Successful Science Fair Projects (continued)

There are many good sources for science fair project questions. The Neuroscience For Kids Web Site has some neuroscience-related questions that might spark your interest. Projects involving food - tasting, smelling etc - can be very simple to set up yet also very interesting. "Can blindfolded people taste the difference between ...?" You can also get lots of ideas from science trade books, such as Janice Van Cleave's books ("Biology for Every Kid" etc). If you browse through these books at a store or library, they may give you some ideas for a project of your own.

Project Guidelines

Be sure to carefully read the project guidelines for your particular science fair. Rules vary greatly from fair to fair in what is allowed, both for safety and ethical/animal use considerations. Obviously, experiments should not involve illegal substances or involve clearly preventable danger to you or your research subjects.

Some situations may require clarification from your teacher and/or parents. For example, suppose you were doing an experiment on the effects of caffeine (or chocolate) on concentration or reflexes. Think about the possible consequences! You would need to get permission before providing large amounts of high-caffeine soda pop. Some science fairs discourage the use of food in experiments because of food allergies. Again, check with your science fair guidebook or your teacher, and be sure you clearly communicate to your (human) research subjects what you will be asking them to consume so they can tell you if they have allergies.

Some science fairs allow experiments with live animals and others don't. For example, one classic experiment (found in most older science fair project books) involves changing the temperature of fish tank water and seeing what it does to the respiration rate (breathing) of goldfish. In some places around the country, that experiment would not be allowed at all. In others, you would need a special permission form guaranteeing that you will take good care of the animal. In other places, they don't yet have such restrictions. Again, use common sense. I once had students do a very clever experiment to see if their hamster or their cat could learn to go through a maze more quickly. This experiment, though it had animal subjects, obviously involved no chance of harming the cat or the hamster so I gave them permission to do it. Generally you are safest if your experiments involve plants or insects, and both types of organisms can lead to some fascinating studies! If you REALLY want to do an experiment with your pet, be prepared to explain what information you are hoping to gain from the experiment and how you will ensure the safety of the animal.

Prediction or Hypothesis

As soon as you come up with a testable question, you will probably instantly have a hypothesis (prediction) about what the results will be from your testing. (Isn't the human brain an amazing thing?!) It's a good idea to write this down before starting, because it may change as you go about your experimenting.

Materials and Methods

Once you have come up with a question that you can actually test with materials at your disposal, you need to figure out how to set up the tests. If you will have a survey for your participants to fill out, get that written up and duplicated. If you will need a chart to write down your test results, get it made. If you take the time to make it look nice with a straight-edge, you can include the actual chart or survey instrument in your project write-up. This really impresses the judges!