Science fair projects at high school levels provide students with an excellent opportunity to apply their classroom lab knowledge through experiments and inventions that demonstrate it, building skills in engineering, technology and innovation in the process.
Make sure that when selecting a project, it follows the scientific method and answers a specific question. For example, one that illustrates various surface textures could help demonstrate frictional effects and explore this topic further.
Build Your Own Heart-Rate Monitor
Heart-rate monitors make an engaging STEM experiment for students. Students can build their own optical heart-rate monitor by stripping a bit of wood from each end of two pencils and winding them with wire to act as leads; then placing these pencils into a solution of salt water solution will electrolyze them!
Investigate fresh ideas for science fair projects with these exciting experiments. When selecting your topic, be sure it genuinely interests you so you can work on it with enthusiasm and make your research count!
Build a Bottle Rocket
Teens can learn about Newton’s law of motion using a bicycle pump and bottle rocket launcher to construct and test models using Newton’s law of motion. A parachute can also be added to help guide it back safely back down.
Enhance the aerodynamics of your rocket by adding fins and a nose cone, raising its center of mass and helping it fly in an uninterrupted path up to its highest point, known as its “apogee.”
Create several versions of their rocket by altering the size and shape of its fins and nose cone. When complete, have students fill out the Design Worksheet.
Build a Flying Machine
Have your students create an engineered contraption that flies for an engaging project that’s sure to grab everyone’s attention. This activity provides an ideal way of exploring engineering design principles as well as fundamental physics principles.
Students wishing to enter high school science fairs need a teacher sponsor. Your guidance counselor should be able to direct you towards someone responsible at your school who can guide and advise your science fair project from question creation, variables selection and measurements through to completion.
Build an Optical Illusion
Engaging in a science fair competition provides teens with an ideal way to explore an interest, understand scientific principles, and develop innovative ideas which could potentially become real world inventions.
Get close to our planet’s fiery core with this geothermal energy experiment and unlock its latent heat source – unleashing creativity, problem-solving skills and excitement about STEM careers for future.
Build a Cloud Chamber
Students can use their creativity and craft impressive projects that will attract visitors to a science fair. From home-built bridges to an erupting volcano, there are plenty of engaging ways for students to demonstrate scientific concepts.
Cloud chambers are boxes filled with supersaturated alcohol (or water) vapors that are nearly ready to condense into mist. When charged particles such as Alpha radiation from radioactive ore passes through, they collide with molecules in the vapor cloud, leaving behind trails of ions as they travel.
Bouncing Balls
Science fairs give students a great opportunity to bring classroom experiments to life while honing presentation skills essential for standing before judges to present their work.
Before searching for science fair projects, determine which area of science most appeals to you. This will help narrow your options and ensure your project fits the requirements of competitions such as science fairs. Furthermore, teachers can be invaluable sources of advice regarding which projects meet academic goals and safety regulations at these events.
Flying Objects
Overview: Students research a science topic of their choice to conduct an experiment and present their findings and poster. Their experiment will then compete nationwide for monetary awards; students are assigned a teacher sponsor who reviews it to ensure its age appropriateness and feasibility.
Explore kinetic energy through classics like the bottle rocket or test potential and kinetic friction by bouncing balls, while delving deeper into particle physics through creating a muon cloud.
Build a Muon Cloud
High school science fair projects allow students to explore scientific concepts with hands-on approaches. From projects that demonstrate potential and kinetic energy to exploring background radiation with cloud chambers, these experiments are sure to impress judges at your science fair.
Use the Science Buds Topic Selection Wizard to quickly find age-appropriate science fair projects that meet your interests. Once chosen, simply modify the experiment according to your personal needs or try something different every week!