How to get started & What you need to know STEM Fair Info How to get started & What you need to know

Teams You may work by yourself You may work in a team of 2-3 Judges may ask why your experiment required a team Each member must have a valid role that can be justified

Picking a Topic Start by listing 5 things you are curious about Can one of these items be tested in an experiment? What are your interests? Picking a topic that interests you will make it fun

Picking aTopic (Cont.) Narrow your topic Avoid general topics Your topic should be specific enough to make into a problem and to research Narrow your topic so that it involves Experimentation or Engineering Design or Observational Comparisons AND Data collection

What to Avoid When picking a topic, avoid the following: Topics that require unavailable resources Experiments are expensive and/or not possible Projects that require too much time You have limited time to research and conduct experiment

Types of Projects A Science Research Project Seeks to find new knowledge for the student at his/her appropriate grade level. A science project is one way of asking a question and answering it via the scientific method.

Types of Projects (Cont.) An Engineering Project  Uses scientific principles to improve or create new applications. The project may be theoretical or an experimental study on a model . Computer Projects  May deal with innovative programming, designing or improving applications, or improving hardware. An existing program may be improved to run faster and use less memory.

Types of Projects (Cont.) A Mathematics Project  Deals with math not usually covered in the classroom. The project should represent a new point of view of a known topic.

Things to Consider May not experiment on any vertebrates Remember when picking your topic, you have to: Write your experiment and procedure Conduct an experiment Write a report Create a presentation Present your findings.