As you develop your project for the high school energy competition, keep these criteria in mind.
Project Objective (25 points)
- Does the project have a clear objective?
- Is the objective relevant to the competition topic?
- Is the solution workable? Acceptable to the potential user? Economically feasible?
- Could the solution be utilized successfully in design of a project or product?
Creative Research, Ability, and Originality (25 points)
Does the project show creative ability and originality:
- In the approach to solving the problem?
- In the use or redesign of existing equipment?
- In the construction or design of new equipment?
Inquiry and Analysis (25 points)
- Is the question or problem stated clearly and unambiguously?
- Was the problem sufficiently limited to allow a plausible approach?
- Were the procedures/methods well thought out and organized, resulting in a plan for obtaining a solution?
- If appropriate, are the results and supporting data presented using quantifiable numbers and statistical analysis?
- Does the team recognize the project’s limitations?
- Does the team have an idea of what further research is warranted?
Thoroughness (15 points)
- How completely was the problem covered?
- Is the team familiar with scientific literature in the studied field and does it have documented background research?
- Was there adequate data collected to support the conclusions?
- Were conclusions based upon multiple trials, models, and/or tests?
- Is the team aware of other theories or approaches?
- Do conclusions and/or data analysis describe possible errors or flaws?
- Are references identified?
Presentation (10 points)
- How clearly does the team discuss its project and explain the background and methods?
- How clearly are the results (including supporting data) presented?
- How clearly are the conclusions presented?
- How well does the project display explain the project?
- Is the display creative and pleasing to look at?
All projects should follow ethical research conduct guidelines.