Experience over the last few National Fairs, and information compiled for fairs yet to come show that some 250 judges will be required for the judging of CWSF 2004.

The Eastern Newfoundland Regional Science Fair called on 65 judges to help choose their winning projects. As well the Connaught Student Biotechnology Exhibit had a further 10 judges bringing the total to 75. Although most of these judges were experienced in the judging of science fairs, more than fifty percent were judges new to the Regional. Each year a group of judges is solicited through a general emailing of lists generated by the chief judge. They are usually accompanied by a request for judges by the Dean of Science Office. Soliciting judges in this manner is more than sufficient for the Regional Fair, but for the National Fair a more rigorous method needs be developed.

The plan for this solicitation is quite simple. Each year for the next two years along with the solicitation for the regional judges there will be sent a request for expressions of interest for judging at a National Fair. This request will be sent out to a wider audience and as interest is expressed, these individuals will be invited to attend the judging of the regional fair. Having too many judges for the regional will not be a problem, but giving them some exposure to the regional science fair process will ensure a well-trained, experienced judging group for the National Fair. With the turnover of judges for the Regional Fair, and the support of local institutions and the private sector, acquiring the requisite amount of judges is not an issue.

There are a number of institutions, within the St. John’s area, that have supported the Eastern Newfoundland Regional Science Fair in the past by supplying judges. Memorial University, with its many faculty members and research personnel, has stood at the forefront of that support and we expect much the same in the future. The science faculty especially has been most generous with its members and those members have eagerly given their time to us in the past. Within that faculty resides the largest Earth Science Department in eastern Canada, and a vibrant Biotechnology group. Attached to the University is the Marine Institute, with its own distinct faculty, the Ocean Sciences Center with a number of eminent researchers, and the Center for Cold Ocean Research Engineering (C-CORE) with still another group of research scientists. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans operates the North West Atlantic Fisheries Center, a research institution with a significant number of biochemists, marine biologists, biologists and oceanographers to recruit from. Remaining in the public domain, the College of the North Atlantic and its faculty members is also located in St. John’s as well as the National Research Council which maintains a number of facilities in this area.

The vibrant local private sector will be included through the industry associations. Groups such as the Newfoundland Environmental Industry Association, the Newfoundland Association of Technology Industries, and the Newfoundland Ocean Industries Associations, can be used to make contacts within the private sector for the recruitment of judges. Several of these companies already donate judges and judging time for the Connaught Student Biotechnology Exhibit, held in concert with the Eastern Newfoundland Regional Science Fair.

The only other consideration at this point is acquiring enough Bilingual or French speaking judges for the fair. Fully one fifth to one quarter of all the projects at any National Fair are French Projects, and that many judges have to be available. The Federal institutions named above have a significant number of French-speaking scientists at any one time, and the private sector in this region follows this trend as well. St. John’s is the home to the only French First Language school in the province, and a number of french families have moved into the area because of it. All of this reinforces the committee’s belief that more than a sufficient number of judges both English and French speaking are available.