WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

All undergraduate and graduate students (who are NJAS members) from NJ institutions can participate under the senior academy division.

Participants presenting at this event will have the opportunity to have their research abstract published in the NJAS journal "The Bulletin"; serve as NJ Academy of Science delegate at the 2024 "American Association for the Advancement of Science" at the senior academy level; and allow participants to add this experience to their resumes.  SENIOR ACADEMY PARTICIPANTS WILL ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACT AS A JUDGE FOR THE JUNIOR ACADEMY PRESENTATIONS. Once you have submitted your abstract, please go to the registration link for "Judges Information" and sign up!  This will be a very rewarding experience for all involved!

We are honored to host postdoctoral fellows and faculty who would like to present in this division and the registration fee will be waived (This does not include breakfast/lunch cost).

SCIENCE CATEGORIES:

Environmental Science / Ecology

Cell or Molecular Biology

Health / Medicine

Chemistry / Biochemistry

Physics / Engineering

Mathematics/Computational Science

Psychology / Animal Behavior

Microbiology

Botany

Marine & Aquatic Science

Science or Math Education

Earth Science / Geology / Meteorology

Topical Reviews

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

This year, the requirements to participate in the research competition will include several parts: an 8-10 minute presentation,  a written abstract, photo release form, and headshot picture of the participant. 

 Live Presentation  May 20, 2023 - 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

ABSTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Follow these instructions carefully (improperly prepared abstracts/missing info may cause rejection of your abstract):

1. We will only accept abstracts that are submitted in electronic form.  The preferred format is MS Word, Arial font, size 12, fully justified.  RTF format is also acceptable.  

2. The abstract should be approximately 200 words long, excluding title, author and school or institution affiliation information.

3. Type the title in bold and all capitals, except for scientific names.

4. Start authors with the first author. Underline the name of the presenting author. The presenting author must be an active NJAS member. If the presenting author is a student, type (student) after the presenter's name. 

5. All abstracts MUST be received by March 20th 2023. Late abstracts/meeting registrations are not accepted. EXTENDED TO APRIL 22, 2023

6. All registration fees MUST be received by April 10th, 2023. Late abstracts/meeting registrations are not accepted.  EXTENDED TO APRIL 22, 2023

7. You will be notified by e-mail of your registration completion after you submit registration payment.

8. Annual meeting May 20th, 2023 with academic scientific presentations, a keynote and an award ceremony
   

Example of typical abstract:

SYNTHESIS AND IDENTIFICATION OF TERPENYL ETHERS - A COOPERATIVE COLLEGIATE-INDUSTRY PRODUCT

Joe Smith (student), Jane Doe, Chemistry Department, Kean University, Union NJ 07083

A series of terpenyl ethers was synthesized and analyzed for purity and structure.  The ethers were submitted for aroma quality evaluation…

POSTER REQUIREMENTS

All posters are displayed at the Kean University STEM building atrium in a single session of one and half hours. Poster presenters must be on hand with their poster during the session.

I. Posters should be no more than 36" in height and 48" in width

• The poster boards (3' * 4' tri-fold boards) as well as binder clips for attaching posters to the tri-fold boards will be provided by NJAS
• Each poster board will be set up on a designated table
• Please note that poster boards of this size will accommodate a poster that was printed as a single page in landscape mode and with dimensions less than or equal to the 36" in height and 48" width size of the poster boards.

II. The Poster must have the following components:

1. Title Slide (Title, Name)

2. Introduction (Rationale)

3. Objective & Hypothesis

4. Assumptions

5. Materials, Equipment, Facilities

6. Procedure

7. Data

8. Graphs

9. Data Analysis

10. Conclusion

11. Plans for Further Research

III. Participants should consider the following questions before submitting final presentation:

1. Scientific Thought 

   1. Does the project follow the scientific method?

   2. Is the problem clearly stated?

   3. Are the procedures appropriate and organized?

   4. Is the information collected accurate and complete?

2. Creative Ability 

   1. How unique or original is the project idea?

   2. Is it significant or unusual for a student of this age?

3. Understanding 

   1. Does the project explain what the student learned about the topic?

   2. Does the project represent real study and effort?

   3. Does the project show the child is familiar with the topic?

4. Clarity 

   1. Does the student clearly communicate the nature of the problem, how the problem was solved, and the conclusion?

   2. Are the problems, procedures, data, and conclusions presented clearly and in a logical order?

   3. Does the student clearly and accurately articulate in writing what was accomplished?

   4. Is the objective of the project likely to be understood by one not trained in the subject area?

5. Presentation 

   1. Is your display or presentation visually appealing?

   2. Is the proper emphasis given to important ideas?

   3. Are all the components of the project present and executed well?

   4. Is the project within the time limit of 8-10 minutes? (deduce 3 points for every 30 seconds over/under the limit)