Special Awards

General Information

What’s New

Due to the effects of COVID-19. SEFH has decided to host a virtual fair for 2021.

General Information

Each year more than 50 professional organizations, representing government, industry and education across a wide variety of scientific disciplines, affiliate with SEFH as Special Award Sponsors to provide awards from their respective organizations to the nearly 1000 students attending SEFH.

Special Award Agency (SAA) recruits their own judges to choose the winners of their awards. Please note that a judge cannot serve as both a special award judge and a grand award judge.

We recommend that each Special Award Organization provide a minimum of 3 judges, although the number of judges per organization varies with the scope of the awards to be given and the number of Finalists to be interviewed. Coordinators of Special Awards should keep in mind that judging at SEFH takes place over a relatively short period and a sufficient number of judges will make selecting winners a less arduous task.

Special Award Judges receive criteria and coordination instruction through the organization they are representing and its designated judging team leader. This team leader is responsible for establishing the final assignments of their judges.

New for 2021

We are proud to announce that the 62nd Science and Engineering Fair of Houston is going virtual!

We invite all organizations interested in participating in the virtual experience to register here.

Because the fair will be entirely online, judges will be able to participate from anywhere with an internet connection.

Judges will need access to a desktop or laptop computer, because the website we will use to display projects and collect scores is generally not compatible with smart phones or tablets.

SEFH will provided detailed instructions and training opportunities for our online judging process during January and early February.

Thank you for your patience as we transition to a virtual platform. We hope you will join us for SEFH 2021!

SA Judging Procedure

SAA Judging Procedure – For 2021

We are pleased to announce that Special Awarding Agency registration is open. Only the “Lead Judge” or “Organization Coordinator” needs to register the organization. Register your organization here.

Once an organization is registered, please begin registering your judges here.

 

SAA online judging for SEFH 2021:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SEFH has transitioned to a virtual science fair. 

For this year, students will have prepared and uploaded project materials, including a video presentation, to our judging platform (RocketJudge.com). Judges will be email a specific link to access the judging platform to review assigned projects asynchronously as determined by the SAA’s Lead Judge.

 

Steps to successfully judge projects for the virtual Science Fair are listed below:

STEP 1: Abstract Review – beginning February 13, 2021

All SAAs are encouraged to conduct a preliminary review of student abstracts through the SEFH portal. Each SAA will have access to all project materials for both Senior and Junior divisions, it is encouraged that each SAA filter through and review abstracts to create a list of projects that they would like to further review prior to accessing the judging platform (RocketJudge.com). SAAs may choose to use this sample spreadsheet (Abstract Review List) to assist in narrowing their list of projects for further review.

Links to the abstract database will be emailed to all organization Lead Judges on February 13, 2021.

 

STEP 2: Asynchronous review of projects on the Online Judging Platform – beginning February 13, 2021

Organization specific links to the online judging platform will be emailed to all organization Lead Judges for dispersal to all organization judges. Judges will then be able to access the online platform to review their assigned projects asynchronously as determined by the organization Lead Judge.

It is encouraged that judges work in teams to review sets of projects. If an organization choose to do so, the organization’s Lead judges will be responsible for organizing any synchronous online (e.g. zoom, google meet, MS Teams) caucus meeting to discuss and select award winners.

An SAA may choose to score projects based on criteria set forth by their organization. We also offer a scoring criterion, accessible here, as suggestions to aid in your judging process.

 

STEP 3: Certification of Awards – Due February 27, 2021

Upon completion of judging. SAAs will need to report and certify any award winners. SAAs are required to complete the reporting form online. The link to the reporting form will be accessible at a later date.

Sign Up for SA Judging

Signup for SA Judging

Due to the effects of COVID-19. SEFH has decided to host a virtual fair for 2021. 

Registration Process

STEP 1: Agency Registration

A single “Lead Judge” or agency coordinator should complete the Special Awards Agency Registration available here.

STEP 2: Judge Registration

Each judge should complete the Special Awards Judge Registration available here.

Resources

What’s New

Due to the effects of COVID-19. SEFH has decided to host a virtual fair for 2021. 

 

Resources

Judges Manual
Official Scoring Sheet
Agency Checklist
sample spreadsheet (AbstractReview_SAA.xlsx)

Directions and Parking

Due to the effects of COVID-19, SEFH 2021 will not be held at GRB. SEFH has decided to host a virtual fair. 

Please check Information here.

Special Awarding Agencies

Special Awarding Agencies

SAA List 2020:

  1. Sigma Xi: the Rice University / Texas Medical Center Chapter
  2. Water Environment Association of Texas
  3. Association of Women in Science (AWIS) Gulf Coast Houston Chapter
  4. American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  5. Houston Astronomical Society
  6. Health Physics Society/ State of Texas Chapter
  7. Consumer Energy Education Foundation (CEEF)
  8. Center for Innovations in Quality, Safety, and Effectiveness (IQuEST)
  9. Houston Baptist University
  10. CenterPoint Energy
  11. Society of Women Engineers-Houston Area Section (SWE-HA)
  12. Houston Illini Club
  13. Gulf Coast Safety & Training Group
  14. Jacobs
  15. American Industrial Hygiene Association
  16. American Institute of Chemical Engineers – South Texas Section
  17. Greater Houston Dental Society
  18. Harris County Medical Society/Houston Academy of Medicine
  19. Alumni Club of MIT
  20. The DiIorio Foundation
  21. Houston Geological Society
  22. Houston Geological Society
  23. Society of Petroleum Engineers Gulf Coast Section
  24. American Society of Indian Engineers and Architects (ASIE)
  25. Houston Intellectual Property Law Association
  26. University of Houston STEM Center
  27. ACEC Houston in coordination with Texas Engineering Research Forum
  28. Engineering Science Technology Council Houston
  29. Space Center Houston
  30. iYar Fine Arts
  31. Geophysical Society of Houston
  32. The Krishen Foundation for Arts and Sciences
  33. Sam Houston Area Council
  34. Rice University
  35. Rice Engineering Alumni
  36. International Society of Automation – Houston Section
  37. HCA Houston Healthcare

SAA List 2019:

SAA List 2019

Promoting the learning and application of science and technology for Texas youth since 1958.
Affiliated with Regeneron, International Science and Engineering Fair, Texas Science and Engineering Fair, and Broadcom MASTERS.

Promoting the learning and application of science and technology for Texas youth since 1958.
Affiliated with Regeneron, International Science and Engineering Fair, Texas Science and Engineering Fair, and Broadcom MASTERS.