2021 Opportunity X
STEM Research Conference
Announcement
Opportunity X has helped dedicated students work on their science research projects over the past few months. Our students are now looking forward to presenting their science research discoveries. The 2021 Opportunity X STEM Research Conference will be conducted virtually over Zoom, and we welcome students from all backgrounds and locations to participate including those not currently enrolled in an Opportunity X Research Program. We’ve organized a variety of interactive activities for students and teachers, including experiments, discussions, and speaker events. The winners will receive prizes as well! Find out how to register below.
Details
Event Name: 2021 Opportunity X International Research Conference
Date: May 29, 2021
Time: 1-5PM PDT
Participants: Students, teachers, families, and volunteers
Location: Online
Schedule
1:00-1:15 Introduction, Ice breaker
1:15-1:45 Guest Speaker Talks (3 parallel sessions)
1:45-3:15 Student project presentation
3:15-4:00 Science experiments,
Parent and teacher discussions,
Games and bonding activities
4:00-5:00 Award ceremony
Speakers
HOWARD ISAACSON: "Exoplanets and Life Beyond the Earth"
As a part of NASA’s Kepler Space Mission and the California Planet Search team, Mr. Isaacson works to characterize the size, mass, density and composition of the exoplanets discovered that are most like the Earth. He also works with the Berkeley SETI Research Center.
DONG CHEN: "Artificial Intelligence in Mobile Devices"
Dong is leading the ML Kit team at Google, working on an AI platform for mobile devices. He is responsible for architecting the product and leading the development. Most recently, he helped launch ML Kit at 2018 Google I/O, the annual global developer conference.
MATTHEW PORTEUS: "Gene Editing to Cure Diseases"
Matthew Porteus MD, PhD is the Sutardja Chuk Professor of Definitive and Curative Medicine at Stanford. His research focus is on developing genome editing as an approach to cure disease, particularly those of the blood but also of other organ systems.
Project Submission Form
Students please submit the link to your presentation video (uploaded to YouTube) and the link to your slides.
Demonstration Video
Awards
One First Prize Winner: $100 each project
Two Second Prize Winners: $75 each project
Three Third Prize Winners: $50 each project
Three Special Awards: $25 each project
Nine Honorable Mention Awards: $15 each project
Rules
1. Students must submit 5-10 minute videos to present their projects. The video should include an introduction, with the student's name, school, and grade level, and the background information, materials, methods, results, and discussion of the science project. If the student has a poster board or any objects related to the experiment, they should be included.
2. Students must be grades 6-8.
3. The deadline for submission is May 14, 2021 at 11:59 PM PDT.
4. Group or individual projects are both okay. Make sure to introduce all members of the team, though!
5. Visual aids are allowed.
6. Please wear an appropriate outfit! Remember that this is a formal presentation.
7. Winners of the fair will be announced at the science fair on May 29, 2021 and will also be recognized on the website.
8. We encourage students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields to participate.
Judges
ANU AIYER
Dr. Anu Aiyer teaches mathematics and physics to high school students. For the past seven years, she has been teaching Mathematics and Physics at The Harker School in San Jose, CA. Anu has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University
MIRIAM ALLERSMA
Dr. Allersma is a physics teacher at the Harker Upper School. She has a Ph.D in physics from the University of Michigan.
QIN LIU
Dr. Qin Lu has taught Mathematics at Lafayette College in Easton Pennsylvania for the last 21 years. Trained as an Algebraic Topologist, Professor Lu began her journey in Mathematical Finance in 2003 by taking CFA (Charted Financial Analyst) exams. In addition, she has been NSF REU(Research Experiences for Undergraduates) PI and mentor for multiple years and has guided a lot of undergraduate research through honors thesis and REU program.
CHRIS SPENNER
Mr. Chris Spenner studied physics and biophysics to understand this world. Now he teaches human ecology, science research, and physics to change this world.
QINGJUN WANG
Dr. Wang is a professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.. She has trained high school, undergraduate, and graduate students on biomedical research.
JOAN WRABETZ
Mrs. Wrabetz is the Chief Operating Officer at Fyusion, Inc. She received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Yale and her M.S in Electrical Engineering from Stanford.
LISA YIN
Dr. Lisa Yin is a well-known expert in the field of cryptography and information security. As a researcher, she loves scientific exploration and is passionate about inspiring young students to discover the beauty of math and science. Ms. Yin received her Ph.D. in mathematics from MIT.
JIAN WANG
Dr. Jian Wang, currently working as R&D scientist at the Corporate Technology Center, TE Connectivity Ltd, with expertise in electronics materials, electronics packaging, and printed electronics technologies. Dr. Wang received his PhD degree in Analytical Chemistry from Michigan State University and conducted research at Argonne National Laboratory.
YUFAN ZHU
Mr. Yufan Zhu is a scientist from BD Biosciences.
Judging Criteria
This is the criteria our judges will be scoring projects with.
Creativity 5 points
-- Purpose of the project – why did the student choose to do this project?
-- Creativity in research process/procedure?
Scientific Thought 5 points
-- How thorough was the project?
-- How clearly is the question stated?
-- How precise were procedures?
-- Is there adequate data?
-- Is the student(s) aware of the limitations of the data?
-- Can the results be workable? Are they related to the real world and what exists?
Presentation 5 points
-- How clear and confident is the student on the work they’ve done?
-- How enthusiastic is the student about their work?
-- Did you have to clarify anything?
Total: 15 points
Activities
Our volunteers have planed fun experiments, games and discussions for both the students and their parents and teachers.
To fully enjoy the five experiments we have designed for you, please prepare these materials ahead of time.
