. Problem SolvingFrom observations,

ask a questionor pose a problem

5. Conducting InvestigationsCollect data

7. Problem SolvingEvaluate and propose

applications

6. Processing & Analysing DataExplain trends and patterns

and draw conclusions

4. Planning InvestigationsDesign a procedure

considering fair testing

3. Questioning and Predicting

Form an hypothesis

THE PROCESSES OF WORKING SCIENTIFICALLY

Level Description

4 The student has provided clear and convincing evidence that he/she:

completed a well-planned scientific investigation over a period of time,had quantifiable aims and well-described the subject of the investigation,included relevant background research and checked its reliability, proposed a testable hypothesis based on prior research or previous observations,had a good understanding of the science concepts used in the investigation,conducted a risk assessment prior to experimentation,addressed an issue of scientific significance,has been innovative or creative in content or methodology,accurately gathered experimental data in an appropriate number of trials using appropriate technologies, recorded data in an organised and logical manner using correct units, identified dependent and independent variables and regulated the control of the appropriate variables,analysed and explained trends, patterns and relationships in the data collected, used critical thinking to explain anomalies or errors,suggested purposeful modifications to procedures or creative ideas put forward for further investigation,included a comprehensive log book, detailing the investigative process, from brainstorming, through data collection, to the final conclusion,acknowledged any assistance given, used clear, concise and meaningful language, visuals and sequencing to effectively communicate to the intended audience.

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3 The student has provided evidence that he/she:

C completed a planned scientific investigation over a period of time, C had realistic aims and well-described the subject of the scientific investigation,C performed relevant background research,C suggested a hypothesis based on prior research or previous observations,C identified and understands science concepts used in the investigation,C conducted some form of risk assessment,C demonstrated some innovative or creative aspects, C gathered experimental data over a number of trials using suitable technology, C recorded data in a logical manner using correct units, C used appropriate scientific methodology including the control of variables,C explained most trends, patterns and relationships in the data collected,C used rational thinking to suggest modifications to procedures for further investigation,C included a log book detailing the different stages of the investigative process, C acknowledged any assistance given, adequately communicated the report with language, visuals and

sequencing taking some account of the audience.

2 The student has provided evidence that he/she:

completed a scientific investigation with limited planning,had some tentative aims and the investigation was adequately described,has minimal understanding of the science concepts used,has shown glimpses of innovation or creativity,collected fragments of background research,gathered insufficient amounts of data, controlled some variables,poorly explained trends, patterns and relationships in the data,formulated conclusions that were unsupported by the results,provided limited documentation in the accompanying log book, put forward insufficient ideas for future improvements,casually mentioned people who have helped without formally acknowledging assistance given,used simple language and formatting in the report to communicate with the intended audience.

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1 The student has provided evidence that he/she:

submitted a project with limited first-hand data collection, had no clear aim and the subject of the investigation was vaguely described,

C

C

C has an inadequate understanding of the related science concepts (+ 7 more comments)

8 9Category 1b: Surveys Sample Judging Rubric

SCORING RUBRIC: Scientific Investigation, Years 7-9

STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For more information go to www.stansw.asn.au/ys/ STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For any enquiry contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

Level Description

4 The student has provided clear and convincing evidence that he/she:

completed a well-planned had quantifiable aims and well-described the subject of the ,included relevant background research had a good understanding of the science concepts used in the ,conducted a risk assessment prior to experimentation,addressed an issue of scientific significance,

recorded data in an organised

used critical thinking to explain anomalies or errors,suggested purposeful modifications to procedures or creative ideas put forward for further ,included a comprehensive log book, detailing the process, from brainstorming, through data collection, to the final conclusion,acknowledged any assistance given, used clear, concise and meaningful language, visuals and sequencing to effectively communicate to the intended audience.

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C analysed and explained trends, patterns and relationships in the data collected,

C

C

C

C

and methodical survey of a specific area of interestsurvey

and the reliability of the information gathered has been checkedsurvey

had shown originality in selection of site or method of data collectionsystematically gathered data in a variety of sample areas that are representative of the wider study area

way, using appropriate mapping techniquescategorised features of interest in sample areas, identifying variants

performing some form of statistical distribution analysis

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SURVEY ENTRIES

There is a new sub-category for Scientific Investigation, called Scientific Investigation - Survey.

This caters for the increasing number of projects that are primarily surveys, e.g. astronomical surveys, field surveys, geological surveys, statistical surveys. These projects involve the gathering of data in a specific area using a range of sampling techniques to locate and classify features of interest and identify variants. Surveys usually involve a statistical analysis of trends and relationships in the data collected. Unlike usual scientific investigations, surveys do not need a hypothesis for they don't primarily concern themselves with relationships between variables that need testing.

Scientific Investigation - Survey has its own modified rubric for Years 7-9 &10-12. A sample of the Year 7-9

Survey scoring rubric is provided below, with the differences from the Scientific Investigation shown in red type. Surveys will be judged as part of the Scientific Investigation category.

Scientific Investigation -

SCORING RUBRIC: Scientific Investigation - Survey, Years 7-9 Level 4 only (differences from Scientific Investigation shown in red)

Above: Geological SurveyPhoto: Anthony Bolton

Far Left: Ecological SurveyImage: Upper Parramatta River Catchment Education Resource Kit, 2002

Near Left: Astronomical SurveyImage: https://news.slac.stanford.edu/sites/ default/files/images/image/decam_47tuc_center.jpeg

For Scoring Rubrics: K-2, 3-6, 7-9, 10-12 Models and InventionsK-2, 3-6, 7-9, 10-12 Scientific Investigations7-9, 10-12 Scientific Investigations - SurveyGo to www.stansw.asn.au/ys/categories.htm

This is a sample of the rubrics the judges use to assess each Scientific Investigation entry.

The best projects fulfil the majority of the

Level 4 criteria.

11Public Display

STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For more information go to www.stansw.asn.au/ys/ STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For any enquiry contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

SUBMITTING YOUR INVENTION

” Deliver Models and Inventions entries to the STANSW Office by Friday 22nd August, 5 pm. Use the postal or delivery address as outlined on page 14.

” As Models and Inventions entries have multiple components, clearly label each item as 1 of 4, 2 of 4 ...

” Models will be transferred to The University of Sydney for judging on Friday 29th August. You and/or your teacher are welcome to set up your working model, between 2-4 pm. You may have a laptop that has to be attached to the entry, or some other technical device that you don’t wish to leave for a week. If you intend to set up your working model then contact the organisers at or phone the STANSW Office on 9763 2751.

The venue for the Models and Inventions judging and display at The University of Sydney will be updated at

when details are confirmed.

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DISPLAYING YOUR INVENTION

” In an exciting joint venture with the University of Sydney, the Models and Inventions category will be displayed in conjunction with the University's Open Day on Saturday 30th August, 9 am - 4 pm.

youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

www.stansw.asn.au/ys/

Leave clear operational instructions if you are not setting up your working model display. The judging and public display area will be serviced with 240V power outlets but there will be no access to running water.

The models will be locked away after judging and set up ready for public display on Saturday 30th August.

” Adopt safe and quality construction skills, during all stages of the construction process.

” Keep a photographic record of your construction process and maintain daily entries in your logbook or design folio.

TEST, EVALUATE AND REFINE YOUR MODEL

” As you complete different components of your working model, check that each component works as intended.

” When your model is complete, test that the model works reliably and performs as intended.

” Use critical thinking in the evaluation and testing of the model, discussing alternatives and modifications.

” Suggest worthwhile directions for future development in a succinct manner.

PRESENTING YOUR INVENTION

The following is a checklist that you need to follow when submitting your invention:

Ž Working Model and any props that help show how your model works

Ž Poster or single-sided sheet, preferably laminated, that describes what the working model is, its application and operational details

Ž Logbook or design folio that documents prior background research and the inventing process, from brainstorming to final design, through construction to final product, testing and evaluation. The logbook or design folio must also include an acknowledgement of any assistance given

Ž (Optional) Supporting scientific investigation, to be judged in the Scientific Investigation category

Ž (Optional) Electronic storage device which contains photos or video footage of your model in operation.

Ž (Optional) Electronic files of your logbook or folio.

Working Model

Logbook

CD-Rom - Photos

Poster

SupportingInvestigation

Entry Form

Photo: Timothy Bailey

” You are strongly encouraged to spend some time with your project and demonstrate your working model to some of the expected 27 000 Open Day visitors.

” Take the opportunity to partake in Open Day activities including an array of interactive engineering and science displays. Extract and compare the DNA of your favourite foods, see some of the insects and molluscs that either destroy or benefit our food crops or learn how bacteria are identified by visiting science displays on the lawns of the quadrangle.

” Winning entries will be announced at 3 pm.

” After the 3 pm announcement, students need to take away their projects with the following exceptions:

(i) Prizewinners

(ii) Nominated highly commended entries in consideration for the BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards and other sponsored awards

(iii) Working Model entries supported by an accompanying scientific investigation, to be sent on to Scientific Investigation judging.

10 Category 2: Models and Inventions

WORKING MODEL OF AN INVENTION

Models and Inventions is a relatively new category, not to be confused with the Working Models category that ran from 1991 to 2003, where students constructed models demonstrating a scientific or technological principle.

In Models and Inventions, an invention is an original application of technology that solves a need or problem. It can be a new or improved device or process that clearly incorporates a scientific idea or concept. ICT-based projects in a Science context are also eligible. Your invention is to be presented as a working model that you design and build, with an accompanying logbook or folio documenting background research and the inventing process, from brainstorming to final design, through construction to final product, testing and evaluation.

GETTING STARTED

An invention doesn't have to be a piece of technological wizardry, the best inventions are often the simplest! For instance, Dylan Sury used a pair of gears in his concept model of an oar that allows the rower to face the direction in which they are travelling. Think outside the box!

Pull handle back

PLANNING YOUR INVENTION

” Brainstorm and map out your ideas as they develop in a logbook or design folio. Where possible, set up your logbook or design folio as a computer file and insert scanned copies of all sketches and notes. We have been moving to the submission of entries in digital format. Therefore, the logbook or folio can be digital and does not need to be provided in hard copy. We can provide a laptop for judging purposes.

” Conduct a concise and comprehensive summary of relevant prior research in the field. Research what other people have done before you and keep a note of the material you read and discussions you have had with people knowledgeable about the subject.

” Explore the existence of similar inventions to ensure your final design is original.

” Include sketches and notes of your different ideas and provide some justification for your chosen design.

” You may wish to find a mentor to discuss the feasibility of your chosen design and to obtain some technical advice in the construction stage of your project. Remember, the work you submit must be your work and all assistance given must be acknowledged.

CONSTRUCTING YOUR WORKING MODEL

” Your invention is to be presented as a working model, with the necessary props to show how your invention works. For instance, a student who designed a child seat with sensors that sounded an alarm when a child was left in a car, used a mini-greenhouse to simulate a car and heaters to simulate the sun.

” It needs to be noted that the organisers of the BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards do not want the actual working models sent to them. They have requested that students send video footage of their model in operation. We recommend that you record video footage of your model during each stage of its construction, for later reference.

” Select materials and technologies for the construction of your working model. As you build your model, evaluate the appropriateness of the materials and technologies selected, and modify them if necessary.

Photo: Timothy Bailey

Photo: Stuart Garth

Photo: Stuart Garth

SPatent and Trade Mark Attorneys

PRUSON & FERGUSONsponsored byModels and Inventions

Propels boat forward

Photo: Stuart Garth

STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For more information go to www.stansw.asn.au/ys/ STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For any enquiry contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

12 Providing Support

Ž Meet with students individually to ensure they are on the right track. Discuss their project options, and ensure their selected option has a testable hypothesis.

Ž Encourage each student to seek mentoring advice from an expert in their specified area of research.

Ž Familiarise your students with the judging criteria outlined in the scoring rubric for their age and category.

Ž Help prepare your students for the Young Scientist Awards by attending one of our free teacher inservices, early in Term 2, where you will be able to view past-winning entries and discover what the judges are looking for in a prize-winning entry.

(ii) SCHOOLS

l Arrange for an electronic version of this booklet to be posted on your school website or school intranet.

l Encourage your teachers to train as assessors for the Young Scientist Awards. Assessing student projects is the best professional development activity for teachers responsible for coordinating student research projects.

l Promote student involvement in the Young Scientist Awards in school newsletters and provide as much communication with parents as possible.

l Organise a school science fair to showcase the amazing investigations and inventions produced.

(iii) PARENTS

l The best way to help your child formulate an idea is to pose questions and problems as they come to your attention.

l Take an interest in your child’s science project and familiarise yourselves with the timeline that the school has established for the periodic completion of different components of your child’s project.

l Encourage your child to daily document everything they do in their logbook or folio. Remind your child to keep a photographic record of each stage of their investigative or inventing process.

l Be prepared to provide some financial support in the purchase of necessary materials and equipment and make yourself available to drive your child to libraries, shops, businesses or even research institutions.

l Make sure that your child learned something during this whole experience while having fun doing it!

AWARDS SCHEME

The STANSW Young Scientist Awards is not a competition. It is an awards scheme that seeks to provide support for teachers of science and technology and inspires students to forge greater understanding of how to work scientifically.

The Awards scheme provides teachers with valuable resources and professional learning opportunities. For instance, the scoring rubrics provide the perfect framework to critically evaluate any student research project and are carefully designed to give a scaffold for students to develop skills in applying the processes of Working Scientifically.

Each student is awarded a certificate based on their level of attainment of specified criteria given in the scoring rubric for their age and category:

l Certificate of Excellence for every student who achieves a level 4 against the rubric.

l Certificate of High Achievement for every student who achieves a level 3 against the rubric.

l Certificate of Commendation for other state-level finalists.

l Certificates of Participation for every student entry at school level.

The best entry in each age and category will be one that meets the criteria at the highest level.

PROVIDING SUPPORT

As the rules clearly specify, “Entries must be the student’s own work”. Any assistance given must be documented in an “Acknowledgements” section. These rules, however, do not restrict support being given to students. In fact, the more support teachers, parents and schools can give to students, the more opportunity students will have to be able to plan their own original investigations and come up with their own discoveries. For instance, the more coaching of basic skills a soccer player receives, the more opportunity that player has of developing their own creative moves.

These are some practical ways that teachers, schools and parents can support a student entry to the Young Scientist Awards.

(i) TEACHERS

l Familiarise yourself with all the rules and due dates of the Young Scientist Awards.

l Before assigning the project, consider whether your students should prepare their science project to meet the requirements of subsequent science fairs, such as the BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards and Intel ISEF, which both involve minor variations in rules and judging criteria.

l Devote a few lessons early in the year to introduce key components of a scientific investigation or invention.

l Develop a timeline that allows plenty of time for students to complete different sections of their invention or investigation. Write brief progress reports for parents to provide an opportunity for parents to help with long-term organisation of their child’s project.

l Inform your students what makes a good investigation or invention. Keep copies of your best student projects to use as benchmarks for future years.

Entry Procedures 13

TEACHERS - HOW TO ENTER YOUR STUDENTSTeachers provide the first level of judging at their schools in the Young Scientist Awards. You are invited to send a selection of your students' better scientific investigations and inventions to state-level judging.

1. Entries are free, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors.

2. Please check the rules.

3. Your school can submit up to a maximum of 10 entries for each category and age group at secondary level (e.g. maximum of 10 entries for Years 7-9 Physics) and up to 10 entries for each class at primary level.

4. The entry process is done online. This involves the following steps.

(i) Register your school with Young Scientist by clicking on the link to the right for new schools. Schools that entered in 2013 can omit this step and proceed directly to step (ii).

(ii) Once you receive login details from the administrator by email (this could take up to 48 hours), access the online entry system using the second link on the right. Complete a Student Form for each student whose entry you are sending to state judging. A separate student form is required for each member of a team.

Print each form and have the student complete personal information, contact details and a declaration. Young Scientist does not collect the personal information of students online in case of misuse by third parties.

Young Scientist does need this information in order to contact families should the student be a prizewinner. Any email address provided should be one that the student is likely to look at, particularly during the Term 3 holidays.

A teacher will also need to endorse each Student Form, by signing a declaration that the project is the student’s own work.

(iii) Complete a Project Form for each entry and print it out.

(iv) Print the Summary Form that is built automatically as the student and project information is entered. This form is used as a check of all entries received for state judging. Include the number of Certificates of Participation you wish to order for students who have completed a scientific investigation or invention but whose entries you are not sending to state-level judging.

(v) Include all the forms (Student Forms, Project Forms and Summary Form) with the entries.Note: We still need a hard copy of these forms if your entries are online, e.g., on wikis or webpages. So please post them to the address below.

If you encounter technical difficulties with this process, please contact

5. For student entries with multiple components label each component as 1 of 4, 2 of 4 ...

youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

STUDENTSComplete the declaration and contact information on the Student Form that your teacher generates from the Young Scientist online registration system and return the form to your teacher.

It is important that you sign the declaration on the Student Form and that it is endorsed by your teacher. You should involve a parent or guardian in this process as you need to provide contact details for use in the event that you are chosen as a prizewinner.

DELIVERY OF ENTRIES

Sydney metropolitan schools hand-deliver Models and Inventions and Scientific Investigations entries by Friday 22 August, 5pm to the STANSW Office, Rm C2.64, Edward Clancy Building, Australian Catholic University, 163-167 Albert Rd, Strathfield. Ring the STANSW Office on 9763 2751 first for instructions.

If posting entries, address them to: STANSW Young Scientist Awards, PO Box 458, Strathfield. NSW 2135.

DISPLAYING WORKING MODEL ENTRIES

Models and Inventions entries will be sent to The University of Sydney to be judged on Friday 29th August. Students and/or teachers are encouraged to set up their models between 2 pm - 4 pm. If students and/or teachers are unable to set up their model, leave clear operational instructions for the judges who start judging at 4 pm.

Visit the Models and Inventions display at The University of Sydney on Saturday 30th August between 9 am and 4 pm and demonstrate your invention to the thousands attending their Open Day.

Prizewinners for Years K-2, 3-6, 7-9 & 10-12 Models and Inventions will be announced at 3pm.

Models and Inventions entries that include an accompanying scientific investigation will also be forwarded to the Scientific Investigation judging to be held the following weekend for the chance to win more prizes.

REGIONAL FAIR ENTRIES

There are a number of active Regional Fairs operating in various locations in New South Wales. Some are newly formed, while others have been operating for more than ten years. As a State Fair, the STANSW Young Scientist Awards would like to give Regional Fair entries the opportunity to progress to state, national and even international levels.

From 2014, we are inviting Regional Fair coordinators to develop close links with Young Scientist to provide a framework or pathway for their top student entries to progress to higher levels. The STANSW Young Scientist Awards would like to present a Certificate of Invitation to the top 5-10 entries in each age group in each Regional Fair to compete in the next upcoming STANSW Young Scientist Awards.

Contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au for more details.

STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For more information go to www.stansw.asn.au/ys/ STANSW Young Scientist Awards 2014 For any enquiry contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au

The University of

Wollongong

As our major sponsor, the

University of Wollongong

hosted the 2013 Young

Scientist Awards Ceremony

at its Innovation Campus.

This beautiful site will be

the venue for the 2014

Awards Ceremony. Photo: Timothy Bailey

Photo: Craig Burns

Photo: Simon Walker

Photo: Craig Burns

14 15Awards CeremonyKey Dates

1. Early Term 2

Distribution of this Young

Scientist booklet to every

school in NSW.

8. Monday 27th October

5:30 - 7:30pm

Young Scientist Awards

Presentation Ceremony

Innovation Campus

University of Wollongong

7. Friday 5th September, 4-9pm

Saturday 6th September, 9am-4pm

State-level judging of Scientific

Investigations at the Australian

Catholic University, Strathfield

Campus

6. Friday 29th August 4-9pm

Saturday 30th August 9am-4pm

State-level judging of Models

and Inventions (Friday) and

Public Display & Prizewinners

announcement (Saturday) at

The University of Sydney in

conjunction with their Open

Day

5. Tuesday 26th & Thursday 28th August

4:15 - 7:45pm

Training of new assessors

12-16 Park Rd, Burwood

& Refreshments provided

MLC Junior School

3. Friday 18th July

Entry registration due

Schools provide estimate of student entries per category

Schools also submit names of at least one teacher who will assess at state-level judging (Sydney Metropolitan only)

Free

MLC Junior School

AustralianCatholic University