tipsforstudents

Build An Exhibit To Be Proud Of

Building the display provides the chance to develop and demonstrate construction, artistic and written skills. There is a good deal of work involved in designing an exhibit that explains to the observer what the project is all about.
For the best use of space, a three panel backboard is recommended with the dimensions shown below. The materials should be strong but light weight for handling, easily broken down for shipping and the structure self-supporting.

Use of attractive lettering for the title and headings to make them stand out. Check spelling and type or print neatly.

Drawings, photographs, graphs, models and slides can all be used to illustrate the work done. Large items of equipment may not fit the space available and can be replaced with models, photographs and drawings.
Anything hazardous such as flammable liquids, dangerous chemicals, bare electric wires, open flames and uncovered drive belts cannot be displayed. Check the SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR PROJECT DISPLAYS page to be sure your display is considered safe.

Surviving The Judges

What To Expect From Judges

Judges will be looking for:
Originality - in the idea and the approach you have taken..
Accuracy - in the collection of information and your use of the process chosen..
Completeness - in doing your experiment, study or construction and understanding what has happened.
Results - ending up with knowledge that is relevant to the work and important to the researcher.

The Judges job is to:
-talk to you about what you have done
-listen to you
-read what you have written
-see what you have made or built
-ask questions
-perhaps make suggestions

And finally, the judges will evaluate your work against the levels of performance listed on the judging sheet.
ULTIMATELY, The judges want to learn what you have learned, and enjoy the work you have done.

Take Ownership Of Your Project
Know your project:
-what prompted you
-what you did
-what you found
-what went right and why
-what went wrong and why
-what are the applications of your project
Know the background materials:
-the scientific principals involved
-the research that has already been done
Know what you would have done differently:
-what could be done to improve your work
-what might be next Questions to expect from Judges:
-Tell me about your project.
-What did you find or prove?
-How did you discover what you have found?
-What happened along the way?
-What worked?
-What did not work?
-What would you change next time?
-Explain a real life application for your work.
Introduce yourself
Say "thank-you" when it's over
Be Honest
Be friendly
Say "I don't know" if you don't...

Choosing A Topic

This is often the hardest part of the whole project,especially as you try to come up with something that others have not already done many times over. Here are some tips to help you along:

1. Start with the things you are interested in. Make up a list.

2. Then decide what you are really curious about with some general question you have about these topics.

For example: You are curious about weather. You ask the questions..

Why and how does weather change?

When and why do tornadoes happen?

Does weather affect human's health?

Does air pollution affect the weather?

3. Remember that a good science project is based on good questions that cannot always be answered.

4. Now you are getting closer to narrowing down your topic. Pick the specific aspect of the topic that interests you and develop your project around that.
Avoid being too general.
Don't forget the best idea is your own idea.
There are other great ideas in all of these areas.
plants
health
food
environment
computers
chemistry
space microbiology
machines
animals
mathematics
medicine
inventions.. the list is limited only by your IMAGINATION...

5. Once you have arrived at your choice of topic the next step is to choose the approach you wish to use, investigation, study or technology. These approaches are outlined in the previous page in greater detail. Consult the GENERAL SAFETY GUIDLINES FOR SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS page to see if your ideas fall within acceptable limits.

Three Different Processes Or Ways To Approach Your Project

Investigation: In this approach you would INVESTIGATE variables under controlled conditions to determine relationships and patterns of behaviors. In other words, design an experiment to address a problem for your particular topic.

Study: You may choose to perform a STUDY on your topic. This means that you will use previously existing data or information for the basis of your study. This means you may be looking towards the library or some other outside source for your information.

Technology: If you choose this route, you will create an innovative TECHNOLOGY which attempts to solve a problem. This will mean building some sort of model or working device to demonstrate your topic.

YEAR: determined by the grade of the presenter

CATEGORY: determined by the content of the project. Each project should be placed in the category that best describes the nature of the project.

PROCESS: determined by the process used in the project.

Registration and Judging is based on the particular combination of year, category and process of each individual project.

Why Do A Project?

A Science Fair is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their scientific work to other students, parents and their community. It allows the student to learn how well he or she has done.

By working on an independent, integrated science project, a student has an opportunity to learn and practice language, math, art, research as well as science skills.

It becomes an opportunity to experience some of the same challenges as those of a scientific researcher and at the same time provides a chance to discuss their work with friendly, knowledgeable judges.

Researching the scientific background, investigating relationships, or developing technology, recording information accurately and carefully and analysing the data are just some of the skills and processes explored.

Building an interesting, eye-catching display, writing a thorough research report, identifying patterns, graphing the data precisely and presenting effectively are other related skills inherent in a project.

Display Boards

The purpose of your display is to display your project to a judge. Content, or the information on the board is the most important thing. Many boards look good but don't have very much information. Your display board should look professional, something that a businessperson might use, not a little kid. It should attract the attention of a viewer and make them want to come over and read about your project.

It is good to use color in your display but you shouldn't make it too colorful because it will make your display lose its professionalism. Stick to one or two colors that contrast, such as black and white or red and green. Avoid fluorescent colors because they make your project look cheap. Whatever you do, don't use colors that clash. Use colors sparingly, you don't want the judges focusing on the colors instead of the content.

The title is very important in a display board. It should be eye-catching and easy to read. Be sure that the letters are large enough to read across a room. Use dark colors for the title.

Most display boards are of a 3 panel configuration and the traditional way to setup this type of board is:
Left Panel : Purpose and Problem and Procedure
Center Panel : Title and Illustrations/Photos and Graphs/Charts
Right Panel : Results and Conclusion

Before you begin, make sure you plan out your board including making sketches.

This can save you money if you mess up a board.

Writing Reports

A good research paper should include all of the following:

* Title Page Create a Title page including a project title, your name, address, school, and grade.

* Table of Contents Include the page numbers for the beginning of each section.

* Introduction The Introduction includes your hypothesis, an explanation of your idea and how you got it. Also include what you hoped to achieve when you started the project.

* Experiment Describe in detail the method you used to collect your data and observations. Your report should be detailed enough for anyone to be able to repeat your experiment by just reading the paper. It would be a good idea to include detailed photographs or drawings of your self-designed equipment.

* Discussion In this section, your results are analyzed. This section should flow logically so that the reader can easily follow your train of thought. Compare your data, with theoretical values, and expected results. Discuss how your results varied from similar events. Describe what you would do differently if you were to do this project again.

* Conclusion Summarize your results. Do not introduce anything that wasn't already mentioned in previous parts of the paper.

* Acknowledgments In this section, you should give credit to all who assisted you. This may include individuals, businesses, and educational or research institutions. Identify any financial support or material donations received.

* References This list should include any documentation that is not your own, such as books or articles, that you used. Use proper bibliography format.

Project Hints

Here are some helpful hints that you might not consider when doing a science fair project:
Choose A Topic that Interests YOU

The topic that you choose for your science fair project should be one that is of interest to you. If you have ever tried to do something that did not interest you, chances are that you did not do your best. When participating in a science fair, to have a chance at winning you have to give it your all, or in other words- do your best. It is much easier to do your best when you are actually interested in the topic you are studying.

Do your own work

When you are at the fair, and are asked to speak about your project, how can you talk about it if you didn't actually do it yourself? Getting help on a few specific aspects of your project is okay, there is nothing wrong with that, but it has to be YOU who does the project, not a parent.

Give yourself plenty of time

For your project to be the best you can make it, you must allow yourself plenty of time to get it done. A good project can't be done the night before the fair or even a few days before. A good project requires weeks of planning and experimentation to be successful.

Your Project doesn't have to be complex

The purpose of a science fair is to help you (the student) to learn about a specific topic. Often times, students choose very difficult and tedious projects because they think that it will help them to do better at the fair. In theory, it is a good ideas, but more often then not, the student becomes overwhelmed with the project and ends up not learning very much about it. It is better to pick a simpler project and be able to speak confidently on Science Fair Day then do choose a difficult one and be unsure.

Project Steps

1. Selecting A Topic
The first step in preparing a good science fair project is to select a topic for your project. Being the first 'hurdle' a student faces when starting a science fair project and they are often faced with quite a dilemma. Choosing a good project is a very important because is can make the difference between a good and excellent project. First of all, you should pick a topic you are interested in. Secondly, it doesn't have to be complicated. Students often select complicated projects and then end up not fully understanding the concepts or even giving up on the project. The Ideas page has a list of generic project ideas that can be either simplified or expanded upon to fit your needs.

2. Research your Topic
After selecting your topic, learn everything about it. Books on your topic can most likely be found in your local library or bookstore. The best source for information is here on the Internet. You can use the many search engines available to find information or try our Science Links page with a vast amount of links to various science related sites on the Internet.

3. Make A Plan
Once you consider yourself an 'expert' about your topic, make a plan as to how you will conduct your experiment. Your plan should include the following:
* The purpose of your experiment
* The the variable(s) or the things that you are going to change during the experiment.
* Your Hypothesis or what you think the outcome of the project will be.
* A detailed procedure outlining how you will conduct the experimentation.

4. Conduct the Experiments
The next step is to follow the plan that you have written. While conducting the experiments make your you keep detailed notes on everything that you observe. You may even want to take pictures or make sketches of your observations. These notes are vital to your experiment because they are needed when you write your report and make your display.

5. Analyze Your Results
Once you are finished with the experiment, organize your notes. You may want to recopy your notes so that they are more organized and can be easily understood by others. Then, analyze them. Ask yourself, what happened, did the results agree with your hypothesis, and so on. Make graphs and charts to represent the data to help you analyze it.

6. Write A Report
Write a detailed report about your project. Tell exactly what you did, how you did it, and what you discovered. Be sure you write all about your plan and your experiment. Include your data, and perhaps some charts and graphs to help readers interpret the information. Be sure you also include some of the background information you learned. For More information visit our Writing A Science Fair Report page.

7. Make your Display
The Display crucial to your success at the fair because it tells about your project. The display must be neat and well organized. It should include background information, the problem, your hypothesis, your procedure, your results, your conclusion, your report, and graphs and charts. You can also include photos or drawings of your experiments. For more information on creating your display, see our Display Hints page.

8. Rehearse Your Presentation
When you make your presentation to the judges, it is important that you are prepared and know what you are going to say before you have to say it. By rehearsing your presentation, you get an opportunity to 'work the bugs out' and become to feel comfortable talking about your project. You should start out rehearsing by yourself and then find volunteers to to be mock judges and present it to them. You will calmer and more composed on the science fair day if you are prepared and know what you are going to say.

9. Do your BEST!
At the science fair, try to be as calm and professional as possible. Know what you are talking about and be confident, you will do fine.

What Makes a Good Science Fair Project?

A good Science Fair project involves the student in a journey of discovery, driven by curiosity. It typically starts with a student proposing a question or hypothesis, and doing some background research. The student then develops an experimental apparatus or procedure that will produce data, from which the student can draw conclusions to prove (or disprove) the hypothesis, or answer the question.

A good hypothesis typically takes the form of "If I do this, then that should happen." A question typically takes the form of "Can I improve results by doing this?", or "If I try different ways of accomplishing something, which produces the best results?" An example of a poor question is "If I do that, what happens?". A good Science Fair Project directs the student's efforts toward a particular result or expectation; undirected experimentation just to find out what happens is play, not science (although notable discoveries have been made in this manner, they are notable because they were "accidents").

After selection of a hypothesis, the most important parts of the scientific process are to:
* conduct background research
* develop an experimental apparatus or procedure to investigate the hypothesis or question
* operate the apparatus or conduct the procedure to collect experimental data
* perform iterations of data collection
* reduce or analyze the experimental data
* arrive at conclusions

The final step before coming to the Science Fair is to prepare a display and rehearse (but not memorize!) an explanation of how the display shows the means for conducting the experiment, developing the results, and arriving at the conclusions.

Students are advised that getting the right answer is NOT the purpose of a Science Fair project. It is the intent of a Science Fair project that you go through the process of asking questions and performing experiments in an attempt to find answers. Making the attempt without answering the question still satisfies the intent of your discovering knowledge on your own. At the Science Fair, the judges appreciate a display that clearly shows the intent and results of experimentation, and a presentation that concisely describes what was done and what was concluded. The judges want to feel that you are familiar enough with your project to discuss it comfortably and answer questions about it. Memorized speeches or rambling descriptions of minutiae (trivial details) are frustrating to judges, who need to be able to pose appropriate questions in order to thoroughly understand the project. If you work on a team project, the judges will expect more substantial science in your project, and every team member should be able to represent the project.

Teachers and Parents are advised to encourage students to develop a genuine interest in their projects. Judges will occasionally ask students why they chose to do a particular project, and it usually turns out that the best work is done by students who are motivated and inspired by their curiosity about what they are investigating. Students who developed a project simply because you expected them to do so will generally produce mediocre results.
Judges are advised that students are expected to have a thorough understanding of the work that they have done. The students must know why the experiments they have assembled and operated can provide the answers they seek. They must correctly interpret the data they have collected. As judges, you should expect a logical answer to any of your questions about the technical terms they use or the equipment they have employed. Some students will attempt to accomplish research that is beyond their understanding, skills, or the capability of their equipment; it is preferable that they complete projects they have the ability to thoroughly grasp.

County coordinators are advised that some types of poor attempts at Science Fair projects are relatively easy to identify. In order to maintain the integrity and excellence of projects entered in the State Science Fair, it is preferred that you NOT recognize the following types of projects with awards at the local level, and that you NOT invite them to submit an application to the State Science Fair:

* Artwork, photographs, or replicas (physical or computer-generated) that illustrate concepts but were not used or are not useful as experimental apparatus to collect comparative data; depictions of known scientific concepts are in this category

* Experiments that indicate the students have not done rudimentary background research (e.g., they could have seen the experiment described in a textbook)

* Displays of collections of things (unless the collections are used for comparative research that leads to scientific conclusions)

* Experiments that merely find out "What happens if I do this?", without having a scientific reason for performing the procedure

* Pontification of theories with no credible attempt at proof (e.g., using literature search of quotes to provide evidence for the theory)

* Experiments that present results without analyses that predict the results, quantify results, show why those results occurred, or explain how they occurred

* Experiments that do not check data points for repeatability or resolve widely divergent results

* Experiments using apparatus so crude that measurements could not be realistically acquired to show the intended results