Part I of this month’s update focused on VJAS paper preparation. Part II will cover the
VJAS paper submission process in more detail.

Dear VJAS School Sponsors:

We would like to again thank those schools who have already submitted their VJAS
School Membership Applications and Membership Fees. If your school plans to submit
VJAS papers this month, we strongly recommend that your school joins VJAS now!
Please remember that the VAS Office Staff will need to generate your school’s VJAS
Membership Certification Letter which includes the VJAS School Number for your
school. The VJAS School Membership Application can be found in Appendix B
(http://vjas.org/handbook.html).

Reminder: Paper Submission Deadline is Wednesday, February 21st!

VJAS Paper Preparation:
Part I of this month’s Sponsor’s Update covered Paper Preparation. Please review here:
http://www.vjas.org/sponsor-blog.html

VJAS Paper Submission:
Please refer to the VJAS Handbook pages 32 and 33 for complete information
(available here: http://vjas.org/handbook.html). Below are some key points!
The designated VJAS Head Sponsor at each VJAS Membership School is responsible
for each of the following:
 For each student’s paper there must be the initial printout of the paper (marked
as the original in red) plus four copies of the paper (i.e. a total of 5 copies of each
student’s paper).
     o Each copy of the paper must include all required VJAS Paper Submission
Forms (Student Entry Form, Certification Statement Form (now REQUIRED
with signatures), Reader’s Evaluation Form, Judge’s Evaluation Form) plus the
appropriate additional forms as needed (Continuing Project Form, VJAS
Mentor and/or Research Facility Form).
     o Each copy of the paper (with forms on top of paper) must be securely stapled.
     o Remember to make sure ALL printing and copying is single-sided!
     o The 5 copies of each student’s paper (with the original on top) should be held
together by a rubber band (preferably a rubber band that is 7” in length).

 The VJAS papers should be sorted by category (to facilitate the Paper Check-In
Process). It will also be helpful if the papers in each category are sorted
alphabetically by last name of students.

 The VJAS papers should be appropriately packed in a box or envelope for
sending or delivery to VJAS.

 The 2018 School Entry Form must be completed. An electronic copy of the
School Entry Form should be emailed to the VAS Office at
[email protected] by Wednesday, February 21, 2018 (or earlier if
possible). A print out of the completed School Entry Form should be placed in
the box and/or envelope along with the papers. NOTE: The School Entry Form
plus instructions for completing the School Entry Form were sent to the VJAS
Head Sponsors of all current VJAS School Members earlier this month.

 A single check for Student Entry Fees ($15 per student) should also be placed in
the box and/or envelope along with the papers. Please note that for multiple
author papers, each student must pay the $15 Student Entry Fee.

Mailing or Delivering VJAS Papers:
 The designated VJAS Head Sponsor at each VJAS Member School should send
ALL student papers in bulk to the VAS Office in Richmond. The papers should
be sent using First-Class Mail or express delivery (UPS or FedEx). The mailing
address is VA Junior Academy of Science, c/o Virginia Academy of Science,
2500 West Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220.

 If deemed appropriate, the designated VJAS Head Sponsor at each VJAS
Membership School can deliver the student papers to the VAS-VJAS Office
located in the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond. The VJAS papers
should be given to the Front Desk Staff of the Science Museum of Virginia. The
SMV front desk staff will notify the VAS Office as the papers arrive so that the
VAS Office Staff will know to come pick up the papers.

Looking Ahead/Special Notes:
 Accepted VJAS Paper Lists will be posted on the VJAS website in early April.
 Abstract Submission will be done online by those students whose papers are
accepted for presentation at the 2018 VJAS Research Symposium. Stay tuned
for detailed instructions early Spring.
 Special Interest Awards and Scholarship applications are due April 30th and
Appendices for specific instructions and details on how to apply.
 Student Officer applications are also due April 30th (See Appendix D).
 Please encourage your student to nominate you (for awards) for your efforts (See
Handbook Section VII. Awards).

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions.
We greatly appreciate all that you do and look forward to reviewing your students’ paper
entries!

Susan Booth, Director, VJAS, 757-897-3104, [email protected]
Se Jeong, VJAS Committee Chair, [email protected]
Carolyn Conway, VAS Associate Executive Officer, 804-864-1450,
[email protected]

Dear Sponsors:
 
Part I of this month’s update will focus on paper preparation. Part II will cover paper submission in more detail.
 
First, thank you to those schools who submitted their VJAS School Membership Applications and Membership Fees by the January 15 deadline. Second (for those schools who have not yet joined VJAS for the current year), if your school has students who plan to submit VJAS papers later this month, we strongly recommend that your school join VJAS as soon as possible! This will allow time for our office to generate the VJAS Membership Certification letter to the Head Sponsor that includes the school’s VJAS School Number. The VJAS School Membership Application can be found in Appendix B (http://vjas.org/handbook.html).
 
Reminder: The VJAS Paper Submission Deadline is Wednesday, February 21st!
 
VJAS Paper Preparation:
Below are some main highlights of the paper preparation and submission procedures. As always, please refer to our Handbook and Appendices for complete, detailed information. These documents may be accessed at http://vjas.org/handbook.html.

• All paper submission forms can be found in Appendix C. For your convenience, they are also posted as a separate PDF file on our website for easy download and printing.

• Please submit the papers in proper categories (Handbook pages 14-16).
• For easy identification of 12th grade seniors, we ask that for all 12th grade/senior papers, an “A” be placed following the school number at the top right of each form (Student Entry, Readers and Judges Evaluation Forms).

• For easy identification of 8th grade students, we ask that for all 8th grade papers, a “B” be placed following the school number at the top right of each form (Student Entry, Readers and Judges Evaluation Forms).
• For your convenience, we have a “Checklist for Paper Submission” in Appendix A. We encourage that both you and your students refer to this Checklist as they are preparing and finalizing their VJAS papers.
• Please remember that the Certification Statement Form (right after the Entry Form) is now a REQUIRED form with BOTH student and sponsor signatures needed at the bottom. All entries must check the “general safety certification” statement (bottom right corner) as well as any other applicable statements.

 
We would also like to remind that we have very detailed specifications for the structure of papers. Please refer to the Handbook section that has the full requirements for the papers as well as information regarding assembly of the paper.
​
VJAS Paper Submission:
Stay tuned for Part II of the Sponsor’s Update next week.
 
Handbook Error Update:
We would like to clarify that the VAS Best Research Paper is for 9th – 11th graders only. Middle school students (7th and 8th) and High school senior (12th grade) students are ineligible for this award. We apologize for the inconsistency in the current revision of the VJAS Handbook.
 
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions.
We greatly appreciate all that you do and look forward to processing student papers!
 
Susan Booth, Director, VJAS, 757-897-3104, [email protected]
Se Jeong, VJAS Committee Chair, [email protected]
Carolyn Conway, VAS Associate Executive Officer, 804-864-1450, [email protected]

Dear Sponsors:

We hope that you have had a wonderful holiday season! As we begin another year, we look forward to hosting you at Longwood University in Farmville this year for the VJAS Annual Research Symposium. The Symposium will be held from May 22 – 24, 2018. Presentations will be held on Wednesday, May 23rd. We have revised our VJAS Handbook and the Appendices. They are available to download on our website (http://vjas.org/handbook.html). As always, please refer to our Handbook and Appendices for detailed information. In addition to reviewing those document, below are a number of important points we would like to highlight at this time.

• Please remember that Membership Application and Fees are due January 16. Please use the Membership Application (Appendix B). We are asking for complete information regarding the school and a flat fee of $50/school. If your school plans to participate, we strongly recommend that each school complete this process as soon as possible as the Head Sponsor will receive their school number to include when student papers are submitted.

• This year’s deadline for submitting papers with the appropriate student entry fees is no later than Wednesday, February 21, 2018. Please use the VJAS Paper Submission Forms (Appendix C).
​
• Please pay attention to our revised project “categories” list in the Handbook (pages 14-16). For this coming year, we will actively disqualify papers that are not in the proper category. If in doubt, then please contact the VJAS Director or the VAS/VJAS Office for clarification and assistance.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions. We greatly appreciate all that you do and look forward to your participation!
​
Sincerely yours,
Susan Booth, VJAS Director, [email protected], 757-897-3104
Se Jeong, VJAS Committee Chair, [email protected]
Carolyn Conway, VAS Associate Executive Officer, [email protected], 804-864-1450