Science Fair

It occurred to me that people might like some information about Science Fair.  I like Science Fair.  I have sponsored students, helped organize a few, and have judged some Fairs.  My children have participated in Science Fairs.  Science Buddies is a terrific web site with loads of ideas.  It is not cheating to use one of their idea, especially, if this is your first science fair project.  Just tell the judges where you got your idea.  Once you have the idea, get in the habit of recording the websites; this step will make it much easier to create citations in your report.

Intel Science Fairs set the guidelines for regional and state science fairs.  Most schools follow their rules.  Home-schooled students are welcome to participate.  I start by going over the rules using these 2015 Intel Guidelines.  The next step is to download the forms or use Rules Wizard, which asks a series of questions to determine which forms are required.  Most regional or county science fairs require these forms for entry.  There are several forms required for all entries Entry Requirements or here, Rules for all projects, and sample documents, Entry Forms.  Forms 1,1a, 1b, and an abstract are required for all participants.  Form 1a should also have the research plan attached.

Let's use one of the projects a student used last year, which happened to be an award winning project at several levels.  Michael's project was on genetically modified organisms (GMO) or corn and deer.  He was interested in whether or not deer would eat GMO corn or unmodified corn.  He weighed equal samples of both types of corn and left the samples at several orchards.  After a few days, he returned and re-weighed the samples.  Michael set up trail cameras at the different sites to record deer eating the corn.  So, what is the basic question?  Will deer eat GMO corn?  The hypothesis should be in two parts: the null and alternative hypotheses.  The null hypothesis in this instance is that 'Deer will show no preference between the GMO corn and unmodified corn.'  Michael's alternative hypothesis was that deer would prefer the unmodified corn.  The independent variable is the amount of corn the deer ate.  Now, this experiment took place at local orchards, making it difficult to control variables and introducing a number of confounding variables, or outside influences which could disrupt his experiment.  Michael selected several different orchards to drop corn, rather than just one orchard, making the orchard factor more random.  He used the same amount of corn at each orchard drop.  He checked the amounts at each site at the same time of day, thereby reducing another potentially confounding variable.  He found that deer ate less of the GMO corn he put out.

Along with an interesting project, Michael did some background research on GMO corn and other organism.  He repeated his trials at a number of locations.  In other words, he collected quite a bit of data, which is key!  Every experiment should have at least three trials.  Period.  Michael created graphs of his findings and collected photos to document the sites and deer eating the corn.  In conclusion, Michael reported that more study was indicated.  After he won at the local fair, he continued to set out corn samples to see if he could replicate his earlier findings.  Michael's project is an excellent example of a good science fair entry.  It is simple and interesting.  He invested time researching, repeating the experiment, and cataloging his results.  Michael also presented his project well before the judges because he was familiar with all of the details and findings and interested in the project.

The kids should find an interesting idea, such as whether cell phone radiation causes brain cancer.  There are instruments which measure cell phone emissions.  The student can collect data from anyone with a cell phone.  Another idea is to study texting, say while playing a video game.  In other words, the kids should look for an interesting idea before beginning their project.