Vancouver

District

Science Fair

Friday, March 2, 2018 3:30pm — 9:15pm

Registration: vdsf.sfiab.com VDSF blog: govsb.ca/vdsf

Langara College

100 W49th Avenue Vancouver, B.C.

How to register for VDSF ♦ Students register online at vdsf.sfiab.com ♦ If 2 students worked on a project together,

EACH partner should register separately on

their own (the site will link them together).

♦ Registration will lead students to a Google

form. Submit answers electronically.

♦ Students will receive e-mail confirmation with a

project number. Bring this number to VDSF.

♦ Teachers will provide students with a parental

permission form to sign and return.

ALL STUDENTS MUST BE REGISTERED ONLINE BY:

Friday, February 23rd at 11:59 PM

Please send inquiries to juchan@vsb.bc.ca

TIME EVENT

3:15pm- 4:30pm

Arrival / Setup / Welcome Students set up project displays

in the gymnasium (G building).

Official welcome at 4:10pm.

4:30pm–

7:00 pm

Evaluation & Activities Students will rotate through the

following activities: i) presenting projects to judges ii) purchasing dinner iii) attending breakout sessions in

the SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

(T) building

7:00 pm- 8:30 pm

Clean-up / Trivia /

Chemistry Magic Show

8:30 pm-9:00pm

Awards Ceremony Door prizes & announcement of

VDSF finalists.

9:00 pm- 9:15pm

Champions Info Session VDSF finalists are given a brief

info session on how to register for

the Greater Vancouver Regional

Science Fair (GVRSF).

Tentative Student Itinerary

VDSF 2018

TEACHERS : ♦ Have students complete and return the

VDSF Parental Permission form. Collect

and keep these forms in a secure place

(do not bring them to VDSF). ♦ There is no need to forward names of

participants. Teachers are encouraged

to check vdsf.sfiab.com to ensure that

all students are successfully registered.

Ethics & Safety Policies

VDSF adheres to GVRSF ethics guidelines (see

http://www.gvrsf.ca/index.php/students/ethics).The use of human and animal test subjects must be discussed with a science teacher before the experiment to determine the type of project that can be permitted. No living organisms (plants, protists, bacteria, animals, etc.) may be exhibited.

Refer to the interactive ethics flowchart at vdsf.sfiab.com and follow the steps to obtain proper forms & participant consent. E-mail vdsfethics@gvrsf.ca or juchan@vsb.bc.ca if you are unsure.

The safety of all individuals and projects in the exhibit hall must not be jeopardized by any materials, activities, or demonstrations. No open flames or chemicals (except water, table salt, and food colouring in limited quantities) are permitted. Coloured solutions of water may be used to simulate chemicals used in the project. All projects must pass a safety check before judging can begin. Any hazards will be removed by the Safety Coordinator. For more details, see the interactive safety flowchart at vdsf.sfiab.com.

Why send students to the

VDSF? The VDSF offers students a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience and feedback in preparation for the GVRSF. While students can revise experiments or tinker with displays on their own, their presentation skills can really only be improved with exposure to different audiences. VDSF provides that extra set of eyes and ears. The judging and breakout sessions have allowed students to interact with members of the scientific community that they might not meet otherwise. VDSF remains a positive experience for all participants whether they go on to GVRSF or not. Interest in science fair remains high in the VSB, with Grade 11/12 projects (often self-directed) on a slight rise. Last year, a record number of 164 projects entered VDSF. Over half of the finalists (46 projects) were later awarded special and divisional honours at the GVRSF. VSB projects comprised 12 out of the 16 entries sent to the Canada Wide Science Fair, where our students proceeded to pick up a combined total of over $24000 in entrance scholarships and awards.

What is the Vancouver

District Science Fair?

The Vancouver District Science Fair (VDSF) is a district-wide event where students from all over the city come to share their projects. The sheer time and effort invested in the conception, planning, and execution of these projects lend an impetus to the scientific method that is hard to match. Students arrive armed with their hard-earned expertise and personal enthusiasm for science, eager to showcase their work. Over the course of the evening, they connect with scientific minds from other schools and the wider community.

VDSF projects are evaluated by a team of judges that include industry professionals, graduate students, and post-secondary faculty. This year about 90 projects will be selected to represent the district at the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair (GVRSF) on April 12-14 at UBC.

All VSB students in Gr. 7-12 are eligible to participate. Exhibition projects from Gr. 5-6 are also welcome. The number of projects allowed from each school is based on the number of projects completed. The total number of projects at VDSF 2018 will be capped at 160 projects.

Display Guidelines All exhibits including accessories, must be confined to the display table or small floor space in front of it and cannot exceed the following dimensions:

Max. width = 1.2m (side to side) Max. depth = 0.8m (front to back)

Max. height = 3.5m (floor to top incl. table) All measurements are made from outermost points including framework & appendages.

VDSF strongly encourages keeping a LOGBOOK and having a PROJECT REPORT!