Middle School Science Fair

What is Science Fair? Complete a project on something you are interested in Compete at ADS on January 22, 2016 Possibly go on to Austin Energy Regional Science Festival in February 2016 Possibly go on to the Texas Science and Engineering Fair in April 2016 in San Antonio

Elementary vs. Junior/High Division 6th graders may compete in the Elementary Division Regionals on Saturday 2/20/ th graders will be invited to compete at the Junior/High Division (TBD BEFORE WE START PROJECTS) 7th/8th graders may compete in the Junior/High Division Regionals on February 18, 2016

Who will go to Regionals? Anyone who works hard and wows the judges! Some 6th graders will compete in the Elementary Division on Saturday 2/20/16 Some 6th/7th/8th graders will compete in the Junior/High Division Thursday 2/18/16

Let’s get started! Complete the survey sheet--due at next science class talk to your parents talk to your teachers talk to your friends read a science book look at webpages:

How can 6th graders apply to be in the Junior/High Division? Complete and return the survey form on time NO LATE FORMS WILL BE ACCEPTED Fill out the form thoroughly with lots of detail. Design an amazing project! Commit to spending several hours a week on your project Show Natalie & Elizabeth you are ready for this challenge by having a clean Engrade record. go over survey form

Before you start your project... Create an account at when Natalie/Elizabeth give the go aheadwww.sciencefest.org Each part of the project will be documented online using this account Maintain the online paperwork! Each page will be an assignment in Engrade (Look at the paperwork in Austin Energy book)

What can you do? Experiment/Engineering Project: An experiment follows the steps of the scientific method. It clearly asks a question to which you do not already know the answer without testing. YES!! Exhibit (model or demonstration): An exhibit is an explanation of how or why something works. It reveals details about the topic. An exhibit is an explanation, not a question. NO!! Take a look at categories in your packet

What you CAN’T do... grow bacteria or mold cause pain, suffering, sickness or death of a vertebrate animal (invertebrates are ok) no firearms, explosives, discharge air pressure canister devices (rockets are ok for Junior/High division) no activity or substance that presents a danger to the student or environment, including hazardous chemicals or radioactive materials--except with prior approval from the Scientific Review Committee in Junior/High division

The Scientific Method The scientific method is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by making observations and doing experiments. The steps of the scientific method are to: Ask a Question Do Background Research Construct a Hypothesis Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion Communicate Your Results It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. A "fair test" occurs when you change only one factor (variable) and keep all other conditions the same. While scientists study how nature works, engineers create new things, such as products, websites, environments, and experiences.

The Engineering Design Process The engineering design process is a series of steps that engineers follow to come up with a solution to a problem. Many times the solution involves designing a product (like a machine or computer code) that meets certain criteria and/or accomplishes a certain task. If your project involves making observations and doing experiments, you should probably follow the Scientific Method. If your project involves designing, building, and testing something, you should probably follow the Engineering Design Process. The steps of the engineering design process are to: Define the Problem Do Background Research Specify Requirements Brainstorm Solutions Choose the Best Solution Do Development Work Build a Prototype Test and Redesign Engineers do not always follow the engineering design process steps in order, one after another. It is very common to design something, test it, find a problem, and then go back to an earlier step to make a modification or change to your design. This way of working is called iteration, and it is likely that your process will do the same! from

What does a question look like? A scientific question usually starts with: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where. How much gas does your favorite beverage produce? Why do coffee and tea stain your teeth? Which battery last the longest? Which fruit has the most vitamin C and is it diminished by exposure to the sun/heat/cold? How does temperature affect the stretch of rubber bands? What happens to a current-carrying wire in a magnetic field and is it affected by closeness/distance to the field?

What is a hypothesis? A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It usually looks like this: If _____________ (I do this), then ____________ (this) ________ will happen. Your hypothesis should be something you can test, what we call a “testable” hypothesis. You need to be able to measure: what you do what will happen

Categories Look at handout, these are the approved categories. Some will be off limits to ADS because we do not have a lab.

Checklist EVERY Junior/High division project will complete: Student Checklist (1A) a Research Plan Approval Form (1B) project review with Adult Sponsor (Natalie or Elizabeth) a 250-word max, one-page Abstract which summarizes the work a project data book and maybe a research paper Some projects will require: Initial IRB/SRC approval before experimentation

Helpful tips Buy a folder this weekend, this is the ONLY packet you will receive Stay on top of work! Team projects work best with only 2 people Don’t do a project with vertebrates

Interested in a biology project? Dr. Rhykka Connelly is interested in helping with equipment and has some ideas: If any students are interested in working with photosynthetic organisms, Grofizz can loan equipment (free of charge) for the student's to use for their projects throughout the semester. Here's a link to the products listed on Amazon: 5&keywords=grofizz These equipment are typically used to grow algae for some kind of product (biofuel, omega-3, antioxidants, proteins, etc) or analyze growth curves, but the LED system can also be used to grow traditional land plants, too. Students could design experiments to examine lots of different outcomes, like 1) how different wavelengths of light, or different light intensities, affect the growth and production of specific products like oils, proteins, pigments, fruits/veg, etc. Grofizz can provide the supplies necessary to test for these things, too. There's currently a push in the areas of agricultural and human health to produce reliable sources of proteins and other nutrients and algae may be a good answer for both livestock and human health. Or 2) how nutrients from waste (food scraps, compost, digested sludge, etc.) can be recycled and used to grow plants or algae with specific nutrients. This is an open question that NASA is currently trying to answer for their long-term space flight program. Another idea would be to 3) test whether certain kinds of algae can be an effective antibiotic against certain bacteria. The students could culture bacteria from the air on agar plates, identify them by shape and gram stain, then test whether adding certain algae to the bacteria culture can stop their growth. This is another area of intense interest as many traditional antibiotics are starting to fail, and we need to find replacements that are effective. There are many other projects that could be conducted using the Grofizz equipment, too, if any students are interested in learning more.

Questions?