NEW ORLEANS – To kick off the 2016-17 school year, Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair (GNOSEF) is hosting a free workshop for teachers and science fair coordinators on Saturday, August 27, 2016, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., at Tulane University, Norman Mayer Building, Room MA 101.
Round-table discussions with experienced teachers will address finding opportunities and overcoming obstacles, while providing important information needed to participate in the GNOSEF.
Event reps said the workshop also helps them prepare for the 61st Annual Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair to be held February 13-16, 2017 at UNO. Attendees will be awarded a certificate at the conclusion of the five-hour training session, which can be submitted to their school district for the purpose of requesting CLU (Continuing Learning Unit) credits.
Hosted by the Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair, Tulane University, University of New Orleans, Core Element, Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation, the free, five-hour workshop, which includes lunch, will offer three breakout sessions that will allow participants to focus on their particular area of interest with choices from the following four topics:
• Finding Project Ideas (including discussion of new 2017 categories and project examples)
• Improving the Research Plan (including discussion of what the judges are looking for)
• De-mystifying the GNOSEF Process – Getting a Project on the Floor (with tips for tackling the human subjects and biological projects)
• Strategies for Hosting a School Science Fair (including tips for handling logistics and finding judges)
There will also be brief presentations on resources available, the timeline for participating in the GNOSEF, and an overview of the more than $60,000 in Awards for students, teachers and schools.
“This annual workshop is our way of assisting educators with information and resources to help them better deliver STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) curricula, in general, and science fair knowledge, specifically,” Annette Oertling, Ph. D., fair director of the non-profit Greater New Orleans Science Fair, Inc., said. “STEM is important to a child’s overall education, their future career goals and the economic growth of our community. According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, Louisiana will have 69,000 STEM-related jobs to fill by 2018, so it is vitally important that we provide the support needed to teach future generations of STEM employees.”
The 2016-17 Greater New Orleans Science & Engineering Fair encourages independent student research in science, technology, engineering and math. The Fair is open to students nominated by their middle or high school or home school association within the designated Region IX parishes (Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines). Entrants fall into two divisions: Junior Division is comprised of middle school students (6-8 grade) and Senior Division is high school students (9-12 grade).
More than $60,000 in cash/non-cash awards, prizes and grants will be awarded to GNOSEF 2016-2017 winners, teachers and schools, including a trip for four students and two teachers to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which draws over 1600 students from 70 countries with more than $4 million in cash awards and prizes. Selected category winners at the GNOSEF in New Orleans are also eligible to compete for state honors at the Louisiana Science and Engineering Fair (LSEF) held at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, March 20-22, 2017, also with advancement possibility to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) to be held May 14-19, 2017 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair is presented by H. Britton Sanderford, Jr., the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation and Tulane University in partnership with Core Element, University of New Orleans and Women for a Better Louisiana. It is also supported by local industries, foundations and generous individuals.
There is no charge for the Saturday, Aug. 27 GNOSEF Teacher Workshop, but teachers must register by Wednesday, August 24.
For more information about the workshop and the 2016-2017 Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair in February at UNO click here.