Prepare to Present at Science Fair

6 - Communicate Your Results

In this section, you will learn to clearly communicate your research process and findings to others, including judges, if you are participating in a science fair.

Task #6C: Prepare to Present at Science Fair

1. Read Judging: Tips to Prepare for Your Science Fair to learn about how to prepare for judging at the science fair.
2. Answer the following questions to check your learning:
   1. What should NOT be included in your speech for the science fair judges?
      How you got the idea for your project

      A detailed bibliography of all your sources

      Your results and conclusions

      Why your project is important
      Correct! While it’s important to know your sources, the speech should focus on summarizing your project, not detailing your bibliography.
      Nice try! Review the components of an effective science fair project presentation to understand what to include in your speech.
   2. Which of the following is an important aspect of presenting yourself professionally during the science fair judging period?
      Wearing jeans and a t-shirt

      Standing quietly without engaging with the judges

      Bringing snacks to share with the judges

      Using your display board effectively by pointing to diagrams and graphs
      Correct! Using your display board to illustrate your points helps judges understand your project better.
      Nice try! Review the guidelines for presenting yourself professionally.
   3. How should you handle a situation where you don't know the answer to a judge's question?
      Make up an answer to avoid appearing uninformed

      Admit that you do not know the answer and suggest how you might find it out

      Change the subject to a different part of your project

      Ignore the question and continue with your presentation
      Correct! It's better to be honest and show your willingness to learn rather than provide incorrect information.
      Nice try! Review the recommended approach to handling difficult questions from judges to understand the best response.
3. Create an outline for your ‘elevator pitch’ or short speech to introduce your project. Be sure to include the following:
   • How you got the idea, and why it is important
     A brief explanation of your variables and hypothesis
     How you did the experiment
     Your results (briefly explain any charts or graphs)
     Your conclusion (whether or not your hypothesis was supported)
     An explanation of why you think you found the results you did (be sure to show that you understand the scientific concepts behind your experiment)
     What new questions you have based on your project
   Your Elevator Pitch:
4. Prepare to answer other judging questions. You do not need to write out full answers for these, but you should have notes to help you practice. The list below is not exhaustive, but will give you some good practice to prepare for judging.
   Where did you get the idea for your project?
   Who helped you with this project?
   What were your independent, dependent, and controlled variables? Did you have a control group?
   Why is this research important?
   What do you think might be causing the results you see?
   What do your graphs show?
   What problems did you run into while doing your project, and how did you address them?
   If you could do your project again, what would you do differently?
   What was your favorite part of this project?
   If you could continue this project, what would you do next?
5. Practice judging with a friend or family member. Give them the list of questions, and practice answering based on the notes you created. As you practice more, try to rely less on your notes. Remember, your answers to the questions should be clear and concise but should not sound rehearsed or like you are reading from a script.