Read Ebook: Atoms at the Science Fair: Exhibiting Nuclear Projects by LeCompte Robert G Wood Burrell L

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Ebook has 186 lines and 18034 words, and 4 pages

Does the exhibit disclose organized procedures? Is there a planned system, classification, accurate observation, or controlled experiment? Does exhibit show a verification of laws, or a cause and effect, or present by models or other methods a better understanding of scientific facts or theories? Give weight to probable amount of real study and effort which is represented in the exhibit. Guard against discounting for what might have been added, included, or improved.

Score here for how completely the story is told. It is not essential that step-by-step elucidation of construction details be given in working models.

Is the workmanship good? Under normal working conditions, is the exhibit likely to demand frequent repairs? In collections, how skilled is the handling, preparation, mounting or other treatment?

In your opinion, will the average person understand what is being displayed? Are guide marks, labels, and descriptions spelled correctly, and neatly yet briefly presented? Is there sensible progression of the attention of the spectator across or through the exhibit?

Is this exhibit more attractive than others in the same field? Do not be influenced by "cute" things, lights, buttons, switches, cranks, or other gadgets which contribute nothing to the exhibit.

Such rules leave much to the individual discretion of the judges, particularly regarding the distinction between the science project itself and the exhibit. Be sure to study your local rules and judging criteria carefully. Since usually 60 points pertain to creativity and sound scientific thought, a large part of your score depends on the original excellence of your science project. The remaining 40 points apply to the manner in which you develop your exhibit of that project.

Judges study criteria and point values before evaluating exhibits. Although your exhibit should speak for itself, at many fairs the judges chat with each exhibitor to determine how well he understands his project area. Be prepared to present details concisely and clearly, but avoid lengthy explanations unless asked.

Designing Your Exhibit

After you have finished your project, documented your work in a project report, planned and listed what must go into the exhibit, and familiarized yourself with the ground rules under which you will compete, you are ready to design your exhibit. The sections which follow suggest guidelines and construction hints on exhibit structure; ways of presenting information ; layout and location of exhibit items, exhibit materials, color, and lighting.

STRUCTURE

The overall height of your exhibit is limited by practical considerations to about 7 feet, since the passing viewer's eye encompasses most easily the area between 30 and 90 inches above the floor and the view of someone standing near is even more limited. Tabletop structures 48 inches or less in height work out nicely, and can conserve materials.

The title board can be functional as well as attractive, as in Figure 1. It puts your main title where it can be seen easily and it conserves wall space. It can brace the side walls and serve to shield lights.

"Masonite" and similar wood-fiber particle boards are relatively inexpensive, take paint and adhesives well, are fairly light, and in thicknesses of more than 1/8 inch and lengths of less than 48 inches are sufficiently rigid when supported by adjoining panels. They are available with rows of holes pre-drilled to accommodate a multiplicity of "pegboard" hanger devices. If you hope to use your basic structure for other exhibits, pegboard allows you flexibility in rearranging three-dimensional exhibit items. Also, the holes facilitate wiring down display items that might be dislodged by careless viewers or filched by thoughtless souvenir hunters.

One standard 4-by-8 foot sheet of hardboard or plywood will suffice for the typical tabletop structure if you divide it as shown in Figure 3.

Plywood and untempered hardboard should be sealed with a primer coat before finish painting. If you seal the reverse side of the panels also, they warp less. For finish coats, the enamel now available in aerosol spray cans will save you some brush work. Always apply spray paints in several light coats while the surface is horizontal, to avoid unsightly "runs".

For bracing, framing, and other woodwork, white pine is strong, light, easy to work, and unlikely to warp if seasoned properly.

Hinges, washers, bolts, nails, or screws which will be painted may be of uncoated steel. Otherwise, you may find brass, stainless steel, aluminum, or chrome-plated steel better.

If your exhibit proves to be a winner, you may need to erect and dismantle it at several fairs. A little ingenuity and foresight in the selection of removable-pin hinges, wing-nut bolt assemblies, and the like, may save a lot of time later and help keep your exhibit structure in good condition.

Most fairs have rigid rules on electrical wiring and you should study them and those of the National Science Fair-International. If you will install a fused entry-outlet box on your back wall or base unit, as shown in Figure 3, you can run all fixture cords to that one location. Most fairs provide power cords reaching to the exhibitor's electrical inlet, but don't depend on it. Procure 25 to 50 feet of heavy-duty extension cord and keep it handy, just in case.

PRESENTING INFORMATION

There are many good ways to present the same information. Exhibit design is an art with some established principles but with few fixed rules. Here are some guidelines which may help you.

About Color

Properly employed, color is functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. You may find the following suggestions helpful in deciding which colors to employ in your exhibit, and where.

In a space as small as your science fair exhibit, one or two basic colors, plus black and white, should suffice. Use your color in a few large blocks, not in many small patches. Different basic colors can be used to define different main areas of emphasis; then different shades of the basic colors can be used to define subareas.

Life-science project exhibits can rely most safely on pastel shades running heavily to greens and yellows, while physical-science projects are portrayed frequently against more intense colors. In either case, avoid violent contrasts and "paintpot" variety. Your exhibit should convey an air of handsome restraint, not flippant prettiness or carnival gaudiness. Your colors should attract and enhance, not shock or confuse!

A STEP-BY-STEP ACOUNT OF HOW I MOUNT MY BUGS CATCHING BUGS MOUNTING BUGS SCIZZORS TWEEZERS PIN COTTON NET CHLOROFORM SOME OF MY BUGS

The final test of color is how it looks in actual use, so experiment with your color schemes before making a final choice. And if you have any doubts, invite the reactions of your family and friends and also the advice of your art teacher.

Completing Your Exhibit

Before mounting your exhibit elements on the structure permanently, lay them out temporarily. You can then pencil in your title, text, and caption blocks in actual size. Use separate sheets of paper for each, and try out various locations around the materials they explain.

Use of too many letter styles will detract from the attractiveness of your exhibit. Headings can be all in capital letters, and subheads in smaller "caps", or in initial caps and "lower case" letters. Statements and other text should use caps and lower case. Do not use all caps for a paragraph of descriptive material--a mass of capitals is harder to read.

Before completing the lettering, you should try out your layout and text on classmates, family, and perhaps your English teacher. Science fair exhibits should be understandable to intelligent laymen as well as to trained specialists. Technical jargon, pompous adjectives, and stilted sentence structure are not scientific. In scientific writing, as in any good writing, the simple, direct approach is usually best. Try to use short sentences, familiar words, and a minimum of technical terms and formulae.

When fully satisfied with your layout, begin the final lettering of your text. For hand-lettering, sketch with a soft pencil first, using a ruler and eraser freely. A lettering guide, borrowed from your school's graphic arts department, will prove very helpful. Unless you are experienced you can save yourself trouble by not lettering directly upon the background. Instead, letter each copy block on a separate piece of art paper which can be glued into position later. Have a friend or teacher double-check your lettering for typographical errors.

Assemble your structure, mount your lighting fixtures, and plug them in. Install whatever equipment needs to be displayed. Put your project notebook, project report, and handout brochure in place. Your science fair exhibit is finished and you are ready to compete!

COMPETITION AND ITS REWARDS

Some of you can look forward to enjoying within the next several years a thrilling experience.

Some morning in May you will bid your parents farewell, walk up the steps of an airliner, and touch down a few hours later in a distant city. For the next five days you will be caught up in the excitement and fascination of the National Science Fair-International!

The full impact of your nation's science fair hits you the morning you set up your exhibit in the auditorium. You knew that you had a good exhibit when you entered the district fair back home in March. But regional and statewide competition is even tougher, so you were holding your breath until they finally called your name!

Now here you are, and as you appraise the 400 other exhibits going up besides yours, you realize this is the "big league". These guys and gals are really good. But some of your awe evaporates as you talk with your neighbors, and while you help the pretty blonde with the guppies position her heavy aquaria. Win or not, this is going to be fun!

And so it is--during the tension of the judging the next day, when you show your exhibit to the public the day after that, and throughout the tours of research laboratories and industrial processing plants that follow. In conversations with the judges, in the varied social contacts with more than 400 fellow exhibitors from the United States and several foreign countries, you get a fresh look at the rewards of serious scientific endeavor. One evening you listen enthralled by the startling concept being explained by one of the "big men" in science. You've seen his name and picture in newspapers, textbooks, and technical journals, and there he stands, talking seriously to you and your fellow exhibitors. As he explains a problem that has puzzled you, you begin to see science as a community of kindred minds where every serious truth-seeker is welcome, where there is no rank other than that bestowed on active intellects, sound procedures, and reasoned, honest conclusions.

All too soon, the week is almost over. At the Awards Banquet they are calling the names of the winners and you sit unsurprised when the early prizes pass you by. You've studied those winning exhibits, and you must acknowledge that they have the edge on yours--one because of the very unusual hypothesis posed and proved, the other because of the masterful clarity with which it explains the area of investigation.

After the banquet, the AEC representative explains to you that the AEC Special Award includes considerably more than the Certificate of Achievement you have just received.

First, a duplicate certificate will be sent to your principal for display among the school trophies. Then, in August you and your science teacher will fly to Chicago for a week as exciting and rewarding as the one you have just completed. You will be guests of the AEC's Argonne National Laboratory--an outstanding center for nuclear research. Your group will spend several days behind the scenes in Argonne's laboratories. You will visit outstanding research facilities and science museums in downtown Chicago. Best of all, you will have an opportunity to discuss your interests and career plans with members of the Argonne staff--men and women who are doing professional research in the same areas that interest you.

What are the costs of such an experience? Only the attention you pay to your science instruction; the thought and care you devote to a project related to nuclear science; and the clarity and ingenuity with which you explain that project to your classmates, teachers, and the general public through your science fair exhibit.

QUO VADIS?

Or "where do you go from here?"

First, resolve now to enter science fair competition this year. You may not win, but at least you will have started, and you will gain some of the experience needed for victory in later years.

Next, choose a science project topic, and discuss your choice with your science teacher, science club adviser, or hobby counselor. Especially if this is your first attempt, choose a topic which can be investigated with materials and equipment available to you at school or at home, and which can be finished by mid-February. Also, allocate definite times--particularly on weekends and holidays--when you will work on your project.

Third, execute your project, keeping careful notes and consulting your project counselor from time to time. Then draft your Project Report, discuss it with your counselor, revise and edit it as necessary, and get it typed in final form. Also verify the date your local science fair opens.

Fourth, plan your exhibit content, design and build your exhibit structure, select your exhibit components and draft your text, and make trial layouts until you arrive at the best possible design, including color. Prepare your color backgrounds, letter your text, and install text, components, and lighting. Get your handout brochure mimeographed.

Fifth, enter local science fair competition. If you don't win, find out why by comparing your project and your exhibit with the winners', and by discussing it with your parents, classmates, teachers, judges, and viewers. If you do win, attempt to understand what made your exhibit better than the others.

Finally, continue reading and thinking about your basic project topic, so that next year you will know whether you want to continue to work on the same topic or to shift your interest to another field.

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