New Jersey State Science Day 2021
Since the 1950’s, State Science Day has been inspiring students in New Jersey to careers in STEM. The competition has been reenvisioned in 2021 to foster growth in the scientific and engineering practices through authentic, community-based problem solving. This new competition is co-sponsored by New Jersey Science Teachers Association and the Research & Development Council (R&D Council) of New Jersey.
PDF Flyer for distribution HERE
Statement of purpose: Competition to acknowledge high school students’ use of science and engineering practices to define a problem in your community with a focus on its marginalized and/or underserved members, and to design a solution.
Who: Individual 9th - 12th grade students in New Jersey (public/charter/private/vo-tech/homeschool)
Application Submission: A slide deck (downloaded as PDF) and submitted on this Google form: https://tinyurl.com/NJSSD2021
Honor a teacher: Student applicants will nominate a science teacher who has supported their interest in STEM.
When: In honor of March being NJ STEM Month, completed projects must be submitted via Google form by March 22, 2021 EXTENDED TO March 29th at 11:59 pm. Winners will be announced in April.
Award: For each county*, two student winners and their nominated teachers will be recognized as outstanding in science at a virtual event hosted by the R&D Council of New Jersey in May 2021. Winners will be selected by a judging committee using a rubric based on the Required Task Components.
* Magnet/vocational high schools compete together in their own category with their own two winners.
2021 Challenge:
Considering issues of equity and social justice, design a solution to reduce the impacts of climate change in your community through adaptation and/or mitigation efforts.
Definition of Terms:
Community: School, town, county, or state of New Jersey
Equity & Social Justice: justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society
Impacts of Climate Change graphic from the Environmental Protection Agency:
Proposal template slide deck can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y5rnsezh
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Section/Slide
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Required Task Components
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Video Pitch
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Record & embed a short video (max 3 minutes) in which you explain the significance of the problem and outline your proposal for solving it.
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Abstract
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One-paragraph summary that outlines the problem, its effects on the identified community, and the proposal to address it.
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Problem Identification
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Define a problem to be solved that is related to the impacts of climate change.
In discussing the problem, define the community you are focusing on, describe who is impacted and how, and explain why you selected it.
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Background Information
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Provide a summary of background information you consulted to help in your understanding of the problem in the community.
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Proposed Solution
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Design a solution that is either a:
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Impact of Solution
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Explain how and why the proposed solution would address the identified problem.
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Next Steps
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Describe the next steps needed for implementation of the proposed solution.
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Resources
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Include list of resources in APA format that can include
Use a variety of resources including but not limited to: podcasts, websites, local interviews, news articles, official local communications, etc.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Bettyann Howson at StateScience@gmail.com or 201- 787- 0108
PDF Flyer for distribution HERE
