How to prepare for a successful science fair project experience

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

It’s never too early to start planning for a science fair project. Here is a quick checklist so that you, as a mentor/parent, will know you have all the parts and can complete the project efficiently and successfully:

First, keep in mind the basic FORMULA FOR SUCCESS:

Scientific method (45%) + Creative idea (45%) + Random intangibles (10%) = SUCCESS!

Accordingly, the project must apply the principles of the scientific method to a creative idea to be successful. The last 10% (random intangibles) come into play at higher levels of judging and competition and are impossible to predict. So – don’t worry about them – focus on the first two parts, since they are worth more.

Next, review the BASIC GAME PLAN:

BEFORE the project, you (as the parent/mentor) should…

1. determine what type of student you have
2. get the proper equipment (starting with a notebook, later you will need a backboard)
3. learn/review the scientific method (see tab on home page)
4. learn the general rules (see tab on fatal flaws – know these ahead so you don’t start down the wrong path)
5. complete the practice experiment (skip if it’s the night or weekend before the project is due)
6. help student find a creative idea

DURING the project, you should…

1. be ready to ask the right questions (see tab on judging tips)
2. pace the project by setting realistic milestones/deadlines
3. help prepare them for grading/judging

Finally, remember that the scientific method is the framework by which we teach science. It will be important for you child’s project to have its basic parts including: question, hypothesis, experiment with controls, dependent and independent variables, data analysis, conclusion.

Good Luck!

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Projects you can start this year, for next year. Idea #3 = Plant Projects

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

If you know how to do a project AND you know you want to, or need to, do one for next year – why not start one now?

It is the perfect time to start a plant-themed science fair project because there will be sufficient time for the plants to grow by a measurable amount. Plant projects also automatically earn extra points for effort because they are an example of a project that could not have been done the night, or even weekend, before the due date.

Typically a plant project’s DEPENDENT VARIABLE will be some indicator of growth. That could be height, weight, surface area, volume (e.g. for a succulent), and/or the number of blades, leaves or flowers. If you start with seeds the dependent variable could be the number (expressed as a count or a percentage) that germinate and if you start with plants it could be the number that survive or the number that die. Color could also be selected, but remember that color is a QUALITATIVE variable and the top projects almost always have QUANTITATIVE dependent variables.

The INDEPENDENT VARIABLE is a much more difficult choice. Plant projects usually suffer from a lack of creativity because there are only so many ways you can water or light a plant. Very common examples include watering plants (seeds/seedlings/plants) with tap water, rain water, distilled water, bottled water, carbonated water, salt water, pond water, flavored water, etc. or other common liquids like coffee, milk, soda, tea, juice, bleach, etc. Also, a project that shows up at almost every fair I have ever judged includes growing plants under different colored lights. I highly recommend trying to design a creative project that stays away from these ideas.

To design your own plant-themed science fair project, try one of these strategies to find a creative topic:

1. Think about your desired end result:
• Do you want to ENHANCE plant growth to increase yield? This result might help certain regions of the world grow more crops. What aspects of growing a plant could be systematically manipulated to increase production of the targeted food?
• Do you want to REDUCE plant growth to eliminate a specific species? This result might help with weed control or removal of invasive species. What apspects could be systematically manipulated to discourage growth?

2. Think about plants in their environment:
• Are you interested in PLANT-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS? Remember there are some observational studies that are allowed using vertebrate animals such as birds, squirrels, bats, etc.? What aspect of the plant attracts or detracts animals? Can you suggest and test a suitable alternative?
• Do you wonder how plants discourage insects from eating their own leaves (did you know plants have “weapons”)? Research PLANT-INSECT COEVOLUTION and PLANT DEFENSES. Find one that interests you and test how effective it is.
• Did you know some plants compete with each other (for space, light, water, pollinators, etc.) while others help each other grow (symbiosis)? Look into ALLELOPATHY. How could allelopathy be used to help farmers?

3. Focus a project on the development of a part of the plant:
• Plants have many parts: Fruits, seeds, leaves, stems, shoots, roots, flowers, etc.
• Research PHOTOTROPISM, HYDROTROPISM, THIGMOTROPISM – Ask: How does the plant “know” where to grow? Can you outsmart the plant by altering an aspect of its environment? What practical application might this have?

4. Focus on a unique plant type
• Grasses are easy to grow, but mostly boring. Research: Mosses, Ferns, Vines, Epiphytes – what are their UNIQUE ADAPTATIONS that faciliate their success? What would you expect to happen if you manipulated their environment?
• Carnivorous plants; Research their unique ecology and ask: is there food preference among or within carnivorous plant species?
• Aquatic plants; Research their unique adaptations and ask: how much does that adaptation contribute to growth?
• LICHENS (OK – these are not plants, but if you live near or have access to the woods – you could do a very original projection on lichen growth and ecology)

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There’s no crying in Baseball … or in the Science Fair

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

Science fairs should be educational, exciting, and tons of fun, but — more often than not — they result in heartache and, if you have competitive kids like mine, in tears. Generally only 1 to 3 kids will place and the rest will go home having no idea why they weren’t selected as one of the best, what they could have done better, or what to improve upon next year. Consequently, many won’t even do a project next year because of the overall negative experience. This post was written to help avoid these issues.

Background: At school fairs, the school usually needs to select a specific number of projects that will represent the school at subsequent, higher-level competitions (e.g., county, regional, or state fairs). Most often, this selection process is based on the ranking of projects from eligible entries. Sometimes it is only first place, other times it is as many as 3 projects in each grade or in each category or some combination thereof. Unfortunately, this ranking becomes the focus of the science fair, but I argue that it does not need to be, because at the upper level fairs, no preference is given to the place earned at the school fair.

Alternative: Instead of ranking, identify the TOP 10 PROJECTS (named “in no particular order”) and then announce the 1 (or 3 or however many are allowed) that has been selected to compete at the next level. In addition, schools could also award as many award certificates as they so choose.

Award certificates for special recognition could be awarded for categories such as:
• Most creative
• Best use of Scientific Method
• Best visual display
• Most unusual topic
• Best integration of math
• Best interview
• Most interesting question/hypothesis
• Best in physical sciences
• Best in life sciences
• Best in environmental sciences
• Best engineering project
• Most disgusting
• Most difficult
• Most surprising results

In the end, the more efforts a school recognizes, the more likely students are to finish with a positive experience and the less likely they are to cry…
 

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3 Reasons I’m hanging up my lab coat for a business suit

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

Yesterday I officially resigned from my research science position to take a new, non-academic position. It was horribly bittersweet. Although I am excited about the next chapter in my life, I have been involved in research science and teaching since an undergraduate student work-study position on the R/V Lucky Lady out of UMASS-Dartmouth (1990!).

Here are the top 3 reasons I am going to hang up my lab coat for a business suit — but don’t worry — I will still maintain this website because my passion remains improving science education in America.

1. Job Security: All of my positions in science have been “soft money”. That means they are grant-funded opportunities and when the grant is done, so is the job. This situation creates perpetual stress because of the constant awareness that each job is finite and the next opportunity, if it even exists, may or may not align with my current research interests.

2. Geographic Stability: I knew I wanted to be a marine scientist since I was 8 years old and a college professor since college, but I have not found a permanent position in my area. Part of the problem is that besides being a scientist — I am a wife, mother and military spouse. Courtesy of the US Coast Guard, I have lived in 10 states in 20 years, including: MA, RI, CT, MD, NC, FL (2x), AL, CA, OR, and AK. Last year, when my husband finished 20 years of service and my oldest started high school, we decided to put the kids first and stay put for at least 6 consecutive years so that they could experience geographic stability. For me, that translates into geographic restrictions in new job opportunities, because I can not relocate and job prospects in higher education in my area are not promising.

3. Couldn’t figure out how to become a high school science teacher:
I have a Ph.D. I have teaching experience in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Oceanography at the collegiate level. I have experience with informal science education and outreach at K-12 levels. I am a great educator –but I couldn’t figure out how to get a job teaching high school science. I looked into it several times – but couldn’t find a path that did not require going back to school first. I wish there was a Lab-to-Classroom program similar to the Troops-to-Teachers initiative because I believe that there are other scientists who would make this transition.

Up next: 3 things I will miss most about working in a research laboratory

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Projects you can start this year for next year: Idea 2 = Moldy Matters

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

Idea 1 was Biomimicry:

Idea 2 is Moldy Matters: Remember that the one exception to doing a project with mold is that you are allowed to measure the time (quantitative, dependent variable) it takes for a food to show evidence of mold – but that you have to destroy the food and mold as soon as it is observed.

So how about a project that asks the question:

How much longer do store-bought foods stay preserved relative to home-made versions?

It would be interesting and relevant because it would give people insight into just how much preservatives must be in store-bought food and how much healthier it would be to eat more of the home-made alternatives.

To get started, think about foods that might be highly preserved, like fast food choices: French fries, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, tacos, etc. or grab-and-go sweet snacks: packaged cupcakes, cookies, Twinkies, snack cakes, etc. Also consider common foods that would be easy to make at home, like bread, popcorn, jelly, or yogurt. Choose a few (these are your independent variables) so you have some variety – and once you set it up, it is really easy to monitor. The hypothesis would be that the store-bought versions would take more time to mold because they contain presevatives.

The experimental design needs to include replication (at least 3 sets each) and controls. The way I laid out the project, the control would be the home-made version – made at home on the same day as the store-bought item was bought and opened.

For example, you could place matching pairs of food items (example: French fries from fast-food chain and French fries made at home) in the same container, side-by-side but not touching, and covered with a breathable top (cheese cloth, or screening or some sort, or even just left open). Mark your calendar. Check the pair every day until you see mold on either item (then discard that item, leaving the other one in the container). Count the number of days it takes to see mold start to develop.

Do some research on the environmental conditions that molds thrive under to determine where you store the project (warning – depending on food items selected, this could take close to a year or longer… so pick your storage spot with that in mind).

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How to prepare a final report for your science fair project

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

Generally a teacher would give guidelines as to what is expected in the final report, but if none come home with the project directions, then I recommend including the following sections (similar to a scientific paper) in this order:

• Title, author, date

• Abstract: 1 paragraph summary of entire project

• Introduction: Background information including things like the motivation for picking your topic and why the project is important. Also include the hypothesis in this section.

• Methods and Materials: This section can have several sub-sections. It would start with a list of what was used in the project. Also included would be a description of all the variables – independent, dependent, controlled and the control and level of replication. Once all that is spelled out, start with the procedure and describe the steps needed to complete the project. Photos of the process would also be included here.

• Results: This section highlights the data – i.e., tables and graphs with descriptions of what they show. Remember that descriptions go above tables, but below graphs. Photos of results would go here.

• Discussion: Now is the time to discuss the results – what does the data show, what did you learn, what surprised you, why do you think the results happened the way thbey did. Here you can also add what you would do better and what you would do as a follow-up experiment.

• Conclusion: Specifically state if the data support or refute the hypothesis.

• Acknowledgements: Thank everyone who helped you including your teachers, friends, mentors, and parents.

• References: Bibliography

Writing a final report is one of the best ways to prepare for the judging interview.

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Creative Ideas for NEXT YEAR’s Science Fair Project

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

If you are working on this year’s project, and you have less than a week to get it done…. Check out my suggestions in posts for “popcorn projects” or “bubblegum projects” or even “paper airplanes” — They can all be done in a weekend (or even a day if you are really stuck).

But if you are looking for a unique idea for NEXT YEAR – do research on BIOMIMICRY

Biomimicry is biology inspired engineering and here are a few examples (copy and paste into your browser):

http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2011/01/14/brilliant-bio-design-14-animal-inspired-inventions/

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/7-amazing-examples-of-biomimicry/copying-mother-nature

My personal favorite is the Solar Powered Bat Inspired Spy Plane

STRATEGY: If your science fair has an engineering category, then you could build one of these designs (Learn and Use Engineering Design Principles) or study nature and build something based on it.

If your science fair does not specifically have an engineering category, you need to be careful that your project is not just a demonstration (remember the fatal flaw: gadgeteering). That means you will need to FIRST build a design and then SECOND use the design to ask a question and conduct an experiment.

For example:

– How does the shape of the whale fin affect spin rate of the turbine?
– How does the height of a honeycomb affect the strength of the structure?
– How does the thickness of the termite mound affect internal temperature?

This year my daughter did: How does valve type affect flow rate in a giraffe neck?

Biomimicry Inspired Science Fair Project - 8th grade

So much for Paintball!

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How to graph data for your science fair project

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

Once you have your data, you will need to present it to your teacher and science fair judges. In a science publication, you would choose between a table and a graph, but for the science fair project it is acceptable, and even encouraged, to showcase the data in both forms. If you have to pick (teacher’s rules), then a graph (picture) is better than a table (numbers), EXCEPT that most scientists really, really like numbers – so we are happy to see the table too.

Type of graphs: Your first choice is to determine which type of graph would best communicate your findings. Your basic choices are bar graph, line graph, pie chart, or scatter plot.

BAR GRAPH – This is the most common type for science fair projects. You may select a bar graph when your independent variable is qualitative (categories) or quantitative (numbers). It is generally better to group the data by TREATMENT instead of TRIAL # because it allows a better comparison of variation within the treatment. This might not be intuitive if you collected by trial, but it is the better way to showcase your results.

An example of a bar graph

Look closely and make sure your bar graph has all the highlighted parts:

Independent variable may be qualitative or quantitative

LINE GRAPH – This is the second most common, but frequently used incorrectly, so be careful here. You should only select a line graph if your independent variable is quantitative (numbers) and you hypothesized that the changes in the independent variable would result in changes in the dependent one. For example, line graphs are great for showing changes in the dependent variable over time or distance along a transect.

An example of a line graph

Again double check the axes:

Independent variable MUST be quantitative

PIE CHART – Pie charts are good for projects that have qualitative independent variables and have generated data that can be expressed as percentages of the total. For example, if your data were counts (i.e. the number of times something happened), then this might be your best choice to compare different treatments.

An example of a pie chart

SCATTER PLOT – If the purpose is to see if the variables are related (common in environmental projects), but there was not a clear choice for independent and dependent variables (for example wind speed and water temperature), then a scatter plot would be your best choice. This option typically requires much more data than the others to observe a trend.

Scatter plots are also called X-Y plots

Scientists do not label graphs with a title, but if your teacher asks for one — make sure that is there too.

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Backboard Basics for Science Fair Projects

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

The backboard is the final part of most science fair projects. If your teacher has given you directions on the preferred layout, then use that — but in the event your are not sure of what goes where, here is a generic backboard template.

Template for Science Fair Project Backboard Display

Choose 1 to 3 colors to make the display board attractive, but not too busy or distracting. Your title should be EASILY read from a distance of 6 to 10 feet away. Pictures of the process and results will also make the board more attractive and draw viewers to your project.

Here is one example:

Award Winning Project Board - 6th grade

And another:

Award winning science fair project 5th grade

And another:

Award winning project -- 5th grade

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Science Fair Projects with Animals: Part II – Animals WITHOUT Backbones

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Dr. Maille Lyons

Examples of animals without backbones include the animals that made these shells

Most kids love animals, so it is natural that they may want to do a science fair project focused on them. However, most science fairs have strict rules governing the types of experiments that can and can NOT be done with animals. It is important that you understand these rules and complete all necessary paperwork before starting any project (google and check the ISEF science fair rules).

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Observational studies on animals with backbones are allowed – see my last post. Some experiments on animals without backbones are also allowed.

Animals that do not have backbones include:

ARTHROPODS such as: spiders and insects – ants, moths, crickets, beetles, lady bugs, butterflies, dragon flies, lightning bugs, centipedes, cockroaches, mosquitoes, fruit flies; and the crustaceans – hermit crabs, fiddler crabs, blue crabs, shrimp, lobsters, & horseshoe crabs

MOLLUSKS such as: slugs, snails, clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, limpets, squid, & octopuses

ECHINODERMS such as: star fish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers

And many different types of WORMS such as flat worms (planarians), round worms (nematodes), segmented worms (earth worms), sand worms, spiny-head worms, etc.

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Always keep in mind that the experiments need to be ethical– if you wouldn’t do it to your favorite pet, don’t do it to an invertebrate either! And all animals need food and water, so do not deprive living creatures of these necessities just to “see what happens” (FYI – they will die).

One strategy for a unique science fair project focused on animals would be to evaluate “preferences” for these animals in terms of food or habitat choices. Research the animal and find an example of a known food item or habitat structure (this will be your “control”). Then design an experiment to determine how “picky” the animal is for that item/structure. Examples include:

–What is the “best” habitat for centipedes: leaves, logs, rocks, or no cover? (Define best as the most often selected under your experimental conditions)
–Do hermit crabs prefer fruit, leaves, grass, wood, or store food? (Think about how to design a “fair” test for preference)
–Can sea anemones learn to distinguish between food and non-food items on their tentacles? (Think about how you could demonstrate and quantify “learning”)

Another strategy is to determine if a behavior is correlated to an environmental variable. For example:
–Does salinity affect how often oysters will open up and filter? (You can buy live oysters at the market)
–Is moth activity related to the phases of the moon? (Think about how to quantify activity levels in moths)
–Is spider web construction (or size, or shape, etc) related to height off the ground?
–Do crickets chirp more frequently on warmer nights?

One more thing – Before purchasing animals for an experiment, consider what you will do with them afterwards. Keeping them as pets would be fun, but maybe not practical depending on your choice. You must NEVER release the animal into the wild, (including your back yard or local stream) because of the threat of invasive species displacing native ones.

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