Virginia Junior Academy of Science
Research Symposium
NOTE: Sign up is done through Reviewr (our online platform). You must create and/or log in to your Reviewr account first to get to the form.
Judge's Registration Link: my.reviewr.com/site/VJAS/VirtualJudging/2025
Judge's Registration Link: my.reviewr.com/site/VJAS/VirtualJudging/2025
CALL FOR JUDGES - VJAS 2025 RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
Overview
The Virginia Junior Academy of Science will hold its 2025 VJAS Research Symposium hybrid event on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at Ferrum College (Ferrum, VA, 24088). This meeting aims to give approximately 500 students in grades seven through twelve from throughout the Commonwealth the opportunity to present papers that will report original research they have conducted. The Symposium will be a hybrid event. Student presentations will occur in person at Ferrum College or virtually using ZOOM. Judges can be present in person at the host institution or judging virtually via ZOOM. Judes are encouraged to join us in person to make this an enriching event for the students.
The Process
Many volunteers and experts from all science fields are needed to achieve this monumental task. We are looking for volunteers in the Reader and Judging rounds. All reading and scoring research papers will be done online via the Reviewr platform. When you receive your invitation, be sure to click on the link to register as a reviewer. Please ensure all scores and comments are filled in and submitted when you complete reviewing a paper.
A READER is a volunteer with expertise to screen, read, and score submitted research papers (15-25 papers) from March through early April. This round aims to determine cutoff scores for students to be accepted into each of our categories (we can only take a finite number of submissions for the May Research Symposium). Since we are streamlining this process, you will be notified if you are selected as a reader.
The accepted papers are then distributed to JUDGES. A judge is a volunteer who will read and evaluate up to twenty-two papers (probably less) from mid-April to May. The judges are asked to be present the entire time in the hybrid meeting (on Saturday, May 31) and listen to live oral presentations given by the students who authored the research papers to complete the scoring. We hope you will be in person to make it a more personable and enriching experience for the students.
At least a month before the presentations, judges will receive research papers to read and score online via the Reviewr web platform. You will receive an invitation from Reviewr to judge and a link. Please use the link to register and access the assigned papers. Evaluations are completed online via the Reviewr platform.
On Saturday, May 31, Judges will be asked to come at 8 am for a preliminary meeting. The papers will be presented every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. with a five-minute break. More information about the judging process and presentations, including web links, will follow in early Spring on the Reviewr Platform.
If you wish to serve both as a Reader and a Judge, we will place you as a Judge in the same category as a Reader to maximize the overlap of research papers when possible. As you submit your application, please realize you may be selected as a head judge, overseeing the schedule to stay on time and report your section results. We will have a final check-out room (virtual breakout room or actual room if in person) for you and your team to come and ensure all record-keeping is done so that students and teachers benefit from the experience.
Help us make this an event to remember and register today by filling out and submitting this form (https://my.reviewr.com/site/VJAS/VirtualJudging/2025).
Registering today will secure your first choice in categories. You will, at a later date, typically February/March for readers and March/April for judges, receive notification of your status, including the category you will be reading and/or judging, access to online research papers to read, scoring rubric, schedule, and other important information. We appreciate all you do and hope you will be willing to contribute your time and effort again.
Please note that when you submit your request, it will ask you if you want to be a reader, judge, or both, as well as a head judge. Then, it will ask whether you will be in person or virtual. We need at least half of the group to be in person to give present students the feel of a real in-person event. If you are virtual, you will be on Zoom in the room, so you can ask questions to those students who may be virtual or in person.
Please pass this information on to any others who may be interested in assisting VJAS. Your volunteer efforts make the entire program possible, and its success rests on your willingness to help. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 1-757-897-3104 (phone). Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Please note that there will not be available housing on campus. We need a count of judges who will be on campus. A minimum of 30 judges are needed on campus to run the rooms with in-person students. This is a great way to advertise your institution with a captive audience and to support students.
Please register by February 15, 2025, or you may not receive your first choice.
Susan Booth, VJAS Director, director@vjas.org
The Virginia Junior Academy of Science will hold its 2025 VJAS Research Symposium hybrid event on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at Ferrum College (Ferrum, VA, 24088). This meeting aims to give approximately 500 students in grades seven through twelve from throughout the Commonwealth the opportunity to present papers that will report original research they have conducted. The Symposium will be a hybrid event. Student presentations will occur in person at Ferrum College or virtually using ZOOM. Judges can be present in person at the host institution or judging virtually via ZOOM. Judes are encouraged to join us in person to make this an enriching event for the students.
The Process
Many volunteers and experts from all science fields are needed to achieve this monumental task. We are looking for volunteers in the Reader and Judging rounds. All reading and scoring research papers will be done online via the Reviewr platform. When you receive your invitation, be sure to click on the link to register as a reviewer. Please ensure all scores and comments are filled in and submitted when you complete reviewing a paper.
A READER is a volunteer with expertise to screen, read, and score submitted research papers (15-25 papers) from March through early April. This round aims to determine cutoff scores for students to be accepted into each of our categories (we can only take a finite number of submissions for the May Research Symposium). Since we are streamlining this process, you will be notified if you are selected as a reader.
The accepted papers are then distributed to JUDGES. A judge is a volunteer who will read and evaluate up to twenty-two papers (probably less) from mid-April to May. The judges are asked to be present the entire time in the hybrid meeting (on Saturday, May 31) and listen to live oral presentations given by the students who authored the research papers to complete the scoring. We hope you will be in person to make it a more personable and enriching experience for the students.
At least a month before the presentations, judges will receive research papers to read and score online via the Reviewr web platform. You will receive an invitation from Reviewr to judge and a link. Please use the link to register and access the assigned papers. Evaluations are completed online via the Reviewr platform.
On Saturday, May 31, Judges will be asked to come at 8 am for a preliminary meeting. The papers will be presented every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. with a five-minute break. More information about the judging process and presentations, including web links, will follow in early Spring on the Reviewr Platform.
If you wish to serve both as a Reader and a Judge, we will place you as a Judge in the same category as a Reader to maximize the overlap of research papers when possible. As you submit your application, please realize you may be selected as a head judge, overseeing the schedule to stay on time and report your section results. We will have a final check-out room (virtual breakout room or actual room if in person) for you and your team to come and ensure all record-keeping is done so that students and teachers benefit from the experience.
Help us make this an event to remember and register today by filling out and submitting this form (https://my.reviewr.com/site/VJAS/VirtualJudging/2025).
Registering today will secure your first choice in categories. You will, at a later date, typically February/March for readers and March/April for judges, receive notification of your status, including the category you will be reading and/or judging, access to online research papers to read, scoring rubric, schedule, and other important information. We appreciate all you do and hope you will be willing to contribute your time and effort again.
Please note that when you submit your request, it will ask you if you want to be a reader, judge, or both, as well as a head judge. Then, it will ask whether you will be in person or virtual. We need at least half of the group to be in person to give present students the feel of a real in-person event. If you are virtual, you will be on Zoom in the room, so you can ask questions to those students who may be virtual or in person.
Please pass this information on to any others who may be interested in assisting VJAS. Your volunteer efforts make the entire program possible, and its success rests on your willingness to help. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 1-757-897-3104 (phone). Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Please note that there will not be available housing on campus. We need a count of judges who will be on campus. A minimum of 30 judges are needed on campus to run the rooms with in-person students. This is a great way to advertise your institution with a captive audience and to support students.
Please register by February 15, 2025, or you may not receive your first choice.
Susan Booth, VJAS Director, director@vjas.org
