Dealing with a Loss

From Stepping Up

There's only one more award to be announced; the gold medal. You haven't been called up, and you know this has got to be your year. Your hands are sweaty, your heart is racing, and you hear the MC say, "The winner is.....".

Not you.

So you didn't get the Gold, nor any award. Maybe you're thinking you're just not cut out for science, or that you just don't enjoy it any more? Maybe those piano lessons that your parents made you take since you were 7 is a better route for you? Before you make any drastic decisions, think about your experience and maybe, just maybe, you'll come out better than if you had actually won. Science fair is a competition, which does mean that not everyone will come in first place.

Rationalizing It

Usually, when a loss comes, there are two distinctly different emotions that could come out of it; either you feel that your project simply was just as bad as those cheesy-volcano projects you always see on TV, or you feel that you in some way had been cheated out of the medal that was rightfully yours. The truth is generally somewhere in between. Still, everyone always wants to know why they didn't do as well as they hoped.

The first step is to really look at your project - but not from your perspective, but from the perspective of judges. Not knowing what you had been through, would a judge really think that your work was brilliant? Some questions to ask yourself:

• Did you make the reason you're doing your project clear?
• Was my experiment designed in such a way that it actually answers the question I'm asking?
• Do my board and presentation convey the science that I'm doing effectively?
• Am I really doing something original or just redoing something that's been done already?
• Was I really excited about my project?

If you've answered no to one or more of those questions, you now know what to work on in future years, and this guide probably has a section to help you!

Despite what you may think, the last question there is actually rather important - if you're not excited about your project, however great it may be, it won't come off as a good science. Yes, science, the process, is a procedure where human emotions aren't supposed to play a part in the conclusions you made - but ultimately, science is conducted by humans who are expected to get excited about doing something they enjoy! I'll go as far as saying, if you're not excited by your work, your science fair project was ultimately unsuccessful.

Ultimately, the best way to rationalize your lack of podium success is to find out, within your project, what you could improve upon - because this gives you the power to move forward.

Learning from your Peers

Before you attempt to do this, read the section How to avoid being a Sore Winner (or Sore Loser), because there's nothing worse than a sore loser, well, other than a sore winner.

Usually after the award ceremony, you'll have a chance to go back to the exhibit hall and take a look at the winning projects. Make use of this! Ultimately, science is a field where you can learn the most from your peers. Take a look at how they phrased their questions, how they designed their experiments or studies, how they analyzed their data, and how they presented it. Take notes!

Remember, there's no one specific way to do science, or a science fair project. Everything you see can give you inspiration on what may or may not be applicable to your project. And always, do remember to congratulate the winners.

Recognizing that you Didn't Actually "Lose"

Well, you didn't get a medal, but it'd be a real loss if you didn't recognize how much you really got out of your project and the fair.

First, you (hopefully) became excited about a new area of science that you want to take forward. Often, participants in Science Fair, win or lose, use their projects as a spring board for the research they do in University. Having done science fair, you've got a head start!

The people you've met are always a great fringe benefit. People have made friends that they keep on bumping into for the rest of their lives. This is usually because science fairs bring together a group of smart, social, and motivated young individuals who are interested in similar things. I'd be surprised if you don't run into other people who did science fair if you remain in the sciences. These networks and friendships are invaluable!

Opening Doors: Science fair, win or lose, is always great for that. For instance, when looking for a mentor, it's a great place to start - it looks good when you mention that you've already competed in a science fair and that you want to take your project to the next level. There are so many fringe benefits to having participated in a science fair - so keep your eyes open!

Realizing that you're not "Dumb"

This is usually the hard one to get through. Just because you didn't win doesn't mean you're stupid. Actually, it doesn't mean anything about your intelligence. Science isn't limited to the uniquely brilliant - in fact, many critical discoveries were made through mistakes! Sure, being smart can help in science, but just because you are getting marks of 99 in your science classes doesn't mean you can do real science research, or that if you're getting a 50 in physics, that you can't.

Science is ultimately a process of mistakes that lead you to a better answer - in whatever field you choose to research. Being smart won't prevent these mistakes, and making these mistakes doesn't say anything about your intelligence.

The Final Word

If you come our of a science fair, having not done as well in the standings as you would have hoped, don't let yourself mask all the enjoyment and pride you've gotten from it - that would be the true loss. Use it as motivation to do better, whether that be in science fair (if you're still in middle or high school), or in whatever you choose to do afterwards.

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