Currently, there are two special competitions for the science division of the Fair:

      The International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Competition Award is the major award for the high school science division. it is presented to an individual ninth through twelfth grad student whose science exhibit is considered the most outstanding body of work entered in the current Mastodon Fair Art/Science Regional Fair. The award consists of an all-expense paid trip to the current International Science and Engineering Fair.

The International Science and Engineering Fair is held every year early in May. Hundreds of students from the United states and around the world compete for scholarships and many other prizes. Visit the Intel ISEF website for additional information.

RULES AND PROCEDURES REQUIRED FOR
THE ISEF LOCAL COMPETITION

1. Student has met the eligibility requirements of the Mastodon Fair Art/Science Regional Fair.

2. Student must be in grades 9 - 12.

3. A student must submit a single science exhibit that will be displayed and judged along with other science exhibits. This exhibit MUST comply with the rules and guidelines of the Mastodon Fair Art/Science Regional Fair and the ISEF Rules and Regulations.

4. JUDGING

The ISEF judging committee will review the science exhibits in the high school division and determine the five finalists. The finalists will be notified through the contact person designated on the registration form.

The finalists must be available for the Finalist Interview at a specified time. If a finalist cannot be present for the Finalist Interview, the student is disqualified from the ISEF competition. See this year's calendar for the scheduled interview time.

Finalists should be prepared to answer questions that deal with the following:

Their thoughts about their science exhibit, subject matter, materials and
techniques, how their work was developed, future plans, and why they want to
compete at ISEF.

Finalist Judging Criteria:
• Technical skills
• Originality
• Extent of knowledge of subject matter

5. All finalists should be present at the Awards Ceremony. All finalists will receive recognition at the Awards Ceremony. The winner* and runner-up will be announced at the Awards Ceremony. In the event that the winner is unable to take the trip in May, the runner-up may take the trip instead.

*Mastodon Fair may elect to send two winning students and an observer.

SSP is sponsoring a student podcast contest this summer to celebrate the study of science. To submit an entry, individuals or student teams generate a 2-4 minute audio or video podcast that falls under one of two categories; scientific communication or scientific demonstration. The students should use articles from SSP's publication Science News Magazine or SSP's online resource Science News for Kids.The podcasts will be judged for originality and creativity by a panel of judges, and prizes will be available to the students who produce the winning podcasts.

Submissions for middle school students will be accepted June 1-July 5, 2010.
Submissions for high school students will be accepted July 5-August 9, 2010.

More details are available at www.societyforscience.org/podcastcompetition.