1. Science Fair Research Process

2. What are the characteristics of your program?
Goals
What are the characteristics of your program?

3. What are the characteristics of your program?
Goals
What are the characteristics of your program?
Help students to become enthusiastic scientists
Challenge students to learn the scientific method and scientific principles through experience
Give students the opportunity to communicate what they have learned to others.
Other………………………………..

4. Who will Participate? Will you allow Team Projects?
Goals
Who will Participate? Will you allow Team Projects?

5. What are you students’ interests?
Ask a Question
Finding a Topic Idea
Imagine if someone offered you the answer to any question that’s ever perplexed you, however big or small. That’s exactly the opportunity science fairs give you – the freedom and power to explore almost any curiosity you’ve ever had, and to do it on your own. (Of course, your friends, teachers and parents are there to help. You might even decide to tag-team a project with a friend.)
The first major decision to make is yours:
What topic will you take on?
Where will you channel your passion?
Will you pick a topic dominating news headlines?
Or maybe you’ll choose something you’re totally clueless about, to truly challenge yourself.
The bottom line is that your future in science fairs is wide open.
What are you students’ interests?

6. Choosing the topic/question…
What do you want to study or learn about?
What are your areas of interest? Hobbies?
What is going on in the world around you that you want to learn more about? (home? school? work place? community?)
What are the resources in your school and community?

7. Research your topic…
Literature Review: Use science journals/internet/library to learn more about your topic
Seek out adults, professionals that know about your topic
Look for unexplained or unexpected results
Ask why? What if?
Identify a “testable” question.
Can variable(s) be identified and tested against original set of conditions
Can the question/problem be completed in the amount of time allowed for the project?

8. Non Inquiry Based Research
Not all areas of study are best served by scientific method….BE AWARE
Engineering Projects – creating things that never were
Define a need…How can I make this better?
Develop or establish a design criteria
Background research /literature search – what has already been done and what makes it good and what makes it weak
Prepare preliminary designs and materials list. Include costs and user requirements
Build and test a prototype. Consider reliability, repair and servicing
Retest and redesign as necessary. Product testing
Computer Science Projects
Creating and/or writing new algorithms to solve a problem or improve existing one
Simulations, models or virtual reality are other areas
Mathematics Projects
Involves proofs, solving equations
Math is the language of science and used to explain existing phenomena or prove new concepts or ideas

9. Research Project Approval…
FORMS
Define the question/problem
Teacher approval
Parent approval
What is the hypothesis and/or expected outcome(s)?
Plan your experimental procedures
Procedure – detail all procedures and experimental design to be used for data collection
Include all safety procedures
Must be a “controlled” experiment – one variable changed at a time
Include sufficient numbers to be statistically valid
Data Analysis – describe the procedures you will use to analyze the data/results that answer the research question(s)
Include list of materials
Bibliography –
list at least 5 major resources from your literature review
Include resources used to develop experimental design and/or safety procedures

10. Required FORMS for competition…
Checklist for Adult Sponsor (1) – pre-experiment
Adult Sponsor/teacher carefully reviews the entire Research Plan and signs prior to experimentation
Check for additional PROTOCOL FORMS that might be needed to do the experiment
Student Checklist (1A)
Student information
Continuation?
Start and end dates
Where is experiment conducted?
Approval Form (1B) – Student and Parent approval
Understand Possible dangers
HAVE READ AND WILL FOLLOW THE RULES & GUIDELINES
Ethics statement
SRC/IRB Approval if REQUIRED BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION
Human Subjects
Vertebrates
Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (PHBA’s)
Hazardous Chemicals, Activities, and Devices (SSEF RULE)
ATTACH COMPLETE Research Plan – Question/Hypothesis; procedures; Bibliography
ATTACH PROTOCOL FORMS if required

11. Conduct your experiment..
Log book
Keep detailed notes of measurements and observations
Use data tables or charts to record quantitative data
Original writing
Could be used to PROVE what you actually did

12. Analyze Data Examine and organize your findings
Make “pictures” (graphs)
Identify patterns
Did you get expected results? Why or why not?
Was the experiment performed EXACTLY?
Are there any other explanations not originally considered?
Were there any data errors?
Statistically analyze your data and be able to explain their meaning

13. Conclusions Did the variable(s) tested cause change when
compared to the standard?
What patterns did you see from graph analysis?
Which variable(s) were important?
Did you collect enough data?
It’s ok if results do not support your hypothesis
Were there errors that may have caused differences? If so, what?
What are the practical applications of your research?
How could this project be used in the real world?
How would you improve the experiment and what would you do differently?

14. Formal Presentation of Research
Abstract
250 words on one page
Purpose of the experiment
Procedures used
Data and conclusions
Research applications
Official Form –

15. Formal Presentation of Research
RESEARCH PAPER
Title Page and Table of Contents
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
References/Bibliography

16. Formal Presentation of Research
VISUAL DISPLAY
Good, scientific title
Photographs – must be appropriate and cited
Organized – follows a sequence
Eye-catching and NEAT
Correctly presented and well-constructed

17. Formal Presentation of Research
JUDGING INTERVIEW
The interview is the final determination of the student’s work
Is it thorough – well-thought out research
How much of thought and design is student’s own work
Will determine if data was collected and analyzed correctly
How did you come up with this idea?
What was your role? What didn’t you do?
What future plans do you have to continue research?
What are the practical applications of your project?

18. Final Presentation of Research
JUDGING INTERVIEW
Speak freely and confidently – KNOW your research
Greet the judge and introduce yourself – good first impression
Appearance, good manners, appropriate attire, and enthusiasm for what you are doing will impress
Relax, smile and enjoy your time
Judges will encourage you in your
scientific efforts and future goals
in science