1. 1 Science Success: Student Guide Nicola Simmons ©BASEF 2004

2. 2 About This Presentation  Outlines the science fair project process  Use it with the “Science Success: Student Workbook”  Further information is at http://basef.mcmaster.ca http://basef.mcmaster.ca  BASEF 2004

3. 3 This presentation will introduce you to:  Choosing a topic and asking a good question  Writing a hypothesis or problem statement  Planning your procedure or prototype  Conducting your experiment, innovation, or study  Organizing & analyzing your results  Preparing your written report  Presenting your completed work  BASEF 2004

4. 4 In addition, you will get tips on:  Managing your resources  Safety and ethics guidelines  Managing timelines  BASEF 2004

5. 5 A Good Project!  Starts with a question or problem of interest to you!  Follows the steps as set out in the Student Workbook  BASEF 2004

6. 6 3 Types of Science Fair Projects  Experiment – Start with a question, make a hypothesis, test controlled variables, record & analyze results  Innovation – Design a product or process to solve a particular problem, run trials, record & analyze results  Study – Start with a question, state a hypothesis, observe naturally occurring variables, record & analyze results  BASEF 2004

7. 7 Award Winning Projects Visit the BASEF site at http://basef.mcmaster.ca http://basef.mcmaster.ca Here you will find:  Great photos of winning projects  Tips for success  Connections to great websites  BASEF 2004

8. 8 Some Terms  Subject – what/who is being studied  Independent Variable – what you change in order to measure the results  Dependent Variable – what changes as a result of the changes you impose on the independent variable  Controls – conditions that do not change  Control group – subjects not exposed to the independent variable  Quantitative observations – can be measured  Qualitative observations – can be described  BASEF 2004

9. 9 Choosing a Topic  Think about topics that really interest you – perhaps something you have read recently  Talk to friends about possible topics  Check the books in your school library  Go online to look at past years’ winning projects at http://basef.mcmaster.cahttp://basef.mcmaster.ca  BASEF 2004

10. 10 Asking the Right Question Common (but not the only!) question formats: Experiment: “How does _____ affect _____?” Innovation: “In what way could _____ improve the performance of _____?” Study: “What type of relationship exists between _____ and _____?”  BASEF 2004

11. 11 Refining the Question  Is the question simple enough to solve?  Can I complete the work in time?  Can I get the resources and materials?  Is the question complex enough to interest me?  BASEF 2004

12. 12 Stating the Hypothesis  A hypothesis is a statement that is an informed guess about the outcome, based on prior knowledge Hypothesis: “If my dog eats my homework, I will get a detention.”  The hypothesis may turn out to be untrue – but it provides a roadmap for your research and helps focus your thinking.  BASEF 2004

13. 13 Keeping Track of Resources The student guide gives you:  A form to use for resource tracking  Suggestions about formatting your reference list Rule of thumb:  At least as many resources as your grade level  From a variety of source types  BASEF 2004

14. 14 Managing the Timelines When planning, allow extra time for:  Everything! Things take longer than you think  Getting materials and resources  Things not going according to plan!  Ethics approval, if you need it  BASEF 2004

15. 15 Starting a Research Logbook  Is considered a ‘must have’ by all scientists and engineers (and judges!)  Helps you keep track of all your ideas  Include a summary of successes and failures  Allows you to go back to earlier ideas when things don’t work according to plan  Provides a place to write down your observations and opinions  BASEF 2004

16. 16 Safety & Ethics Guidelines  Protect both you and anyone involved in your work  Full guidelines at http://basef.mcmaster.cahttp://basef.mcmaster.ca  List of prohibited substances (no, you can’t blow things up )  All animal research requires prior approval  No vertebrate research except as observations in a natural setting  Must get ethics approval for human subject research  BASEF 2004

17. 17 Planning the Procedure or Building the Prototype  Your plan should be so detailed that another person could use it to repeat your work  Include a detailed materials list  Think of your written procedure as a recipe for your work  Refer to page 15 in the Student Workbook for specifics for each type of project  BASEF 2004

18. 18 Conducting the Experiment or Study, or Building the Prototype  Follow your procedure exactly as written  Make careful notes if you make any changes  Record both quantitative and qualitative observations during the work  Take photographs of each stage of work  BASEF 2004

19. 19 Organizing & Analyzing Data  Record results in a chart to show patterns more clearly  Graphing may make trends more obvious  Ask critical questions: What do the results really mean? What explanations exist for these results?  BASEF 2004

20. 20 Conclusions & Applications  What did your work show?  What would happen if you changed a part of your process?  How will this knowledge be useful? Summarize your work clearly, and tie the conclusions directly to your original question and hypothesis.  BASEF 2004

21. 21 Your Written Report  Communicates! Use it to tell a story about your work  Is clear and logical – someone else could use it to repeat your work  Follows the content list on page 21 of the Student Workbook  BASEF 2004

22. 22 Displaying Your Work  Display should be sturdy and freestanding  Go for bold! 24pt or larger, bright colours  Use graphs and photos to illustrate process and results  Think of your display as a webpage, and your written report as the links  Go to http://basef.mcmaster.cahttp://basef.mcmaster.ca to view winning projects  BASEF 2004

23. 23 Further information can be found at the BASEF website: http://basef.mcmaster.ca  BASEF 2004

24. 24 Good luck on your project! Remember to go to the Science Success: Student Workbook for details of each stage The workbook will help you create a winning and rewarding project!  BASEF 2004

25. 25 Acknowledgements BASEF gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. The Foundation receives annually $100 million in government funding through Ontario’s charity casino initiative. It provides grants to eligible charitable and not-for-profit organizations in the arts, culture, sports, recreation, environment and social service sectors. In addition, BASEF would like to thank Dr. Joseph Engemann, Dr. Stacey Brydges, Dr. Pippa Lock, Angelo Brunetti, Rocco DiSabatino, Martine Fornoville, Gerry Fuchs, Gord Simmons, and Sandy Walker for their feedback during the development of this project. Author: Nicola Simmons Design & Layout: Nicola Simmons Project Director: Wuchow Than