Stephanie Kirkpatrick

Q: Where are you from?

A: I’m from Canton, Ohio–about 4 hours northeast of here.

Q: What is your major?

A: I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in Educational Studies at UC, but I also have a Masters Degree in Communication from the University of Akron and a Bachelors Degree in Speech Communication from Miami University.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: I want to be a college professor. I want to teach and do research in media literacy and disabilities studies. I like to think of myself as a social scientist.

Q: What was your favorite subject growing up?

A: I just can’t pick one. In grade school I loved history and geography, but when I got to high school I really enjoyed Biology and English. I still love biology and science and I guess that’s why I am pursuing a career as an academic social scientist.

Q: Did you participate in science fairs growing up? If yes, what was your project?

A: I did participate in a science fair when I was in 8th grade. I won my school science fair and took home a superior rating at the district fair. I did my project on prolonging the oxidation rate of sliced apples. Tip: Use a little lemon juice to keep your apple slices from browning too quickly.

Q: Is your family involved with science and engineering professionally?

A: My father-in-law and brother-in-law are both engineers, but no one in my immediate family is involved with science and engineering professionally.

Q: When you’re not busy working on the science fair or going to school, what are you doing in your spare time?

A: I love being crafty. Scrap-booking is my favorite thing to do when I’m all caught up with my work. If I’m not scrap-booking I am probably reading (although I don’t get to read a lot of fun stuff, its mostly research right now).

Jennifer Trombley

Q: Where are you from?

A: Originally, I am from a little suburb of Detroit, Michigan, called Grosse Pointe Woods.  I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and Education at the University of Michigan, and I’m certified to teach K-12 public school music.

Q: What is your major?

A: I am pursuing my Master of Music degree at the College-Conservatory of Music in vocal performance and opera.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: Someday, I would love to perform with opera houses and orchestras around the country, singing classical music. I also hope to be a voice teacher and professor of music at a college or university.

Q: What was your favorite subject growing up?

A:Besides music, I would have to say math or science. It’s hard to choose! My two favorite classes in high school were an anatomy and physiology class I took, and my AP Calculus class (my friends used to tease me because I would always get excited about going to Calculus!). In college I took some fascinating geology classes, too. If I weren’t going to be a music teacher, I think I would be a high school math teacher.

Q: Did you participate in science fairs growing up? If yes, what was your project?

A:Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to participate in any science fairs while I was growing up. But, I did help my mom (who is a science teacher) with many of her classroom experiments!

Q: Is your family involved with science and engineering professionally?

A:Yes! My mom is a 6th and 7th grade science teacher, and I think that’s where I got my love for science. Also, my dad is a pharmacist.

Q: When you’re not busy working on the science fair or going to school, what are you doing in your spare time?

A: I enjoy doing things outdoors like hiking and camping, and I absolutely love to garden. This past summer I had an organic vegetable garden with over 20 varieties of vegetables and herbs. They were delicious! Someday I would like to have my own small farm.

We are very excited to announce that NASA engineer Kobie Boykins will be our 2010 Keynote speaker! As a lead engineer at NASA,  Boykins designed the solar arrays that power the remarkable Mars Expedition Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which (as of December 2008) continue to send back data from our nearest planetary neighbor more than four years after being deployed.

A dynamic young engineer at NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Kobie Boykins is on the frontline of Mars exploration. Boykins designed the solar arrays that power the remarkable Mars Expedition Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which (as of December 2008) continue to send back data from our nearest planetary neighbor more than four years after being deployed. He is currently working at NASA‘s Mars Science Laboratory, preparing the actuators for the next mission. Boykins’ other projects have included work on the Mars Pathfinder mission and the Ocean Surface Topography Mission, making measurements by satellite of the Earth’s oceans.

In 2002, Boykins joined a team of young scientists for a public education tour—dubbed “Marsapalooza”—to raise awareness of the Mars Exploration Project. Four years later he was featured in the JASON Project Expedition “Mysteries of Earth and Mars,” bringing his passion for space exploration to students and teachers worldwide.

An engaging public speaker who puts a fresh face on America’s space program, Boykins recounts the challenges and triumphs of the Mars Exploration Rovers mission, sharing remarkable images and discoveries that continue to come to us from the Red Planet.

Changes to Form 4 (Human Subjects Form): The first page of this form is required for all projects involving human subjects (labeled ‘Page 36′ in the actual document). The student’s IRB will review the project and determine if written consent is required of the participants. If so, the student can either use the form provided on the second page of Form 4 (labeled ‘Page 37′ in the actual document), or create their own consent form as long as it includes all information on the sample form provided.

Virtual Schools: Students from virtual schools will be accepted to district and state fairs as long as the student participates in a local school fair near where he/she lives. The student will be eligible to attend the district fair in which he resides, not where the virtual school headquarters is located. A video conference judging exercise by the virtual school is not considered acceptable for entrance to the district fair.

Display Credit: The display of the below information is now required on all projects, either on the display board or by using a tent card on the display table:

~ Photograph taken by:
~ Graphics on display from:
~ Photographic permissions were obtained and are located:
~ Trademarks/Registered/Brand named products company approvals were obtained: Yes/No