Project Steps

1. Selecting A Topic
The first step in preparing a good science fair project is to select a topic for your project. Being the first 'hurdle' a student faces when starting a science fair project and they are often faced with quite a dilemma. Choosing a good project is a very important because it can make the difference between a good and excellent project. First of all, you should pick a topic you are interested in. Secondly, it doesn't have to be complicated. Students often select complicated projects and then end up not fully understanding the concepts or even giving up on the project. The Ideas page has a list of generic project ideas that can be either simplified or expanded upon to fit your needs.

>>>SUBMIT PROJECT IDEA TO MR. A. IN WRITING FOR HIS APPROVAL.

2. Research your Topic.
After selecting your topic, learn everything about it. Books on your topic can most likely be found in your local library or bookstore. The best source for information is here on the Internet. You can use the many search engines available to find information or try our Science Links page with a vast amount of links to various science related sites on the Internet.

3. Make A Plan
Once you consider yourself an 'expert' about your topic, make a plan as to how you will conduct your experiment. Your plan should include the following: 

bullet The purpose of your experiment 
bullet The the variable(s) or the things that you are going to change during the
experiment. 
bullet Your Hypothesis or what you think the outcome of the project will be. 
bulletA detailed procedure outlining how you will conduct the experimentation. 

4. Conduct the Experiments
The next step is to follow the plan that you have written. While conducting the experiments make your you keep detailed notes on everything that you observe. You may even want to take pictures or make sketches of your observations. These notes are vital to your experiment because they are needed when you write your report and make your display.

5. Analyze Your Results
Once you are finished with the experiment, organize your notes. You may want to recopy your notes so that they are more organized and can be easily understood by others. Then, analyze them. Ask yourself, what happened, did the results agree with your hypothesis, and so on. Make graphs and charts to represent the data to help you analyze it.

6. Write A Report
Write a detailed report about your project. Tell exactly what you did, how you did it, and what you discovered. Be sure you write all about your plan and your experiment. Include your data, and perhaps some charts and graphs to help readers interpret the information. Be sure you also include some of the background information you learned. For More information visit our Writing A Science Fair Report page.

7. Make your Display
The Display crucial to your success at the fair because it tells about your project. The display must be neat and well organized. It should include background
information, the problem, your hypothesis, your procedure, your results, your conclusion, your report, and graphs and charts. You can also include photos or drawings of your experiments. For more information on creating your display, see our Display Hints page.

8. Rehearse Your Presentation
When you make your presentation to the judges, it is important that you are prepared and know what you are going to say before you have to say it. By rehearsing your presentation, you get an opportunity to 'work the bugs out' and become to feel comfortable talking about your project. You should start out rehearsing by yourself and then find volunteers to to be mock judges and present it to them. You will calmer and more composed on the science fair day if you are prepared and know what you are going to say.

9. Do your BEST!
At the science fair, try to be as calm and professional as possible. Know what you are talking about and be confident, you will do fine!!!

 

 

Project Hints

Here are some helpful hints that you might not consider when doing a science fair project:

Choose A Topic that Interests YOU
The topic that you choose for your science fair project should be one that is of interest to you. If you have ever tried to do something that did not interest you, chances are that you did not do your best. When participating in a science fair, to have a chance at winning you have to give it your all, or in other words- do your best. It is much easier to do your best when you are actually interested in the topic you are studying.

Do your own work
When you are at the fair, and are asked to speak about your project, how can you talk about it if you didn't actually do it yourself? Getting help on a few specific aspects of your project is okay, there is nothing wrong with that, but it has to be YOU who does the project, not a parent.

Give yourself plenty of time
For your project to be the best you can make it, you must allow yourself plenty of time to get it done. A good project can't be done the night before the fair or even a few days before. A good project requires weeks of planning and experimentation to be successful.

Your Project doesn't have to be complex
The purpose of a science fair is to help you (the student) to learn about a specific topic. Often times, students choose very difficult and tedious projects because they think that it will help them to do better at the fair. In theory, it is a good ideas, but more often then not, the student becomes overwhelmed with the project and ends up not learning very much about it. It is better to pick a simpler project and be able to speak confidently on Science Fair Day then do choose a difficult one and be unsure.

 

Writing Reports

A good research paper should include all of the following:

bullet Title Page Create a Title page including a project title, your name, address, school, and grade.
bullet Table of Contents Include the page numbers for the beginning of each section.
bullet Introduction The Introduction includes your hypothesis, an explanation of your idea and how you got it. Also include what you hoped to achieve when you started the project.
bullet Experiment Describe in detail the method you used to collect your data and observations. Your report should be detailed enough for anyone to be able to repeat your experiment by just reading the paper. It would be a good idea to include detailed photographs or drawings of your self-designed equipment.
bullet Discussion In this section, your results are analyzed. This section should flow logically so that the reader can easily follow your train of thought. Compare your data, with theoretical values, and expected results. Discuss how your results varied from similar events. Describe what you would do differently if you were to do this project again.
bullet Conclusion Summarize your results. Do not introduce anything that wasn't already mentioned in previous parts of the paper.
bullet Acknowledgments In this section, you should give credit to all who assisted you. This may include individuals, businesses, and educational or research institutions. Identify any financial support or material donations received.
bullet References This list should include any documentation that is not your own, such as books or articles, that you used. Use proper bibliography format.

 

Welcome to the Idea Bank

Below is a list of general ideas, not actual projects. This allows you (the student) to explore your own interests and develop your own project. This list is intended to give you a few ideas. We will be periodically updating this section, so check back on regular basis.

If you can't find anything useful here, try The Idea Exchange. The Idea Exchange is a place where students can exchange science fair ideas.

Products Testing

bullet Which soap works better
bullet Which fertilizer makes plants grow healthier
bullet Which motor oil withstands heat the best
bullet Which gasoline provides better fuel economy?
bullet Detergent properties
bullet Washing in hard water/soft water
bullet Cell phone reception
bullet Calculation speed on computers
bullet Frozen foods and taste
bullet Radiation to preserve food

Botany

bullet The effect of different light on plants (vary intensity, color)
bullet Hydroponic Plants
bullet Growing Plants with different soils / fertilizers
bullet Plant Growth and Artificial Lighting
bullet The effects of crowding in plant life
bullet Microscopic structure of plant cells
bullet Osmosis in plants
bullet Plant diversity in a field
bullet Plant genetics
bullet Plant diseases
bullet Plant-insect relationship
bullet Plant identification
bullet Phosphate effects
bullet Fossil plants

Zoology

bullet Animal territoriality (mice, rats, etc..)
bullet Animal societies
bullet Animal sounds
bullet Food habits
bullet Migration studies
bullet Motion studies
bullet Habitats

Earth Science

bullet Effects of water impurities in plant growth
bullet Effects of magnetic fields on plant growth
bullet Organic Fertilizer vs. Chemical Fertilizers
bullet Erosion Control
bullet Biodegradability
bullet Air purification methods
bullet Water purification methods (filtering/distillation)
bullet Analysis of lightning strikes
bullet Depletion of ozone layer
bullet Global warming
bullet Local rain fall patterns
bullet Rock and mineral classification
bullet Physical properties of minerals
bullet Local weather computer model
bullet Recycling and landfill space

Physics

bullet Magnetic Fields
bullet Magnetically Levitated Trains
bullet Aerodynamics (wind tunnel)
bullet Motion
bullet Friction
bullet Electrochemical cells
bullet How to tell a positive battery pole
bullet How does a dry cell generate electricity
bullet Testing the strength of electromagnetic fields
bullet Can electricity be produced by friction
bullet What is a spark?
bullet Compare sliding and rolling motion
bullet How to make heat by friction
bullet What factors does the force of friction depend on
bullet Reducing friction
bullet Transmission, reflection, and adsorption of colors
bullet Light refraction
bullet Speed of sound
bullet Mechanical advantage

Engineering

bullet Test different metals (conductivity, tensile strength, heat dissipation)
bullet Analog computers
bullet Autonomous robots
bullet Electrostatic precipitation
bullet Electroplating
bullet Solar furnace
bullet Solid state lasers
bullet Conductivity of metals

Mathematics

bullet Boolean algebra
bullet Learning algorithms
bullet Symbolic logic
bullet Probability
bullet Survey accuracy
bullet Fuzzy logic
bullet Calculation accuracy of pocket calculators
bullet Chaotic systems
bullet Random systems

 

Display Boards

The purpose of your display is to display your project to a judge. Content, or the information on the board is the most important thing. Many boards look good but don't have very much information. Your display board should look professional, something that a businessperson might use, not a little kid. It should attract the attention of a viewer and make them want to come over and read about your project.

It is good to use color in your display but you shouldn't make it too colorful because it will make your display lose its professionalism. Stick to one or two colors that contrast, such as black and white or red and green. Avoid fluorescent colors because they make your project look cheap. Whatever you do, don't use colors that clash. Use colors sparingly, you don't want the judges focusing on the colors instead of the content.

The title is very important in a display board. It should be eye-catching and easy to read. Be sure that the letters are large enough to read across a room. Use dark colors for the title.

Most display boards are of a 3 panel configuration and the traditional way to setup this type of board is:

Left Panel Purpose
Problem
Procedure

Center Panel
Title
Illustrations/Photos
Graphs/Charts

Right Panel Results
Conclusion



Before you begin, make sure you plan out your board including making sketches. This can save you money if you mess up a board.

Awards and Prizes

Pictures will be taken with each winner.

First place will have the choice between the computer system and the IPAQ handheld computer.

All awards are for the use of individual students.  In September of next year each winner will need to bring there prize back to school for photos.  These are needed to insure that we can get prizes such as these again.  This is required.  If you have no intention of keeping your prize you must tell me so that I might possibly provide you with an acceptable alternative.  It took hours of work for me to secure such nice prizes but it will only take one person to ruin it for all of us.