SCIENCE FAIR Survival Techniques Presenter: Mrs. D. Brown November 22, 2008

WHAT IS A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT? A science fair project is an investigation of a topic in which the experimenter conducts a test to find an answer to a question. A finished project should consist of a logbook, a report and a visual display of your work.

Five Types of Common Science Fair Projects 1. An Experiment 2. A Study 3. An Innovation 4. A Model 5. A Team Project

An Experiment An experimental project tests a specific hypothesis in which the student recognizes and controls all significant competing variables and demonstrates excellent collection, analysis, and presentation of data

A Study This type of project involves the collection and analysis of data from other sources to reveal evidence of a fact, situation or pattern of scientific interest

An Innovation This project involves the development and evaluation of new devices, models, techniques or approaches in fields such as: technology, engineering or computers (both software and hardware). It must demonstrate how the innovation was designed or developed on the basis of a sound understanding of the scientific engineering or technological principles involved.

A Model  The model is used to answer a question or show something.  A model is usually used to demonstrate something that is too large or too small to observe in nature. For example, your purpose might be to find out if energy can be stored within a home or to show how protein transport occurs in a cell.

A Team Project  Is a study that is conducted by two or three students in any discipline.  A team project follows the same design and guidelines as an individual project but each investigator is responsible for his own research.  Resources may be shared but it is NOT an individual project that is divided among students.

What Makes A Good Project? You are interested in the topic. Test to find an answer to a question. You can do most of the experiment on your own with minimal help from parents, teachers, and friends. It has a real world application

Choosing a Topic Selecting a topic is probably the most difficult step. Choose a topic that interests you and one that you want to learn more about. Check through science books, magazines, or the Internet for ideas. ( hp) Talk to your teachers, parents or librarians for good leads. Narrow your topic to a specific question. Try to solve a real problem and one that has a useful solution. A good science project topic will always involve experimentation with clearly defined dependent and independent variables using the scientific method.

Your Question Choose a question that has a one word answer or a YES or NO answer. CURIOSITY!!! Your question is never too simple to investigate!

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD 1. Observation: You observe a problem that you want answered. 2. Question: Ask a question about what you observe. 3. Hypothesis: You predict what you think the answer will be. 4. Experiment: Perform an experiment that will answer your question. 5. Results: Record your results. 6. Conclusion:

Now that I have Chosen a topic, how do I carry out the research? READ!!! Read all of the information you can find on your topic. Ask for your parents’ help! Keep a record of where all the information came from!!!

Research is…. The process of developing knowledge Quantitative (numbers) Qualitative (narration- a detailed description of what, where, when, how or why) Systematic process of collecting and analyzing data for a purpose McMillan & Schumacher (2002)

Why Should We Do Research?  Research provides validity and reliability.  It includes in-depth information that is relevant to your topic.

Important Things to Remember: From the very beginning, Keep notes on your project. Write down what you do each time you work on it. This will help you write your report. Keep up with where your information came from!!

Keeping a Data Notebook  A project data book is your most treasured piece of work.  Accurate and detailed notes make a logical and winning project.  Good notes show consistency and thoroughness to the judges, and will help you when writing your research paper.

PLANNING & TIME MANGEMENT PLANNING & TIME MANGEMENT are the keys to a great Science Fair Project

Writing a Report A research paper should be prepared and available along with the project data book and any necessary forms or relevant written materials. A research paper helps organize data as well as thoughts.

What Resources Are Available?  Search engines (single databases)  Search engines (multiple databases)  Internet public library

Search engines (single databases) alltheweb.com altavista.com ask.com (formerly Ask Jeeves) googlescholar.com reference.aol.com (AOL research and learn) sciencemag.org mel.org (Michigan E-Library---library card or DL)

Search engines (multiple databases) dogpile.com ixquick.com metacrawler.com surfwax.com vivisimo.com

Internet Public Library (hidden gem for K-12 student research)

CAUTION!!! NEVER!! copy someone’s project! Use the ideas to make your own project. You can use the same project, just do the work yourself!

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS Dr. Robert Simmons, Eastern Michigan University Adapted and modified from Alice Sanford(NMGK12 Fellow) of The University of Mississippi Adapted and modified from Alice Sanford(NMGK12 Fellow) of The University of Mississippi