Judge Registration

The Ying TRSEF needs judges, one for every participating student or team — and that means over 90 judges! Please recruit friends, families, coworkers, and colleagues. Send them the link to this page or attach the Judge Recruitment Flyer to emails!

To register, download and complete your Judge Application ASAP.

You even have three events that weekend from which to choose!

Ying TRSEF – Science Fair Judging: Read through this judge information and download Judging 101 for an overview of the Science Fair judging process, then register.

Judging 101 PDF
First Round Judging Rubric PDF
Categories PDF
Judge Application DOC
Schedule PDF
Map and Directions LINK

Judge Qualifications & Roles

Ying Scholar Competition Judging (Grades 9-12)

  • Ph.D.s or high-ranking military officers may judge the Ying Scholars.

Rube Goldberg Judging (either College or Career)

  • Engineering or physics faculty, union trainers, professional engineers and plant managers are invited to serve as Rube Goldberg judges.

Senior Level Research Judging (Grades 9-12)

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in science, engineering, technology, medicine, the skilled trades, education, business, or the law.
  • Will assess a student’s project for creativity, scientific/engineering/technical knowledge, thoroughness, and clarity in a competitive environment.
  • First Round: Senior Level judging teams, organized by preferred judging category, judge using rubric.
  • Second Round: With an experienced coordinator, team captains choose students advancing to further competitions. Experienced Senior Level judges may volunteer to be considered for Team Captain.

Junior Level Research Judging (Grades 5-8)

  • Have an interest in the sciences, technology, or innovation; will assess students’ efforts in a logical manner.
  • Enjoy interacting with young people.
  • Junior Level judges individually interview an assigned group of students within a single grade, using the rubric to score.
  • Judge groups, led by an experienced team captain, meet to discuss the projects and assign awards. Experienced Junior Level judges may volunteer to be considered as a Team Captain.

Special Awards Judging

Special Awards are given by local businesses and organizations as well as through the Ying TRSEF’s affiliation with the Society for Science and the Public. Sponsors may provide judges, but we recruit additional people.

Poster Presentations Judging

The poster option exposes more students to the delight of exploring science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). We begin by incorporating the excellent programs that already exist in the schools – Project Lead the Way, BOCES technology classes, Science Research in the High School, ESF in the High School, individual school exhibitions that include STEM topics, and International Baccalaureate districts. Many outstanding youth programs such as 4-H, Girl Scouts of America, Boy Scouts of America, Junior Achievement, Future Farmers of America, to name a few, sponsor STEM-related activities. Often these encourage youth to go well beyond the Regents curriculum; posters about what they have learned prepare them for subsequent TRSEF research involvement.

Things to Know

The Ying TRSEF trains all judges on the day of their selected competition, providing refreshments and lunch as noted in the schedule.

Team Leaders will be identified in advance, and notified. Other judges will meet their team leaders at the training and receive their assignments there.

See you at the Science Fest!

To register, download and complete your Judge Application ASAP.