STEM Fair Project Walkthrough

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STEM Fair Project Walkthrough Click on any of the
display board headings below for hints tips!
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Choosing a Topic and Title
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Choosing a Topic and Title

• Be sure that the project chosen is an experiment
  and NOT a demonstration.
• An experiment is
• a problem that is
• explored through
• the scientific method
• Formulating a question
• Determining and following a procedure
• Collecting and analyzing data
• Forming a conclusion

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Choosing a Topic and Title, contd

• Avoid this common mistake
• Choosing a model or demonstration
• Examples
• Volcanoes
• Solar Systems
• How a Light Bulb Works
• Models and demonstrations are NOT scientific
  experiments!
• They will NOT be accepted as Science Fair
  Projects!

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Do NOT submit a DEMONSTRATION as your STEM Fair
Project!
A DEMONSTRATION will NOT be accepted!
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Common Science Fair Demonstrations
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Also avoid choosing CONSUMER PROJECTS!
Example A Coke vs. Pepsi Project Surveying
100 people to see if they prefer Coke or Pepsi
would NOT be a good science fair project because
it has no scientific importance.
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How to make a consumer project scientifically
relevant

• A way to make the Coke vs. Pepsi idea into a good
  project might be to determine if the caffeine
  found in Coke or Pepsi has a greater effect on
  the blood pressure of a sample of 100 people.
• This project would have scientific (medical)
  importance!

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Some valid projects might involve

• Designing and testing a model
• Performing an experiment of some kind and
  reporting the results
• Demonstrating a concept for an original design
• Observing patterns in nature.

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Visit the Intel ISEF site to see if your project
idea fits into an existing category
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Choosing a Topic and Title

• How should I frame my question?
• Here are two examples

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presentation.
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Explaining the Purpose

• Use 1-3 sentences to briefly explain the purpose
  of your experiment.
• Begin with
• The purpose of this project is
• The purpose of this study is
• The purpose of this experiment is to determine
  the effect of ____ on _____.
• For example
• The purpose of this study is to determine which
  soda, Coke or Pepsi, has the greatest effect on a
  persons blood pressure.

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presentation.
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Formulating a Hypothesis

• A hypothesis is a prediction, or scientific
  guess, stating what you think will be the answer
  to your problem/question.
• It should be written as an If, then statement.
• Example
• If blood pressure is measured after Coke and
  Pepsi are consumed, then those subjects who drink
  Coke would have a higher blood pressure than
  those who drink Pepsi.
• In simpler terms, if represents the independent
  variable, while then represents the dependent
  variable.

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presentation.
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Background Research

• Research the topic of your question/problem
• Find out what is already known about your topic

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presentation.
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Designing an Experiment

• You must design an experiment that only tests one
  independent variable.
• All other variables must be controlled.
• Next, you need to list all materials that will be
  used to conduct the experiment.
• Finally, you need to provide a detailed list of
  instructions so that others can repeat your
  experiment. These instructions should be
  numbered.
• Note It is important that you repeat your
  experiment as many times as possible to help
  validate your results.

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More on variables and controls

• Independent variable
• The variable you are changing
• Dependent variable
• The variable you observe for changes
• Controlled variables (aka Constants)
• Things that remain the same throughout the
  experiment

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presentation.
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Collecting Displaying Data

• Data should be collected as you perform the
  experiment
• Data should be displayed on your board in the
  form of tables, graphs, and/or charts
• All tables, graphs, and charts should be clearly
  labeled and include a title
• Photographic and video evidence should also be
  included, if available.

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presentation.
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Results

• In this section, you simply state what your
  results are.
• There is no interpretation or analysis.
• For example
• Subjects who drank Pepsi had a higher blood
  pressure than those who drank Coke.
• Some students elect to include Data Results
  together into one section.

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presentation.
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Drawing Conclusions

• Here is where you answer your research question.
• Did the data you collected support your
  hypothesis?
• Explain why the data did or did not support your
  hypothesis.
• How could you modify your experiment to get more
  useful data and get more conclusive results?

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presentation.
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Discussion

• In this section, you need to interpret your
  findings
• Discuss any trends your data revealed and what
  those trends may mean
• and discuss their significance in the big
  picture
• Impact on society as a whole
• Impact on a particular branch of study (e.g.,
  medicine and health, microbiology, botany, etc.)
• Some students elect to combine their Conclusion
  Discussion into one section.

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Acknowledgements

• This section provides an opportunity for you to
  thank everyone who has assisted you with
  developing and/or completing your project.

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Bibliography/References

• This section is an alphabetical list of books,
  articles, internet sites, etc. that were
  referenced in the development and completion of
  the STEM Fair project.

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References
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presentation.