P3 Travel

From VitalWiki

Scoring Criteria

"The way it works is you submit a written Project Report at the end of March which includes what you've done for the Phase I project as well as what you're proposing for Phase II. That written report is provided to the panel of judges and certain of the judges read the submitted report. Then, while you're at the Expo, the judges work in teams of two and travel around to visit all the teams at the Expo. We will have a schedule prepared so your team will know when to expect the judges. The team can give a brief presentation to tell the judges about their projects and answer questions. The team is usually visited by two teams of two judges so 4 judges will provide an evaluation of the Expo presentation and they are usually different judges from those that will have read the written report. How you present your project at the Expo is up to each team. We will provide a table with a posterboard behind it where you can put up posters about the project. We will send out a template for the posters closer to the date."

"In terms of the demonstration. It is up to each team how they do it. Some have materials at their tables available to judges and visitors to the expo to see/touch. Others require additional space for their demonstrations outside. For example, one of the teams brought their methane-powered vehicle and another built a small demonstration of their pump design for a town in Africa last year. The majority of teams use their table space for their demonstrations."

How does the judging for the P3 Award and associated P3 Phase II grant take place?

Information below is quoted from http://www.scgcorp.com/p3/faq.htm.

EPA has contracted with the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to convene a panel of approximately 25 judges who are leaders in the fields of engineering, water science, green chemistry, agriculture, green building design, waste issues, energy issues and/or sustainability to serve on the P3 Award Judges Panel. Selection of judges was based on the issues addressed by the Phase I projects.

Judges will be provided with the Evaluation Criteria included in the "2008 P3 Project Report Instructions", on pp 9-10 (available on the Forms page of the P3 Teams Website).

Prior to attending the 4th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo, each written "P3 Project Report" will be reviewed by at least four judges, each of whom will prepare an individual written evaluation based on the evaluation criteria. In addition, judges will provide a rating for the written report based on the following scale:

• Excellent: A truly outstanding proposal with numerous exceptional attributes.
• Very Good: A very strong proposal with many noteworthy merits.
• Good: A solid proposal but not among the best, may have some deficiencies.
• Fair: Not a strong proposal.
• Poor: A proposal with serious deficiencies.

All individual evaluations of the “Project Reports” will be completed prior to attending the Expo and submitted to the AAAS.

At the Expo, on either Sunday afternoon (April 20) or Monday (April 21), two pairs of judges will visit each P3 Team to receive an oral presentation of their Phase I project and their Phase II proposal. The level of structure for that presentation is up to each P3 team. Every attempt will be made to arrange for the judges to visit the P3 teams in pairs so each team should plan for two judges' visits during either Sunday afternoon or Monday of the Expo. The judges will prepare individual written evaluations, including a score, for each of the P3 Teams which will be submitted to the AAAS.

The schedule for the judges' visits to the P3 Teams will be prepared prior to the Expo and posted on the P3 website. We will try to arrange the judges' visits around any scheduled congressional visits, so please be sure to let us know if you have any scheduled congressional visits!

The Judges Panel will spend Tuesday, April 22, discussing the P3 Projects and will prepare a numerical ranking of P3 Teams which will be submitted to EPA by 3:00 PM. This numerical ranking will weight evaluation of the written project report as 60% of the final score and the evaluation of the oral presentations at the Expo as 40% of the final score. EPA will use this ranking, along with information on available resources, balance of the research portfolio, overall program goals and directions and other criteria or considerations deemed appropriate, to determine which teams will receive the P3 Awards and which teams will receive Honorable Mentions. Final funding decisions will be made by the EPA.

AAAS will arrange for "Summary Evaluations" to be prepared for each of the P3 Teams. These summaries will capture the salient points from the eight individual evaluations (the four evaluations of the written Project Report and the four evaluations from the Expo visit) and present relevant items from the judges' panel discussions. These "Summary Evaluations" will be distributed to the Faculty Advisor for each P3 Team following the Expo by the EPA Project Officer, Cynthia Nolt-Helms.

Logistics

Congratulations on your Phase I EPA P3 grant. I will be your contact for all logistical issues related to the competition for the P3 Award and Phase II grant that will take place on Sunday, April 20 through Tuesday, April 22, 2008, during the National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, DC. The Expo will be housed in a large tent on the National Mall (the large lawn area between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument) between 3rd and 4th streets, which is near the eastern end of the National Mall, close to the Capitol Building.

EXHIBIT SPACE

Each team will have an 8’ x 8’ exhibit space backed by an 8’ x 8’ poster board with 4’ x 8’ of surface area (the other 4’ are the legs holding up the board). Teams will create and post two posters (a main poster and supplemental poster) using templates that will be posted for your use online soon. We will also provide an 8’ x 2.5’ table that you can use to display other items. If your project is too large to be displayed in the 8’ x 8’ space, we will work with you to provide outside space in addition to the standard display space. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.scgcorp.com/p3 for additional information regarding your display area.

WEBSITE

The website http://www.scgcorp.com/p3 contains all the information that you should need regarding the P3 Award Competition, including:

   * Registration form
   * Suggestions regarding transportation and hotel accommodations
   * Instructions for the Phase I Final Report and Phase II Proposal (coming soon)

   * Instructions and templates for the required posters that must be displayed during the Expo (coming soon)
   * A draft schedule of events
   * A release waiver
   * A media release form
   * Frequently Asked Questions.

The website also has an announcement page that will be updated as the Expo draws nearer. Please remember to check the website often for up-to-date information.

TRAVEL

Each team is responsible for making their travel arrangements. Hotels tend to sell out quickly in the Washington, DC area and this year’s event coincides with a visit from the Pope, so teams should make their arrangements as soon as possible. The attached Government Travel Letter document may assist you in obtaining government per diem for your stay. Teams should consult the draft schedule of events (http://www.scgcorp.com/p3/events.htm) to determine arrival and departure times. You may also consider staying in town for the Collaborative Science and Technology Network for Sustainability (CNS) 2006 Grantees’ Progress Workshop scheduled for April 22 and 23, 2008, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (see the website for more information). Please note that no additional funds are available for travel.

P3 TEAM REGISTRATION

All P3 team members (PIs, students, additional faculty advisors, partners, etc.) must register on the website as soon as possible, preferably no later than February 2, 2008. If you would prefer to register your entire team at once, please complete and submit the attached Excel file template. All team members must register whether or not they are attending the Expo so their names can be included on the award certificates if your team should win. Team members who will be on-site must sign the Liability Waiver and Media Release (posted online under “Forms”). We suggest that you bring signed forms with you to the Expo to facilitate the registration process. If you need to make changes to your registration at any time, please email the change to me at Jennifer.Larkin.Legge@saic..com.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY REGISTRATION

Family members or other guests who are attending the Expo, but are not a part of your team, should also register online as a “Guest” whether or not they are a faculty member or attending college.