Umonhon Nation Science : Helpful Hints for Science Fair

Helpful Hints for Science Fair

If you are a UNPS student in second semester Block Science or Chemistry, you have to successfully complete a science project or you will fail for the semester. If you are in both classes, you have to do two science fair projects.

Science Fair Score Sheet for UNPS's Science Fair

What is a science fair project?
    Science fair projects are student-generated projects that help students to better understand the scientific process and how to research a problem. In the true spirit of the science fair, students are responsible for research and development of their science fair projects.   While Miss Klein (Or whoever your teacher happens to be) will help with safety concerns and some troubleshooting, the student is responsible for choosing, designing, and carrying out the project.

    A science fair project should be the climax of you science education at that point. It should be something you talk about with pride 20 years from now. It should stand out in your teacher's mind for the next five years. as an outstanding example of what students can do today.

If you don't do/finish your science fair project, it is your own fault. YOU CANNOT DO A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT IN A WEEK OR LESS.
If you finsh your science fair project satisfactorly in less than a week, you aren't a super a student or really smart. You merely cheated yourself out of a great experience.

How do you get started down the road to a successful science fair?

The most important thing is to take that first step and take it early. AND then don't be afraid to stop and start back at the beginning if you don't like how the trip is going.

Timeline
    This timeline is written for a project where the experiemnt will take one week. If your project needs more time like growing crystal, plants, etcor observing change over time; please modify this time line accordingly. If your project involves growing anything, I would suggest giving your self at least 16 weeks for your experiment.

Four Weeks before the Science Fair:

Find and research your topic.

Three Weeks before the Science Fair:

Write your purpose, hypothesis, procedure. Make a grocery list of necessayr materials. Get a container and start collecting your supplies. Run through your experiment a couple of times and modify/improve your procedure as necessary. Try to get your science teacher to watch you do your experiment and listen to his/her suggestions.

Two Weeks before the Science Fair:

Experiment and collect data. Take pictures.

One Week before the Science Fair:

Analyze data. Make graphs. Run a chi squared. Look for a significant difference. Draw a conclusion. Type up your information. Put your board together. Use rubber cement that way you can change things around if you or your teacher want you to.

Science Fair Week:

Practice presenting your science fair project at least three times. Ask for suggestion to improve your presentation and board. Listen to those suggestion. Get the suggestion early enough so that you can get over being mad about them and actually implement them into your project.

Science Fair Eve:

You are ready for science fair. You have done a good job. Get a good night's rest.

Science Fair Day:

Dress nicely. Introduce yourself and shake the judge's hand. Be personable. Smile. Science is fun. Be gracious no matter what the outcome is.

Choosing a Topic

I have several good links in my Favorite Links for science fair ideas.

Once you get your idea, figure out how you can make the project your own. A good science fair project is not copying exactly what someone else did. You need to find an angle on their project and take what they did further or take the project in a different direction. I think it is reasonable to expect to spend 2 to 5 class periods looking for an idea. If after five periods of really looking for an idea, you don't have one, you need to lower your standards. (Note: If you find yourself not seriously looking for a project but instead surfing the web and emailing your friends and have the nerve to cry about not being able to find a project; you might as well throw in the towel now becaue there is no way you will ever finish a project because you lack the desire to put science fair as a priority.)

I would look for at least 2 periods and I would write down anything that catches my eye. Then I would narrow the list down to my top three. I would look for the following things in those ideas...

Do I have enough time to do the project?
Can I get the supplies I needed for the project?
Are those supplies affordable?
Do I like this idea enough to spend the nex four weeks working on it?
Can I find resaerch on the topic?
When was the last time someone did this project?
Can I make this project appropriate for a high school student?

Every year I get asked over and over can I do "this project". Invariably this is not enough information. The most elementary science fair project can be made into a quality high school project if you expand on that project in an appropriate way. Many times I am not especially impressed by someone's intial idea, but they turn it around and make it their own.

If a project doesn't make you ask yourself "I wonder what would happen if...." you probably have the wrong project.

Under no condition should a science fair project inflict emotional or physical distress on humans or any other chordate. Invertebrates should only be used under close supervision of an individual trained in the care of that species.

NOTE: Some of my personal pet peeves...

Most students do not have the time, nor equipment to do a science project about anything in outer space except for maybe some project dealing with the phases of the moon. So just let that idea of making a model of the solar system go...what will be your hypothesis? How will you test your hypothesis? Yeah, that's right...just let that idea go and come up with something better.
Also making a volcano, then filling it with vinegar and baking soda so you can watch it foam all over the place, is so 1985. It has been done and done again and again and again. Nobody wants to see volcano..NOBODY!
A report is not a science fair project. It is a research project. It does not matter how well reseached the paper is it is not a science fair project unless you had an experiment of some sort.

Supplies
You are responsible for getting your own supplies. Do NOT expect to use school supplies for your project. Do NOT expect your teacher or school to help you buy and pay for your supplies. If you can't get the supplies, then you can't do the project. Your science teacher spends tons of his/her own money buying little doodads for labs for other classes. Please do not demand that they help you. If you are allowed to use school suplies or the teacher's personal supplies, always offer to pay for what you used or replace it. If you break something, find out how much it costs and pay for it. Anything a teacher lets you use without paying for, thank them profusely.
Do NOT expect the teacher to help you keep track of your supplies. They probably have at least 20 other projects they are supervising as well as six other classes they are teaching. They do NOT have time to be your babysitter.

Experimenting/Testing/Running your Procedure

Multiple trials and subjects...there is no such thing as too many of either. I don't think a science fair judge has ever said, "Gee, I wish you wouldn't have done so many trials. You have collected way too much information for this to be valid." If you are sick and tired of doing your project over and over, do it three more times or test 8 more people and then you can proabably stop.

What kind of numbers am I talking about specifically? If it is an experiement, you have to do it at least five times. Ten would be better. Twenty would be fantastic. If you are testing people, you must have a minimum of 20 participants in each group. Thirty would be better, and 50 would be amazing.

Replication of an experiment is a key part of science. Every year I have students who become very angry with me because I they have to have a minimum of 5 trials/20 people per group. Getting angry with me gets you no where. I am not going to change my minimum standards. Acting like this only damages your own character. So please save us all the hassle, do your experiment the necessary number of trials

Other Potentially Helpful Sites

How to display, present, and write up your project
Mr. McLaren's Science Fair Survival Page
Plymouth Public School's Science Fair Page

Parts of a Science Fair Project

Basically your science fair project will have five parts. Part one will be your purpose/question/problem. Part two is the hypothesis. Part three is the materials and procedure. Part four is the data from your experiment. Part five is the conclusion would should tie directly back into part two: your hypothesis.

Okay so I haven't finished this page yet...I'll get to it...someday.