Advice for students
Why microbiology experiments are hard to do for science fairs
Since I am a microbiologist, I frequently get asked to design microbiology experiments for science fair projects. I have stopped doing it because of rule changes for most science fairs. ISEF now prohibits growing bacteria or mold in the home environment. I recently looked into the rules for the Google Science Fair – here is … Continue reading
Scientific American Guest Blogs
Periodically, I post blogs on the Scientific American Guest Blog. http://www.scientificamerican.com/ Here are examples: 3 Strategies for an Original Science Fair project idea: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/11/21/3-strategies-for-an-original-science-fair-project/ How to answer the 5 most common questions from a science fair judge: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/12/16/how-to-answer-the-5-most-common-questions-from-a-science-fair-judge/ Anatomy of a science fair project: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/01/12/anatomy-of-a-science-fair-project/
Scientist’s don’t like the word “prove”
I often meet students that tell me that they “proved” that this parachute was the best, or they “proved” that this ball bounced higher, or they “proved” that bleach kills plants. As soon as I hear the word, I shudder, because scientists, in general, don’t like the word prove. The whole concept of “proving” anything … Continue reading
Replicate! Replicate! Replicate!
The single biggest mistake in all the science fair projects I evaluated yesterday was no replication or incorrect replication, so today’s post is geared toward covering this specific topic. All science experiments MUST be replicated. That means you have to repeat everything you did, exactly the same way (to the best of your ability), a … Continue reading
Observations from a science fair judge…
Today I read 300 science fair project boards, and was saddened to find only 4 original ideas. All of the others were ideas from the internet including: how much iron is in cereal, which ball bounces higher, what color do plants grow best in, which music makes plants grow the most, how much vitamin C … Continue reading
New Year’s Resolution: Design your own science fair project!
Think about your favorite recipe, one you make the exact same way every time. Perhaps the recipe is for chocolate chip cookies, or banana bread, or apple pie. Now imagine you are partway through the recipe and realize you are missing one key ingredient, for example, milk or sugar. What would you do? I would … Continue reading
What the Science Fair Judge won’t tell you
As a judge, I will look at 20 to 50 projects at any given fair. Here is what you should do to ensure I am happy to be at your project board. 1. Put the title at the top of the center panel. If it is not there, I will get annoyed looking for it. … Continue reading
Report like a Scientist OR Captivate like a Journalist
After your project is done and your backboard is made, you will need to work on your interview skills for presenting your project to the class, your teacher, and/or the science fair judges. You have 2 choices here. You can present your project the way a scientist would, that is, in the logical order in … Continue reading
Top 10 Questions from a Science Fair Judge
Here is a list of the top 10 questions mostly likely asked by a science fair judge during the interview process. Thinking about clear and concise answers beforehand will score you points with any judge. I also included hints on what type of information the judge is really looking for: 1. Where did you get … Continue reading
How Simon Cowell ruined the Science Fair…
In the age of talent-based reality shows such as American Idol, judges have become adversaries and students will expect at least one “mean” judge (aka Simon Cowell) in the group. Unlike Hollywood judges, however, science fair judges are not paid and science fair judging is not an accolade on our CV (i.e. the science equivalent … Continue reading
