March 2, 2001

With proud grins and colorful posterboards, 560 students at the James P. Timilty Middle School presented their projects to a group of discerning yet appreciative evaluators. From Feb. 12 to 15, close to 90 volunteers from the MGH went to the school to judge the annual Timilty Science Fair. The fair represented the hard work of sixth, seventh and eighth graders, many of whom had started their projects months earlier with the guidance of MGH employees in the Science Fair Mentoring Program.

MGH volunteer judge Robert van de Graaff, left, with a Timilty student

Just as the volunteer judges represented a wide variety of roles and departments within the MGH, students' projects explored a range of topics in the world of science. From studying the effects of Alka-SeltzerŪ used to power a model rocket to charting the makeup of a bacterial cell, the students tackled their research with a dedication that did not fail to impress their judges.

"The students were very enthusiastic and well prepared," says volunteer judge Nancy Sullivan, of MGH Case Management. "They clearly put a lot of thought and effort into their projects and were quite serious presenters." In addition to showing their projects and scientific journals to the judges, students also were required to explain their work and answer questions about their procedures and results. Each student project was subjected to two rounds of judging, on criteria ranging from creativity to adherence to the scientific method. Their scores were then added to grades given by Timilty science teachers to determine which students would advance to the final round.

The fair was organized by Robert Cho, program manager and science coordinator of the MGH/Timilty Partnership; Carlyene Prince, administrative director of the Partnership; and Wanda Velazquez, administrative coordinator of MGH Community Benefits. "It was great to see the level of enthusiasm and hard work," Velazquez comments. "The event was a success, and we could not have gotten through all of the judging without the help of the volunteers from the MGH, Harvard Medical School and the community."

For more information about the Science Fair and other Timilty programs, visit the Timilty Partnership website at http://timilty.boston.k12.ma.us/mgh.