Youth Energy and Environmental Expo Wednesday, April 7, 2010 10 am–12 noon SUNY Canton - Miller Campus Center Work toward solutions that will help our Earth! Group (up to 4 students) and individual entries accepted. Some travel grants available for field trip expenses.

Suggested topics for projects include renewable energy, energy conservation and efficiency, green buildings, climate change, community education, and environmental impacts.
Students must be at the Fair to present their project to the judges.
Awards announced before noon. Pre-registration required.

Coordinated and Sponsored by: 
Clarkson University Office of Educational Partnerships 
and SUNY Canton
In alliance with the St. Lawrence STEM Partnership

YEEE Details

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PROJECTS
Entrants are encouraged to identify, analyze, and work towards the solution of a particular energy or environmental problem. Climate change issues are encouraged. Entries can be in one of three categories – Science, analysis, or engineering/design. Create your own ideas or consider these suggestions:

• Science:
  • Develop a hypothesis about some aspect of energy and design an experiment to test and prove that hypothesis
• Analysis:
  • Lighting in your school - estimate how much electricity is used for lighting in your school and determine options and savings for solutions involving energy conservation/efficiency.
  • Characteristics of energy efficient homes - Review electric and gas bills for 3-5 homes. Determine which house consumes the least amount of energy. Survey occupants and inventory energy use/efficiency aspects of each home to analyze differences in energy consumption.
  • Energy Efficiency - Complete an energy audit of your home and identify improvements (audit kits available)
  • Renewable energy sources - Evaluate the feasibility of using a renewable energy source for supplying some fraction of the heat or power consumed by your school or home.
  • Community education - Identify a need for increased education and prepare a video to communicate an energy efficiency or environmental message to the general public (other media also acceptable)
  • Environmental impacts - Show the environmental benefits of an alternative energy source or energy efficiency measures
• Engineering/design
  • Building construction - Build a model house with and without insulation and other passive energy conservation measures. Test the efficiency of the insulation in maintaining temperature within the structure.
  • Alternative energy sources - Build a model car or house and describe how it works.
  • Build a model wind turbine or other energy conversion process to show how it works and how you can make it better.
    For additional ideas and information, see these resources:
    • National Energy Education Development (NEED)
    • DOE
    • NYSERDA - Get Energy Smart
    • Alliance to Save Energy
    • Energy Star
    • Energy Hog
    • KEEP energy education

GUIDELINES

• Entries can include: models, demonstrations, posters, film, scrapbooks, photo displays, or representational or performance art.
• Group projects are limited to FOUR students per group
• The display should fit within a 3 ft. x 2.5 ft area (table top or floor) or poster size for a wall mount (3’ x 4’) and should clearly identify the title, participants and school or organization.
• The entry form must be completed and submitted BY March 17th (see attached).
• All entries must be set up Friday morning BEFORE 9:45 am.
• Students entering the competition will be required to attend science fair from 10 am-12 noon to present their project to the judges.
• There is NO entry fee to participate.

PROJECT JUDGING CRITERIA

1. Project statement
   • Identify specific problem/project you are addressing
   • Identify specific goals for your final project
2. Selection and completion of activities used to reach your goals
   • Describe methods / steps used to complete project are described
   • Appropriate use of methods
3. Energy/environmental content / understanding used to complete the project
   • Evidence that grade-level appropriate understanding of energy/environmental concepts used
4. Evaluation of project solution - did you reach your goals?
   • Description of how students evaluated if their goals were met
   • Extent to which students reached their goals
5. Student leadership
   • Evidence that the students completed the project themselves
6. Documentation
   • Quality of materials displayed at competition
7. Communication of work with judges
   • Clear explanation of work completed
   • Effective answers to questions

For more information or help with identifying a project, mentor or materials,

• Contact Susan Powers (315-268-6542)
• Download the flier
• Download the participation form