2010 Synopsys Championship
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010Just got back from judging at the 2010 Synopsys Championship in San Jose, California. As in for many years, I was part of a group judging team entries from the East Side Union High School District. I have a couple of new observations from this event.Ā First, I applied my interest in creativity, innovation and leadership in judging this time. Out of 25 team projects, about half were what I would deem creative meaning they were not typical science fair material. About 3 came across as innovative meaning they had chosen a timely topic (which helps quite a bit), thought about the impact, and incorporated a personal interest angle. What occurred to me strongest though was the ease of collaboration (especially with our top team selection) perhaps due to the youthful age category. The social knit of high school teams is probably very different (more friendly) from those of older (college) students and working professionals. The associated bond and trust probably lends itself to greater creativity and, with the proper guidance, distinctive innovation.
My second observation concerns the entries from the Latino College Preparatory Academy (San Jose). It was a meaningful contrast to many science fair projects that had access to ample resources. It demonstrated that the passion for science can be found and fostered even in resource-poor circumstances, and that with encouragement and experienced mentoring, an opportunity to move on to the next level of competition may be well within reach.