Seattle Public Schools

Middle School

Science Fair

2014
Thursday, June 5th
Museum of Flight

What is the Seattle Public Schools Middle School Science Fair?

The Science Fair is a student-centered event in Seattle Public Schools in grades 6-8. All middle school students in the district are encouraged to develop and complete a research-based science project that focuses on designing and completing a controlled experiment or on the development of an idea to solve a problem or make improvements on an existing idea. The criteria for a successful project are listed on pp. 11-12 in this booklet. Students are encouraged to choose the type of project that best fits their learning style and interests

Any Seattle Public Schools middle school student may complete a project for academic credit in science (at the discretion of the student’s science teacher) and/or for submission to their school science fair (where applicable). However,only the top projects at each grade level from a school, as determined by the science teachers,will be permitted to compete as finalists in the district Science Fair. Finalists are invited to represent their school and their project at the Science Fair on June 5, 2014 at the Museum of Flight.On the day of the fair, finalists are interviewed by scientist judges about their projects and the most competitive projects are honored at an awards ceremony following the judging and interview process.

Please communicate with your science teacher at your school to determine the final due date for science fair projects and for more information on grading and selection of science fair finalists from your school.

How Do IParticipate in the Middle School Science Fair?

  • Choose a topic of interest.
  • Design a scientific investigation project for your selected topic. Discuss your investigation with your parent/guardian and science teacher. You may want to ask your science teacher if, and how, projects will be graded.
  • Get organized and create a timeline for completing the parts of your project with help from our teacher. Find out the date of your school science fair.
  • Begin your project and stick to your timeline.
  • Prepare a display of your findings/work according to the criteria in this packet.
  • Submit your project for presentation at your school’s science fair (if applicable).
  • If your project is exemplary, you may be selected by your teacher as a science fair finalist. Finalists will receive selection notice and district fair registration materials by May 20.
  • Finalists present their projects at the district Science Fair at the Museum of Flight on June 5, 2014.

GETTING STARTED AND STAYING ORGANIZED


99% of past science fair participants say, “I wish I had started my project earlier!”
The number one problem students have with their science fair project is organizing their time. It will be very important that you get started early and work on your project throughout the time period so that you are not trying to get it done at the last minute. Below is a checklist to use to keep organized over the many weeks necessary to complete a quality project. Good luck and have fun!
STEP / TASK / DUE DATE
1 / Choose a topic.
2 / Begin gathering resources and information on your topic. Do additional research as needed.
3 / Develop your question, hypothesis, and begin designing your experiment.
4 / Gather materials, set up experiment, and begin recording data.
5 / Continue recording data as necessary. Depending upon your experiment, it may take a couple of hours, or weeks.
6 / Begin designing display board.
7 / Begin assembling display, verifying data, and writing conclusions.
8 / Design charts, graphs, and finalize writing for display.
9 / Finalize display.

CHOOSING A TOPIC

Your job is to plan and create an experiment, instead of merely building a scientific model or reporting on a subject in science. You will be spending a lot of time on this experiment (many days, weeks or even months), so it is very important that you choose a science subject that really interests you. Do not limit yourself!

Possible Projects Topic Areas:

Animal Sciences. Study of animals – animal genetics, ornithology, ichthyology, herpetology, entomology, animal ecology, animal anatomy and physiology, circadian rhythms, animal husbandry, histology, animal physiology, invertebrate physiology, studies of invertebrates, animal development, animal pathology, population genetics, systematics, etc.

Behavioral and Social Sciences. Human behavior, social and community relationships–psychology, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, ethology, ethnology, linguistics, learning, perception, urban problems, reading problems, educational testing, clinical and developmental psychology, etc.

Biochemistry. Chemistry of life processes – general biochemistry, metabolism, structural biochemistry, protein chemistry, food chemistry, hormones, etc.

Cellular and Molecular Biology. Cellular biology, cellular physiology, cellular and molecular genetics, immunology, molecular biology, etc.

Chemistry. Study of nature and composition of matter and laws governing it – general chemistry, organic chemistry (other than biochemistry), inorganic chemistry, materials, plastics, pesticides, metallurgy, soil chemistry, physical chemistry, etc.

Computer Science. Study and development of computer hardware, software engineering, Internet networking and communications, databases, graphics (including human interface), simulations / virtual reality or computational science, artificial intelligence, networking, operating systems, etc.

Earth and Planetary Science. Geology, mineralogy, physiography, geochemistry, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, weather, speleology, seismology, geography, geophysics, planetary science, tectonics, etc.

Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Technology projects that directly apply principles to practical uses – electrical, computer engineering, controls, mechanical, thermodynamics, solar, robotics, etc.

Energy and Transportation. Aerospace and aeronautical engineering, aerodynamics, alternative fuels, fossil fuel energy, vehicle development, renewable energies, etc.

Seattle Public School MS Science Fair, Revised January 2014Page 1

Environmental Management. Bioremediation, ecosystems management, environmental engineering, land resource management, forestry, recycling, waste management, etc.

Environmental Sciences. Study of air pollution and air quality, soil contamination and soil quality, water pollution and water quality, etc.

Materials Engineering and Bioengineering. Technology projects that directly apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses – civil, construction, mechanical, industrial, chemical, processing, material science, etc.

Mathematical Sciences. 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 and probability, etc.

Medicine and Health Sciences. Disease diagnosis and treatment, epidemiology, dentistry, pharmacology, pathology, ophthalmology, nutrition, sanitation, dermatology, allergies, speech and hearing, genetics, molecular biology of diseases, etc.

Microbiology. Biology of microorganisms – bacteriology, virology, protozoology, fungi, bacterial genetics, yeast, antibiotics, antimicrobials, etc.

Physics and Astronomy. Theories, principles, and laws governing energy and the effect of energy on matter – solid state, optics, acoustics, particle, nuclear, atomic, molecules, solids, plasma, superconductivity, fluid and gas dynamics, thermodynamics, semiconductors, magnetism, quantum mechanics, biophysics, electromagnetism, optics, lasers, masers, theoretical physics, basic astronomy, theoretical astronomy, etc.

Plant Sciences. Study of plant life – agriculture, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, plant physiology, plant pathology, plant genetics, hydroponics, plant ecology, photosynthesis, plant systems, evolution, etc.

PROJECT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CHECKLIST

1. ______Gather Resources: There are many books and on-line resources available to give you ideas on science fair projects and experiments. There are also many people that can help you get started and guide you along the way. Some examples include: teachers in middle and high schools, high school students, university students and professors, local scientists, family members/relatives, and neighbors. You are solely responsible for your experiment, but obtaining assistance can be very useful.

2. ______Develop a Question: This is a crucial step! If you do not have a good question, a good experiment is unlikely to follow. Strong experimental questions are testable question! This means that it is possible to perform an experimental test to determine the answer!

A testable question should be focused, interesting to you, suggest a doable experiment and is much more than a simple question with an answer that you already know. Ask questions that allow you to compare things – effectiveness of products, differences in strength, time of day, type of species, amount of water or light or soil, etc. This should also include the type of measurement or quantitative observation you will make. In general, questions that start with ”why” or “how” should be avoided, since these tend to ask for information, but aren’t as good for designing an experiment.

For example, “What do birds like to eat?” is too broad of a question, and the answer can be found easily in a textbook. A better question – “Do local birds spend more time at a bird feeder in the morning or in the evening?” is more focused and allows you to set up an experiment to specifically answer your question. It also lets you compare something – in this case, two parts of a day - and measure an effect – time birds spend at a feeder. Another way to state this question is “What is the effect of the time of day on the length of time birds spend at a bird feeder?”

Here are a few examples of questions that lead to stronger, more focused experiments:

  • Do commercial water filters remove bacteria equally?
  • Does the blood-sugar level of middle school students impact their ability to concentrate?
  • Is there a difference in the effectiveness of popular stain removers?
  • What is the effect of the type of food on growth of Madagascar hissing cockroaches?
  • What is the effect of different bridge designs on the strength of a bridge?
  • Is there a difference in effectiveness between mouthwashes?
  • Does changing the mass of a car affect the time it takes to roll down a ramp?

Testable questions are usually phrased like this “What is the effect of _____ on _____ ?” A testable question contains a manipulated variable and a responding variable. Fill in the first blank with what you will test (your manipulated variable) and the second blank with what you want to measure (your responding variable). The responding variable should be measurable using a scientific tool such as a stopwatch, meter stick, thermometer, scale, volt meter, rain gauge, etc.

Conducting a survey about what someone prefers or thinks is NOT ACCEPTABLE for a science fair project because the question is not testable!The question can include a manipulated and a responding variable but the responding variable can’t be measured using a scientific tool. The answer is someone’s opinion or someone’s observations about which tastes better or which is cleaner or brighter, etc.)

Performing a demonstration of how something worksor displaying a collection is NOT ACCEPTABLE for a science fair project because the question is not testable!(For example, a collection of objects; a model showing how something works; or a real object with a description of how it works. There is NO experiment.)

3. ______Hypothesis: A hypothesis states the idea you are testing. You can think of it as one of the possible answers to your research question. Your hypothesis needs to have two parts: the idea you are testing and why you believe this. For example, if you are trying to find out when birds do the most feeding, your hypothesis could state: “I think local birds will feed mostly in the early morning hours because I often hear them singing and busy early in mornings and I think they will be hungry after a night’s rest and will need food for energy for the rest of the day.” An ideal hypothesis will tie in background information on your topic from your related study report. What details from your background research support your hypothesis?

4. _____ Design and Carry Out Experiment: Design your experiment to test your hypothesis. It is extremely important that your experiment be designed so that you maintain controls and variables and are able to repeat the experiment more than once. For instance, in our experiment concerning birds and their feeding habits, the experiment must be designed to keep all variables the same - the specific amount and type of bird food should be exactly the same every day, the container that holds the food should remain constant everyday, the place where it is located should be exactly the same every day, and any outside noises or distractions should beconsistent every day of the experiment. The only variable that should change is the time of day.

Make sure to include a complete list of all of your materials that you use in your experiment and keep a specific procedure. The procedure is a "recipe" like in a cookbook, step-by-step instructions explaining how to perform your experiment. Your procedure is complete if anyone wanting to repeat your experiment could do so using your instructions.

5. _____ Gather Data: Document every step of your experiment. This means, take detailed notes on your actual procedures and observations, including numerical data and descriptions. For example, "March 2, Day #1 - at 6:00 am the weather was cloudy, no rain and 52 degrees F. Between 6:00-7:00 am, 25.8 grams of bird seed were eaten. I observed three Sparrows, one Stellar’s Jay, and one Robin between 6:00-7:00 am. Between 7:00-8:00, 18.5 grams of seed were eaten . . .” Creating a data table for recording data and observations can be very helpful. Take photos during your experiment to document your experiment and enhance interest.

6. _____ Data Presentation:Charts and graphs should be devised from your data to present your findings. Make sure to choose a specific chart(s) or graph(s) that clearly presents your data and conveys scientific and mathematical accuracy. Include your complete data set and any summary statistics, such as averages that you calculate. Charts, graphs, diagrams and photos should be an easy way for people to quickly understand your results.

7. ______Data Analysis & Conclusion: Once your experiment is completed, go back over your data, observations and background research to interpret what you found. Summarize all of your data to form a written conclusion. You should remember to answer your original question and show how your data support your answer. Your conclusion must also address which variables may have influenced your results that you did not control. If you were to do this experiment again, how would you improve it? What might you do differently? You can also discuss additional investigations that would help you learn more about your topic.

Preparing Your Display

One of the most important things scientists must be able to do is successfully communicate their ideas, results, and learning to others. You will accomplish this through your visual display. The display board is a visual representation of your entire project, from your questions to conclusion. Your display will impact the judges a great deal because it is the first thing they will see. Be creative with your display, but be sure to include all the important parts and information about your project. Remember: First impressions are very important!

Your display should be presented on a tri-fold board of cardboard or foam that is sturdy enough to stand on its own. Display boards must not be larger than 3’ high by 5’ wide.Write your name only on the back of the board, not on the front.Keep your display board neat, uncluttered, and to the point. All photos and illustrations should include captions and photo credits.

Your Display Board Should:

Attract attention.

Encourage the viewer to take a closer look and investigate your data.

Communicate that you have taken your investigation seriously and invested time in it.

Helpful Hints:

Use color, but not too much. 2 or 3 colors are enough.

Think of a clever title and make it large enough to read from a distance.

All wording should be straight, easy to read, and spelled correctly.

Avoid using too much glue; itwill wrinkle the paper and look messy.

If possible, display your experimental set-upin front of your board. If this is not possible, include photos of yourexperimental set-up on your board with captions underneath each photo.Photos should not show students’ faces.

Be creative, but don’t let your creativity get in the way of the science.

Put your name and the name of your school on the back of your board only.

Please Note: No living organisms, taxidermy specimens, preserved animals, human/animal parts or body fluids, pathogenic or carcinogenic materials, drugs, hypodermic needles, explosives, or flammable materials, poisonous chemicals, open flames, burners, lasers, x-rays, ultraviolet, or infrared radiation are allowed as part of your display.Photos should not show students’ faces. Do not have anything of value or that is breakable as part of your display. You will not have access to electrical outlets.

Seattle Public Schools Middle School Science Fair

Award Categories

All Science Fair finalists who attend the fair will be eligible to win the following awards for their projects:

  • Best Overall
  • Best Data Analysis
  • Most Original
  • Judges’ Special Recognition Award

Additional awards will be given to projects in the categories below. Finalists are strongly encouraged to submittheir project in one of the following categories in order to be eligible for that award: