Welcome Summer Ventures

The SVSM Directors at their February 2003 meeting suggested that SVSM programs institute recognition of outstanding participant research that could serve as an impetus and inspiration for hands-on research in North Carolina's secondary schools. The Directors believe that the State's SVSM program could make a contribution beyond our four-week summer program by dissemination of samples of outstanding student research that could be replicated in a typical high school setting. The Directors proposed that up to three students per campus be recognized each summer based on their research projects and the suitability of these to the high school setting. Teams may be named. Students representing all six of our SVSM campuses will present mathematics/technology research at the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics State Meeting. Those students recognized for research in science will present at the North Carolina Science Teachers' State Meeting. The SVSM's State Coordinator's office will coordinate these presentations and will collect, publish, and disseminate selected research papers.

Exemplary Research Includes:

Concise statement of the research objective, statement of the problem, identification of variables, and the hypothesis.
Brief review of current and related literature with an explanation of the student's interest in the subject.
Careful research design utilizing experimental controls, identification of variables, analysis of data, and a detailed written record of each aspect of the experiment.
Procedures and equipment sufficiently detailed and clearly stated to allow duplication of the experiment including concise descriptions of any specialized techniques.
Number of organisms (sample size), experimental replications, and/or type of statistical analysis is included.
Research must be in compliance with designated regulations and a signed mentor form must be included when vertebrate animals, humans, recombinant DNA, tissue, pathogenic agents or controlled substances are involved in the research.
Results should be clearly presented using charts, tables, and graphs as appropriate and include discussion and evaluation of conclusions and either accept or reject the hypothesis.

Here is a good web site for writing a scientific research paper: http://www.nmas.org/JAhowto.html

Selection Criteria

Represents creditable research
Could be replicated at the high school level. i.e., a simple experiment using readily available materials in an ingenious fashion may be chosen over a more complex subject which is beyond the grasp of most students
Research activity serves as a good example of hands-on inquiry
Student would be good representative of the SVSM program
Able and willing to submit paper