Judging for the NOAA award at regional and state science fairs

Thank you for your interest in judging for the NOAA “Taking the Pulse of the Planet” award at a regional or state science fair! These fairs feed into the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). They typically occur between December and March.

To find a fair and register as a judge:

  1. Go to the Find A Fair page. Select the state(s) in which you are interested in judging from the drop-down menu and check the "Search Intel ISEF Fairs" box at the bottom of the page. Then click the "Search" button to see a list of fairs.
  2. From the resulting list, select the fair that works best for you.
  3. Click on the name of the fair to visit its website and find information on serving as a judge. If you are unable to find the information you need, please email the ISEF team to request assistance.
  4. After you express an interest in volunteering as a NOAA judge, confirm with the fair director that they have received their award packet, which includes the NOAA award (see details of this award below) from Society for Science & the Public. If they do not have their award packet, please have them email the NOAA science team at science.fairs@noaa.gov.

The NOAA Award

The NOAA “Taking the Pulse of the Planet” Award is available for a winning student at each ISEF-affiliated regional and state science fair. The award consists of an Award Certificate and Letter of Congratulations. The award is distributed to all ISEF-affiliated regional fairs as part of an package of awards from the Society for Science & the Public, the group which runs ISEF.

Judging

Click here for the judging directions and rubric. The rubric is available to NOAA staff only. If you have trouble accessing it, please email science.fairs@noaa.gov.