Science Buddies: Free Teacher and Student Resources for Science Projects and Independent Student Research Ken Hess, Founder & President Presented at Intel ISEF 2012, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

The Headline Science Buddies ( is comprehensive, high quality, and free.

Comprehensive Users: We have resources for fair administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Grade levels: K-12 Levels of difficulty: From elementary classroom fair projects to Intel ISEF. Project areas: All areas of science. Scientific method and engineering design process: From the initial question to the final presentation.

High Quality Staff scientists with experience in both academic and corporate research Top flight partners: Princeton, NOAA, WGBH, and many more Award winning: AAAS/Science, Parents Choice,...

High Quality (cont.) We answer our , so you can give us feedback and know that someone read it: – – Ask an Expert Forum – “Report a problem with this page” – “I did this project” No cheesy advertising to distract students Constant improvement of our materials

Free 501(c)3 non-profit PBS funding model: concerned corporations, private foundations, and individuals

Today’s Presentation Overview of resources – Managing science projects in the classroom – Planning a science fair – Enlisting parents – Project Guide (how to do a science project) – Engineering Design Project Guide (how to do engr. project) – Advanced Project Guide (how to do independent research) – Project Ideas & the Topic Selection Wizard – Personalized answers to student questions – Career profiles How to choose the proper resources for your needs

The Home Page

Managing Science Projects in the Classroom Teacher's Guide to Science Projects Benefits of a Science Project Teacher Timeline Safety Guidelines Student Science Project Schedule A Parent Guide to Science Projects Printable Assignment Worksheets Printable copies of Project Guide webpages Grading Rubrics

Planning a Science Fair A Guide to Planning a Science Fair Step-by-step guide loaded with tools, tips, and tricks Judging Guide Judging Scorecard Judging Scorecard: Basic Judging Scorecard: Elementary Project Tracking Spreadsheet Sample (.xls) Science Fair Award Certificate Sample (.doc) Science Fair Schedule Worksheet Science Project Enrichment Tools

Enlisting Parents A parents role in science education Why are science fairs important? How to help with a project Explaining plagiarism to your child Online Safety (sponsored by Symantec) ikeepsafe.org! Family Online Safety Guide Parent newsletter

Finding a Project Idea: The Topic Selection Wizard

Topic Selection Wizard Finding an interesting project is a tough problem – Lack of experience is a barrier for students – Can’t select an an area unless they are aware of it – you can’t dream about something if you don’t know it exists – Teacher can’t know every student’s interests The Wizard examines student responses against hundreds of thousands that came before them Personalized suggestions to each student An easy to use, high quality solution. Students who use it are twice as likely to find project they like.

Topic Selection Wizard: Sample Questions Do you ever wonder what makes some recipes turn out delicious and others turn out disgusting? Do you enjoy gardening and working with plants? Is math your favorite subject in school? Do you like animals more than machines? About 25 questions, total.

Topic Selection Wizard: Testimonial “My daughter is totally into stuffed animals, loves our pets, and loves the Sierra Nevada camp with its bugs, birds & snakes, and where my wife is director.” “I completely expected her to do an animal project and was prepared to talk about ethics and animal-use protocols.” “Well, as she went through the [Wizard] questions, what we discovered is that she's deeply interested in electricity, devices, and math-oriented topics. What?!” “This was a real gift to all of us, as who knows what damage we parents could have done by acting on our assumptions?”

High-quality Project Ideas Full Project Ideas include: – Abstract & Introduction provide background – Terms, Concepts & Questions to Start Background Research – Bibliography – Materials & Equipment – Experimental Procedure – Variations, approx. 3 – 5 suggestions for related projects Abbreviated Project Ideas include: – Typically, just an abstract

The Comprehensive Range of Project Ideas Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics Astronomy Biotechnology Chemistry Civil Engineering Computer Science Cooking & Food Science Electricity & Electronics Energy & Power Environmental Engineering Environmental Science Genetics & Genomics Geology Human Behavior Human Biology & Health Mammalian Biology Materials Science Mechanical Engineering Microbiology Music Ocean Sciences Photography, Digital Photography & Video Physics Plant Biology Pure Mathematics Sociology Sports Science Video & Computer Games Weather & Atmosphere Zoology

New Project Idea Kits Convenient: Offered on a selection of popular projects with hard to find materials or extensive materials lists Comprehensive: Contain everything needed to complete a project (except perishables) Prices: Starting at $59 Free shipping A portion of proceeds support Science Buddies

New Science Activities Selection of activities perfect for in-class, at- home, or after school use Current selection appropriate for grades K-8 Each activity: – uses readily available materials – can be completed in one class period – comes with printable facilitator / educator guide and student guide

Project Guide: Comprehensive, High-quality “how-to” How to Do a Science Fair Project – Covers everything from hypothesis & variables to display boards – Lots of material on background research & report writing How to Do an Engineering Design Project Tools, Techniques, and Reference Information – Focus on information not available elsewhere in age appropriate form – How to Build a Subsonic Wind Tunnel – Using Storytelling Alice – Electronics Primer (hands on techniques) – All About Agar – Measuring Plant Growth – Sample Size: How Many Survey Participants Do I Need? – And much more...

Comparing the Scientific Method with the Engineering Design Process The Scientific MethodThe Engineering Design Process State your questionDefine the problem Do background research Formulate your hypothesis, identify variables Specify requirements Design experiment, establish procedure Create alternative solutions, choose the best one and develop it Test your hypothesis by doing an experiment Build a prototype Analyze your results and draw conclusions Test and redesign as necessary Communicate results

New Engineering Materials New Comprehensive Engineering Design Project Guide Judging Score Cards for engineering projects Coming soon: – Engineering Design Process Poster – Grading Rubrics – Comparing engineering & artistic design

Advanced Project Guide (sponsored by Intel) Comprehensive, High-quality “advanced how-to” Overview – Benefits of Top Science Competitions – Roadmap: How to Get Started – How to Find a Mentor – Mentoring & Coaching Advanced HS Student Research Finding Ideas – Roundtable on Finding an Idea for an Advanced Project – Sample Projects from Advanced Competitions – How to Read a Scientific Paper And, more – Experimental Design for Advanced Science Projects – Increasing the Ability of an Experiment to Measure an Effect – Data Presentation Tips for Advanced Science Competitions

Increasing the Ability to Measure an Effect TechniqueWhat Is It?When Is It Helpful? Examples Making repeated measurements of one item Increasing sample size Randomizing samples Randomizing experiments Repeating experiments Including covariates

Ask an Expert Answers to any & all science fair questions – Questions about one of our Project Ideas – Questions about a student’s own idea – Questions about STEM careers – Occasionally turns into a mentoring relationship Typically, 24 hours or less turn around Staffed by volunteer science and engineering professionals

Comprehensive STEM Career Information Funded by the Noyce Foundation, now includes 150 career profiles Forges a connection between science in the classroom and careers in science Relevant careers tied to each Project Idea Engage the students by using various forms of media to present high-quality career information What does each professional do; the nature of the work Subjects to study in high school, educational requirements Salaries and projected job growth Work environment Interviews

STEM Careers: Range of Degrees The career profiles introduce students to a comprehensive variety of career options possible in different areas of science.

STEM Careers: Range of Salaries Similarly, the career profiles highlight careers with a comprehensive range of salary levels.

STEM Careers: Engaging Visual Introductions Develop a synthetic fiber that can stop a speeding bullet. Help discover new medicines that alleviate or cure diseases. Figure out how to make hair- styling gel work even better.

How to Choose the Proper Resources Ask: What are my students’ needs & my teaching objectives? Detailed Guidance: Step-by-step instructions to help students understand the scientific method and complete a successful, fun, and academically challenging science fair project. Moderate Help: Assistance choosing an engaging age- and resource-appropriate science fair project, but I'd like students to independently figure out their experimental procedure from scratch. Independent Exploration: Checklists and reminders about how to create a well-controlled scientific experiment, but I'd like students to independently select a science fair topic and figure out the appropriate experimental procedure. Original Research: Advanced high school students working on original, publishable research.

Key to Resources for Different Student Needs/Teacher Objectives

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