High school science fair projects are a fantastic way for teens to discover their passion for science and determine which college major they wish to pursue. Furthermore, this experience gives teens the chance to design experiments and build display panels themselves.
Doing electrolysis demonstrates its power, while students also explore its chemical processes of osmosis and water transfer.
Choosing a Topic
Students looking to produce an outstanding science fair project should select a topic they are truly passionate about. Selecting something they enjoy rather than what may please teachers or judges can increase the odds of success while making preparation more pleasurable and fun.
If a student needs advice regarding what topic to research, their science teachers are an invaluable source of advice and expertise. With years of experience under their belts and plenty of different projects completed under their watchful eyes, science teachers can offer invaluable assistance when selecting topics to investigate.
Science Fair projects typically benefit from having topics that showcase innovation. This could mean finding an innovative method of testing an established theory or creating something to benefit others – for instance developing alternatives to road salt is one such project, designed both to make life better while showing students’ understanding and application of scientific processes.
Conducting Thorough Research
While it may be tempting for high school students to select topics they find intriguing or “out there”, conducting thorough research before beginning any project is essential in understanding scientific discovery principles as well as developing skills they will use later in academic or career endeavors.
Students might look into how certain chemicals affect a plant’s ability to absorb water, or compare levels of pollution between towns nearby and identify causes for higher pollution levels in one.
Another worthwhile experiment would be examining the physical properties of objects like CDs and DVDs by studying their diffraction patterns. Students can also conduct different magnetism experiments with magnets. As more advanced science fair experiments, students could create an artificial heart-rate monitor or design a device which ensures Ping-Pong balls take the longest possible time to land on the ground.
Developing a Plan
Just like drama performances or athletic events, science fair projects provide students with an opportunity to showcase their hard work for both peers and a wider audience. But unlike drama productions or athletic events, stakes tend to be higher since prizes and scholarships may be awarded at these fairs; this has raised concerns that high school science fairs foster unhealthy competition among its participants.
Parents are strongly advised to assist their children with selecting a project idea and supporting them throughout the research and experimental processes, but it’s essential that children design and execute their own experiments independently. This provides them with a unique opportunity to gain greater knowledge of STEM topics while learning how to become more self-reliant.
Set aside enough time for brainstorming, project proposals, experimentation, data analysis, writing a draft report, class presentations and working on your display board. If possible, start early preparing for the fair by conferring with Co-op science teachers and purchasing supplies for your student’s exhibit.
Creating a Presentation
Finalizing the science fair process means creating a presentation to convey all of the knowledge learned during your experiment. This includes summarizing and communicating results of your project along with interpretations and conclusions that were drawn. Presentations may be done either physically on a board (usually purchased at school store) or digitally through slideshow presentation software.
At the center of any successful presentation lies telling a compelling narrative. Your audience wants to know about how you came up with your hypothesis and carried out the experiment, so the best way to present your research in narrative form begins with your hypothesis and concludes with its outcomes.
Before attending a science fair, it is crucial to practice your presentation. Doing this will allow you to feel more at ease when facing judges who typically consist of former science teachers or scientists who want to see that your experiment adhered to scientific methods while producing something tangible from it.