News Feature                                                            4/2/2009

MN NRCS Engineers Helped Judge Projects At The National American Indian Science And Engineering Fair

Engineers from Minnesota Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helped judge projects at the National American Indian Science & Engineering Fair (NAISEF) held at the River Centre in St. Paul, MN on March 27, 2009.

The fair had 154 projects, over 200 participants, and over 40 Tribes and Nations were represented. The students involved were 5th to 12th graders and many of them traveled from various locations within the United States to attend this competition.

The NRCS judges, pictured, were assigned to various groups and each group focused on different subject matter. Each project was judged by three different people. Each judge spent time with the student discussing and asking questions about their project. From this dialogue and the student’s display, the judge had to determine and grade the student’s scientific approach, skills, creativity, clarity, and thoroughness.

A total of 6 students from this fair were selected to compete at the next level.

Sonia Jacobsen served as a special category judge. She evaluated the exhibits and interviewed the students with criteria explicitly stated by the sponsor of a special award in the competition. Most focused on a particular aspect such as sustainable development, innovation, use of climate data, etc. Award sponsors included USDA-ARS, IBM, Association of Women Geoscientists, Ricoh, Cargill, US Navy and Marine Corps, USDA Forest Service, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, the American Meteorological Society, NOAA, and many more.

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society’s (AISES) mission is to increase substantially the representation of American Indian and Alaskan Natives in engineering, science and other related technology disciplines. More information about this organization can be found at: www.aises.org

< Back to Home