1. The Science Fair Process
10 Steps From Germination to Science Fair Sensation!

2. 1A. Think up a Topic

3. Previous Winners ISWEEP 2015 $750.00 PLUS $2000.00 SCHOLARSHIP
TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
TEXAS
ISEF 2015
$500.00

4. Previous Winners ISEF 2015 $1500 AND AN ALL EXPENSES
PAID TRIP TO ITALY

5. Previous Winners
ISEF $

6. Previous Winners
ISWEEP
$400.00
ISEF $

7. Previous Winners
Junior award
recipients

8. Previous Winners TEXAS STATE SCIENCE
AND ENGINEERING FAIR GRAND PRIZE PHYSICAL
SCIENCES
AND BEST IN SHOW 2015

9. Previous Winners TEXAS STATE SCIENCE
AND ENGINEERING FAIR JUNIOR DIVISION
GRAND PRIZE LIFE
SCIENCES 2017

10. Previous Winners TEXAS STATE SCIENCE
AND ENGINEERING FAIR SENIOR DIVISION
GRAND PRIZE LIFE
SCIENCES
AND BEST IN STATE 2017

11. 2017 State Science Fair Results by Region
(Plano is included in the Dallas Region)
Senior Division
20 of the 21 awarded to Plano Senior division
Region
Grand Prize
1st
2nd
3rd
total awards
1- Dallas 2 11 3 5 21
3- Fort Worth 1 4
4- Brownsville
5-Houston 17
11-San Antonio 10
13-Austin 12
20-Lubbock
31-El Paso
Junior Division
15 of the 17 were awarded to Plano Junior division
Region
Grand Prize
1st
2nd
3rd
Total Awards
1- Dallas 1 8 3 5 17
3- Fort Worth 6
4- Brownsville 2 4
5-Houston 11
11-San Antonio
13-Austin 13
20-Lubbock
31-El Paso

12. 1B Organize Log Book
Date and sign each entry

13. 1B Organize Log Book
Include photos and pictures throughout the process

14. 1B Organize Log Book
Include raw data/graphs and formal data/graphs

15. 1B Organize Log Book
Choose a method to cite each source

16. 1B Organize Log Book Individual assignment:
Set up your log book by creating a table of contents page and numbering the first 25 pages. Be sure to include sections for key terms relevant to your topic and for previous research and data collection that has been done by others in your topic area

17. 1C Brainstorming Activities
Investigations – Broad questions
1. How do lubricants work?
2. What can affect animal behaviors?
3. What happens when water expands as it freezes?
4. What is soap?
5. What is bread mold?
6. What do birds eat?
Engineering – Sample problems
1. My backpack is too heavy to carry. How can I make it easier to get it to school?
2. Our dog barks a lot. How can I get him to quiet down without hurting him?
3. When I’m in a crowd, I can’t see around me. How can I get to see more?
4. The cold juice gets warm in my lunchbox. How can I keep it cold?
5. Our cafeteria is so noisy that it’s hard to hear, even when people talk quietly. What can we do to cut down on the echo in there?
6. People are not recycling all the paper they should in our classroom. How can we get everyone to remember to recycle and not throw it in the trash?

18. 1C Brainstorming Activities
Broad ideas Testable questions
1. How do lubricants work?
Which combination of lubricants will work best on a bicycle wheel?
2. What can affect animal behaviors?
What is the effect of a low-level electrical field on the movement of fruit flies?
3. What happens when water expands as it freezes?
How much force is needed to keep water from expanding as it freezes?
4. What is soap?
Which detergent removes stains the best?
5. What is bread mold?
What conditions keep bread mold from growing on bread?
6. What do birds eat?
What type of food and feeder will attract the most cardinals?
Sample problems Possible methods to solve the
problem
My backpack is too heavy to carry. How can I make it easier to get it to school? What are some ways that people have moved heavy
loads with less effort?
2. Our dog barks a lot. How can I get him to quiet down without hurting him? How have people controlled dogs barking?
When I’m in a crowd, I can’t see around me. How can I get to see more? What are some ways that people can see around
corners and over the top of things?
The cold juice gets warm in my lunchbox. How can I keep it cold? How are cold things kept cool for long periods
of time?
Our cafeteria is so noisy that it’s hard to hear, even when people talk quietly What causes echoing? How have people cut
down on noise in large rooms?
What can we do to cut down on the echo in
there?
6. People are not recycling all the paper they should in our classroom What can be done to change people’s habits?
How can we get everyone to remember to recycle and not throw it in the trash?

19. 1C Brainstorming Activities
Thunderstorms
Peer discussion:
Copy this graphic organizer into your log book. Then, with your partners, explore 5 possible avenues of research for the given topic.

20. 1D. Science publications that spur ideas
Science News Magazine –
Scientific American –
Discover -
Make: Magazine –
ISEF –
Google Science Fair Topic Generator –
NBC Learn -
Science -
Individual assignment:
Record these websites in your log book. Then using these and other sources, create your first set of research notes in your log book – Cornell style, handwritten, 2 pages, may include charts, graphs, pictures, etc