Science Fairs and Your Child

1. Science Fairs and Your Child An introduction to the Scientific Process Steve Culivan John C. Stennis Space Center NASA AESP sculivan@aesp.nasa.okstate.edu

2. Activity GRAY ELEPHANTS FROM DENMARK!!! • Choose a number from 1 - 10... • Multiply by 9... • Add the digits of the product in #2 together... • Subtract 5 from the answer in #3... • Choose the letter of the alphabet that corresponds with that number... • Choose a COUNTRY that begins with this letter... • Take the second letter from that country’s name and choose a MAMMAL that begins with that letter... • Think of the normal color of that mammal...

3. Why do schools make my child do a science fair project? According to the National Science Teachers Association: • Recruits new generations of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers • Doing research projects provides problem-solving experiences with emphasis on the inquiry-centered approach. • Science fair projects should also be fun and exciting, motivating students to do research projects at higher academic levels as well as to pursue professional careers in research.

4. The common misconception among parents about why schools make their children do science fair projects: To torture the parents!

5. The keys to a successful science fair experience: • Emphasis should be placed on the learning experience rather than on the competition • The emphasis should be on scientific process, content, and/or application • Projects and presentation should be the work of the student with proper credit to others for their contributions…in other words: partner with and support your child – do not DO the project for him/her.

6. Selecting a Science Fair Topic Selection Tips 1. Find a project that is interesting to you. 2. If you are having trouble finding an idea, refer to some science fair books at your school library, local public library, or visit some online science fair resource sites to get ideas about possible topics. 3. Remember that the best projects are often original - which means think of the question yourself, and find a way to answer the question through a simple experiment. 4. Keep the experiment simple at this level, and use the scientific process. 5. Your science fair project could be a model or a demonstration on how something works (like an alarm clock or a door bell). Mary Lightbody -Columbus Public Schools http://www.cyberbee.com/science/prep.html

7. Selecting a Science Fair Topic “Product Testing” Selection Tips • Design a series of product tests to determine which product performs better (consult consumer product testing articles on how to design a product test and what to test). • Test the product using careful scientific process and experimental design; remember to make an hypothesis about which will perform better. • Collect data and compare the results; repeat the testing sufficient number of times to establish validity. • Compare the results to your hypothesis and make some conclusions. • Consider sharing these with the companies and consider sharing your results with other schools through the Internet. Mary Lightbody -Columbus Public Schools http://www.cyberbee.com/science/prep.html

8. Selecting a Science Fair Topic High School Selection Tips • An individual student at the high school level should identify a project that is challenging, and one for which no immediate answer is obvious. Topics selected by high school students are often investigations which continue over several years, often with the help of a teacher at the school, a professor at a nearby college or university, or a local community business person. • Studying a stream or pond near the school or near the student’s home for indications of change in the ecosystem caused by an outside agent or force. • Collecting soil samples from a few carefully selected sites for laboratory analysis for evidence of pollution or contamination from pesticides or herbicides. • Designing a computer program to solve a problem faced by the school or a local company. Mary Lightbody -Columbus Public Schools http://www.cyberbee.com/science/prep.html

9. Experimenting to gather data and making observations Interpreting and organizing data Measuring and recording data Looking for irregularities, deviations, or exceptions Seeking assistance from others who are considered “experts” Clarifying problems Verifying data by numerous reliable sources (e.g. internet) Gathering facts by means of direct observations Speculating and making hypotheses Developing “models” Using literature to gather data Testing results through new applications, tools & techniques Checking cause and effect relationships Reporting findings accurately Regardless of what emphasis you use, the stress of a science project should be on the following

10. What is the scientific method? The scientific method is the means by which every scientist goes about discovering the answer to a question in which they plan to research and experiment.

11. What are the steps of the scientific method? 1.) State the question or problem What is it that you are trying to find out from your experiment? What is it that you are trying to achieve? The best projects come from ideas that your children have natural curiosities about. But make sure they are “testable” questions. “How do paper towels work?” is not testable. “What brand of paper towel is the most absorbent?” is testable.

12. What are the steps of the scientific method? 2.) Research the topic Investigate what others have already learned about your question. Gather information that will help you perform your experiment Use a variety of resources: interviews, encyclopedias, dictionaries, internet, books. Make sure to credit your sources and quote direct quotes. Do NOT copy sources word for word for the entire research section. Jot down ideas on note cards to assemble later for your report.

13. What are the steps of the scientific method? 3.) State the hypothesis After having thoroughly researched a topic, you should have some prediction about what you think will happen in your experiment. This educated guess concerning the outcome is called your hypothesis. You must state your hypothesis in a way that you can readily measure. Stress to your child the goal is not the “right” or the “wrong” answer. This is merely a guess about what they think might happen when they test their guesses.

14. What are the steps of the scientific method? 4.) Design an experiment to test the hypothesis Now that you have come up with a hypothesis, you need to develop a procedure for testing whether it is true or false. This involves changing one variable and measuring the impact that this change has on other variables. When you are conducting your experiment, you need to make sure that you are only measuring the impact of a single change.

15. What are the steps of the scientific method? A word about step 4… This is probably the most tedious part of the scientific method for your child because they will need to be very specific in how they are going to test their hypothesis.

16. What are the steps of the scientific method? Share with your child this scenario: Take a trip in your imagination to your friend’s house where his/her mom has been baking the most wonderful chocolate cake you will ever eat. After you have eaten your third slice, you ask your friend’s mom if you could please have the recipe so that you can make the cake at your house. She writes the recipe down and being so excited that you now have the world’s best chocolate cake recipe in your hands, you run home to see if you can make it too. When you get to your kitchen to read the recipe card you find the following: Chocolate cake recipe: Chocolate Flour Sugar Baking soda Vanilla Salt What’s wrong with this recipe card?

17. What are the steps of the scientific method? Is there only ONE testable variable in this experiment? There are two types of variables: Dependent - the parts of the experiment that need to remain constant in order to receive a valid result. Independent – the one thing in the experiment that you are changing for the test.

18. What are the steps of the scientific method? Consider our earlier experiment: Which paper towel is the most absorbent? Dependent variables for this experiment would be? What is the ONE independent variable?

19. What are the steps of the scientific method? The test should be run MULTIPLE times. Doing the experiment once does NOT lead to a valid answer. The average of the answers should be taken to yield a valid result.

20. What are the steps of the scientific method? Finally: The experimenter must keep an accurate journal of what has happened with the experiment. TAKE PICTURES! It’s also suggested using a composition notebook with dated pages so that all observations and results can be recorded as they happen.

21. What are the steps of the scientific method? 5.) Analyze the results At this stage, you want to be organizing and analyzing the data that you have collected during the course of your experiment in order to summarize what your experiment has shown you. This is where your graphing skills will come in.

22. What are the steps of the scientific method? 6.) Draw the conclusion(s) This is your opportunity to explain the meaning of your results. Did your experiment support your hypothesis? Does additional research need to be conducted? How did your experiment address your initial question and purpose? Don’t be afraid to say “My hypothesis was wrong!”

23. What are the steps of the scientific method? 7.) Report the results and conclusions Since you are performing an experiment for the science fair, you will write a report and prepare a display board so that others can share in your discoveries.

24. Make the project manageable! Need ideas? Check out these websites: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/ http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/ http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/ http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/ http://www.cdli.ca/sciencefairs/ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/pathfinders/fairs.htm http://www.sciserv.org/isef/

25. Make the project manageable! From the moment that your child is assigned the “science fair project”, sit down with him/her and using a calendar, plot out due dates for the individual steps of the project making sure to have everything completed by its due date. This makes the “impossible” seem “possible”.

26. Make the project manageable! Suggested time amounts for each step: Step One (State the question) – 1-2 days Step Two (Research the topic) – 2 weeks Step Three (State the hypothesis) – 1 day Step Four (Design and experiment) – 2 weeks Step Five (Analyze the results) – 5 days Step Six (Draw the conclusion) – 3-4 days Step Seven (Report the results)– date your project is due

27. International Science and Engineering Fair Categories for All Divisions Animal Science: Study of Animals – animal genetics, ornithology, ichthyology, herpetology, entomology, animal ecology, paleontology, cellular physiology, circadian rhythms, animal husbandry, cytology, histology, animal physiology, invertebrate neurophysiology, studies of invertebrates, systematics, etc. Behavioral and Social Sciences: Human and animal behavior, social and community relationships – psychology, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, ethology, ethnology, linguistics, learning, perception, urban problems, reading problems, public opinion surveys, educational testing, etc. Biochemistry: Chemistry of life processes – enzymes, photosynthesis, blood chemistry, protein chemistry, food chemistry, hormones, metabolism, structural biochemistry, etc. Cellular & Molecular Biology: Cellular and molecular biology, cellular and molecular genetics, immunology, etc. Chemistry: Study of nature and composition of matter and laws governing it – physical chemistry, organic chemistry (other than biochemistry), inorganic chemistry, materials, plastics, fuels, pesticides, metallurgy, soil chemistry, etc. Computer Science: Study and development of computer hardware, software engineering, algorithms, data bases, artificial intelligence, networking and communications, computer graphics, computer and operating systems, etc. Earth Sciences: Climatology, weather, geochemistry, mineralogy, paleontology, geophysics, planetary science, tectonics, etc. Engineering: Technology; projects that directly apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses – Bioengineering, civil, electrical, computer, mechanical, construction, chemical, industrial, material science, thermodynamics, solar, robotics, etc. Environmental Science: Air pollution and air quality, soil contamination and quality, water pollution and quality, bioremediation, ecosystems management, environmental engineering, land resource management, forestry, etc. Mathematics: Development of formal logical systems or various numerical and algebraic computations, and the application of these principles – calculus, geometry, abstract algebra, number theory, statistics, complex analysis, probability, analysis, applied math, etc. Medicine and Health: Study of diseases and health of humans and animals – dentistry, pharmacology, pathology, ophthalmology, nutrition, sanitation, pediatrics, dermatology, allergies, speech and hearing, etc. Microbiology: Biology or microorganisms – bacteriology, virology, protozoology, fungi, bacterial genetics, yeast, etc. Physics & Astronomy: Astronomy, atoms, molecules, solids, biological physics, instrumentation and electronics, magnetics and electromagnetics, nuclear and particle physics, optics, lasers, masers, theoretical physics, theoretical or computational astronomy, etc. Plant Science: Study of plant life – agriculture, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant pathology, plant genetics, hydroponics, algae, plant systematics, evolution, etc. Team:Study conducted by two students in any discipline.

28. Have a Fun Learning Experience!