GOAL
The goal of the competition is to interest girls in grades K-12 in statistics and motivate them to participate in science competitions by poster projects that incorporate statistics.

ENTRIES
Entries may be submitted in the following grade categories: K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12.

WINNERS
The winner of each category will receive $100 and a certificate of recognition. Eight additional finalists, two from each category, will receive certificates of recognition. Information about the first four annual winners and their projects will be posted on the Caucus for Women in Statistics website.

          All entries become the property of Caucus and will not be returned.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
• Any girl attending a high school, middle school or elementary school.
• Home schooled girls need to provide a verification of grade level.
• Entries for K-6 students may be submitted by a coed group or a class, but a girl representing the group or class should submit the project. The advisor-teacher should select the representative.
• Posters submitted to other competitions are eligible for submission to this competition, according to the rules of the other competition.

IMPORTANT
•  For all grade levels, the teacher advisor must also sign the application form.
•  A project will be eligible for judging only if all materials (application, cover letter or project report and poster presentation) have been submitted according to the rules of this competition, by the official deadline.

                                            HOW TO ENTER
GRADES 7-12
Eligible students grade 7-12 should submit a typewritten project report along with their poster.  ALL SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE MADE VIA E-MAIL.

          E- Mail application , poster presentation and project report to:
                                         Tena Katsaounis 
                                      Katsaounis.1@osu.edu
                 Include “ poster competition” in subject line.

REQUIREMENTS FOR POSTER PRESENTATIONS SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL:
•    Poster presentation file (.doc or .pdf  ) should not exceed 10 pages.
•    Pages should be numbered.
•    Project report file should not exceed 10 pages and should be submitted as a separate (.doc or .pdf) file.
•    Do not put name or school affiliation on poster presentation or in file description; entries will be blinded by a Caucus representative and a code will be assigned to each file.
•    Teacher or supervisor may provide assistance with electronic submissions and e-mail communications.

                                    
GRADES K-6
Eligible students grade K-6 should include a cover letter that provides an explanation of the project. Project can be sent using one of two options.

OPTION A: SUBMISSIONS VIA MAIL
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS ARE ENCOURAGED BUT ARE OPTIONAL FOR THESE GRADE CATEGORIES

                          E- Mail application , poster and cover letter to:
                                             Tena Katsaounis
                                          Katsaounis.1@osu.edu
                         Include “ poster competition” in subject line.

REQUIREMENTS FOR POSTER PRESENTATIONS SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL:
•    Poster presentation (a .doc or .pdf file) should not exceed 10 pages.
•    Pages should be numbered.
•    Cover letter should not exceed 2 pages and should be submitted as a separate (.doc or .pdf) file.
•    Do not put name or school affiliation on poster presentation or in description of file; entries will be blinded by a Caucus representative and a code will be assigned to each file.
•    Teacher or supervisor may provide assistance with electronic submissions and e-mail communications.

OPTION B: SUBMISSIONS VIA MAIL
Mail application, cover letter and poster to:

REQUIREMENTS FOR POSTER PRESENTATIONS SUBMITTED VIA MAIL:
•    Poster should measure between 18 and 24 inches high and 24 and 30 inches wide.
•    Affix any paper on poster securely .
•    Do not put name or school affiliation on the poster- entries will be blinded by a Caucus representative and a code will be assigned to each poster.

TIMELINE
•    Deadline for all submissions: March 1st, 2010.
•    March 30th, 2010:  The twelve finalists will be selected by the K-12 Committee members and notified. The four annual winners should provide a picture of themselves and/or their teachers/advisors (or their groups with the teachers/advisors).
•    At the American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings (first week of August), information about the winners and their projects will be made available for viewing at the Caucus for Women in Statistics exhibition area. 
•    By September 30th, 2010: Monetary awards and/or Award Certificates are mailed to finalists.



Statistical area of application is the choice of the participants. The data used does not necessarily need to be collected by the entrants. The project may focus on an application of statistics in a particular field (social sciences, engineering, medical field, environmental sciences, etc.) or on a general method for collecting and analyzing data and making decisions.

A typical project will include:
•    the objectives of the project
•    an appropriate method of random sample selection and data collection
•    graphical analysis of data and/or formal analysis (point estimation, hypothesis testing, etc.)
•     interpretation of results and conclusion
•    a written report (grades 7-12-maximum 10 pages) or a cover letter (grades K-6-maximum 2 pages)


Each entry will be judged according to the following criteria:
    - grade level
    - creativity and originality in the choice of topic and objectives
    - understanding of the steps needed to solve a statistical problem
    - attention to details of statistical methods
    - appropriate interpretation of results
    - quality of written report/ cover letter
    - All judges will be members of the Caucus for Women in Statistics
    - Entries will be blinded by a Caucus representative.
    - The judging will be done by the K-12 Committee members.
    - There will be twelve finalists, three from each grade category, and four annual winners, one from each grade category.
    - Decisions will be final.
    - The four annual winners will be asked to provide a picture of themselves and/or their teachers/advisor (or their groups with the teachers/advisors).
    - Information about the four annual winners and their projects will be available for viewing at the Caucus for Women in Statistics exhibition area at the American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings.
    - An archive will be created for all past and current winners that will be a property of the Caucus.

Need More Information? Contact:
       
          For Canada:
          Alison l. Gibbs 
          Department of Statistics
          Univesity of Toronto
          100 St. George Street
          Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3
          W: (416) 946-7589
          FAX : (416) 978-5133
          alison.gibbs@utoronto.ca

           For USA:   
           Monnie McGee
           Department of Statistical Science
           Southern Methodist University
           P.O. Box 750332
           3225 Daniel Ave. Room 144 Heroy
           Dallas, Texas 75275-0332
           Voice: 214-768-2462
           mmcgee@mail.smu.edu