student highlight: december eventssacstemfair.org/assets/2014-archives.pdfresearch facilities, meet...

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Is s ue 5, January 6, 2014 STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: DECEMBER Danny Y. has been selected as the December Student Highlight of the Sac STEM Fair! He has competed in the Fair two years in a row – 2012 and 2013. Now a sophomore in high school, he's planning to compete for his third year. Though Danny is hard at work with his teammates on their science fair project for 2014, he was able to take some time to answer our questions about his opinion of the Science Fair and his experiences. Though many students believe science fairs will be boring, and filled with introverted individuals, they are pleasantly surprised when they attend – Danny was one of these students. He recalls that “the Fair was a fun experience overall, I got to spend the day meeting new people and making new friends. It was nice to meet so many people with new ideas and to learn from them”. Science fairs are not only good for improving s cientific thought for individual s tudents , but als o as a group. It is ins piring to see how many students from all backgrounds can come together to participate in this event. We asked Danny about his experience at the Fair. “I was very excited to show off my project[s]”, he further explained his favorite project that he entered was “my coil gun. I built it for the 2012 s cience fair. My coil gun was an "electromagnetic propulsion system" that was used to launch a small metal projectile by the use of magnets, similar to maglev trains of today. I tested different coil designs (wire thicknesses) to see which one was most effective; it was powered by an AA battery connected to a disposable camera capacitor. It was my favorite because it was a lot of fun to build.” Through these projects Danny has been able to work on what he loves . Though he is still in high school, he has his sights set on an engineering career. Las tly, we as ked if he had any advice for first-timers at the Science Fair. “For students working on a science fair [project] right now, make sure your poster looks really, really good” – organization is key, and it is important to be able to explain your project with your board. Thanks Danny, we can’t wait to see you in March! INTEL, SAC STEM FAIR FOUNDATION TEAM UP FOR NEW STEM MENTORING PILOT Intel Foundation has awarded a funding grant to the Sac STEM Fair Foundation to fund the development of a new Regional STEM Mentoring Pilot Program. The regional program was created to address the need for science, technological, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) education for students beyond what is typically provided at school. The pilot will train mentors from a multitude of STEM organizations, such as CAPS, PECG, and Intel, and match them up with teams of students and teachers. Participating mentors will guide teams of students through the process of developing a project for the science and engineering fair. Students can then participate in their school science fairs and/or compete in the Synopsys Sacramento Regional Science & Engineering Fair in March. Student participation in the Fair not only helps students expand hands-on learning, but can also assist teachers in satisfying the Next Generation Science Standards that were adopted in California in September 2013. “This is a great opportunity for s tudents in the Sacramento region,” s aid Foundation Pres ident David Miller. Overall, the goal of this pilot is to develop s tudent interes t in STEM degrees and professions and keep them engaged in STEM subjects through hands-on development and introducing them to professional role models,” Miller s aid. “It’s an exciting pilot and we’re very grateful to Intel for its support.” CALENDAR OF EVENTS January 10 - Registration deadline for ALL projects! January 17 - Early bird exhibitor registration for the Fair's College & Career Event ends February 10 - Volunteer & Judge registration deadline March 21 - Judge Orientation at Rosemont High School March 22 - Synopsys Sacramento Regional Science & Engineering Fair at Rosemont High School! FEATURED SPONSORS A BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors! GenCorp & American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) - Capital Branch have shown their STEM support and sponsored the Science Fair with a generous contribution. Thanks fo r yo ur Suppo rt! FEATURED EXHIBITORS Thank you to our new exhibitors! City of Sacramento Volunteers and the California Virtual Academies K12 are registered to exhibit at the College and Career Event at the Science Fair! More information about the pilot will be available at www.s acSTEMfair.org.

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Page 1: STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: DECEMBER EVENTSsacstemfair.org/assets/2014-archives.pdfresearch facilities, meet informally with university students and research scientists, hear research presentations

Issue 5, January 6, 2014

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: DECEMBERDanny Y. has been selected as theDecember Student Highlight of the Sac STEMFair! He has competed in the Fair two yearsin a row – 2012 and 2013. Now a sophomorein high school, he's planning to compete forhis third year. Though Danny is hard at workwith his teammates on their science fairproject for 2014, he was able to take sometime to answer our questions about hisopinion of the Science Fair and hisexperiences.

Though many students believe science fairswill be boring, and filled with introvertedindividuals , they are pleasantly surprisedwhen they attend – Danny was one of thesestudents. He recalls that “the Fair wasa fun experience overall, I got tospend the day meeting newpeople and making new friends. Itwas nice to meet so many peoplewith new ideas and to learn fromthem”.

Science fairs are not only good forimproving scientific thought for individualstudents, but also as a group. It is inspiringto see how many students from allbackgrounds can come together toparticipate in this event.

We asked Danny about his experience at theFair. “I was very excited to show off myproject[s]”, he further explained his favoriteproject that he entered was “my coil gun. Ibuilt it for the 2012 science fair. My coil gunwas an "electromagnetic propuls ionsystem" that was used to launch a smallmetal projectile by the use of magnets,s imilar to maglev trains of today. I testeddifferent coil designs (wire thicknesses) tosee which one was most effective; it waspowered by an AA battery connected to adisposable camera capacitor. It was myfavorite because it was a lot of fun to build.”Through these projects Danny has beenable to work on what he loves. Though he isstill in high school, he has his s ights set onan engineering career.

Lastly, we asked if he had any advice forfirst-timers at the Science Fair. “Forstudents working on a science fair [project]right now, make sure your poster looksreally, really good” – organization is key, andit is important to be able to explain yourproject with your board.

Thanks Danny, we can’t wait to see you inMarch!

INTEL, SAC STEM FAIR FOUNDATIONTEAM UP FOR NEW STEM MENTORING

PILOTIntel Foundation hasawarded a funding grant tothe Sac STEM Fair Foundationto fund the development of anew Regional STEMMentoring Pilot Program.

The regional program wascreated to address the needfor science, technological,engineering, andmathematical (STEM)education for studentsbeyond what is typicallyprovided at school. The pilotwill train mentors from amultitude of STEMorganizations, such as CAPS,PECG, and Intel, andmatch them up with teams ofstudents and teachers.

Participating mentors willguide teams of studentsthrough the process ofdeveloping a project for thescience and engineeringfair. Students can thenparticipate in their schoolscience fairs and/orcompete in the SynopsysSacramento RegionalScience & Engineering Fair inMarch. Student participationin the Fair not only helpsstudents expand hands-onlearning, but can also ass istteachers in satis fying theNext Generation ScienceStandards that were

adopted in California in September 2013.

“This is a great opportunity for s tudents in the Sacramento region,” s aid Foundation Pres ident DavidMiller. “ Overall, the goal ofthis pilot is to developstudent interest in STEMdegrees and profess ionsand keep them engaged inSTEM subjects throughhands-on development andintroducing them toprofessional role models,”Miller said. “It’s an excitingpilot and we’re very gratefulto Intel for its support.”

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

January 10 -Registration deadline for ALLprojects!

January 17 - Early bird exhibitorregistration for the Fair's College &Career Event ends

February 10 - Volunteer &Judge registration deadline

March 21 - Judge Orientation atRosemont High School

March 22 - Synopsys SacramentoRegional Science & Engineering Fairat Rosemont High School!

FEATUREDSPONSORS

A BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors!GenCorp & American Society forCivil Engineers (ASCE) - CapitalBranch have shown their STEM

support and sponsored the ScienceFair with a generous contribution.

Thanks for your Support!

FEATUREDEXHIBITORS

Thank you to our newexhibitors! City of SacramentoVolunteers and the California VirtualAcademies K12 are registered toexhibit at the College and Career

Event at the Science Fair!More information about the pilot will be available at www.s acSTEMfair.org.

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FAQS FOR TEACHERSWe've been getting a few questions fromnewcomers to the Fair and we would like toanswer them, just in case there are morewho haven't come forward to ask yet!

ONLINE REGISTRATIONWhat are the requirements for theabstract on the registration?In registration, a project abstract is a briefparagraph or two(limited to 250 words or1,800 characters) summarizing the majorpoints/most important ideas about aproject. An abstract is what allows judges todetermine the nature, scope, and skill of aproject. SRSEFF Staff suggests that youcoordinate with the student’sEnglish/Language teacher to ass ist thestudent in not only writing the abstract, butworking on the structure in order to providejudges the best description possible.

NOTE: High school students should completean abstract following the Intel ISEF form hereonce they have completed their projects – inthe case they are selected to continue toISEF, they will need this form to becompleted.

What if we are unable to sign theelectronic form? If you are unable to s ign the form online, youcould print out the section; each page with as ignature has a link at the bottom which willgive you a printable vers ion. Then you can

the form they developed into theirregistration. If they are unable to do so, theycan email, fax or mail it. The form does notneed to be s igned when turned in forregistration. However, during the Fair it iscrucial that students bring the s ignedconsent forms just in case the judges askfor an example.

What is a Qualified Scientist?A Qualified Scientist is an individual with adoctoral/profess ional degree related tostudent research or Master’s degree withSRC approval.

My student has submitted theirregistration and they need a titlechange, what do we do?Unfortunately, there is no way to edit thefirst portion of registration once it issubmitted. If a student would like to changetheir title, please have them email Bianca [email protected] with the old titleand the change.

My students have re-written a portion oftheir experiment/they have informationto change, what do we do?The link that a student receives via emailafter submitting their first page ofregistration is a link to their savedregistration. If they have information tochange, they need only to click the link,clear the form and save it again.

SCIENCE FAIR SUPPORTS STEM YEARROUND

The Sac STEM Fair began a new program this past year, where we offered classroompresentations by profess ional scientists and engineers to help teachers relate STEMprofessions to what students are learning in the classroom. This presentation can assistin inspiration on different topics, and in breaking the “scientist” mold students havebecome so accustomed to seeing in media representations.

We also offer a science fair presentation to explain registration and science fair rules andregulations and on how to put together a science fair project board.

To express interest or to request a classroom presenter, vis it our website atwww.sacstemfair.org/teacher.html.

SCIENCE FAIR CHANGES LIVESPast Sac STEM Fair Sweepstakes WinnerVinny R. will tell you what entering theScience Fair competition did for him. He willtell you that it changed his life. It put him ona path of exploration on a succession ofincreasingly challenging scientificquestions. It also led to a college educationat MIT, registration of several patents, andthe startup of his own science andtechnology based company.

But not everyone who seeks a career inscience or engineering needs to reinventthe world. Other career paths – – ones thatinvolve science and engineering – – are justas rewarding and important. Public serviceis one of these. Just ask one of the manyScience Fair judges who make their living asCalifornia state scientists and engineers.That means being a fisheries biologist forthe Department of Fish and Wildlife, ortransportation engineer with Caltrans, or anarchaeologist with the Department of Parksand

Recreation. There are, in fact, hundreds ofcareer choices in public service and ALL ofthem involve application of the methods andstudy habits that begin with the Science Fair.

The state of California employs nearly13,000 engineers and a variety ofspecialties and for a variety of statedepartments. Approximately 3,000scientists work for 36 state departments inabout 52 different disciplines. There aresimilar opportunities available at the federal,county, city and special district levels .Science and engineering supports quality-of-life for people, and sustainability for theenvironment. You CAN be part of this .

Wherever your experience leads, the studyand work you put into your project will payoff. You just won’t know how until youactually do it. So don’t delay, get yourproject idea confirmed, complete the onlineregistration, and get started!

Don’t hesitate; early birdregistration ends January 17,

2014!

FEATUREDARTICLE

Top 10 Colleges With TheMost Graduates Being

Hired For JobsRead it here

SCHOLARSHIPSFeatured Scholarship: Junior Science& Humanities Symposium (JSHS)

This 3 day event provides highschool students with theopportunity to hearrenowned scientists speak, vis itunivers ity, corporate & governmentresearch facilities, meet informallywith univers ity students andresearch scientists , hear researchpresentationsby other students. If you participatein our Fair, you can submit yourresearch paper to JSHS by January10th (if your project doesNOT involve human/animalsubjects or potentially hazardousmaterials) Online @ www.lawrencehallof

science.org/jshs

Featured Scholarship: AmericanChemical Society (ACS) ScholarsProgram

The American Chemical SocietyScholars Program awardsrenewable scholarships of up to$5,000 to underrepresentedminority students who want toenter the fields of chemistry orchemistry-related fields, such asenvironmental science, toxicologyand chemical technology. Highschool seniors and collegefreshmen, sophomores, or juniorsare eligible to apply.

The amount of each awarddepends upon the availability offunding, the number ofscholarships awarded, andevidence of financial need.Scholarship recipients receive upto a maximum of $5,000 per year,and the awards are renewable.

Application cycle: November 1 -March 1 (annually)

APPLY HERE

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either scan and upload the s igned sheetback into the registration, or you can emailit to [email protected]. You alsohave the option to fax to (916)442-4182 ormail to 455 Capitol Mall, Ste 500Sacramento, CA 95814.

How do students fill out the registrationwhen it is a Team Project?When there is a team project, only onestudent needs to fill out the registration pastthe first “submit” button. When all teammembers fill out the first page they mustmake sure the titles of their project MATCH.If they do not, the Fair Coordinator will notknow which projects are teams and whichare individuals . If only one studentparticipant can fill out the registration,Bianca Gutierrez, the Fair Coordinator willcontact the student via email to ask for thestudent’s team members t-shirt s ize andemails .

Do my students need informed consentforms for all human involvedexperiments?Yes, all projects which involve humans –whether it is in survey form or observation –need to turn in a sample of their informedconsent form in their registration. There isan option to upload

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER YOUR BOARDA sample sheet explaining how to puttogether a Science Project Board or anEngineering Project Board is now availableonline under the TEACHER section ofwww.sacSTEMfair.org

ENGINEERING INFORMATIONLinks with information specifically onEngineering Projects are now online underthe TEACHER section ofwww.sacSTEMfair.org

SCIENCE INFORMATION Links with information specifically onScience Projects are now online under theTEACHER section of www.sacSTEMfair.org

PAPER REGISTRATION Paper registration is available upon request.However, a paper registration to view whileassisting your students during the onlineregistration can be helpful. Download ithere.

DEADLINESIf you or your students are struggling withthe deadlines, PLEASE do not bediscouraged. Send us a note([email protected]) and we wouldbe happy to discuss!

Get Social with us

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: FEBRUARYThe February Student highlight is Is far M.,competing in the Fair for his third year in arow, continuing research as a senior! ThisSac STEM Fair pro was able to take sometime out of his busy schedule to answersome of our questions about the Fair andhis future.

We asked Isfar about his experience at theFair. He told us that the STEM Fair was as he

expected it to be, but that “learninghow real scientific research isperformed in the field was a realeye opener to how STEM learningis best done; I found it far moreenjoyable and challenging thansimply reading out of books(although I like doing that aswell)”.

His projects have grown, just as he has!Isfar has submitted a continuous projectand developed his research through theyears. “The last project I did was titled“The effects of Temperature and RelativeHumidity on the path taken by an electricarc generated by a Tesla Coil.” The yearbefore, it was “The effect of a magneticfield on the path taken by a plasma arcgenerated by a Tesla Coil.” Both projectsbuilt off of each other; in the 10th grade,my attempts of us ing magnets to bendelectric arcs proved to be a failure, as thearcs seemed to bend themselvesindependent of the magnets I introducedinto the system. This failure, however,paved the way for the next year’s project.”

We asked Isfar how he fares before the Fair;he responded “I feel calm, actually, ahead ofthe fair. I don’t tend to get overwhelmed byany particular feeling” – a level head! Andhe gave some great advice to newcomersand those who can get anxious, “start early,and especially if you have an ambitiousproject idea, ask for help from people whocould have facilities you would find useful orpeople who know about the field then you”.

Is far is currently applying to colleges and is“now s imply waiting for good news. I intendto study physics in college to the Ph.D. leveland then secure a professorship at aunivers ity”. Here at the Fair, we are sograteful to our participants and proud to seethem pursue their collegiate dreams!

Thanks for the interview, Is far – we can’twait to see you at the Fair!

REGISTRATION DEADLINE - FEBRUARY 10TH

The Sac STEM Fair is almost here! We have extended our deadline to February 10 th. Ournew ability to receive instant registration through our online registration has reallyhelped organize and manage our multitude of registrations so far. But we’re not doneyet! Submit your registration today! We want to see what you can do!

Project boards do NOT need to be completed until the actual Fair registration day, March21 & 22, 2014. Please feel free to contact the Fair Coordinator, Bianca Gutierrez, [email protected] with any questions or concerns about the registrationprocess!

High s chool regis tration here Middle s chool regis tration here

Issue 6, February 3, 2014

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

February 10 -Registration deadline for ALLprojects!

February 10 - Volunteer &Judge registration deadline

March 21 - Judge Orientation atRosemont High School begins at6PM

March 21 - Student Registrationbegins at 5:30PM

March 22 - Synopsys SacramentoRegional Science & Engineering Fairat Rosemont High School!

CALL FOR JUDGESWe are still in need ofvolunteer judges atthe Sac STEM Fair. SIGN UP ONLINE TODAY

CALL FORVOLUNTEERS!

The Sac STEM Fairthrives on volunteers!

We need YOU!Please sign up today.

FEATUREDSPONSOR

A BIG THANK YOU to our featuredsponsor! The Intel Foundation hasawarded a $25,000 grant to begin a

pilot of the Regional STEMMentoring Program. Look out for

more information to come on ourwebsite!

Reques t a paper copy

Thanks for your Support!

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STUDENT FAQS -REGISTRATION & THE DAY OF THE FAIR

1. HOW MANY TEAM MEMBERS CAN IHAVE?You can have 3 people on a team. Theseteam members can be from other schoolsand different grades within your divis ion.However, you must make sure yourteachers know that you are registering witha student from another school if you areparticipating through your science orengineering class. If you want to participatewith a student in another grade, be carefulbecause you will be judged by the oldest inthe group. You cannot compete with amiddle school and high school mixed team.

2. HOW DOES A TEAM SUBMIT THEIRREGISTRATION?The Student Leader on a team will submitthe entire on-line registration. Each teammember must fill out the first page ofregistration, and once the project is fullysubmitted, the Fair Coordinator will contactthe student lead to get the parental/studentconsent forms s igned for all members.

3. I SUBMITTED MY PROJECT, I WOULDLIKE TO CHANGE SOME OF ITSDESCRIPTION, WHAT DO I DO?If you would like to change anything aboutyour project, but you have alreadyCOMPLETELY submitted it, please contactthe Fair Coordinator, Bianca, [email protected]. If you haven'tsubmitted your registration completely, youcan use the link that was sent to the e-mailyou provided to access your registration.Clear the form and save it again, thensubmit when complete.

4. WHERE CAN I GET GOODINFORMATION ABOUT ENGINEERINGPROJECTS?• We like to recommend the ScienceBuddies website – they tell you how to beginan engineering project and what materialsyou will most likely need for your display.Find it here.

• The Student handbook containsthe information you need. It begins withscience project outlines, goes intoengineering project outlines and on page 5you will find the engineering rubric. You canfind it here

5. WHAT SHOULD THE DISPLAY CONSISTOF? WHAT SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED?The best place to start to answer thisquestion is to read our Items not allowed atyour Display document. See the Rules &Regulations for specificity. However, the bigno-no's are anything potentially dangerous -hypodermic needles, diseased organisms,etc - anything of great monetary value,anything large enough to infringe on anotherexhibitor's space, and live plants & animals.

6. I RECEIVED AN EMAIL ASKING FORADDITIONAL FORMS, WHAT DO I DO?The request for additional forms means thatsomething was miss ing from yoursubmission. If you fill out the forms sent toyou in the email and send them back, yourregistration will be complete! You can sendthem back via email, fax, or mail – pleasefeel free to call the office at 916-441-3150 ifyou have any questions!

Email: [email protected]: 916-442-4182Mailing address: 455 Capitol Mall, Ste 500Sacramento CA 95814

7. WHERE CAN A STUDENT GETADDITIONAL FAIR INFORMATION ORPROJECT ADVICE?Check out the Resources page for someproject advice and help. Please don'thesitate to call us at 916-441-3150 or toemail Bianca at [email protected]

FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US WITH MOREQUESTIONS - WE WILL POST THEMONLINE TO HELP OTHERS AS WELL!

MANAGING MONEY CAN BEFUN

Make your allowance last! There will beworkshops given at the Fair on how youcan make your allowance work for you,presented by Golden 1! Golden 1 places agreat emphasis on providing knowledge ofhow to become responsible savers. Thecredit union has designed severalworkshops to help our community’s youthdevelop the financial skills needed to excelin adult life. These workshops addresstopics that are of interest to high schoolstudents: Buying a Car, Careers, andPlanning for College, for example. The twoworkshops are called “Introduction toMoney Management”. The firstpresentation will focus on grades4th through 7th as an audience, while thesecond will focus on 8th through12th grades. All participants are welcometo attend!

It will be fun and informative – the Golden 1representative will bring games to

COLLEGE ADMISSIONSWORKSHOP – STUDENTS &

PARENTS INVITED

Wondering how to apply for college?Problem solved! At the Sac STEM Fair weare hosting a College Admission workshoppresented by Creative MarblesConsultancy! The presentation willprovide admiss ions consulting forstudents and parents, and collegeguidance on all aspects of the admiss ionsprocess, with the goal of helping studentapplications be as competitive aspossible. Financial aid advis ing will beprovided – information on what collegesmay expect individual families to pay, andthen make recommendations on how toafford increasing college costs, includingscholarship options.

This workshop is for all participants –parents, students, and teachers – whoneed help during that crucial period ofcollege admiss ions!

CHECK OUT OUR GREAT WORKSHOPS FOR YOUAND YOUR STUDENT TO ATTEND!

FEATUREDEXHIBITORS

Thank you to our new exhibitors!Cash 4 Clothes Fundraiser andGolden 1 are registered to exhibitat the College and Career Event atthe Sac STEM Fair!

Don’t hesitate; registrationends February 21, 2014!

SCHOLARSHIPSFeatured Scholarship: VisionaryIntegration Professionals' Women inTechnology Scholarship Program.

Attention all college-bound women!If you’re pursuing a career incomputer science, informationtechnology, managementinformation systems, or otherrelated fields, Vis ionary IntegrationProfessionals (VIP) would like toinvite you to apply for our annualWomen in Technology Scholarship(WITS) program.

The scholarship program, now inits seventh year, offers support forwomen who are attending orplanning to attend a two- or four-year college within the UnitedStates for the upcoming schoolyear. VIP awards multiplescholarships of up to $2,500 perrecipient. Candidates are evaluatedbased on the following criteria:academic performance,community involvement,extracurricular activities,leadership qualities, career path, &essay response.

illustrate. The presentations by Golden 1will have workbooks for you to take homeabout what you learn!

We encourage qualified women toapply by downloading theapplication here.

Submissions are due March10, 2014. For more informationcontact [email protected]

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JOIN US AT THE COLLEGE AND CAREEREVENT AS AN EXHIBITOR!

The College and Career Event will be heldMarch 22, 2014 from 12PM to 4PM atRosemont High School. Exhibiting is a greatway to market your organization, college,company and more. Exhibits will be open tothe public. The attendees will include theparticipating STEM fair students, teachersand parents as well as the public – that’sover 1,500 people! Bring your hands-onactivities and showcase your support forSTEM education.

The exhibit space includes an open-air,covered

space approximately 10’x10’ in s ize – youwill have plenty of room to involve studentsand parents in your demonstrations! Youcan even reserve multiple exhibit spaces. Allexhibitors will receive a listing in theprogram, a feature in our newsletter, andrecognition on our website. Nonprofits andstate organizations receive free exhibitspace!

Sign up today! Registration closes onFebruary 21, 2014!

When: May 9, 2014

Applications: January 20, 2014 –March 28, 2014

LocalChallengeAwards:

First place: $2,000Secondplace: $1,000Third place: $500

Featured Scholarship: Amgen BayArea BioGeNIus Challenge.

The 2014 Amgen Bay AreaBioGENEius Challenge is open forsubmission! Students in grades 9-12 may enter their lifescience/biotech related regionalfair projects as long as they meetthe criteria listed on theNational competition web s ite.

Apply Here!

Get Social with us

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Issue 7, March 3, 2014

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: MARCHOur Student Highlight for March is NathanielVarghese – Synopsys Sac STEM FairCompetitor and Winner, Intel ISEF Awardee,and one of the newest Inductees into theNational Gallery for America’s YoungInventors!

Nathaniel has received local, national andinternational attention due to his invention -a Robust Human Fall Detection WirelessSystem – entered into the Synopsys SacSTEM Fair in 2013. His project is anautomatic and robust human fall detectionsystem designed for elderly people.

Today, "pendants " exis t for a s imilar purpos e, however, thes e require the pers on to pus h a button when they fall. Often, when

an elderly pers on falls , they are too incapacitated to do this , rendering s uchsystems ineffective. The s ys tem Nathaniel created uses an accelerometer as a s ens or to automatically detect the fall. It us es a 4-s tage fall detection algorithm running on an Arduino microcontroller that makes the fall detection robus t with minimal fals e alerts .

Finally, when a fall occurs, the system usesan XBee radio to send an alert s ignalwireless ly to a remote station to get help. This project Nathaniel developed has wonhim top honors at the 2013 SacramentoSTEM Fair, as well as the 2013 IntelInternational Science & Engineering Fair,where he was recognized internationally.

Nathaniel is one of only five inductees to TheNational Gallery for America’s YoungInventors (NGAYI ), the official U.S.organization established to take the greatideas of America’s youth and preserve themforever in history. Each inductee is either anational invention competition winner, apatent holder, or has his /her product on thenational market. The inductees have beenchosen by the National Gallery’s StudentBoard of Directors, which is composed ofstudents from across the nation.

Congratulations Nathaniel! We are so proudof you!

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: DOUBLE FEATUREWe are proud to have two Student Highlightsfor March! Divya Nag, a past Synopsys SacSTEM Fair winner, had an article writtenabout her accomplishments s ince her Fairdays. She participated in the 2007, 2008 and2009 regional fair and placed 1st in categoryor 2nd overall each year! See the articlefeatured in the Sacramento Bee below!

"Sacramento area science wunderkind getsnationals recognition" By StephenMagagnini (Published: Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 - 12:00 am)“From the time her dad introduced her to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About 715,000 Americans suffer heartattacks each year.

Nag said she made her breakthrough afterspending 60 to 80 hours a week trying tocreate new heart cells in Stanford’s stemcell lab. “I have a lot of raw curios ity,” shesaid. Halfway through her sophomore year,Nag took a leave from her studies atStanford to start her own company, StemCell Theranostics, with three partners, twoof them Stanford professors.

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

March 21 - Judge Orientation atRosemont High School

March 22 - Synopsys SacramentoRegional Science & Engineering Fairat Rosemont High School!

A CALL FORVOLUNTEERS!Key clubs, volunteer clubs,

individual volunteers - we NEEDyou! The Sac STEM Fair operatesthrough volunteers and s ince thisis our biggest fair yet, we need allthe help we can get. Sign up online

today!

FEATUREDEXHIBITORS

Thank you to our new exhibitors!We cannot wait to see your hands-on activities at the Science Fair!

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICHEALTH will be demonstrating: pHdetection, color change, microbsshown in a microscope.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISHAND WILDLIFE will host an exhibitthat will have wildlife viewingpamphlets, fliers of ourdepartment’s free familyprograms, pamphlets of theNimbus Fish Hatchery, salmon lifecycle bracelets and our Salmon lifecycle wheel.

SIERRA COLLEGE is hosting anexhibit and their representativeswill tell you about their strong set ofSTEM programs, includingMechatronics, along with excellenttransfer preparation (#1 inNorthern CA), champion athleticteams, and on-campus housing.TV shows “The Magic School Bus” and “Bill

Nye the Science Guy,” 3-year-old Divya Nagloved to learn how things worked – and howto make them work better.

Now the 22-year-old Mira Loma High School graduate and Stanford Univers ity dropout –who co-founded her own genetics res earch company and created a nonprofit for other medical researchers to market their inventions – has been recognized as one of the brightes t young s tars in the science world. On Jan. 20, Forbes magazine named

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SACRAMENTO – College of Engineering is exhibiting! They will feature the Cons truction Management Program at CSUS is des igned for s tudents who enter profes s ional practice immediately upon graduation. The program and teaching methods are therefore practical in nature, providing hands -on experience for s tudents through labs and clas s projects .

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Nag the younges t pers on on its lis t of “30 Under 30” brightes t s tars in s cience and health care.

“Divya Nag is attacking one of medicine’sbiggest problems: the fact that most humancells – like those in the heart and liver – diewhen you keep them in a petri dish,” Forbessaid. Nag has helped invent a newtechnology that can turn adult skin cells intostem cells , which could someday be used toreplace heart tissue that dies during a heartattack.

Inspired by Japanese Nobel Prize winnerShinya Yamanaka – “the first to show thats kin cells can turn into stem

cells” – Nag is attacking heart dis eas e, which kills about 600,000 Americans annually, according to the

“One of the big controvers ies at the timewas there were a lot of ethical concernstaking stem cells from embryos, andPresident George (W.) Bush had put a ban onembryonic stem cells , so finding a way tobypass using them was really big,” she said.

She and her colleagues made their stem cellbreakthrough at the Stanford lab with a $20million grant from the California Institute forRegenerative Medicine. Stanford grantedStem Cell Theranostics the exclus ivelicense for the technology, and the companywas launched with a $150,000 grant fromthe National Science Foundation.” Readmore here

We are so happy to have such outstandingpast and present competitors in theSynopsys Sacramento STEM Fair. We wishyou the best of luck Divya!

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR THE FAIRFriday, March 21st5:30 - 7:30PM ---- Student Registration & Project Set Up (Main Gym entrance)6:30 - 8:30PM ---- Judge's Dinner & Orientation (Cafeteria)

Saturday, March 22ndARRIVAL7:30 - 8:00AM ---- Judge's Check-in (Dance Room)8:00 - 9:00AM ---- Judge's Project Review (Small & Large Gym; STUDENTS ARE NOTPRESENT)8:30 - 8:55AM ---- Student Orientation (Cafeteria)

STUDENT INTERVIEWS9:00 - 1:00PM ---- Judges' Student Interviews (Small & Large Gym)During interviews, all students must be present & remain at projectsuntil dismissed for lunch - see schedule below:

MORNING EVENTS10:00 - 12:00PM ---- NGSS Workshop (Art Lab J114)10:00 - 4:00PM ---- Snack bar open (Cafeteria)10:30 - 11:30AM ---- Creative Marbles College Admission Workshop (Cafeteria)

LUNCH SCHEDULES11:30 - 12:30PM ---- Teachers ' and Exhibitors ' Lunch (Cafeteria)12:00 - 1:00PM ---- Middle School Judges' Lunch (Cafeteria)12:30 - 2:00PM ---- Middle School Students ' Lunch (Cafeteria)1:00 - 2:00PM ---- High School Judge's Lunch (Cafeteria)1:00 - 2:30PM ---- High School Students ' Lunch (Cafeteria)

AFTERNOON/PUBLIC EVENTS - Open to ALL!12:00 - 4:00PM ---- Project Exhibit Viewing and College & Career Event1:30 - 2:30PM ---- Golden One Middle School Workshop2:30 - 3:30PM ---- Golden One High School Workshop3:30PM ---- Mad Science Show (Weather Permitting)

SCHEDULED STUDENT INTERVIEWS2:00 - 3:00PM ---- Grand Prize & Special Awards Judging (Small & Large Gym)Selected Students will be notified to return to their projects after lunch prior to leavings forlunch

AWARDS CEREMONIES4:30 - 5:15PM ---- Middle School Awards Ceremony (Auditorium)5:30 - 6:30PM ---- High School Awards Ceremony (Auditorium)

PROJECT REMOVAL4:15 - 5:00PM ---- High School Project Removal*5:15 - 6:00PM ---- Middle School Project Removal**Projects left behind in the gymnasiums may not be saved

Any updates will be posted to the website at www.sacSTEMfair.org

These are just a FEW of ourexhibitors - make sure you don'tmiss the College and Career Eventat the Sac STEM Fair!

March 22 - 12PM to 4PM

FEATUREDARTICLE

Gary Robinson andHeidi Black: Science

projects prepstudents for real-

world careersRead it here

FEATUREDSPONSORS

A BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors!Home Depot and Raley's/Bel-Air

have shown their STEM support andhave made generous donations to

the Science Fair.

Thanks for your Support!

SCHOLARSHIPS

Features Scholarship: Bay BioGeniusChallenge

The BioGENEius Challenges are your

opportunity to compete on an

international s tage with s ome of

the brightes t s cientific minds in the

world. Imagine working alongs ide

mentors at s ome of the leading

colleges , biotechnology firms and

labs in your region, and then

s ubmitting your work for

pres entation to biotech s cientis ts

and innovators currently engaged in

trans forming the s cientific lands

cape.STUDENT ORIENTATION

ANNOUNCEMENTThere will be a Student Orientation this year from 8:30AM to 8:55AM in the Cafeteria at Ros emont on the day of the Fair. The Student Orientation will be held to help s tudents prepare for the day and know when they can expect to be interviewed, how many times , and how to identify judges as oppos ed to interes ted parties . Parents and teachers are welcome at this orientation in order to make s ure that everyone has the s ame information for the day.

Students : Pleas e make s ure you get to the Fair early on March 22nd, and take a s eat in the Cafeteria!

Be a part of that and join us for the

2014 BioGENEius Challenge

on June 20-24, 2014 in San Diego,

California!

Vis it their website here

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STUDENT FAQs – DAY OF THE FAIR1. Have you completed yourscience fair registration?You should have received anemail notifying you that yourscience fair registration wascomplete and approved. If youdid not, you most likely needadditional forms or areawaiting SRC approval. Pleasecontact Bianca, the FairCoordinator, at [email protected] if you areunsure! This needs to be doneprior to the Fair; otherwise youmay be held up in theregistration line!

2. What should the displayconsist of? What should notbe included?The best place to start toanswer this question is toread our Items not allowed atyour display document. Seethe Rules & Regulations forspecificity. However, the bigno-no's are anythingpotentially dangerous -hypodermic needles,diseased organisms, etc -anything of great monetaryvalue, anything large enoughto infringe on anotherexhibitor's space, and liveplants & animals.

3. What should I wear?Casual attire can be wornFriday for registration and setup. Business attire isrecommended for Saturday'sjudging interviews and awardsceremony, or you may wearthe Fair T-shirt provided toyou.

4. Is food provided?Yes, pizza lunch is providedby

Papa Murphy's Pizza.There isalso a snack bar availablefrom 10AM to 4PM onSaturday where snacks anddrinks are available to bepurchased throughout theday.

5. What happens duringjudging?Only students and judgesare present in the exhibit hallfor judging on Saturday at10AM. Students should beprepared to explain theirprojects and/or answerquestions about it in 2minutes or less. It can behelpful to outline a possiblepresentation in advance, butdon't rely on it - we do notsuggest reading a setspeech. The studentpresentation should runabout 2 minutes. Totaljudging time is 6-8 minutes.Unfortunately, judges cannotspend more than thisamount of time at anyprojects due to the numberof projects entered. Graphs,pictures and models canbe helpful in explaining themore complicated aspectsof a project. Answer thequestions to the best of yourknowledge and remember torelax!

6. Are souvenirsavailable?Yes, t-shirts andcommemorative pins will beprovided to all participants,and are available forpurchase by others at thesnack bar.

a student spend at their project? When must he/she be there? There are only three times when a s tudent MUST be at their project:

1. Friday --- to set upthe display (between5:30PM - 7:30PM). Bring anytools needed and, ifrequired, an extension cord(MUST be three-pronged).This can be handled by aparent or teacher.

2. Saturday -- forjudging (from 9AM to about2PM) and to take the boarddown between 4:30-6PM.

3. Saturday -- for theAwards Ceremony whichwill take place at 4:30PM -this is not mandatory, but isrecommended for allparticipants, teachers andtheir families.

8. Can I take my projectdown before Saturday?No, by s igning theapplication for entrance tothe Fair, you agree to haveyour project up for publicdisplay until Saturday at4:30PM. IF you cannot takeyour project down between4:30PM-6:30PM on thatSaturday, please have aclassmate, teacher or otherresponsible party takecharge of it.

FEEL FREE TO CONTACTUS WITH MOREQUESTIONS - WE WILLPOST THEM ONLINE TOHELP OTHERS AS WELL!

7. How much time should

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Issue 8: April 11, 2014

The 2015 Synopsys Sac STEM Fairwill be held on

March 13 & 14, 2015at

Folsom High School(1655 Iron Point Rd, Folsom, CA 95630)

LOCAL STUDENTS HEADED TO INTERNATIONALCOMPETITION IN SCIENCE & ENGNEERING

Three high school students from theSacramento region will be showcasing theirscientific chops on the international stageafter winning Grand Prize Awards at theSynopsys Sacramento Regional Science &Engineering Fair on March 22.

Is far Munir, a senior at Tracy High School,won First Place in the Grand Prize categoryfor his project titled “The Effects ofTemperature on the Deflection of an ElectricArc Generated by a Tesla Coil.” The projectresearched what effects relative humidityand air temperature have on the path of anelectric arc.

Placing second overall was Prem Talwai, ajunior at Mira Loma High School inSacramento. Talwai’s project is titled “AnInvestigation of the p53 Ubiquitin-ProteasomSystem Using a Novel Non-Steady-StateEnzyme Kinetic Model”. The project deriveda mathematical model that enablespharmacologists to identify treatmentsolutions for certain cancers andneurodegenerative diseases.

Rounding out the top three finishers wasDhruba Biswas, a senior at Mira Loma HighSchool in Sacramento. Her project,“Differentiation of Hepatocytes from HumanEmbryonic Stem Cells Cultured under Zeno-Free and Feeder Free Conditions”,researched the use of human stem cells togenerate adult liver cells to treat liverdisease.

All three will now go on to compete at theIntel International Science & Engineering Fairto be held May 11-16 in Los Angeles.Historically, Sacramento’s Grand Prizewinners have placed very well at theinternational level.

“We’re thrilled to see these students go onto represent the Sacramento region at theinternational level,” said Fair DirectorMichele Hastie. “Our students’performances continue to prove that theSynopsys Sacramento Regional Science &Engineering Fair produces some of the topyoung talent in the state.”

WE CAN'T SAY THANK YOU ENOUGH!We have so many people to thank forhelping the Sacramento Regional Scienceand Engineering Fair Foundation organizeand hold the 2014 Synopsys Sac STEM Fair!Our success is determined by ourcommunity support and if we look back atthe Fair this year - we are truly andabsolutely successful!

The Synopsys Sac STEM Fair featured amultitude of student projects from aroundthe greater Sacramento region including thefollowing counties - El Dorado, Placer,Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Solano,Yolo and Yuba. We had students from 47schools attend - our largest turn out yet!

Our volunteer judges never cease to amazeus with their support and dedication to ourmiss ion of engaging and inspiring studentsto become interested in pursuing STEMdegrees and careers. We had a great turnout of judges this year from all of oursponsoring organizations like Intel, theCalifornia Association of Profess ionalScientists (CAPS), the Profess ionalEngineers in California Government (PECG),UC Davis , CSUS and many more!

Thank you ALL so much for attending the2014 Fair - let's make 2015 even better!

Please take some time and help us by fillingout our one of our short surveys:

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

May 11-16 - Intel InternationalScience & Engineering Fair in LosAngeles

CONGRATS AGAIN TOALL OUR 2014

WINNERS!Vist www.sacSTEMfair.org to view

the list!

FEATURED ARTICLEYoung researcher

wins regional sciencefair

Read it here

PICTURES FROM THE2014 FAIR ARE NOW

ONLINE www.sacSTEMfair.org

SCHOLARSHIPS

Featured Scholarship: Imagine CupGames Competition

The Imagine Cup Games

Competition is available to

students with an interest in video

game design. To enter the contest

you, or your team, must submit a

desktop or tablet game using

Windows, or a mobile game using

Windows Phone, or a browser

game using Windows Azure.

Games can support multiple

languages as long as English is

represented and be no bigger than

500MB to be eligible entries.

National Finals Deadline: April30, 2014Our first annual College and Career Event

was also inaugurated with a BANG! We had36 exhibitors and a ton of hands-onactivities; we even had 107.9 come out andfeature their prize wheel!

Feedback Survey Exhibitor Survey We Missed You Survey (for those unableto attend)

Check it out here

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OUR "SUMMER VACATION"Science never s leeps! We are already beginning preparation for our 2015 STEM Fair atFolsom High School through lay out design and filling the program. But that's not all! Weare re-vamping the website to make it easier for everyone to manuver - we know thatthere is a LOT of information to take in when completing a STEM fair project, and we wantto be as helpful as possible! We will also be tweaking the online registration to make iteasier for students, parents and teachers to complete and check their registration status.

With the new website release at the end of April, we will also be launching our s isterwebsite - the Regional STEM Mentoring Program website. We ask that our community ofSTEM experts and volunteer judges check out the new pilot program funded by Intel. Weare very excited to be able to integrate our Mentoring Program with our STEM Fair ideals!

Finally, we will be re-opening the College and Career Event s ign up with the new website sothat all of our exhibitors can get a jump on preparing hands-on activities!

STEM FAIR & STEM PROFESSIONALPRESENTATIONS

It’s never too early to startplanning for a STEM Fair!That's why the Synopsys SacSTEM Fair staff has differentpresentations for you torequest. On our website, wehave STEM Fairpresentations and STEMProfessional presentationsavailable to request - whatare they you ask? Resourcesfor teachers like you!

The STEM Fair presentationis a demonstration on justthat - the STEM Fair and all ofthe processes associatedwith participating in a STEMfair. We know that preparingfor a STEM fair can seemdaunting,

but we can help you everystep of the way. Sac STEMFair staff will schedule a timewith you and your class topresent on how to enter ourFair.

We will go through what eachstudent will need forregistration, where they canget ideas from, and evenhow they could design theirboard! We can even presentto your class more thanonce - early in the schoolyear or summer school, andonce again after they'vebegan experimentation - sothat we can answer anyquestions regarding how toensure their project will bepresented at the Fair.

The STEM Professionalpresentation is a shortpresentation put on by one ofour wonderful STEMprofessionals from asponsoring organization. Wewill choose who to contactbased upon your classroomneeds - whether you need abiologist, computertechnician, or engineer - wecan request a profess ional inthe field to present to yourclassroom to help show thestudents the array ofcareers that STEM can openfor them!

We hope that you will takeadvantage of all theresources we host on ourwebsite and you request apresentation!

A NEW RESOURCEFOR ALL!

SSP also invites you to check out anew resource for educators andstudents alike in Eureka! Lab, anew science blog by SSP. Eureka!Lab focuses on ways to deeplyengage students in STEM fields,and is a great place for students tofind inspiration for research topics, for profiles of people inunusual STEM careers and for linksto events and other activities thatmay catalyze a host of Eurekamoments. Anyone 12 or oldershould be able to understand andenjoy this blog. Teachers can findresources for STEM-themedactivities, opportunities to getinvolved in citizen science andreviews of STEM-related s ites,shows and exhibits .

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Issue 9, June 2, 2014

THE 2014 INTEL INTERNATIONALSCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR @ LA LIVE

“This May 11 th through 16th, nearly 1,800 ofthe world’s most promis ing youngscientists , engineers and mathematiciansgathered in Los Angeles to participate in theworld’s largest pre-college sciencecompetition, the 2014 Intel InternationalScience and Engineering Fair.

These young innovators represent the bestof more than 7 million high school studentsaround the globe who participated inscience fairs this year, having won tophonors at local, regional and nationalcompetitions to earn their place as finalistsat Intel ISEF.

For many of these finalists , Intel ISEF is alife-changing event. For some, it is their firsttime traveling far from home. For others, itoffers the chance to interact with collegeprofessors, distinguished profess ionals andeven Nobel laureates in their fields ofinterest. For all, it presents the opportunityto meet like-minded peers who share theirenthusiasm for science, technology,engineering and mathematics.

Intel ISEF 2014 kicked off with a high-energyopening ceremony, co-hosted by

Discover Magazine’s Kyle Hill and repletewith videos, flags and banners representingthe more than 70 countries, regions andterritories participating in this year’s fair.

Other events of the week included: akeynote address by Mick Ebeling, founderand CEO of Not Impossible Labs, anorganization that develops creativesolutions to real-world problems; talks byNobel laureates; symposia on everythingfrom programming with Intel Galileo tomaking science fiction a reality throughrobotics technology; and a nothing-but-funexcurs ion to nearby Universal StudiosHollywood.

The main event, however, featured thefinalists themselves as they presentedoriginal research projects – includingbreakthrough technologies and potentialsolutions to some the world’s most dauntingproblems – to panels of esteemed judgesand competed for more than USD 5 million inprizes and scholarships.” Read More here.

MIRA LOMA STUDENTS SHINE AT INTEL ISEFThe Synopsys SacramentoRegional Science andEngineering Fair washonored to take our threeGrand Prize winners to the2014 Intel ISEF in LosAngeles. Our winnerscompeted in threecategories – Physics &Astronomy, Medicine &Health, andMathematical Sciences.

We are proud to announcethat Dhruba Biswas andPrem Talwai, both of MiraLoma High School, placed4th in their respectivecategories in the Intel GrandAwards. The Intel Foundationprovides Grand Awards forfirst, second, third, andfourth places in eachcategory. Ourwinners competed againstover 1,800 participants fromother fairs all over the globe!

Prem Talwai, from Mira LomaHigh School, competed withhis project titled “AnInvestigation of the p53Ubiquitin-Proteasom System

-State Enzyme KineticModel”. The project deriveda mathematical model thatenables pharmacologists toidentify treatment solutionsfor certain cancers andneurodegenerativediseases.

Dhruba Biswas, from MiraLoma High School, competedwith her project,“Differentiation ofHepatocytes from HumanEmbryonic Stem CellsCultured under Zeno-Freeand Feeder Free Conditions”,

liver cells to treat liverdisease.

Is far Munir, from Tracy HighSchool, won first place at theregional fair for his projecttitled “The Effects ofTemperature on theDeflection of an Electric ArcGenerated by a Tesla Coil.” The project researched whateffects relative humidity andair temperature have on thepath of an electric arc.

Congratulations once again!We cannot wait to see what

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

June 6 - Deadline to submit BayerInternational Science Teen Campapplication. See ad below fordetails!

June 16-20 - California NorthstateUnivers ity Summer Health ScienceCamp

June 18 - Deadline to submitBroadcom MASTERS application.Middle Schoolers who placed at theSac STEM Fair are eligible!

MAKE A DIFFERENCEin your communityand help changestudents' lives -- SUPPORT THE

REGIONAL STEMMENTORINGPROGRAMwith your

contribution today!

High School Students --Attend the

California NorthstateUniversity

Summer Health ScienceCamp

from June 16–20, 2014

- 5 days of exciting Health Sciencesubjects and hands-on,innovative laboratory activities

- Strengthen your Health Scienceresume through rigorousand stimulating scientific subjectmatter

- Lunch and materials included; forinfo/registration forms click on link:http://www.cnsu.edu/science-camp

*Spring Special—Buy one, get oneat 50% off! (limited time only)

*CNU Summer Science Camp isbeing held at 9700 West TaronDrive, Elk Grove (just off I-5)

Us ing a Novel Non-Steady which researched the use ofhuman stem cells togenerate adult

our winners have in store forus in the future!

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SCIENCE FAIR WEBSITE UP AND RUNNINGIt’s here! The Synopsys Sacramento Regional Science and Engineering Fair (Sac STEM Fair)website is up and running. Why such an update to the website? It now holds the key to theuniverse! Just kidding, the website is now easier to navigate and holds a ton of informationto help you (you student, parent, teacher you) prepare for the 2015 Sac STEM Fair!

Need more? Here are some examples of what new things you will find:

1. A new look! Fewer distractions, clearer text. Tell us what you think!2. Detailed High School and Middle School information by divis ion.3. Examples of other science and engineering projects.4. Student forum – Sac STEM Fair live – where students are encouraged to createrespectful discussion groups about STEM projects, as well as available live Q&A duringbusiness hours.5. Updated online registration that makes it much easier to identify what you mustcomplete to enter.

We have also updated the teachers, parent, volunteers and judges pages to give a bitmore information for all attendees involved. Finally, we would like for all of our volunteers,scientists , engineers, technicians, mathematicians and more to check out our s isterprogram – the Regional STEM Mentoring Pilot Program under our new “Mentors” page! Weare excited to announce the development of the RSM Pilot Program, thanks to a generousstart-up grant from the Intel Foundation, so please check it out and see if it is right for you!

SACRAMENTO IS ALL ABOUT SCIENCE!Thousands of third to s ixth grade studentsconverged on the State Capitol toexperience the fascinating world of sciencethrough hands-on exhibits and experimentsat the 26th Annual State Scientist Day onWednesday, May 14 on the West Steps of theState Capitol.

Assembly member Richard Gordon (D-Menlo Park) was recognized as an HonoraryState Scientist for authoring AssemblyConcurrent Resolution 106 (ACR 106), whichdesignated May 14, 2014 as State ScientistDay and highlights the important work statescientists do to protect public health, theenvironment and California’s naturalresources.

During the event, students from dozens of

elementary schools learn how state

scientists protect the environment,prepare for and respond to naturaldisasters, and protect the public from food-borne illness and other diseases.

Among the fun and visual activities were: - Mobile Vet Labs – Students will see howscientists treat s ick and injured wildlifefollowing disasters like oil spills .

- California Rocks! – Students will get aclose-up look at what causes earthquakes,volcanoes and tsunamis and can jump onboard the Make-A-Quake Machine.

- Live Insects – Students get hands on withsome creepy crawly creatures!

The California Association of Profess ionalScientists (CAPS) sponsors State ScientistDay each spring to promote scienceeducation and encourage students toexplore careers in science.

For a recap of this year’s exhibits , pleasevis it www.capsscientists .org.

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER! It’s summer vacation! Thetime of year when homeworkis replaced by swim parties,video games...and ScienceProjects? That’s right!Summer vacation is theperfect time for you to beginnot just thinking about yourscience project for the 2015Sac STEM Fair, but also goingthrough and planning yourexperimentation.

Why is summer vacation theperfect time? First, you won’thave to worry aboutinterrupting your scientific orengineering train of thoughtwith what other ass ignmentsare due for your classes.Second, you have more timeon

your hands – your parentsmight be able to get mad atyou for watching too muchTV, but if you areresearching a scienceproject online, they won’t beable to stop you! Finally,science is fun! You candiscover new ways to makeyour own life easier, orattempt to research anddevelop ideas that can savethe world. Science,technology, engineering andmathematics can open up awhole new world for you andthose around you!

A helpful tip for students whowill need to use any kindof regulated researchinstitution with their science

or engineering project –summer time is the besttime to get yourexperimentation on!Regulated researchinstitutions typically havecertain hours that their labsare open to interns orvis itors. Summer time allowsyou, and your parents theflexibility to schedule thenecessary lab hours to makesure your experimentationhas all the controls andvariables necessary to proveyour hypothesis!

So get ready for the heat bydonning your lab coats andgoggles or hard hats andengineering design plans!

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MENTORS FOR COMMON COREAND NGSS IMPLEMENTATION

Teachers! We know it has been difficult toswitch over from the STAR testing to the ACEtesting and now – the Common Corestandards and next up, NGSS! It’s enough togo crazy! Never fear, the Regional STEMMentoring Pilot Program is here!

The Sacramento Regional Science andEngineering Fair Foundation has beenworking hard to develop and implement thefirst quarter of the Intel-funded RegionalSTEM Mentoring (RSM) Pilot Program duringSummer 2014. The RSM Pilot Program hasbeen created to ass ist in the alignment withthe new standards adopted by California –not just Common Core, but Next GenerationScience Standards, as well (to beimplemented in 2016).

How will the mentoring program help withCommon Core alignment? Simple! Ascience project can use all subject areas inorder to

reach completion. For example, once astudent completes their experimentation,they will need the help of the math teacherto analyze and chart their data to showtrends, they will need their English teacher’shelp to write an abstract and researchpaper and they will need their historyteacher to ass ist with the implications onthe past and the present of theirexperimentation. In this way, scienceprojects can be cross-curriculum andsatisfy more than just a curios ity within theclassroom. There are so many skills sets astudent can learn from collaboration withpeers, to presentation and public speakingskills everything your students need to becareer-ready in the 21st century.

Want more? We can help! The Sac STEM Fairstaff is happy to meet, present and chat withyou! We are here to help, please contact usif you are interested in more ways to reachacross curriculum.

BAYER INTERNATIONALSCIENCE TEENS CAMP

The Bayer International Science Teens Camp is for asmall, select group of U.S. and International studentswho will join together for hands-on, field-basedexperiences in wildlife-related topics led by collegeprofessors, college students and scientific experts inthe field.

Students will also spend a day at the world famousNiagara Falls , along the Niagara River between two ofthe five great lakes, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. JoinCreek Connections, Allegheny College and regionalscience profess ionals for this innovative program of a two-week res idential camp exploring wildliferesearch and management.

Applicants may complete theinteractive form online, then printand s ign. Once fully completedand s igned, the application maybe submitted by email tomarquis [email protected] due no later thanmidnight on Friday, June 6,2014.

Find the application online here orcontact us for a copy of the

application at [email protected]!

Announcing the

Looking for rewarding volunteeropportunities? Available to commit

one hour per week to help guideand inspire science, technology,engineering, and mathematics

(STEM) students?

SIGN UP TODAY ANDEMBARK ON THIS ENRICHING

EXPERIENCE WORKINGALONGSIDE CREDENTIALED

TEACHERS!

Applying is as easy as 1-2-3!To apply s imply follow these steps:

1. Vis it www.sacSTEMfair.org2. Go To The “Mentors” Tab

3. Fill out the online applicationunder "Sign Up"!

Please feel free to contact us withany questions!

[email protected]

MENTORING WORKS! HELP CONTINUE THEPROGRAM

The Regional STEM Mentoring Pilot Program was created based upon countless articlesand research papers divulging the importance of STEM and mentors. In Sept. 2011,Afterschool Alliance published “STEM Learning in Afterschool: An Analys is of Impact andOutcomes.” Below is a brief overview of outcomes recorded from their study:

"1. Improved attitudes toward STEM fields and careers:a) Increased enrollment and interest in STEM related courses in schoolb) Continued participation in STEM programsc) Increased self

confidence in tackling science classes and projectsd) Shift in attitude about careers in STEM

2. Increased STEM knowledge and skills :a) Increased test scores as compared to non

participantsb) Gains in knowledge about STEM careersc) Gains in computer and technology skillsd) Increased general knowledge of sciencee) Gains in 21st century skills , including communication, teamwork and analyticalthinking

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3. Higher likelihood of graduation and pursuing a STEM career:a) High rate of high school graduation among participantsb) Pursuit of college and intention of majoring in STEM fields

Patterns in the findings across multiple studies begin to reveal the potential of STEMprogramming in after school as a means to engage students in STEM fields and careersand nurture that interest.

The evaluation results collected offer a sample of the positive impacts of these programson youth: After school programs can not only inspire youth, but provide them with theconfidence to pursue STEM fields both academically and profess ionally. To maximizepotential impact, future STEM education policy should support after school and summeropportunities for STEM engagement.” Read the whole study here.

In order to continue expanding the RSM Pilot Program past its first quarter in summer 2014,we will need you and your organization to help! We hope to reach a greater area thanSacramento County and hope to one day include all 12 counties that participate in theSynopsys Sacramento Regional Science and Engineering Fair. With your help, it is possible!Please contact us today to see how you can help! To learn more, vis itwww.sacSTEMfair.org/mentor.

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Issue 10, August 1, 2014

Join us at BJ’s Restaurant in Folsom for Family STEM Night

— a fundraiser to support the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair!

August 22nd from 6PM-10PM 2730 E. Bidwell Street

Folsom, CA 95630

Present this flyerand 15% of your food order will be donated to the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair!

It’s that simple!

What better way to kick off the new s chool year than a family dinner event that benefits your regional Fair? Join us for the event and a raffle for a new backpack, donated by the US

Army and Airforce.Contact Bianca Gutierrez, the Coordinator, with any ques tions .

We hope to see you there!!

That’s not all - look out for announcement of fundraisers at other local restaurantsduring the school year! We are working with multiple local restaurants to host a STEMnight where we will need our participants to come out and EAT. If you would like to requestan area to host a fundraiser, or suggest a restaurant, let us know! We would love to hearfrom our participants and see the families of the STEM community come out.

SAC STEM FAIR WINNERS REPORT ONGENIUS OLYMPIAD EXPERIENCE

Aks hay R. and Bala C. competed in the 2014 Synops ys Sac STEM Fair, where they not only placed in their category, but als o were nominated to compete in the Genius Olympiad Competition in New York. "We didn't know that we would be invited to Genius Olympiad or win any awards but along the proces s we gained a lot of knowledge about our project and how different things worked in the field of robotics ", s ay the team. This pair ofs tudents "found that [an area] that s uited both of their pas s ions were robotics , s ince they were both involved in competitive robotics . Once thye found an area they were both pas s ionate about, they s tarted looking for a way to narrow down this vas t field to one project." The s tudents entered the Genius Olympiad with the winning project Theraplay, "a multi-s tep project that aimed to make the mos t economically feas ible robot for therapeutic us e." The team was ins pired to create Theraplay, a robotdes igned to as s is t in therapy and enhance communication abilities of s ocially-challenged children, while at an outreach event where they were amazed to s ee that groups of Autis tic children interacted with the robots well. After interviewing their aides , Aks hay and Bala were able to develop a plan.

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

July 1 - Online Registration open forall participants!

August 11 - Deadline to order theSac STEM Fair tee or hoodie fromTeeSpring.com! Get yours today!

August 22 - Family STEM Night atBJ's Restaurant in Folsom, CA.REMEMBER TO BRING THE EVENTFLYER! See you there!

September 6 - Folsom PowerhouseElectricity Fair from 10AM - 2PM.

September 24-25 - Vis it the SacSTEM Fair exhibit booth at CareerGPS at CalExpo!

November 28 - StudentRegistration deadline for projectsthat need the Scientific ReviewCommittee's (SRC) Approval.

How do I know if I need SRC Review?Click here.

December 12 - StudentRegistration Deadline for allprojects

Check out the online calendar formost current deadlines andactivities!

www.sacSTEMfair.org

SupportSacSTEMFair

buy a teespring t-shirttoday

teespring.com/sacSTEMfair

Deadline to order isAugust 11!!

"Initially, we s tarted out with a LEGO Minds torms 2.0 and a LEGO EV3 platform

because it is much easier to experiementwith different, custom designs...we endedup using the Parallax kit of parts due to itswide variety of sensors. TheraPlay 2.0 camein [when] we built more custom parts tobetter integrate the sensors into the designand used a stuffed animal as the exterior ofthe robot, to create a more comfortable ideafor the child." But Akshay and Bala are notstopping there! They have already begun towork on improving the programming of therobot!

The Genius Olympiad competition "was nodoubt an amazing experience...It was aperfect mix of competing and making newfriends from all over the world. [The team]loved hanging out in the lobby with all thecompetitiors from various countries andstates," but it was not all fun and games - they related that "the awardsceremony had to be more of the moststressful times of the whole event where wesat at a table filled with veterans of thecompetition, [but] once our name wascalled, we were overjoyed to take the stagewith the rest of our friends."

Continued on Page 2...

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prepared, s ince the competition is in anunknown setting, [but also] have fun and donot stress about the competition. It isimportant to stay relaxed and remain openso you can make new friends andconnections.

Bala is going to be a senior at Mira LomaHigh School. He hopes to major inBiomedical Engineering or ComputerScience and definitely will continue withSTEM related activities in college. Akshay isgoing to be a senior at Vista Del Lago HighSchool in Folsom. He hopes to major inComputer Science and is looking forward tojoining STEM related clubs and continuingwith STEM interests.

The Synopsys Sac STEM Fair thanks Akshayand Bala for taking the time our of theirsummer to write us! We are so proud tohave you as participants and we cannot waitto see what you develop for the 2015Synopsys Sac STEM Fair!

GOOD LUCK TO OUR BROADCOMMASTERS NOMINEES!

The Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Ris ingStars), a program of Society for Science & the Public like the Intel ISEF, is a nationalscience, technology, engineering, and math competition for 6th - 8th graders.

Entries will be judged during the summer and in September, SSP and Broadcom willannounce the top 300 national semifinalists . From the semifinalists , 30 finalists will win anall-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC with a parent to showcase their projects, competein teams and vis it historical s ites and organizations that celebrate innovation throughscience, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

In order to compete in the Broadcom MASTERS program, a student must be nominatedthrough placing in an SSP-affiliated fair like the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair. We would like torecognize and share our pride in the following Middle School nominees from the SynopsysSac STEM Fair for entering into the Broadcom MASTERS competition and continuing theirjourney in STEM!

Medha AiyahFolsom, CA

Sutter Middle School

Nishita BagariaFolsom, CA

Folsom Middle School

Sangeetha BharathMountain House, CASebastian QuestaElementary School

Catherine ColellaRocklin, CA

Western Sierra CollegiateAcademy

Manasi DeshpandeFolsom, CA

Sutter Middle School

Aileen FortinCarmichael, CA

Our Lady of the Assumption

Yashmita MalhotraEl Dorado Hills , CAGolden Hills School

Sanika ManeFolsom, CA

Folsom Middle School

Albert QinCarmichael, CA

Winston Churchill School

interes ted in going into the fields of manufacturing engineering, technology and more!

Check out the list of scholarshipsat:

http://www.smeef.org/scholarships/highschool.asp and apply by

registering with SMEEF at:http://www.smeef.org/scholarships/

We asked the team if they had any advice tostudents currently working on STEMprojects or planning to. They said: "Makesure to choose a topic you are trulypassionate about and willing to invest agreat deal of time in. Ther more interestedyou are in the project and its outcome, theeasier it is to continue on with it andconstantly improve on what you have". Also,when traveling for competition "always be

SCHOLARSHIPS

Features Scholarship: SacramentoManufacturing Engineers EducationFoundation

SME Education FoundationScholarships are for students

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Victoria BorninoSacramento, CA

Sutter Middle School

Neel LalGranite Bay, CA

Olympys Jr High School

Maggie KaudererCarmichael, CA

Our Lady of the Assumption

Rhitishah Yuva RajuCarmichael, CA

Winston Churchill School

El Dorado Hills , CAGolden Hills School

Vishnu SreenivasamurthyCarmichael, CA

Winston Churchill School

They’ll be competing for a top award of $25,000. The semifinalists will be announced onSeptember 3, and the finalists will be announced on September 17, 2014. We wish all of ournominees good luck and we anxiously await the results with you!

MENTORS! PUT THEM IN YOUR CLASSTODAY

A handful of articles have been published inthe Beaker about the newly implementedCommon Core Standards and the to-be-implemented Next Generation ScienceStandards (NGSS) explaining how studentparticipation in a Science & Engineering Fairsatis fies both standards, but the SynopsysSac STEM Fair has yet to answer what weplan to do about it. Here’s the answer!

We have launched our pilot Regional STEMMentoring Program, funded by Intel, whichplaces profess ional scientists andengineers in school programs to encourageand empower students to explore theirinterests in scientific, technological,engineering, and mathematical (STEM)subjects through inquiry-based learning andexposure to real world issues in grades 5th

through 11th in our region.

The mentors in the classroom will not onlybreak the stereotype of a scientist orengineer, but also inform the students ofhow many different kinds of profess ions fallinto a STEM area. Our program matchesqualified mentors versed in requirementsfor your class’ grade-level and subject area.Each session where a mentor is included inthe classroom follows a lesson plan thatsatis fies the NGS Standards, allows hands-on activities and helps students develop andidentify the scientific process throughinquiry-based projects.

The official shift to NGSS begins in 2016, butwith our program your class will have a headstart! Contact us today to get moreinformation on how to have a mentor in yourclassroom or after school program to startoff the new school year!

STEM SUMMER SPOTLIGHT It’s that time of year again, back to school. Bummer! Well, we’ve missed our participants –we want to know what did YOU do in science or engineering this summer? Did you go to ascience summer camp? Did you start experimentation? Don’t be shy – we will acceptstories from students, teachers, even parents! Submit your stories [email protected] and we will publish them in the next Beaker!

INTRODUCING SCIENCE FAIR PAKS!Hoot knew itcould be so

simple to getyour project

board supplies?

1. Visitwww.OWLPAKS.com/kit

2. Type inSynopsys Sac

STEM Fair account# 314159

3. Order theScience Fair Pakcorresponding

with your grade!

TAH-DAH! Yoursupplies are on

the way!

MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT

Anisha Rao

STEM THAN BEFORE!

The Synops ys Sac STEM Fair could not happen if not for the s upport and dedication of our s pons ors and donors . This year we have further categorized our needs to make it even eas ier for s pons ors and donors to make our Fair a s ucces s in 2015. Check out the updated lis t: http://www.s acs temfair.org/s pons or.html.

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Issue 11, September 1, 2014

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR -- FROMTHE DIRECTOR

Welcome to a new STEM Fair year everyone!

Here at the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair, we celebrate the “new year” as students andteachers are returning to school. We are looking forward to another great year filled withmore events, more projects, more science, tech, engineering and mathematics! Wewelcome you all back to school and look forward to the year ahead!

This summer, we kept up with some fascinating news stories concerning students inscience and engineering – you can check them out on our Facebook page(www.facebook.com/sacSTEMfair). Remember to Like our page to get the latest updates onour events and we invite you to attend – everything from gamer’s night to fundrais ing atlocal restaurants! You can also stay up-to-date by subscribing to the calendar on ourhomepage at www.sacSTEMfair.org. You will get any event updates we post automaticallyto your e-mail.

As usual, if you or your class needs a bit of help with getting started on the STEM Fairproject process, call us! Our staff loves to give in-class and/or after school presentationsto help you get your projects underway. We also offer profess ional developmentworkshops. So please, speak up and don’t be shy – we would enjoy vis iting your school.

We work hard to continue improving the Fair each and every year – join us for 2015 andwhat is sure to be our best Fair yet!

Sincerely,

Michele HastieFair Director

STUDENT SUMMER SPOTLIGHT IN STEMWe received a great story from MatthewPaterno, a Junior-to-be at Inderkum HighSchool in Natomas. Read on to see whataccomplishments he achieved thissummer!

“For the summer, I participated in an eightweek internship at UC Davis Institute forRegenerative Cures sponsored by theCalifornia Institute of Regenerative Medicine(CIRM). During this internship, I worked s ide-by-s ide with noted researcher, Dr. GerhardBauer, at the UCD Good ManufacturingPractice (GMP) facility. I received hands ontraining on producing vectors for stem celltrials for HIV treatments. I had theopportunity to use a novel Quantum CellExpansion System, a hollow fiber bioreactor,to produce GMP grade lentiviral vector forHIV treatments.

This study showed me how the use of ahollow fiber bioreactor effectively increasesthe yield of lentiviral vector compared to

Expansion System decreases labor byautomating most of the process. The sterileclosed cartridge system and a forty foldincrease in cell numbers makes thebioreactor applicable for large-scaleproduction of clinical-grade vector.

I also attended a weekly graduate coursecalled “Stem Cell Biology and ManufacturingPractices”. This internship provided me witha deeper understanding of scientificresearch and stem cell biology, and gaveme hands-on experience in a stem celllaboratory. This experience has helped medecide on what I am going to study incollege.”

Thanks Matthew! What a great way to spendyour summer. Remember, it’s not too late –submit your story today! If you didsomething exciting related to STEM over thesummer, or are currently working on anexciting project - we want to hear from you!Submit your articles to Bianca Gutierrez

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

September 4 - Back To SchoolCelebration at Chevy's on the Riverfrom 11AM-11PM. Remember tobring your flyer!

September 6 - FolsomPowerhouse Electricity Fair from10AM - 2PM.

September 11 - School Year Kick-Off at BJ's Restaurant at Arden FairMall from 11AM-10PM. Remember tobring your flyer!

September 24-25 - Vis it the SacSTEM Fair exhibit booth at CareerGPS at CalExpo!

November 28 - StudentRegistration deadline for projectsthat need the Scientific ReviewCommittee's (SRC) Approval.

How do I know if I need SRC Review?Click here.

December 12 - StudentRegistration Deadline for allprojects

Check out the online calendarfor most current deadlines and

activities!www.sacSTEMfair.org

SCHOLARSHIPSFeatured Scholarships:

Spirit of Innovation Challenge The Conrad Spirit of InnovationChallenge believes students havethe potential to create the nextworld-changing, commercially-viable product or service. We invitesecondary and post-secondarystudents from around the globe toGet Your Genius On andconceptualize a solution in theareas of Aerospace & Aviation,Cybertechnology & Security,Energy & Environment, and Health& Nutrition.

Value: $10,000Deadline: October 3, 2014

culturing flas ks . The hollow fiber bioreactor produces approximately 40 times the amount of vector compared to one T225 flas k. The Quantum Cell

at bgutierrez@s acSTEMfair.org and you could appear in anupcoming issue of the Beaker!

http://www.s tudents cholars hips .org/s cholars hip/10302/s pirit_ of_innovation_challenge_s cholars hip.php

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Matthew working hard, pipetting in the GMP facility

RESTAURANT FUNDRAISERS-JOIN USNEXT TIME

We want to say a great big thank you to everyone who attended the Family STEM NightFundraiser at BJ’s Restaurant in Folsom on August 22! And congratulations to our rafflewinners!

We know that many people were not able to make it on a Friday night, but not to worry – wehave two more fundraisers coming up you can attend! Just like the first, we will be there,raffling off prizes to our supporters. Don't forget to print and bring the flyers with youwhich can be found by clicking on the pictures below! The next events are as follows:

Back to School Celebrationat Chevys on the River

from 11AM -11PM The raffle table will be hosted in front from

11AM-1PM, and 6PM-8PM to s ign up.

School Year Kick-Off at BJ’sRestaurant at Arden FairMall from 11AM – 10PM

The raffle table will be hosted in front from11AM-1PM, and 6PM-8PM to s ign up.

EVOLVING THE CLASSROOM:IMPLEMENTING STEM PROJECTS

The miss ion of the Sacramento Regional Science and Engineering Fair Foundation is toengage and inspire students to become interested in pursuing scientific, technological,engineering, and mathematical (STEM) degrees and careers through inquiry-basedlearning and exposure to real world issues. A perfect way to accomplish our miss ion is toassist classroom teachers and parents in guiding their students to learn through self-assessment and hands-on activities.

The Synopsys Sac STEM Fair is here to help you! Contact us today if you are interested in

Youth Volunteer ScholarshipAwardBBG provides the Youth VolunteerScholarship Award to recognize andreward a student whodemonstrates a passion forvolunteering, while maintaining ahigh level of academicachievement.

Value: $500Deadline: November 29, 2014http://www.studentscholarships.org/scholarship/10421/youth_volunteer_scholarship_award_scholarship.php

Odenza Marketing GroupVolunteer AwardThe main goal of the OdenzaMarketing Group Volunteer Award isto encourage students to make apositive contribution to theirindividual communities, whileproviding scholarship awards tothose who have done so over theprevious 12 months.

Value: $500Deadline: December 30, 2014http://www.studentscholarships.org/scholarship/10478/odenza_marketing_group_volunteer_award_scholarship.php

Fred M. Young Sr. EngineeringScholarshipThe Young Radiator Companyestablished this scholarship inmemory of the company's founder,Fred M. Young, Sr. Mr. Young startedthe company in 1927 and saw itgrow to become a major force inthe field of Heat Transfer. He had ahigh regard for the value ofengineering in terms of itscontribution to the success ofsociety. Mr. Young felt that theprofession's nobility lay in its focuson building rather than allocatingthe assets of the world andimproving rather thanadministering the product of ourwork.

Value: $4,000Deadline: January 15, 2015http://www.studentscholarships.org/scholarship/9989/fred_m_young_sr_engineering_scholarship_scholarship.php

learning how to implement STEM Fair projects in your classroom. We have all the tools andresources you need to successfully implement the Common Core and Next GenerationScience Standards (NGSS).

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THE REGIONAL STEM MENTORINGPROGRAM - TAILORING DIFFERENCE

At the Sacramento RegionalScience and Engineering FairFoundation, it is understoodthat K-12 teachers areplaced under a great amountof pressure to produceresults from students andmeet standards. Teachers inCalifornia now face a shiftingparadigm – the NextGeneration ScienceStandards (NGSS) are to befully implemented within thenext school year.

The Beaker has featuredarticles on NGSS, butexplanation of the standardsin multiple articles doesn’thelp much in classroomapplication. This is but one ofthe reasons the SRSEFFdeveloped the Regional STEMMentoring Program over thespring of 2014. SRSEFF wasawarded a pilot grant fromthe Intel Foundation, whichwas used to place ourprogram into a handful ofclassrooms and after schoolprograms. We weresuccessful in recruiting agood

deal of mentors and getting teachers on board. We want to s hare jus t what the program is about. We are currently looking for additional funding to add mentors and s chools to the program. If you are looking for mentors for yourclas s room, pleas e let us know.

The mentoring program wasdeveloped with the idea ofproducing a general plan thatcould be tailored to teachersand school needsspecifically, yet still beduplicable. Sound difficult?Not so! We developed asimple mentoring curriculumand classroom and afterschool program schedulesare typically regular. Thedifference for the RSMProgram is the ability toadapt curriculum to therequested STEM subject,selected by the teacher, tobe addressed. This is theaspect, we believe, thatassists teachers the most.The

mentoring program andapply it to how theclassroom works and whatthe students are interestedin. This interest-drivenmentoring program allowsfor inquiry-based projects toflourish – students areinterested and enthusiasticabout what they are nowlearning alongside an expert.The students are matchedby subject in groups of 10-12 and participate at leastmonthly to develop andrefine their scientificprocess and engineeringdesign skills . The fulldevelopment of the project isleft to the student withguidance from the mentors.

The s imple familiarity withthe methods that isproduced through theprogram is what counts forthe students. The ability tono longer view STEM as anoutlandish subject ass istsstudents who would notnormally be involved in theirown learning.

Hoot knew itcould be so

simple to getyour project

board supplies?

1. Visitwww.OWLPAKS.com/kit

2. Type inSynopsys Sac

STEM Fair account# 314159

3. Order theScience Fair Pakcorresponding

with your grade!

TAH-DAH! Yoursupplies are on

the way!

SIEMENS COMPETITION IN MATH,SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DEADLINE

Synopsys Sac STEM Fair participants! It isnot too late – the Siemens deadline is :

Sept. 30, 2014. The Siemens Competition in Math, Science &

Read more about the competition here. TheSiemens Competition awards valuablescholarships and recognition – make sureyou give it your best shot!If you are interested, you may submit aResearch Report that has been or will besubmitted to other science competitions,like the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair. You canuse the research project you alreadycreated last year, or show off your researchthat you have completed over summer!

Technology recognizes remarkable talent early on, fos tering individual growth for high s chool s tudents who are willing to challenge thems elves through s cience res earch. Through this competition, s tudents have an opportunity to achieve national recognition for s cience res earch projects that they complete in high s chool.

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Issue 12, October 1, 2014

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN VISIT US ONLINE OR REQUEST A PAPER COPY

It feels like you just started school, but October is already here! It might seem far away,but the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair deadline is already at the end of NEXT month for thosestudents who need the Scientific Review Committee’s approval for the project andexperimentation. The November 28 deadline is the pre-approval registration deadline forprojects that involve human or animal subjects and/or that involve potentially hazardoussubstances or devices. The reason we need to have the pre-approval for certain projectson November 28 is to account for projects that may need some tweaking for safetypurposes. Once we receive your project and experimentation description, we send it off tobe reviewed by our Scientific Review Committee (SRC). This trio of scientists andprofessionals then approve the project or let the Fair Coordinator know to notify thestudent of needed changes. This way, no one has to waste time on aspects of a projectthat can be dangerous to them or those around them. Full details regarding projectsneeding SRC approval can be found on our website. (Approval of projects submitted afterthis deadline will be subject to the availability of the Scientific Review Committee).

December 12, 2014 is the registration deadline for projects that do NOT involve human,animal, or potentially hazardous substances. Project boards do NOT need to becompleted until the actual Fair day, March 14, 2015.

Please feel free to contact the Fair Coordinator, Bianca Gutierrez, [email protected] or at (916) 441-3150 with any questions or concerns aboutthe registration deadlines or about the registration process.

Begin your high school registration hereBegin your middle school registration here

Request a paper copy

SYNOPSYS SAC STEM FAIR REPRESENTED ATTHE OUTSTANDING YOUNG SCIENTIST COMPETITION

The Outstanding Young ScientistCompetition begins annually in the summer,with the awards ceremony in the fall. TheOutstanding Young Scientist competitorsare those students who have been selectedto receive the regional CAPS ScienceAchievement Awards.

The statewide program recognizes the topOutstanding Young Scientists among middleand high school students in California. ACAPS panel of experts selected the threefinalists from thousands of studentscompeting at 15 Science and EngineeringFairs throughout the state.

Alex Chen, a senior at Davis Senior HighSchool in Davis , was selected as a finalistfor his project titled “Analyzing andGraphically Representing Neuronal Spikes inReal-Time” which created a computerprogram to pick up electric s ignals in thebrains of animals in real-time. Chenbelieves his project will improve ourunderstanding of how brains work. He was awinner at this year’s Synopsys Sacramento

project “Radioprotection by Inhibition ofRadio-Induced Apoptosis and Enhancementof DNA Repair in BNL CL.2 Liver Cell Lineafter Exposure to Sedum formosanum”which shows how a plant native to Taiwancan protect liver cells from radiation. Thiscould result in an increased ability toprotect humans from nuclear radiation andlessen s ide effects during radiotherapy forcancer patients. Lai was honored at thisyear’s Orange County Science &Engineering Fair.

Beatrice Choi, a junior at Univers ity HighSchool in Fresno, was selected as a finalistfor her project titled “Electronic Tongue:Tastes of Toxic Metal Ions in Water.” For herproject, Choi created a cheaper, easier touse sensor that can detect toxic metals inwater. Choi’s project was honored at thisyear’s Central California Regional Science,Math and Engineering Fair.

This year’s finalists represent remarkabletalent in our state and this awards luncheonrecognizes their accomplishments. The

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

November 28 - StudentRegistration deadline for projectsthat need the Scientific ReviewCommittee's (SRC) Approval.

How do I know if I need SRC Review?Click here.

December 12 - StudentRegistration Deadline for allprojects

Check out the online calendarfor most current deadlines and

activities!www.sacSTEMfair.org

SPONSOR OF THEMONTH:

SYNOPSYS OUTREACHFOUNDATION

We would like to recognize andthank the Synopsys OutreachFoundation for their generoussupport and dedication to STEMeducation. We would also like tothank them for their generousdonation to schools all overNorthern California in the form ofscience fair display boards. Weknow it means a lot to all of thestudents and teachers who will bereceiving them in the upcomingweeks.

FEATUREDARTICLE:

THE BEE FEATURES ARTICLE ONTHE REGIONAL STEM

MENTORING PROGRAM

“Regional nonprofit launchesmentoring program for science-

oriented students” By Loretta Kalb

READ IT HERE

Regional Science & Engineering Fair and has earned hims elf a paid interns hip at MIT.

winner received a $1,000 cas h award and the two runner-up finalis ts each receive a$500 cas h award.

Continued on Page 2....Alicia Lai, a senior at Woodbridge HighSchool in Irvine, was selected as the overallwinner for her

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Congratulations to our very own Alex Chen of the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair & congratulations to all of the participants.

Outstanding Young Scientist Finalists & Judging Committee

NEW REGIONAL MENTORING PROGRAM KICKSOFF AT LOCAL SCHOOL

There is a new resource forteachers and students inSacramento County thatlaunched at five localschools on September 23 -the Regional STEM MentoringPilot Program. This Program,funded by Intel, is currentlyworking with five localschools in SacramentoCounty to provide STEMprofessionals as mentors inthe classroom as well as inafter school programs.

W.E. Mitchell Middle Schooland Folsom High Schoolwere the first to s ign on andlaunch their after schoolprograms due to their earlyreturn to school date. SutterMiddle School in

Folsom will begin using

mentors in their afterschool program beginningnext Monday, October 6. TheProgram will also be placedat Cordova High School toprovide mentors duringblock schedule scienceclasses. Additionally,Program staff is working withHeron School in Natomas toprovide mentors for theirteachers to ass ist studentsin developing their STEM Fairprojects. The mentors havebeen trained on how tointeract and engage thestudents in real world STEMissues, as well as on how toguide the students throughhands-on experiments anddevelopment of student-driven experimentation.

The Foundation recognizesthat there are many otherschools who want to beinvolved, so please contactus to be placed on a waitinglist for the Program. We areactively seeking funding torecruit more mentors tobring this Program to anexpanded area, to moreschools , and to more studentprograms.

For more information, vis itwww.RSMprogram.org.

Information about theFoundation is available atwww.sacSTEMfair.org.

Contact us at [email protected]

EXHIBITORS: EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ISOPEN

Registration is now open to exhibitors forour second annual College & Career Eventat the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair. Exhibiting isa great way to market your organization,college, company and more. Exhibits will beopen to the public. The attendees willinclude the participating STEM fair students,teachers and parents as well as the public –that’s over 1,500 people! Bring your hands-on activities and showcase your support forSTEM education. The exhibit space includesan open-air space approximately 10’x10’ ins ize, two chairs , a table, and free lunch – youwill have plenty of room to involve studentsand parents in your demonstrations! Youcan even

reserve multiple exhibit spaces. Allexhibitors will receive a listing in theprogram, a feature in our newsletter, andrecognition on our website. Fee waiversand/or reduced fees are available for somenon-profits and state organizations. Allsponsors of the Fair automatically receive afree exhibit space regardless of in-kind ormonetary sponsorship. Additionalsponsorship opportunities are available tomeet your company's marketing needs onour website – www.sacSTEMfair.org/exhibitor.html. LIMITED SPACES AREAVAILABLE, RESERVE YOURS TODAY! (Aschedule of events will be posted in the nearfuture for exhibitors ' information). Sign uphere

SCHOLARSHIPSFeatured Scholarships:

INTEL SCIENCE TALENTSEARCHApplication due November 12 by8PM EST

The application for Intel STS 2015 isnow open for U.S. students who willbe in their last year of secondaryschool in November 2014.Application will close November 12,2014 at 8:00 PM EST.

https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-sts

Event Link:https://student.societyfor

science.org/apply-intel-science-talent-search

MIT THINK COMPETITION Applications Open: October 1

THINK project proposals arescience and engineering ideas thatspan many fields from greentechnologies and practical devicesto software applications.

http://think.mit.edu/

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Foundation s taff has been attending a ton of events from fundrais ers to panels , ands eminars to college and career events . We held a handful of fundrais ers at localres taurants and were able to rais e over $300 dollars ! Thank you to all of our participants who joined us for dinner and congratulations to all thos e who won raffle prizes at the events ! We could not continue without our dedicated s upporters .

But we’re not done yet! We have enrolled in the Raley’s Extra Credit Program, where oursupporters can help us fundraise by s imply buying groceries! If you shop at Raley’s , BelAir or Nob Hill, all you have to do is s ign up through your “Something Extra” number toparticipate. Instructions for online s ign up can be found here. It’s s imple and takes lessthan five minutes! Support the Synopsys Sac STEM Foundation today!

WELCOME TO OUR NEW PARTNERS

Asian Pacific Islander AmericanPublic Affairs Association (APAPA)

APAPA’s miss ion is to empower Asian andPacific Is lander (API) Americans througheducation, active participation, andleadership in civic and public affairs . Theorganization educates the public aboutpublic policy and provides opportunities forour youth to gain firsthand knowledge andexperience in governmental and publicaffairs .

They have partnered with the Synopsys SacSTEM Fair to engage and expand theknowledge of and exposure to STEMactivities and competitions.

Read more at www.apapa.org

Jinan-Sacramento Sister CitiesCorporation (JSSCC)

The miss ion of the Jinan-Sacramento SisterCities Corporation is to foster mutualunderstanding, cultural awareness, andfriendship between the people ofSacramento, California, USA and Jinan,Shandong Province, PRC. Their programsreach areas traditionally underserved byother community developmentorganizations.

They have partnered with the Synopsys SacSTEM Fair to provide the bridge whereby thepeople of Sacramento and Jinan enjoybusiness relationships, friendship, andrespect.

Read more at www.jsscc.org

STEM IN NEEDSeveral areas of the Foundation need to be sponsored, such as the mentoring program.By sponsoring our mentoring program, we can screen more mentors and provide morehands on experiments and classroom supplies to students in need. The mentoringprogram is limited to a handful of schools in Sacrament County, but with help fromadditional sponsors, we can ensure that it expands to the same counties that participatein the STEM Fair. The growth of the program will produce students who are ready to enterthe workforce with meaningful skills and life experiences.

The Foundation can also be helped through sponsorship of a competition category for theFair and help provide awards to local student winners. Your company name will appear onall STEM Fair marketing materials and website. Check out our website for more informationabout the Fair and how you can be involved (www.sacSTEMfair.org/sponsors/html).

RECAP OF SEPTEMBER FUNDRAISERSThe month of September flew by! The Sacramento Regional Science and Engineering Fair

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Issue 13, November 4, 2014

STUDENT REGISTRATION DEADLINE:NOVEMBER 28 VISIT US ONLINE OR REQUEST A PAPER COPY

November is already upon us ! That means that the firs t regis tration deadline is looming. Don't let the Thanks giving turkey tryptophan get to you and regis ter today!

The reason we need to have the pre-approval for certain projects on November 28th is toaccount for projects that may need some tweaking for safety purposes. Once we receivethe project and experimentation description, we send it off to be reviewed by our ScientificReview Committee (SRC). This trio of scientists and profess ionals then approve the projector let the Coordinator know to notify the student of needed changes. This way, no one hasto waste time on aspects of a project that can be dangerous to them or those aroundthem.

Here is the schedule of important deadlines:November 28, 2014 is the pre-approval registration deadline for projects that involvehuman or animal subjects and/or that involve potentially hazardous substances ordevices. Full details regarding projects needing SRC approval can be found on our website.Approval of projects submitted after this deadline will be subject to the availability of theScientific Review Committee.

December 12, 2014 is the registration deadline for projects that do NOT involve human,animal, or potentially hazardous substances.

Project boards do NOT need to be completed until check-in for the Fair on March 13 or 14,2015.

Please feel free to contact the Coordinator, Bianca Gutierrez, [email protected] or at (916) 441-3150 with any questions or concerns aboutthe registration deadlines or about the registration process.

Begin your high school registration hereBegin your middle school registration here

Request a paper copy

EXHIBIT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE STEMWORKFORCE

You are invited to exhibit at the secondannual College and Career Hands OnExhibits Event to be held on March 14, 2015at Folsom High School from 12PM-4PM.Interact with over 700 students interested inSTEM career pathways and over 1,500community members who want to exploreinteresting majors and discover rewardingSTEM careers. We encourage you to bringyour best hands-on activities andexperiences so that the students can reallygrasp the scope of your program or career.Many students look for internships andopportunities to expand their

plans for future employment in the STEMworkforce.

Space is limited, so make sure to reserveyour spot today! Exhibit spaces include an8’ table, two chairs , t-shirts for presenters,your company name featured in theprogram and your logo on the directionals ignage at the Event. Multiple event spacesare available for larger exhibits and displayopportunities. Don’t miss out on early birdregistration – it ends January 17, 2015. Signup online at: http://www.jotformpro.com/form/41036818446961.

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

November 28 - StudentRegistration deadline forprojects that need the ScientificReview Committee's (SRC)Approval.

How do I know if I need SRCReview? Click here.

December 12 - StudentRegistration Deadline for allprojects

Check out the onlinecalendar for most

current deadlines andactivities!

www.sacSTEMfair.org

SPONSORS OF THEMONTH:

Bayer CropScience &Gencorp/Aerojet

We would like to recognize andthank

Bayer CropScience

and

Gencorp / Aerojet

for their generous supportmade through a donation to theSacramento Regional Scienceand Engineering Fair Foundation

A hands on exhibit at the

College & Career Event:

Synopsys Sacramento

Reigonal STEM Fair 2014

and dedication to STEM education.

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HELP JUDGE AT THE REGIONAL STEM FAIR WHY VOLUNTEER TOJUDGE?You have a chance to act asan ambassador for yourscientific, technological,engineering ormathematical profess ion. Atthe fair, you may be the firstprofess ional in the STEMfield these students haveever had the chance to meetin person. Judges make amemorable impact on thelives of some of our regionsmost talented young peoplewho have their s ights set forthe STEM workforce. Thesestudents are the future ofour workforce and you havethe chance to help themalong their journey throughjudging at the STEM Fair!

WHAT DOES A JUDGE DO?Judges are responsible forevaluating projects in theirass igned category, whichwill be decided duringJudges Orientation prior tothe Fair. They must provideclear and impartial feedbackto each student theyinterview.Judge duties include: 1] Review each entry in your

assigned category and takenotes during the ProjectBoard review as well as theInterview.2] Complete and returnscoring sheets to your TeamLead by the specified time.3] Judges are usuallygrouped into teams of threeper category, and assigned aTeam Lead.

WHAT ARE THE JUDGINGCATEGORIES?Projects are judged in thefollowing categories:• Behavioral and SocialSciences• Biological Sciences –includes Animal, Cellular &Molecular Biology,Microbiology, and PlantSciences• Chemistry andBiochemistry – includesBiochemistry, Chemistry,and Medicine & HealthSciences• Engineering – includesEngineering: Electrical &Mechanical, and Engineering:Materials & Bioengineering• Math and ComputerSciences• Physical Sciences –includes Earth & PlanetaryScience, and

Physics & Astronomy• Energy and Transportation– includes Energy &Transportation,Environmental Management,and Environmental Sciences

See the full lis t of categoriesunder which a project can beentered onwww.sacstemfair.org/resources.

HOW MUCH TIME WILL ITTAKE?The Judges OrientationDinner is scheduled forFriday, March 13, 2015beginning at 6:00PM atFolsom High School wherejudges will be trained on thejudging process andencouraged to reviewstudent project boardswithout students present. Weestimate that judges maydevote a maximum of 5-8total hours for judging Fridaythrough Saturday.

READY TO SIGN UP?Sign up online here. If youhave any questions orconcerns please feel free tocontact the coordinator,Bianca Gutierrez [email protected]

VOLUNTEER AT THE REGIONAL STEM FAIR Make an exciting difference in theeducational future of local 5th to 12th gradestudents by volunteering for the SynopsysSacramento Regional Science & EngineeringFair in 2015! We hold our regional scienceFair to inspire our future STEM professionalsto gain an interest in scientific,technological, engineering andmathematical (STEM) learning. Our miss ionis to engage and inspire students tobecome interested in pursuing STEMdegrees and careers.

We are supported by our dedicated

can assist with judging, set up, assembly,registration, crowd control, food services,awards, tear down and much more. Wewelcome all enthusiastic volunteers whobelieve that STEM learning is not only anenjoyable experience, but also necessaryfor today’s youth. We’ve made it s imple –you can s ign up on-line to be a volunteer andonly commit to hours that work for you. Weappreciate any time you would like todevote.

View the volunteer guide at:http://www.sacstemfair.org/guide.html

Do you shop atRaley's, Bel-Air, or

Nob Hill?If so, please join the Extra Credit

program for the SacramentoRegional Science & Engineering

Fair Foundation. Seeinstructions on how to s ign up

here.

It's all online and just a fewsimple clicks to support the

regional Foundation.

SCHOLARSHIPSFeatured Scholarships:

INTEL SCIENCE TALENTSEARCH

Application due November 12 by8PM EST

The application for Intel STS2015 is now open for U.S.students who will be in their lastyear of secondary school inNovember 2014. Application willclose November 12, 2014 at8:00 PM EST.

https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-sts

Event Link:https://student.societyforscience.org/apply-intel-science-talent-search

MIT THINK COMPETITION Applications Open:

October 1

THINK project proposals arescience and engineering ideasthat span many fields fromgreen technologies andpractical devices to softwareapplications.

http://think.mit.edu/

SME’s 2015 DESIGN FORDIRECT DIGITAL

MANUFACTURINGCOMPETITION

Deadline to enter is April 20th,2015.

This year’s competition is todesign a structurally optimizedobject or device featuringadditive manufacturingcapabilities in one or more ofthe following three categories:

1. A mobility device forair/space, and/or land and/orsea.2. A healthcare device.3. An architectural mockup.

Check out this link for moredetails :http://www.sme.org/ddm-competition/

volunteers. They provide a broad source ofexpertise, talent, and manpower for our Fair.Volunteers

Or s ign up today: http://www.sacstemfair.org/s ign-up.html

STEM FAIR PRESENTATIONS FOR YOUR CLASSDo your students want to know more about the STEM Fair and how to get started onregistration? Is it your first year participating in the STEM Fair, and do you need guidance?Schedule a STEM Fair presentation today! The STEM Fair presentation is a demonstrationon just that - the STEM Fair and all of the processes associated with participating in it. Weknow that preparing for a STEM fair can seem daunting, but we can help you every step ofthe way. Synopsys Sacramento Regional STEM Fair staff will schedule a time with you andyour class to present on how to enter our Fair. We will go through what each student willneed for registration, where they can get ideas from, and even how they could design theirboard! We can even present to more than one class. We hope that you will take advantageof all the resources we host on our website and you request a presentation!

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FEATURES OF THE MONTHSCIENCE BUDDIES

The award-winning, non-profit ScienceBuddies empowers K-12 students, parents,and teachers to quickly and easily find freeproject ideas and help in all areas ofscience from physics to food science andmusic to microbiology. Whether your goal isto find a fun science activity for your kids orwin the international science fair,sciencebuddies.org puts comprehensive,scientist-authored tools , tips, andtechniques at your fingertips.

Visit www.sciencebuddies.orgtoday!

InVINCIble Enterprises &Me, Inc.

InVINCIble Enterprises is an organizationdesigning and developing digital products tohelp solve the STEM talent pool problems forFortune 1000 companies. To do that, theyempower smart, talented teens to becomethe future business owners & leaders inSTE@M industries. That is : SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART AND MATH.InVINCIble Enterprises has developed aPlaybook for Teens, to help inspire youngwomen in STEM.

Check out the Playbook Today!

MATHALICIOUS TRIAL: MAKE MATH AWESOME!Try out the FREE curriculum from Mathaliciousthrough the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair group code.Satisfy Common Core easily and early!

Attention Teachers: the Synopsys SacSTEM Fair has teamed up withMathalicious to help you satisfyCommon Core!

Real-world lessons from Mathalicious help middleand high school teachers address the CommonCore Standards while challenging their students tothink critically about the world.

They create lessons that explore the math behindreal-world topics, from sports to shopping to the odds of finding life on other planets.Teachers who use Mathalicious lessons say they enjoy their jobs more, and that theirstudents look forward to coming to class. Imagine that.

Every Mathalicious lesson is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. In fact, mostlessons connect multiple content standards, and help build deep conceptualunderstanding through real-world contexts.

Mathalicious has given the Synopsys Sac STEM Fair our own group code so that ourparticipating teachers can try out their curriculum for FREE!

Here are the instructions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xZnnNjma6E8xzG-4lu1vtASl- JSEFmMmoZ7KOO9o5L4/edit

Hoot knew itcould be so

simple to getyour project

board supplies?

1. Visitwww.OWLPAKS.

com/kit

2. Type inSynopsys Sac

STEM Fair account# 314159

3. Order theScience Fair Pakcorresponding

with your grade!

TAH-DAH! Yoursupplies are on

the way!

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Issue 14, December 1, 2014

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA K-12 STEM EDUCATIONIN NEED

Building the Workforce. In 2011, theNational Assessment of EducationalProgress (NAEP) Science AssessmentReport, published results which illustratedthe lack of career-ready STEMprofessionals that the United Stateseducational system was producing[1], withCalifornia as a whole ranking in 34thplace[2]. The United States Department ofCommerce estimates that by 2018, ourcountry will have 1.2 million unfilled jobs inthe science, technology, engineer, andmath (STEM) fields because the workforcewill not possess the necessary skills orinterest to fill them —this in a country witha 7 percent unemployment rate[3]. InSacramento County, the 2013 STAR testresults show that 54.7% of 11th gradestudents are at the basic level or below ofknowledge in end-of-course science, withthe surrounding Northern Californiacounties following suit[4]. Thus, K-12 STEMlearning has risen to the forefront ofeducational issues. Without a basicfoundation in science, technology,engineering or math, students are notprepared to pursue degrees and careersin STEM.

Our Commitment to Change. TheSacramento Regional Science &Engineering Fair Foundation is aSacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonprofitfoundation whose miss ion is to inspire andengage students to become interested inpursuing scientific, technological,engineering, and mathematical (STEM)degrees and careers. Our miss ion isfulfilled through our educational programsand the resources we offer the NorthernCalifornia community. “Research claimsthat students’ engagement in authenticinformal educational activities in theirearly years enhances their interest inSTEM”[5], which is why we offer ourprograms to students in 5th-11th grades.Through grassroots efforts , theFoundation has grown to become a now 12county STEM educational foundation thatprovides programs and gathers resourcesfor the entire region.

Our Strategies. Our Programs are basedon several proven principles:(1) The connection between academics,real-world applications, and profess ionalsmotivate and encourage students topursue STEM careers;

rewarding events) results in increasedconfidence and motivation to learn; and(4) Students perform better in school if theyhave the ability to pursue topics they areinterested in through after school programsand extracurricular activities.

Our programs include Profess ionalDevelopment Workshops, STEM SpeakerSeries presentations, the Regional STEMMentoring Program and the SynopsysSacramento Regional STEM Fair. We activelysearch for opportunities to collaborate andparticipate in other STEM-centered events inthe region as well.

The Ultimate Goals. The SacramentoRegional Science & Engineering FairFoundation aims to increase the career-readySTEM workforce overtime and providecreative STEM outlets for those students whoneed and want these opportunities availablethrough our programs. Join the Foundation ininspiring the Northern California region tosupport STEM!

[1] McCarroll, Jill. "Science Assessment."National Center for Education Statistics.National Center for Education Statistics, 31Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.<http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/science/>.[2] Zhao, Emmeline. "State EducationRankings: The Best And Worst For Math AndScience." The Huffington Post.TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 July 2011. Web. 26Nov. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/11/state-education-rankings-_n_894528.html>.[3] Bertram, Vince. "The Most ImportantResolution: STEM Education." The Thomas B.Fordham Institute. The Thomas B. FordhamInstitute, 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.<http://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/flypaper/the-most-important-resolution-stem-education>.[4] "2013 STAR Test Results ." California STARProgram. California Department of Education,9 Sept. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.<http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2013/index.aspx>.[5] Sahin, Alpaslan. "STEM Clubs and ScienceFair Competitions: Effects on Post-SecondaryMatriculation." Journal of STEM Education 14.1(2013): 5-11. Journal of STEM Education,Spring 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.<http://ojs .jstem.org/index.php?

CALENDAR OFEVENTS

November 28 - StudentRegistration deadlineEXTENDED!

December 19 - Early birddeadline for exhibitors

January 16 - NEW DEADLINEFOR ALL STUDENTREGISTRATION.

Check out the onlinecalendar for most

current deadlines andactivities!

www.sacSTEMfair.org

SPONSOR OF THEMONTH:

California Association ofProfess ional Scientists (CAPS)

We would like to recognize andthank CAPS

for their generous supportmade through a donation to theSacramento Regional Scienceand Engineering Fair Foundation and dedication to STEMeducation.

Do you shop atRaley's, Bel-Air, or

Nob Hill?If so, please join the Extra Credit

program for the SacramentoRegional Science & Engineering

Fair Foundation. Seeinstructions on how to s ign up

here.

It's all online and just a fewsimple clicks to support the

(2) Hands -on experiences for s tudents increasestheir engagement in and unders tanding of STEM areas ;

(3) Student accomplis hment (including through non-traditional as s es sments and recognition in

regional Foundation.

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TEACHER RESOURCES: IT’S NOT TOO LATE TOSTART!

Teachers! Now is the time to submit your questions and request final STEM fairpresentations! During these STEM fair presentations, a staff member will attend yourclass or after school program to help with student registration for the SynopsysSacramento Regional STEM Fair. We can review what the project board requirements looklike and what the day of the Fair will entail.

We have EXTENDED THE STUDENT REGISTRATION DEADLINE UNTILJANUARY 16 so we hope that your class will be able to join us for the 2015 Fair. Please donot forget to use our website – it has been organized with you in mind! Some resourcesfound on our website are below for your convenience.

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER YOUR BOARDA sample sheet explaining how to put together a Science Project Board or an EngineeringProject Board is now available online here

ENGINEERING INFORMATIONLinks with information specifically on Engineering Projects are now online here

SCIENCE INFORMATIONLinks with information specifically on Science Projects are now online here

PAPER REGISTRATIONPaper registration is available upon request. However, a paper registration to view whileassisting your students during the online registration can be helpful. Download it here

DEADLINESIf you or your students are struggling with the deadlines, PLEASE do not be discouraged.Send us a note ([email protected]) and we would be happy to discuss!

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR POSITIONOFFICIALLY OPEN

The Sacramento Regional Science &Engineering Fair Foundation is looking forgreat leaders and organizers of all ages toassist in recruitment and management ofvolunteers for the Synopsys SacramentoRegional STEM Fair. Volunteer coordinatorswill be responsible for recruiting andmanaging groups of volunteers. They musthave strong communication andmanagement skills , s ince they must workwith many different kinds of people. Thevolunteer coordinators will begin as soon aspossible and work through the annualSynopsys Sacramento Regional STEM Fairwhich includes participation from thegreater Sacramento region, which includesAmador, Butte, El Dorado, Placer, Plumas,Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Solano,Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. The Fair willbe held at Folsom High School on March 13-14, 2015 - the volunteer coordinator mustbe present during specified hours.

Volunteer Coordinator Job Description (3positions open). Volunteer coordinators areput in place to ensure that the interests ofvolunteers are served and that theorganization remains well staffed. They willneed to coordinate and schedule volunteersfor the event

as well as keep volunteers informed viaelectronic communications. Volunteercoordinators may reach out to seek newhelp using various marketing tools , includinge-mails , letters, and outreach events.Individuals interested must be detail-oriented and organized.

Volunteer Coordinator DutiesCoordinators must match interestedvolunteers with an opportunity that suitstheir skill set and serves the organization.Volunteer coordinators must make an effortto ensure that individual volunteers feelcomfortable with their placements and fullyunderstand their responsibilities.Coordinators may conduct interviews todetermine the roles that volunteers will take.

Volunteer coordinators must ensure that allworkers receive proper training. They maylead training in office or conductinformational sess ions prior to the Fair. Ifyou are interested in becoming a VolunteerCoordinator for the Foundation, pleasecontact the Coordinator, Bianca Gutierrez [email protected]. It is a volunteerposition with scheduling that will work foryou!

SCHOLARSHIPSFeatured Scholarships:

Featured Scholarship:Visionary IntegrationProfessionals' Women inTechnology ScholarshipProgram.

Attention all college-boundwomen! If you’re pursuing acareer in computer science,information technology,management informationsystems, or other related fields,Vis ionary IntegrationProfessionals (VIP) would like toinvite you to apply for ourannual Women in TechnologyScholarship (WITS) program.The scholarship program, nowin its eighth year, offers supportfor women who are attending orplanning to attend a two or fouryear college within the US. VIPawards multiple scholarships ofup to $2,500 per recipient.Candidates are evaluated basedon the following criteria:academic performance,community involvement,extracurricular activities,leadership qualities, careerpath, & essay response. Weencourage qualified women toapply by downloading theapplication here.

Submissions are due March ,2015. For more informationcontact [email protected]

http://www.trustvip.com/about-vip/community-support/women-

technology-scholarship-wits/

Featured Scholarship:American Chemical Society(ACS) Scholars Program

The American Chemical SocietyScholars Program awardsrenewable scholarships of up to$5,000 to underrepresentedminority students who want toenter the fields of chemistry orchemistry-related fields, suchas environmental science,toxicology and chemicaltechnology. High school seniorsand college freshmen,sophomores, or juniors areeligible to apply. The amount ofeach award depends upon theavailability of funding, thenumber of scholarshipsawarded, and evidence offinancial need. Scholarshiprecipients receive up to amaximum of $5,000 per year,and the awards are renewable.

Application cycle: November 1- March 1 (annually) http://www.acs.org/

content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/scholarships/

acsscholars.html

THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORMTime is running out on the Early Bird pricing for the 2nd Annual College and Career Handson Event sponsored by DeVry Univers ity at the Synopsys Sacramento Regional STEM Fair.Early bird pricing ends on December 19 ! Get registered today – it’s s imple, just clickhere. We expect to have 2,000 participants and community members attend this event!It’s a great opportunity to showcase your organization, college, or company to theregion’s best and brightest future workforce. Sign up today!

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OWLPAK SCIENCE FAIR KIT

What is it? Everything you need to createyour project board for the STEM Fair. The tri-fold board, photo paper, vinyl lettering,scissors, markers, glue and more! Get yourboard supplies delivered right to you!

How to apply: Please send BiancaGutierrez, the Coordinator, a request [email protected]. Please includeyour need, your grade, your school &teachers name. **Applicants MUST beregistered for the 2015 SynopsysSacramento Regional STEM Fair.

SPARKFUN ARDUINOS

What is it? This kit has all the things! Itincludes the Arduino Uno R3, the new andimproved baseplate, and all the sensors youcan shake a stick at. This box of goodies isfor the beginner in programmableelectronics.

How to apply: Please send BiancaGutierrez, the Coordinator, a requestat [email protected]. Pleaseinclude your need, your grade, your school &teachers name. **Applicants MUST beregistered for the 2015 SynopsysSacramento Regional STEM Fair.

FOUNDATION INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLEThe Sacramento Regional Science &Engineering Fair Foundation is looking fortwo energetic, hardworking and dedicatedindividuals who are interested in making adifference and contributing to thecommunity. Our miss ion is to engage andinspire students to become interested inpursuing scientific, technological,engineering, and mathematical (STEM)degrees and careers.

We are looking for two Outreach & EventOrganizer interns to begin as soon aspossible to April 31, 2015. The interns willwork primarily with the Coordinator for thisdynamic fast-growing Foundation, andassist the Staff in

a number of activities, special projects,research ass ignments and administrativeduties. The main focus of this position is topromote, develop and support theprograms. We are a regional associationwith a small office so we produce a lot ofwork with a very quick turnaround.

If you are enrolled in a college or univers ity,we will work to ensure you are able to obtaincollege credit. We can offer great letters ofreference, and assistance and referrals forfuture employment. This position is unpaid.For consideration, please send resume toBiancaGutierrez: [email protected].

BE AN IN-KIND SPONSOR & GET YOURCOMPANY RECOGNITION TODAY

The Synopsys Sacramento Regional STEM Fair is a great way to get your company’s nameout there! Looking for a highly vis ible way to sponsor? We have options – our in-kind wishlist is available online for you to view. We have many different breakout sessions at the Fairevent that could use financial bolstering. To learn more about what you can sponsor clickhere.

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS: OWLPAK SCIENCEFAIR KITS & SPARKFUN ARDUINOS

The Sacramento Regional Science & Engineering Fair has received in-kind donations fromtwo great organizations and we are offering these donations to students as scholarshipsfor their Synopsys Sacramento Regional STEM Fair projects!