1. By-Laws-Constitution Updates  Last updated in August 2007  Board Recommends Membership Approval  Changes were made to reflect the current structure of officers and committees  Added a finance committee to prepare budget  Changed Vice-president to President-elect  Defined board members to include retired professionals and sponsors who cover specific needs or give determined amounts  Terms of office were made consistent 1

2. 2014-2015 CASEF DATES November 18, 2014 School registrations due SRC paperwork due December 8, 2014 SRC forms returned February 6, 2015 Student registration forms due LATE ENTRIES CANNOT BE ACCEPTED! February 12, 2015 Category Selection March 6, 2015 ALL missing forms but be submitted or project may not be accepted 2

3. 2015 FAIR SCHEDULE Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair March 18-20, 2015 Student Exhibit Set-up -- Wed., March 18, 4:00 – 7:00 PM Judging -- Thurs., March 19, 12:00 noon – 2:30 PM Grand Champion Call-backs and Special Award Notification 4:00PM Grand Champion Judging -- Fri., March 14, 9:00 - Noon Open House -- Fri., March 14, Noon - ~5:00 PM *** Awards Program begins at 6:30 PM *** Students should report to projects 5:30-6:15PM All projects must be removed immediately after the ceremony. All displays left after 10 PM will be recycled. 3

4. Where to Find Fair Information www.casef.orgwww.casef.org CASEF website www.societyforscience.orgwww.societyforscience.org Main ISEF site www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=401www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=401 Forms www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=396www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=396 Rules www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=401www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=401 Student Handbook These resources are listed at the end of the agenda. 4

5. NEW FORMS  Teacher Inventory – Phone Contact after school hours on Thursday List students 1 per line, BOX group members  School Registration – Please include with payment  Contact email for each sponsoring teacher  SRC – NEW – 1 page, legal size, multi-copy  Judging Rubrics – Note Engineering and Traditional Forms  Student Entry Forms – What CANNOT be on display  CHANGE : NO lab equipment or safety equipment unless it is essential to understanding data or has been uniquely modified 5

6. CASEF will maintain the same categories as ISEF. Engineering is now divided: Electrical/Mechanical Materials/Bioengineering Environmental is also divided: Environmental Management Environmental Science To determine the correct category placement of projects – ask what is being measured? 2015 NEW ISEF Categories 6

7.  CASEF has an on-going review of the judging instrument as well as the process itself.  Each student should be aware of the rubric which will be used to judge their project.  Notice the value placed upon the journal!  A copy of the rubrics are in your handout and will be available on the CASEF web site. NEW Judging Rubrics 7

8. 1. Student and school names need to be covered. 2. Records should be in a stitched journal with no missing pages. 3. ALL pages should be numbered. 4. Entries need to be in ink and dated. Starting on Day 1. 5. Errors/deletions are marked by a single strike through line.  Good premise for students: If you were a spy working on a secret project, the ‘bad guys’ would want this notebook to be able to steal your research and information  Significant part of scoring. Please make sure that all of your students have this important information. Lab Notebook Basics 8

9. Help students identify the problem they want to investigate. BAN comparative words including: better, best, more, less, greater, faster, bigger, smaller. The “ best” way to remove a laundry stain is with a pair of scissors. It will be gone forever. Ask them to define the parameters of a comparative term – IF it must be used. Put on your sarcastic hat and ask “says who?” or “how do you know?” This will encourage research of the problem as well as identify variables. Example: When current is measured in a circuit, a 60 watt energy efficient light bulb will use less electricity than conventional 40 watt bulb. 9

10. CONGRATULATIONS Broadcom MASTERS Semi-finalist Joshua Silverman, CV Schools, Eagle View MS “The Mighty Electrolylte” Sweaty Socks and Sports Drinks Selected to top 120 from 3000+applications Opportunities & Unclaimed Awards Sustainable Resources Mathematics Technology Engineering State STEM Competition Projects are Eligible 10

11. Ways to Stay Connected www.casef.org SOCIAL MEDIA 11

12. Ways to Meet Participation Requirements  Be a judge – recruit a judge – It makes the day so much easier for everyone and you get home earlier!  Help with set-up – the 2014 Fair was set-up by 3 people!  Help check in students on the day of the awards ceremony  Help out with logistics on the day of the fair  Talk about CASEF!! Suggest sponsorships from STEM supporters. CASEF is a 501(c )(3) organization and recognized by PA Bureau of Charitable Organizations  Help establish contacts and mentors for students  Become a part of the Executive Board or work on one of the committees.  At this point there are only 4 teachers that remain as members of the CASEF Executive Board! It is extremely important that the teachers be represented.  Help us find CASEF Alumni 12

13. The Financial Picture…..  The fee structure will remain the same for 2014-2015 at $50/eligible grade per building.  While students earn more than $100,000 in prizes and awards from individual and group sponsors, it takes a significant budget beyond our generous partner donation to produce the fair  We have recently lost several partners and find ourselves in an on-going struggle to meet the budget  On-line donations from web site will be available soon. Please encourage parents, STEM supporters to sponsor CASEF  We are seeking sponsors for various aspects of the fair. Please forward any contact information for potential sponsors 13

14. Wrap – up  Please feel free to contact the CASEF office with any questions or concerns and especially judge or sponsor information. You provide the contact – I will do the rest. Email is the most effective way to get a quick response  Have a great evening!  Looking forward to the 2015 Fair! THANK YOU !! 14