2012-2013

Science Dept

Science Fair Guidelines

What: Eastlake Science Fair

When: Wednesday, Nov 28th

Time: 4 – 6pm

Location: Cafeteria

Deadlines

First 9 Weeks

Grade #1: Proposal

Due Aug 27, 2012

Points
  1. Question
/ 20
  1. Hypothesis
/ 20
  1. Variables
  2. Independent variable
  3. Dependent variable
  4. Control setup
  5. Experimental set-up
/ 20
  1. Brief summary:
  2. materials
  3. procedure
  4. safety
  5. illustration/ picture of experiment
/ 20
  1. Examples of items used for data collection
  2. tables, graphs, charts, etc
  3. figures, drawings, etc
/ 20

Grade #2: Research/ literature review

Due Sept 4, 2012

Points
  1. Introduction: Summary of purpose of experiment
  2. Questions, hypothesis
  3. Materials and procedure
  4. Inspiration for investigation
  5. Goals of investigation (what do you hope to learn)
/ 25
  1. Background information
  2. Definitions, formulas
  3. Description and Explanation of concepts
  4. Illustrations of concepts
  5. Real-life application
/ 50
  1. Minimum 5 article abstracts
  2. 1 book/ encyclopedia source (including on-line equivalents)
  3. 4 peer-reviewed journal articles
  4. Additional sources
  5. Science magazines, publications, websites
  6. Government or institutional websites, resources (ex. EPA, NIH, NASA, etc)
/ 25

Grade #3 APA Research Paper Draft #1

Due Sept 14, 2012

Points
  1. Title page
/ 10
  1. Introduction
/ 20
  1. Background literature
  2. Use APA in text citation (-10 if missing APA citation)
/ 30
  1. Materials, Procedure, Safety
/ 15
  1. APA references
/ 25

Grade #4 APA Research Paper Draft #2 (corrected)

Due Sept 21, 2012

Points
  1. Title page
/ 10
  1. Introduction
/ 20
  1. Background literature
  2. Use APA in text citation (-20 if missing APA citation)
/ 30
  1. Materials, Procedure, Safety
/ 15
  1. APA references
/ 25

Second 9 Weeks

Grade #1 Results

Due Oct22, 2012

Grade #2 Conclusion and Discussion

Due Oct 30, 2012

  1. Summarizes project
  2. Rejects/ accepts hypothesis
  3. Strengths and weaknesses of project
  4. Future directions for project
  5. Real- life applications of project

Grade #3 APA Final Research paper

Due Nov 9, 2012

Points
  1. Title page
/ 5
  1. Abstract
/ 20
  1. Introduction
/ 5
  1. Background literature
  2. Use APA in text citation (-20 if missing APA citation)
/ 15
  1. Materials, Procedure, Safety
/ 5
  1. Results
/ 20
  1. Conclusion and discussion
/ 20
  1. APA references
/ 10

Grade #4 Official Science fair Abstract and certification

Due Nov 9, 2012

Grade #5 Science fair Board

Due Nov 16, 2012

  1. Title- appropriate and informative
/ 10
  1. Purpose/ question
/ 10
  1. Hypothesis
/ 10
  1. Materials, Procedure and safety
/ 10
  1. Graphs/ pictures/ charts/ data
/ 20
  1. Results
/ 20
  1. Conclusion
/ 20
  1. Abstract
/ 10

Expectations

All students enrolled in PreAP science courses will be expected to design a science fair project. The science fair project will count as a major project grade which is weighted at 25% of the average. Students who do not have a science fair project will more than likely fail the nine weeks.

Science Fair Requirements

Problem

The question that you select for your science fair project is the cornerstone of your work. The research and experiment you will be conducting all revolve around finding an answer to the question you are posing. It is important to select a question that is going to be interesting to work on for at least a month or two and a question that is specific enough to allow you to find the answer with a simple experiment. A scientific question usually starts with: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where. Here are some characteristics of a good science fair project question:

  • The question should be interesting enough to read about, then work on for the next couple months.
  • There should be at least 3 sources of written information on the subject. You want to be able to build on the experience of others!

Hypothesis

  • A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work.
  • Most of the time a hypothesis is written like this: "If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen." (Fill in the blanks with the appropriate information from your own experiment.)
  • Your hypothesis should be something that you can actually test, what's called a testable hypothesis. In other words, you need to be able to measure both "what you do" and "what will happen."

Materials

Make the materials list as specific as possible, and be sure you can get everything you need before you start your science fair project.

Procedures

  • Description and size of all experimental and control groups, as applicable
  • A step-by-step list of everything you must do to perform your experiment. Think about all the steps that you will need to go through to complete your experiment, and record exactly what will need to be done in each step.
  • The experimental procedure must tell how you will change your one and only independent variable and how you will measure that change
  • The experimental procedure must explain how you will measure the resulting change in the dependent variable or variables
  • If applicable, the experimental procedure should explain how the controlled variables will be maintained at a constant value
  • The experimental procedure should specify how many times you intend to repeat your experiment, so that you can verify that your results are reproducible.
  • A good experimental procedure enables someone else to duplicate your experiment exactly!

Literature Review

Abstract

COMPLETING THE ABSTRACT:

Abstracts are limited to a maximum 250 words and must fit within the predefined area. Please be sure to consult the information from your affiliate fair for the proper formatting of the header information as fairs differ in what is required (or not allowed).

The abstract should include the following:

a) purpose of the experiment

b) procedure

c) data

d) conclusions

It may also include any possible research applications. Only minimal reference to previous work may be included. An abstract must not include the following:

a) acknowledgments (including naming the research institution and/or mentor with which you were working), or self-promotions and external endorsements

b) work or procedures done by the mentor

COMPLETING THE CERTIFICATION:

At the bottom of the Abstract & Certification form there are six questions. Read each carefully and answer appropriately. The Affiliated Fair Scientific Research Committee will review and approve the abstract and answers to the questions.

Please bring a copy of your Abstract & Certification to the fair and be sure to consult with your affiliated fair regarding the rules of making copies to distribute.

TIPS ON WRITING A PROJECT ABSTRACT

A project abstract is a brief paragraph or two (limited to 250 words or 1,800 characters) highlighting and/or summarizing the major points or most important ideas about your project. An abstract allows judges to quickly determine the nature and scope of a project.

• Emphasize these aspects: purpose (hypothesis), methods (procedures used), data summary or analysis, and conclusions.

• Focus only on the current year’s research.

• Omit details and discussions.

• Use the past tense when describing what was done. However, where appropriate use active verbs rather than passive verbs.

• Use short sentences, but vary sentence structure.

• Use complete sentences. Don’t abbreviate by omitting articles or other small words in order to save space.

• Avoid jargon and use appropriate scientific language.

• Use concise syntax, correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

AVOID A REWRITE

• Focus on what you did, not on the work of your mentor or of the laboratory in which you did your work.

• Do NOT include acknowledgements, self promotion or external endorsements. Don’t name the research institution and/or mentor with which you were working and avoid mentioning awards or honors (including achieving a patent) in the body of the abstract.

• Be sure to emphasize the current year’s research. A continuation project should only make a brief mention of previous years’ research (no more than a sentence or two).

Research Paper

Data/Data Analysis

Graphs are often an excellent way to display your results. In fact, most good science fair projects have at least one graph.

For any type of graph:

  • Generally, you should place your independent variable on the x-axis of your graph and the dependent variable on the y-axis.
  • Be sure to label the axes of your graph— don't forget to include the units of measurement (grams, centimeters, liters, etc.).
  • If you have more than one set of data, show each series in a different color or symbol and include a legend with clear labels.

Different types of graphs are appropriate for different experiments. These are just a few of the possible types of graphs: bar graph, time-series, xy-line graph, and scatter plot.

  • Review your data. Try to look at the results of your experiment with a critical eye. Ask yourself these questions:
  • Is it complete, or did you forget something?
  • Do you need to collect more data?
  • Did you make any mistakes?
  • Calculate an average for the different trials of your experiment, if appropriate.
  • Make sure to clearly label all tables and graphs. And, include the units of measurement (volts, inches, grams, etc.).
  • Place your independent variable on the x-axis of your graph and the dependent variable on the y-axis.

Conclusions

Your conclusions summarize how your results support or contradict your original hypothesis:

  • Summarize your science fair project results in a few sentences and use this summary to support your conclusion. Include key facts from your background research to help explain your results as needed.
  • State whether your results support or contradict your hypothesis. (Engineering & programming projects should state whether they met their design criteria.)
  • If appropriate, state the relationship between the independent and dependent variable.
  • Summarize and evaluate your experimental procedure, making comments about its success and effectiveness.
  • Suggest changes in the experimental procedure (or design) and/or possibilities for further study.

Board

Purpose
Hypothesis
Materials
Procedures / Title
(Keep it simple)
Graphs
Pictures
Data / Results
Conclusion
Abstract
Other Required paperwork

Categories

ANIMAL SCIENCES (Code: AS)Study of animals and animal life, including the study of the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals. Animal ecology, physiology, animal husbandry, cytology, histology, entomology, ichthyology, ornithology, herpetology,etc.
BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (Code: BE)The science or study of the thought processes and behavior of humans and other animals in their interactions with the environment studied through observational and experimental methods.
BIOCHEMISTRY (Code: BI)The study of the chemical substances and vital processes occurring in living organisms, the processes by which these substances enter into, or are formed in, the organisms and react with each other and the environment.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (Code: CB)The study of the structure and formation of cells.
CHEMISTRY (Code: CH)The science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems.
COMPUTER SCIENCE (Code: CS)The study of information processes, the structures and procedures that represent processes, and their implementation in information processing systems. It includes systems analysis and design, application and system software design, programming, and datacenter operations.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE (Code: EA)The study of sciences related to the planet Earth (Geology, minerology, physiography, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, speleology, sesismology, geography, atmospheric sciences, etc.)
ENGINEERING: Electrical and Mechanical (Code: EE)The application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and economical structures, processes, and systems.
ENGINEERING: Materials and Bioengineering Code: EN)The application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and economical machines and systems.
ENERGY & TRANSPORTATION (Code: ET)The study of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, clean transport, and alternative fuels.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (Code: EM)The study of managing mans' interaction with the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Code: EV)The analysis of existing conditions of the environment.
MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES (Code: MA)The study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. The deductive study of numbers, geometry, and various abstract constructs, or structures. Mathematics is very broadly divided into foundations, algebra, analysis, geometry, and applied mathematics, which includes theoretical computer science.
MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES (Code: ME)The science of diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease and other damage to the body or mind.
MICROBIOLOGY (Code: MI)The study of micro-organisms, including bacteria, viruses, prokaryotes, and simple eukaryotes and of antibiotic substances.
PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY (Code: PH)Physics is the science of matter and energy and of interactions between the two. Astronomy is the study of anything in the universe beyond the Earth.
PLANT SCIENCES (Code: PS)Study of plant life. Ecology, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, plant taxonomy, physiology, pathology, plant genetics, hydroponics, algae, etc.

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