CSEF Volunteers

Thank you for volunteering for the 70th Annual Colorado Science & Engineering Fair being held April 3 – 5, 2025 at the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State University-Fort Collins campus.

The CSEF is run almost entirely by volunteers, from the Board of Directors who help guide policy of the event and organization to the judges who evaluate the students’ research and the Scientific Review Committee who reviews all of the projects for compliance with the rules & guidelines. The only way this event happens is through the wonderful people who volunteer their time to put it together.

CSEF has many areas where volunteers are needed during the event itself. To sign up for any of the jobs listed below, please visit our Volunteer Registration Form.

Award Ceremony Set-up volunteers are responsible for making sure all awards (Grand and Special) are present and accounted for and in the correct order to make the awards ceremony go smoothly. Specific jobs include:

  • Arranging the awards ceremony script book according to the order outlined in the Awards Ceremony Program.
  • Attaching the correct place medals and/or ribbons and award checks to the grand awards certificates printed from the database.
  • Lettering special awards certificates with winner’s name and project information as needed.
  • Judging national Society for Science awards as needed.
  • Organizing the special awards in order according to the script book and boxing them up for transport to the ceremony location.
  • Organizing the grand awards according to the script book, making sure the honorable mentions are in the order they will be read and boxing them up for transport to the ceremony location.
  • Organizing & packaging the student comment cards for distribution.

This group of volunteers meets in Room 322 of the Lory Student Center and must be available Friday, April 4th from 9 a.m. to roughly 3 p.m.

Award Ceremony Ushers are responsible for handing out programs, making sure people are seated in the correct section of the auditorium, and directing the flow of students on and off stage. Specific jobs include:

  • Directing Finalists, presenters and general audience members to the appropriate seating sections. Finalists should be seated in the front section of the auditorium, presenters need to be seated in the front 2 rows on the right-hand stage, and family members and others can sit anywhere else.
  • Organizing the awards on stage. Laying out the special awards to begin with starting at the far-right table and moving left.
  • Double checking that the awards are in the correct order using the script book as reference.
  • Handing out programs and photo order forms outside the auditorium doors.
  • Helping people on and off the stage during the ceremony.
  • Directing winners and presenters to the photography area.
  • Managing the traffic on stage as awards are being accepted.
  • Keeping the awards in the correct order on the stage tables and moving them down as needed.
  • Helping the Awards Ceremony Photographer coordinate group photos of the winners using the print outs of winner lists.

Award Ceremony Announcers are responsible for reading the award winners from the script book and managing the flow of the ceremony. Volunteer instructions include:

  • While CSEF will be collecting the pronunciation of student’s names as part of the on-line registration process, the announcers are encouraged to identify those they might need help with and talk with the students during the judging period on Thursday.
  • Announcers are encouraged to view the Script Book any time after 1 p.m. on Friday to make notes on their sections.
  • For the Special Awards, there will be a cover sheet for each organization that will include the award name, the name of the sponsor, the presenter’s name, an alphabetical list of the students needing to approach the stage and a short description about the sponsor to read as the students are getting to the stage.
  • For the Grand Awards, there will be a cover sheet that has an alphabetical list of students who need to approach the stage – wait until all students are assembled before moving on to read who won what.
  • After the Best-of-CSEF Awards are given at the end, the CSEF Director will invite all of the students who will be attending ISEF to the stage for a group recognition and photo.

The Award Ceremony Photographer is responsible for making sure group photos of all awards are taken, including presenters when they are available. Volunteer instructions include:

  • Awards Ceremony photographs will be taken off-stage in a designated area.
  • There will be a list of awards and the winning finalists available to track the photos taken. The list will include the names of the Finalist(s) who should be in the pictures (for counting purposes). Please make sure all students are in the photo!
  • If a student or adult is just accepting an award for a Finalist, please do not include them in the photo as this just makes things confusing when identifying photos.
  • Instructions will be given to Finalists and Presenters at the beginning of the Awards Ceremony, but someone will be designated to guide them as needed.

This group of volunteers meets at Timberline Church in Fort Collins and must be available Friday, April 4th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Campus Guides for Tours and Presentations are responsible for taking CSEF participants from various rooms in the LSC to the correct building on campus and making sure the tour provider is present to receive the group.

  • Become familiar with where the drop-off location is for your tour(s) ahead of time and plan out the best route to get there in a timely manner.
  • Check in at the CSEF Headquarters in the Registration Booth on the third floor of the Lory Student Center before meeting the tour group in the assigned room. If you are running late or cannot make it PLEASE call or text 970-222-4418 to alert the CSEF staff. DO NOT send the CSEF Director an email – she does not have time to check email during the science fair.
  • Arrive at the meeting room 10-15 minutes prior to the time the tour is scheduled to leave.
  • Check attendance using the sign-up sheet provided. Have people mark off that they are present and collect their tour ticket. (You do not need to keep or turn in the tour tickets once you have determined that you have the people who are signed up for the tour in attendance.)
  • You may join the group on the tour, or you can leave them there, as they are on their own to get back to the student center or wherever they need to be next.
  • Use the “Talking Points” sheet during the walk to the tour site to point out interesting features of CSU.

This group of volunteers needs to check in at the Registration Booth outside of the Grand Ballroom of the Lory Student Center BEFORE going to the tour meeting room so that we know someone is taking care of that tour. There are a variety of times to sign up for on Friday, April 4th between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

CSEF Headquarters Monitors are responsible for answering questions and directing CSEF volunteers, judges, student and other attendees to the correct rooms. Specific jobs include:

  • After Finalist Check-In is done on Thursday:
    • Tearing down the registration area and move everything into the Registration Booth.
    • Putting out extra CSEF Programs, maps to the Awards Ceremony site and other such informational fliers.
    • Assigning numbers to the Poster Art Contest entries and hanging them in the designated spot outside the Registration Booth.
    • Changing the signs outside the Registration Booth and Exhibit Hall as needed.
  • Selling any extra tour tickets that are available after project set-up is over with on Thursday. Be sure to NOT sell more tickets for tours than there are spots open on the sign-up sheets and/or have printed tickets.
  • Take unclaimed tickets to the student during judging and see if they still want to purchase them. Is so, collect the correct amount of money and if not, cross their name off the sign-up sheet for those tours and put the tickets back in the envelopes for someone else to purchase.
  • Answering CSEF related questions.
    • A list of FAQs and the answers to them will be available for your reference.
    • If the question is not CSEF related, feel free to direct the questioner to the Lory Student Center Information Desk on the first floor.
    • Please add to the FAQ list as needed.
    • If someone needs to talk with the CSEF Director, first look in Room 322 LSC and if she isn’t there, you can call 970-222-4418.
  • Tallying the Poster Art Contest and Student Choice ballots by 2 p.m. on Friday and give the results to the CSEF Director.
  • Putting out the Door Prize Ticket container on Saturday morning. Students need to have their tickets turned in by 11:15 a.m.
  • Organizing the Registration Booth and the items from previous day(s) for transport back to the CSEF office.
  • The last shift of each day will be required to close the windows of the Registration Booth, collect signs and sign stands and make sure the door to the Registration Booth is shut and locked.

Headquarters’ Monitors are also responsible for Volunteer Check-In. Specific jobs for this duty include:

  • Becoming familiar with the entire list of volunteer assignments, the CSEF schedule and the Lory Student Center map prior to the CSEF.
  • Using the daily lists (Thursday, Friday or Saturday) to check off that the volunteer has checked in for the day.
  • Giving the volunteer their nametag (if they don’t already have it from a previous day). These will be separated by the day the volunteer will first be working.
  • Offering the volunteers a CSEF pin and/or pen.
  • Giving the volunteers their CSEF T-shirt if they requested one – they will have names pinned to them (people whose names are highlighted should be picking up their shirt that day).
  • Directing the volunteers to the room and/or person they are to report to for their job.
  • Reminding everyone to:
    • Recycle their name tags. If the volunteer will be returning for a later shift or the next day, be sure to put the nametag into that day’s box so we can find it again.
    • Double check the contact information that is listed for them.
    • Check-in each day they will be working so we know that their job is covered.

These volunteers are stationed in the Registration Booth of the Grand Ballroom in the Lory Student Center and can sign up for various 2-hour shifts on Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday of CSEF (April 3-5, 2025).

Display & Safety (D&S) Inspectors are responsible for making sure all projects conform to the Display & Safety regulations. Specific instructions include:

  • Reviewing the Display & Safety regulations and Set-up Approval Form prior to CSEF and make notes of areas to ask for clarification. Regulations will be taped to the clip boards for easy reference during Display & Safety checks.
  • The procedure for Set-up, Display & Safety approval and Official pPotography is:
    • Finalists pick up their packets from Registration.
    • Finalists set-up their projects in their assigned spot.
    • Finalists turn in the blue Set-up Approval Form at the D&S table once their project is completely set up and return to wait for an inspector at their project.
    • D&S Inspectors will pick up the Set-up Approval Forms from the D&S table as they become available and go to the indicated projects to review them.
    • A D&S Inspector will review the project and make an initial determination of compliance:
      • If the project passes review, mark the Set-up Ready Form as such and sign it, put a colored dot on the hang tag in the Display & Safety box, and give the Finalist(s) a signed yellow Photo Ready Card.
      • If the project does not pass review, indicate what needs to be fixed on the Set-up Ready Form and have the Finalist(s) fix the problem(s). Do not sign the Set-up Ready Form or give the Finalist(s) a Photo Ready Card until you have rechecked the project and the problem(s) have been taken care of.
    • Once the project has been cleared the Finalists will turn in the Photo Ready Card to the Photography table.
    • Official photographers will pick up the Photo Ready Cards as they are available and take the Official Photos of the students at their project.
    • Only then is the Finalist free to go to lunch.
  • Concerns and questions about a project can be taken to Mike Viney or Kevin Hoskin for assistance.

These Volunteers meet in the Grand Ballroom of the Lory Student Center and need to be available Thursday, April 3rd from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

CSEF Door Monitors are responsible for monitoring who is entering and leaving the exhibit hall at different times of day. Specific instructions include:

  • Be positioned just outside of the two entry points (door going into Ballroom A and doors next to the Registration Booth) to the Grand Ballroom. Every shift will have at least three people in order to cover these doors.
  • Make a trash run through the Exhibit Hall at the conclusion of each shift.
  • Thursday Monitors:
    • Allow Board of Directors members (rose ribbons) in at any time.
    • Allow only judges (yellow and red ribbons) into the Exhibit Hall beginning at 12:00 p.m.
    • Allow Finalists into the Exhibit Hall at 12:45 p.m.
    • Turn away people who aren’t wearing the required name badge.
    • Make sure only the volunteer/judges’ entrance and the doors to Ballroom A are propped open at any time.
    • Do not allow students to take their project boards out of the Exhibit Hall. They may take computers, apparatus and lab notebooks only after judging.
  • Friday Monitors:
    • The last shift of the day will need to help close up the Exhibit Hall as most of the CSEF staff will be headed to the Awards Ceremony venue by 3 p.m.
    • Make sure all people are out of the Exhibit Hall at 5 p.m. The LSC Event Planning Office will be notified to lock the doors at this time.
    • Make sure only the volunteer/judges’ and main doors are propped open at any time.
    • Allow only those students with an Early Release Slip (orange) signed by the CSEF Director to take their projects down AFTER 3 p.m.

These volunteers are stationed at the 2 main entry points of the Grand Ballroom in the Lory Student Center and can sign up for various 2-hour shifts on Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday of CSEF (April 3-5, 2025).

Exhibit Hall Setup Volunteers are responsible for marking off the tables for exhibit space and putting out the project hang tags in the correct spots. Senior Division projects will be assigned to a space in the West side of the Grand Ballroom and Junior Division projects will be assigned to a space in the East side of the Grand Ballroom. Specific jobs include:

  • Using the exhibit hall table layout map, double check that the Lory Student Center staff has set up the tables correctly and shift them as needed.
  • Marking off each row of tables with masking tape in 4-foot sections for each individual project and 6-foot sections for team project. See the project layout map for specifics.
  • Taping the hangs tags to the table edge in the correct order for each row.
  • Hanging the end-of-row signs that identify the project numbers that can be found in each row.
  • Making sure that electricity is accessible for those projects indicated as needing it (see the project layout map for specifics). Make sure that if electrical cords cross aisle ways, that the Lory Student Center staff has taped them down to avoid tripping hazards.

This group of volunteers meets in the Grand Ballroom of the Lory Student Center and needs to be available on Thursday, April 3rd from 7 a.m. to roughly 9 a.m.

Finalist Check-In volunteers are responsible for handing out registration items to finalists. Individual project Finalist packets are split by division (Junior and Senior) and alphabetized by last name. Team project Finalist packets are all together in one tub and alphabetized by the Team Leader’s last name. Specific jobs include:

  • Handing out the Registration Packet for each student or team.
  • Keeping track of potential no-shows and alerting the CSEF Director.
  • Having the student(s) check to make sure they receive the correct size t-shirt. Their Registration Packet is labeled with the size(s) (S, M, L or XL) they ordered.
  • Collecting Poster Art Contest entries and put them in the marked basket. They will be assigned numbers and hung up after the check-in is done.
  • Collecting statistical award submissions. The Special Awards Coordinator will pick them up for the judges once check-in is done.
  • Handing out goodie bags to each student.

This group of volunteers meets in Foyer outside of the Grand Ballroom in the Lory Student Center and needs to be available on Thursday, April 3rd from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Official Photographers are responsible for taking photos of all finalists at their projects once they have completed the display & safety inspection. Specific instructions include:

  • Bring a digital camera (not provided) with these specifications:
    • Photo size between 900 KB and 1.2 MB
    • 4 MegaPixels or better
    • Red-eye reduction option (turned on)
    • Flash (turned on and the bigger the better)
    • Empty memory card
    • Charged batteries (bring extras)
  • Wear comfortable clothing and shoes as you will be on your feet for a few of hours.
  • Download all photos taken onto a CSEF computer by 12 p.m. at the Photography Station.
  • Feel free to take as many candid shots as you’d like – we can use those too!
  • Keep the following in mind when taking the photos:
    • Make sure the Finalist is wearing his/her nametag and that it is facing the right way to be visible.
    • Have the hang tag that identifies the project number visible in the picture.
    • It would be nice if the entire project was in the picture, but this isn’t always possible, so just make sure the Finalist isn’t cut out.
    • Take at least two shots in slightly different poses of each project just in case one doesn’t come out very well
    • Review the picture before moving on to the next project.
    • Take vertical pictures for individual projects and horizontal pictures for team projects.
    • Avoid cutting body parts (especially heads & arms) out of the picture. Try to get all of the student in the picture if at all possible.
    • Try to get a smile out of the student and make sure they are facing the camera.
  • The process for Display & Safety and Photography will be the following:
    • Finalists will first set up their project. When that is complete, they will turn in their Set-Up Ready Form to the Display & Safety team.
    • If they are approved by Display & Safety, they will receive a Photo Ready Card that they will need to turn in at the Photography Station.
    • Photographers will be assigned to either the Junior or Senior Division and will pick up the Photo Ready Cards as they come in.
    • Once the photos are taken of the project, the photographer should place a colored dot on the hang tag in the Photography box and return the Photo Ready Card to the Photography table.
    • The students are then free to go to lunch.

This group of volunteers meets in the Grand Ballroom of the Lory Student Center and needs to be available on Thursday, April 3rd from 8:30 a.m. to roughly 12 p.m.

Pizza Party volunteers are responsible for directing folks through the line, serving the pizza and coordinating with LSC catering for replenishing food, plates, napkins, and drinks. They are also responsible for the door prize drawings. Specific instructions include:

  • Aide the Lory Student Center staff by monitoring the boxes of pizza, utensils and plates and replenishing in a timely manner.
  • Monitor the number of slices each person takes – limit everyone to 2 slices.
  • Help serve the pizza so there are not a lot of ungloved hands touching the food.
  • Have the door prize items laid out on a table before that so students can see what is being given out. Winners will be announced in the exhibit hall beginning at 11:15 a.m.
  • Announce the name of the student and their project number along with what they won and who donated it as the tickets are drawn.
  • Tape the door prize ticket to the item until the student has claimed it.
  • Use the Finalists’ nametags to verify they won – only the winning student can claim the prize.
  • Repeat the door prize winner announcements up to 3 times per prize in case a student was out getting pizza at the time and didn’t hear the first time. After the third time, feel free to draw a new winner.

These volunteers will meet in the Foyer outside of the Grand Ballroom in the Lory Student Center and must be available on Saturday, April 5th from 10:30 a.m. to roughly 12:30 p.m.

Tear Down Monitor volunteers are responsible for making sure everything is picked up and put in the proper trash or recycling bins from the exhibit hall, and the registration booth. They are also responsible for making sure everything that belongs to the science fair gets back to the CSEF office in the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building. Specific instructions include:

  • Make sure tear down of projects goes smoothly and that all trash and lost items get picked up and deposited in the proper area.
  • Make sure the registration booth is cleaned up and closed before leaving.
  • Make sure all CSEF items get back to B307 Natural & Environmental Sciences Building. Don’t worry about organizing items at this time – just pack everything up and we’ll worry about organizing it later.
  • Clear all tables of trash – tape, papers, etc. Any projects that are left can be taken back to the CSEF offices.
  • Work with LSC staff to collect banners they hung for the event.

These volunteers will meet at the Registration Booth outside of the Grand Ballroom in the Lory Student Center and must be available on Saturday, April 5th from 10 a.m. to roughly 1 p.m.

Tour Ticket Sales volunteers are responsible for collecting fees ($1/ticket) for pre-registered tour tickets and handing out the ticket envelopes. They are also responsible for monitoring day-of tour ticket sales to make sure the number of sign-ups does not go over the allotted slots per tour. Specific instructions include:

  • Collect funds from those who pre-registered for tours. Tickets will be in envelopes and sorted by Finalist’s or Teacher’s last name and have the amount owed on the envelope as well as the tours and number of tickets they are receiving.
  • Use the printed sign-up sheets for each tour for day-of ticket sales to determine the number of open spots.
  • Point out to students that they will need to be in the designated room at the LSC BEFORE the departure time listed on the tour ticket.
  • The volunteers handing out tickets and handling sales will be in charge of deciding:
    • How to handle the flow of traffic in and out of the room.
    • How the tours should be split up by table (alphabetical, reserved vs. on-site, etc.).
    • How to divide the tasks of handing out tickets, collecting money, etc.

This group of volunteers meets in Room 322 of the Lory Student Center and needs to be available on Thursday, April 3rd from 8:30 a.m. to roughly 11:30 a.m.

CSEF volunteer assignments will be emailed by March 25, 2025. Volunteers should read their assignment instructions ahead of time. Thank you for your help. For further information, please contact the CSEF Director.