1. Science Fair

2. Project Categories Animal Sciences Behavioral & Social Sciences Biochemistry Cellular & Molecular Biology Chemistry Computer Science Earth & Planetary Science Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical Engineering: Materials & Bioengineering Energy & Transportation Environmental Management Environmental Sciences Mathematical Sciences Medicine & Health Sciences Microbiology Physics & Astronomy Plant Sciences

3. Good v. Bad Projects How does water purity affect surface tension? When is the best time to plant soy beans? Which material is the best insulator? How does arch curvature affect load carrying strength? How do different foundations stand up to earthquakes? What sugars do yeast use? Projects that risk human health Vertebrates Controlled substances Which tastes better: Coke or Pepsi? Which bubblegum is the best? Effect of colored light on plants Effect of music on plants Effect of color on memory Handwriting analysis

4. Engineering Projects http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/document/hbk2010.pdf http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/document/hbk2010.pdf An engineering project should state the engineering goals, the development process and the evaluation of improvements. Engineering projects may include the following: 1) Define a need or “How can I make this better?” 2) Develop or establish design criteria 3) Do background research and search the literature to see what has already been done or what products already exist that fill a similar need. What make them good and what makes them weak? 4) Prepare preliminary designs and a materials list. Consider costs, manufacturing and user requirements. 5) Build and test a prototype of your best design. Consider reliability, repair and servicing. 6) Retest and redesign as necessary. Product testing. 7) Present results.

5. First Journal Entry Date Working Title –Ex. “The effect of perms on different hair types” Brief synopsis of experimental design (1 paragraph) –What is the question you are trying to answer? –What is your independent variable? Dependent variable? –How will you setup your experiment? –How many trials will you do?

6. Forms required for all projects Additional forms may be necessary.

9. A Research Plan is required for all projects. It must incorporate all of the relevant topics listed in the Research Plan Instructions.

12. Journal Entry #2 Date 10 Topics to Research –Background Info –Instruments/Tools/Procedure Techniques –Previous Studies

13. Ex. The Effects of Chlorine on Bathing Suits Chlorine Bathing Suits –Chemical makeup of materials –Different materials used –Different weave patterns –Dyes used –Decomposition Chlorine Treatment of Water –Concentration –Effects Previous Studies Spectroscopy

14. Research Notes & Sources RELIABLE SOURCES!! Suggested Websites –http://www.proquest.com/en-US/http://www.proquest.com/en-US/ –http://scholar.google.com/http://scholar.google.com/ –No Wikipedia! 1 st 5 sources –No encyclopedias –Look for websites that end in.gov and.edu