STEM Fair Projects

( See handout for timeline.) Project Proposal Pick a project that: Will be interesting. You will be able to complete in the required time. ( See handout for timeline.)

Project Idea Choose a project idea that interests you and is not just a demonstration. Example: I am interested in researching factors that affect plant growth. Specifically, I would like to see if caffeine has a positive or negative affect on plants. Write 1 to 3 sentences describing what you want to find out in this project. Example: The purpose of this project is to find out if a pea plant will grow taller when given caffeine rather than water.

Question The question is what is being tested in your project. Example: How does caffeine affect the growth of plants?

Research Research should be designed to get background information about your topic, before you begin your experiment. Find a minimum of three sources for your research. Find information on the experiment and the variables. Suggested sources: Books Magazines Internet

Hypothesis Make your guess Use your research to make an educated guess about how you think your experiment will turn out. Use the “ If I __________ then I think _____”format Example: If I pour 100ml of coffee on four pea plants and pour 100ml of water in another four pea plants, then I think the plants with coffee will grow taller because caffeine will stimulate the plants.

Hypothesis (cont.) Include your independent and dependent variables, and control. Independent variable: The variable that is changed by the scientist. Dependent variable: The variable that responds to changes in the independent variable. Control: Variable that should remain constant

Materials Make a complete list of everything you will use in your experiment. Tell how many and how much of each object used. Use metric measures only.

Procedure Design your experiment Design your experiment so that they only test for one thing. Make sure that you do the same things to all groups of objects being tested. Example: If you are testing plants: Use the same seeds. Plant all of them with the same soil. Put them all in the same amount of light for the same amount of time. The only thing that should be different about the plants is that one received coffee and the other water.

Procedure To increase the validity of your experiment Make sure to keep a control group. Keep in mind sample size. The more objects in your sample the more valid your experiment. Use multiple trials. (At least three.)

Procedure Write down step-by-step directions on how to do your experiment. Do not leave anything out!

Example Procedure Get 8 pea plants ( 100 cm tall). Place 4 pea plants on each tray. Label one set of plants “Caffeine”. Label the second set “Water”. Pour 100ml of coffee( with caffeine ) onto the soil of each plant twice a week. Pour 100ml of water onto the soil of each plant twice a week. Measure each plant with a metric ruler Record data in record book.

Drawing Create a drawing of how you will set up your project. This will help you visualize what you need and what has been left out.

Data Collection Keep detailed notes and information on the data you collect. If your project is an experiment that will take place over an extended period of time, check on in regularly and record your observations. The more data you have, the better your results will be.

Data Analysis Display data using charts, tables, and graphs. Choose the correct graphs for your data. Bar-comparison Pie-percentage Line-change/time Show any calculations. Answer any questions. *

Conclusion Conclusion is a paragraph. Write down why you think your experiment turned out the way it did, include if your hypothesis was supported or not. Be sure to use the term “ My hypothesis was/was not supported. Do not say I was right/wrong. Even when your hypothesis was not supported you gain information about your topic. Use scientific reasoning for conclusion.

Conclusion Example: One of many factors that can affect plant growth is caffeine. In this experiment, the affect of caffeine on pea plants was tested over a two week period. My hypothesis that the caffeine would increase the growth rate of the plants was supported. The plants that were watered with coffee ( caffeine ) grew taller than those that were given water. Therefore, caffeine has a positive effect on the growth of pea plants. This may be due the fact that caffeine is a stimulant. The caffeine could have stimulated the plant to grow.

Abstract A summary of your project with the things you learned. Should be brief.

Parts of the Abstract Introduction. This is where you describe the purpose for doing your science fair project or invention. Why should anyone care about the work you did? You have to tell them why. Did you explain something that should cause people to change the way they go about their daily business? If you made an invention or developed a new procedure how is it better, faster, or cheaper than what is already out there? Motivate the reader to finish the abstract and read the entire paper or display board. Problem Statement. Identify the problem you solved or the hypothesis you investigated.

Parts of the Abstract (cont.) Procedures. What was your approach for investigating the problem? Don't go into detail about materials unless they were critical to your success. Do describe the most important variables if you have room. Results. What answer did you obtain? Be specific and use numbers to describe your results. Do not use vague terms like "most" or "some." Conclusions. State what your science fair project or invention contributes to the area you worked in. Did you meet your objectives? For an engineering project state whether you met your design criteria.

Types of Projects STEM Projects Science How does caffeine affect plant growth? Technology How have computer advancements impacted cancer research and treatment? Engineering How does weather affect how buildings are built? Math What is the impact math has on architecture?

Make Your Board Start your information on the top left panel of the board, move down the left panel, across the middle panel, and from the top down on the right panel. Place pictures of your experiment on your board.

Make your Board

Helpful Resources http://www.sciencebuddies.org http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com http://www.sciencefair-projects.org Teacher experiment books Library books

Bringing It Together Keys for success: Stick to the timeline. Tell your parents about the project NOW! (Not the weekend before it is due.) Organization