iST M
Learn Different.
MIDDLE
SCHOOL
STEM FAIR
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STUDENT HANDBOOK
MIDDLE SCHOOL STEM FAIR
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Spring 2013
Table of Contents
Review of the Engineering Design Process……………………………………………………………………...
Understanding your Topic…………………………………………………..…………………………………………..
Identifying the “Problem”………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Project Research………………………………………………………….………………………………………………….
Brainstorming - Developing a Hypothesis……………………………………………………..………………...
Documenting – Engineering Journal……………………………………………………………..………………...
“Plan” - Engineering Design & Testing Procedures…………………………………………………………..
“Create” – Prototype Construction………………………………………………………………………………….
“Test” - Collecting & Analyzing Data…………………………………………………………………………….….
“Modify” – Redesign & Retest……….…………………………………………………………………………….….
Developing a Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Display Size and Setup……………………………………………………………………………………………..……..
Digital Presentation………………………………………………………………..………………………………………
Oral Presentation……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
School Level STEM Fair Information……………………………………………………..………………………..
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Forms
Student Timeline for STEM Fair………………………………………………………………………………….…..
Introductory Letter to Parents……………………………………………………………………………………….
Helpful Hints for Parents………………………………………………………...........................................
Project Information Form……………………………………………………………....................................
Project Log…………………………………………………….………………………………………………………..…….
Project Approval Form………………………………………………………………………………………….……….
Students’ Research Log……………………………………………….……………………………………….………..
Students’ Engineering Design Scaled Drawings …………………………………...………………………..
Students’ Engineering Design & Testing Procedures …………………………...………………………..
Students’ Engineering Design Purchase Order..…………………………………...………………………..
Students’ Observation Chart Log……………………….…………………………...................................
Students’ Charts and Graphs Log……………………………………………….......................................
Students’ Conclusion Log………………………….……………………………………..................................
Students’ Identifying the Prototype’s “Problem(s)”Log…………………………………………………..
Student Final Completion Checklist………………………………………………...................................
Student STEM Fair Registration Form……………………………………….…………………………………….
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The Engineering Design Process
The engineering design process is the set of steps that a designer takes, from identifying a problem
or need to creating and developing a solution that solves the problem or meets the need.
The steps of the engineering design process are to:
Ask
o Define the Problem
o Do Background Research
Imagine
o Brainstorm
o Create Alternative Solutions
o Hypothesize
Plan
o Choose the Best Solution
o Do Development Work
o Specify Requirements
 Design – Scaled Drawings
 Materials – Costs
 Technical Procedures
Create
o Build a Prototype
o Testing and Data Analysis
Improve
o Modify and Redesign
o Follow the EDP again to create the best piece of technology
During the engineering design process, designers frequently jump back and forth between steps.
Going back to earlier steps is common. This way of working is called iteration, and it is likely
that your process will do the same!
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The Engineering Design Process
The Engineering Design process:
Using this process you will: define a need for the product; connect the need to a design goal;
establish the requirements needed for product development; write up a procedure with
preliminary designs; gather the materials needed; build a prototype (a model of the product)
according to the designs; test the prototype; redesign, if necessary, to meet the stated design goal;
and connect or apply the value of the prototype to real world situations.
The Engineering Design Outline
When using the Engineering Design process while doing a science fair project, all of these
steps listed below are required in the order shown. During the process of completing each
step, each step needs to be written in your journal and later put on your display board. A
judge will ask you about the Engineering Design process in your interview.
Problem - Define a Need
Research & Documentation
o Developing a Hypothesis
o Engineering Journal
Plan - Engineering Design
o Design Requirements
o Preliminary and Final Designs
o Materials Needed
o Step-by-step Procedure
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Create - Build and Test the Prototype
o Build the Prototype
Test the Prototype
o Record the Data
o Analyze the Data
o If it doesn’t work according to the “Design Requirements”then…
Modify - Redesign and Retest as Necessary
Conclusion
The the next section, The Engineering Design “The Procedure” (pages 4a - 4b), gives a
detailed description of what to do for each step of the Engineering Design process. Please
read the next section carefully to know what to do for each step.
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The Engineering Design Process
The major objective is to understand the process of designing something and building a prototype
(model of the product). The engineering project should be one that is a novel idea. It cannot be a
purchased kit. The materials are to be raw materials found around the house and/or purchased at a
store.
Students who want to build a prototype for the science fair are required to follow The Engineering
Design process described below. As students follow the Engineering Design Process, they must
write about each of the following steps in a journal. The interviewer can question everything
that is in the journal.
1. Define a Need:
Begin by writing a need for something you want to construct and to explain its purpose. It could be for a
problem that needs to be solved or a situation that needs improvement. Write it so the need is clearly
understood. The goal of this engineering project is to design and construct a prototype for someone to use
to perform a useful function. Example: “The goal of this project is to design, build, and test a way to
minimize waiting time at stop lights in the city.”
2. Research:
You need to research your topic using library materials, Internet sites, magazines, textbooks, encyclopedias,
experts, and other available and reliable sources. At least five sources must be used for the research. You
should write a summary paragraph (commonly referred to as an abstract) about each of the five sources you
choose to cite, as well as a shorter paragraph arguing why the source should be trusted and a longer paragraph
documenting what you learned from the source. Therefore, there will be three separate paragraphs, one for
each source used. Create an MLA citation for each of the five sources where you find useful information.
Copying a page from a book or Internet and placing it in the journal is not research. The research needs
to be be handwritten or typed—not pasted. The interviewer can question all that is written in the
journal.
3. Design Requirements:
Next, you need to establish the requirements needed for the development of the prototype to decide how it
will be built. Typical requirements relate to shape, size, weight, appearance, physical features, performance,
use, cost, time and money. Another part of the design requirements is to tell the prototype expectations and
how it will be tested to meet the desired expectations.
4. Preliminary and Final Designs:
Beginning designs
o Here you need to draw the beginning designs of the prototype with labeled parts. They can be
brainstorming designs showing two or three ideas.
Final designs
o As you focus into one type of design, you need to show the changes needed as the designs get
closer to the requirements and expectation of the prototype. The changed designs need to show
progress from design to design.
List of materials
o Make a list of all the materials and equipment you will use for building the prototype.
o Using descriptive words to describe the materials and equipment are important. Any materials
that are measured should have the measurements listed.
Step-by-step procedure
o Write a step-by-step procedure you will follow to build the prototype. Write it in the order you
want to follow. Be very descriptive in your writing.
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5. Build, Test and Record, and Analyze the Results of the Prototype
Building the prototype
o Build a prototype according to the design requirements, drawn designs, list of
supplies and equipment, and the step-by-step procedure. You need to write about
the experience building the prototype.
Testing and data recording
o After it is built you need to test the prototype to see if it works according to the
testing procedure stated in the design requirements. You need to write down what
is actually happening during the testing. You should be as descriptive as possible.
Testing the prototype two or three times is important to make sure the test data is
accurate.
Data is analyzed if redesigning is necessary
o Analyze the data. See if the results match the design requirements. If not,
redesigning is necessary.
6. Redesign, Retest, Record, and Analyze As Necessary
After the first tests you may need to make adjustments by redesigning parts of the
prototype that need adjusting. You need to show the adjustments with diagrams and
labeling. Keeping accurate notes of the changes is very important in this part of the
engineering project.
Retesting is always necessary after redesigning has occurred. When you are
retesting, you need to write down data as to what is happening.
Analyze the data. See if the results match the design requirements. If not,
redesigning is necessary.
o Redesigning and retesting of the prototype is a major part of the
project. Keeping notes of the changes and the results are very
important. You should be able to can see at a glance what changes
have been made and what happened when these changes are
retested. You need to be able to recall the changes and results if
needed.
When you feel that the prototype has reached its greatest efficiency according to the
design requirements, you can then go on to the conclusion. If you feel that more
designing and testing is needed, then you need to continue to redesign and retest,
writing down the data until you feel the prototype is finished. The prototype needs to
work and meet the design requirements.
7. Conclusion:
When writing your conclusion you need to show evidences of what was learned. The
conclusion summarizes the learning by answering some of these questions: How do
the results validate what was expected to happen? What was learned from building
the prototype? In what way is this prototype important? Is there more that could be
done to improve the prototype?
o How does this prototype help people understand the world better? How
can this information be applied to real life? What new insights were
discovered? What knowledge was gained by designing and building to
prototype?
The conclusion needs to show the value of the project and the prototype and how it
can apply to life and/or the real world. Write about the final prototype by looking at
its merits, originality, and usefulness.
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Understanding your Topic
Engineering is the designing, building, and testing of a made-at-home product. It is the invention category
of the science fair. A prototype is built according to the requirements set up by the student. After the
prototype is built, it needs to be tested to see if it works. The data is analyzed. It is to be compared to the
design requirements. If it doesn’t perform according to the design requirements, the student needs to go
back and redesign the prototype on paper. Adjustments are made on the prototype and retested. This
process of redesigning and making adjustments continues until it works according to the design
requirements. The product results have to be useful and apply to real world situations. The prototype
cannot be made from a kit.
Unsolved Problems
One problem identified in the bug list above is the issue of food getting stuck in a vending
machine. There is currently no solution for this problem. If you put your money in the machine,
select the food that you want, and then, the food gets stuck before it can drop to where you can
reach it—you are out of luck. You might try shaking or kicking the machine, but those are not
designed solutions to the problem. In cases of unsolved problems, your engineering project would
be to attempt to solve the problem. For this example, possible project ideas might be to design a
product that can be used to remove stuck foods from vending machines or a new vending machine
that makes it impossible for food to get stuck.
Poorly Solved Problems
An example of a poorly solved problem from the bug list above is the issue of cat or dog hair
getting stuck on clothing. There is currently a solution to this problem—the lint brush. However,
many people still complain about annoying pet hair on their clothes. Clearly, the lint brush is not
the perfect solution. In cases of poorly solved problems, your engineering project would be to
improve the existing solution or to replace the existing solution with something more successful.
For the pet hair example, possible project ideas might be to make the lint brush more effective at
removing hair from clothing or to design something better than the lint brush for the same
purpose.
Whether you want to choose an unsolved problem or a poorly solved problem for your
engineering project, there are plenty of problems out there! Keep in mind that the problems
already exist; you just need to identify them and their users. Also, doing an engineering design
project doesn't always mean inventing something brand new—it often involves bettering the
projects of those before you.
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Identifying the “Problem”
Define the Problem.
The engineering design process starts when you ask the questions below about problems that you
observe:
What is the problem or need?
Who has the problem or need?
Why is it important to solve?
[Who] need(s) [what] because [why].
Finding an idea for your engineering project requires you to identify the needs of yourself,
another person, or a group of people. The act of looking at the world around you to identify these
needs is called need finding.
To help you find an idea for your engineering project:
Create a list of all the things that annoy or bother the people around you. Record this
bug list in your Design Notebook.
Mind Map possible design problems, ideas, or areas of interest to you.
Once you have found an idea for your engineering project, describe the problem by writing a
problem statement. Your problem statement must answer three questions:
What is the problem or need?
Who has the problem or need?
Why is it important to solve?
The format for writing a problem statement uses your answers to the questions above and follows
these guidelines:
Who need(s) what because why.
_____ need(s) _________ because ________.
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Identifying the “Problem”
Defining the Problem
Engineers solve problems by creating new products, systems, or environments. Before creating
something, it is very important to define the problem. Otherwise, you might build something only
to find that it does not meet the original goal!
To define your problem, answer each of these questions:
What is the problem or need?
Who has the problem or need?
Why is it important to solve?
The answers to these three questions are the what, who, and why of your problem. Your problem
statement should incorporate the answers as follows:
[Who] need(s) [what] because [why].
In design terms, who, what, and why can be defined as:
Who = user
What = need
Why = insight
The problem statement for any good engineering design project should be able to follow the format
above. Your problem statement should always look like this:
need(s)
because
.
If you are improving an existing solution for your project, keep in mind that the improvements will
be part of your problem statement. Making something better, faster, or cheaper should be part of
your statement—either in the "what" portion and/or the "why" portion. For example, if you are
improving a car radio, your problem statement might be:
People need cheaper and better-performing car radios, because current radios are expensive and
poor at picking up weak radio signals.
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Identifying the “Problem”
Problem Statement Examples
Here are some additional examples of engineering design problem statements:
Students need an easier way to lock their lockers at school, because combination locks are hard
to unlock and often get jammed.
Dogs need a way to go to the bathroom inside homes, because dogs don't like to go outside in
bad weather, and there are times when people can't take their dogs outdoors.
Teachers need a better way to erase chalkboards, because erasers are messy and don't remove
all of the chalk.
Parents need a way to store lunchboxes in the refrigerator, because they often make their
children's lunches the night before school.
Evaluating Your Problem Statement
The problem that you select for your engineering design project is the cornerstone of your work. Your
research and design work will all revolve around finding a solution to the problem you describe. Here are
some characteristics of a good problem statement:
The problem should be interesting enough to read about and work on for the next five days.
There should be at least five sources of written information on the subject, as well as similar
products to analyze. You want to be able to build on the experience of others!
The problem is specific enough to allow you to design a solution.
For an engineering project, it is important to think ahead to avoid difficulties and save you lots of
unhappiness later. Imagine what you might design and make to solve your engineering problem. How
does your possible solution stack up against these issues?
Can you think of a way to measure whether your solution is better than what already exists? It
is always best if you can measure your improvement numerically: cheaper in dollars, faster in
time, etc.
Can you design a solution that is safe to build, use, store, and dispose of?
Do you have all the materials and equipment you need for your solution, or will you be able to
obtain them quickly and at a very low cost?
Do you have enough time to complete your design and make it before the due date? Allow time
for doing additional research and fixing problems. It is very rare for everything to work
correctly the first time.
Does your project meet all the rules and requirements for your science fair, if you are entering
one? Have you checked to see if your science fair project will require approval from the fair
before you begin construction?
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Project Research
The Focus of Your Background Research
For an engineering design project, you should do background research in two major areas:
Users or customers
Existing solutions
• Research your target user or customer. Everything humans design is ultimately for the use of another
human. (Think about it— even products designed for animals or plants are first purchased by
another human!) Your choice of target user will sometimes have a big impact on your design
requirements. For example, if you design something for a toddler, you need to make sure that there
are no small parts that could be swallowed. Some customers are more sensitive to the cost than
others, and so forth. You might describe your target user in any number of ways. Here are some
examples:
Age (old, young, infant)
Gender
Occupation
Hobby interests
Amateur or professional
Whether users have disabilities and require accommodations
Size
First-time user or experienced user
Existing Solutions
• Research the products that already exist to solve the problem you defined or a problem that is
very similar. No one wants to go to all the trouble of designing something they think is new, only
to find that several people have already done it. That would be depressing! So, you want to
investigate what's already out there. Only then can you be sure that you're making something that
more effectively fills a need. And keep in mind that what is "better" depends on your requirements.
You might want to build something that's been around for hundreds of years, but do it with
recycled materials from around the house. The device might be old, but the construction materials
would be new (or used!).
• Research how your product will work and how to make it. When it comes time to build their
solution, savvy designers also want to use their research to help them find the best materials and
way to do things, rather than starting from scratch. Background research is also important to help
you understand the science or theory behind your solution. If you are entering a STEM Fair, judges
like to see that you understand why your product works the way it does and what causes it to
perform better than other products.
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Project Research
How to Conduct the Research
Engineers are lucky, because there are three ways to do research regarding users and existing solutions:
Observe users first-hand, either as they use a similar product or solution or in the environment
in which they encounter the problem.
Examine and analyze similar products and solutions. Looking at similar products is extremely
important. Other engineers spent a lot of time designing them, so you might as well learn
everything you can from their work. And it is fun! You might even want to take similar
products apart! (Ask first!)
Conduct library and Internet research.
Making a Background Research Plan: How to Know What Information to Look For (Is this a
link? A subtitle for the next section?)
When you or your parents are driving a car, there are two ways to find your destination: drive around
randomly until you finally stumble upon what you're looking for OR use a GPS or look at a map before
you start. Finding information for your background research is similar. Since libraries and the Internet
both contain millions of pages of information and facts, you might never find what you're looking for
unless you start with a map! To avoid getting lost, you need a background research plan.
Target Users
To help clarify the definition of your target user, you'll want to ask questions like this:
Who needs _________?
Who wants _________?
Who buys _________?
What does my target user [a child, an elderly person, etc.] need or want in a _________?
How much would my target user be willing to pay for a _________?
What size should I make _________ for my target user?
Similar Products
Then, ask questions to help you understand products or programs that fill similar needs to the need you
identified:
What products fill a similar need?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of products that fill a similar need?
What are the key, must-have features of products that fill a similar need?
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Why did the engineers that built these products design them the way they did?
How can I measure my design's improvement over existing designs?
Project Research
How It Works and How to Make It
These are some example questions that will help you understand the science behind your design.
Who invented _________?
How does a __________ work?
What are the different parts of a __________?
What are the important characteristics of a __________?
How is performance measured for a _________?
Where does _________ get used?
What is __________ made of?
Why is __________ made from or using __________?
What is the best material, component, or algorithm for building ________? (You may even
ask this separately for the different parts of your device or program.)
Talk to People with More Experience: Networking
One of the most important things you can do while working on your project is talk to other people with
more experience than yourself: your parents, teachers, and advisors. This process is called networking.
Some advisors or mentors may have had classes or work experience related to the science involved in your
project. Others may have used or even designed products like the one you are researching. Ask them,
"What science concepts should I study to better understand my project?" Better yet, be as specific as you
can when asking your questions.
And by the way, networking is something many adults don't expect students to be good at, so you can
probably surprise them by doing a good job at it! The best networkers, of course, enjoy the spoils of
victory. In other words, they get what they want more quickly, efficiently, and smoothly.
The reality is we have all networked at some point in our lives. Remember how you "networked" with
your mom to buy you that cool water gun or "networked" with your grandpa to buy you that video game
you always wanted? Well, now you are "networking" for knowledge. Train yourself to become a good
networker, and you might just end up with a better project (and don't forget that you'll get a little smarter
too in the process). So take our advice: work hard, but network harder.
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Brainstorming – Mind Maps
Mind mapping refers to a technique that designers and engineers use to express and generate ideas.
All that mind mapping really is, however, is a way to get all of the ideas in your head down onto
paper. There is no right or wrong way to mind map. It is simply a visual representation of the
thoughts in your head, and it often looks like organized chaos.
Why Mind Map?
Mind mapping helps you to release all of the ideas in your head and gives you the opportunity to
see those ideas visually. It is a fast and simple way to get your creative juices flowing, and the only
tools you need are a pen or pencil and your design notebook.
How to Mind Map
To start a mind map, write down one, central idea or theme in the middle of a blank page. All mind
maps have this common starting point. Then, stem off of the central idea by writing down anything
that comes to your mind when thinking about the idea. You can include drawings, questions,
comments, solutions, problems, etc. There are no limits. Simply write down everything that relates
to the central theme or anything that enters your mind.
When and What to Mind Map
You can create a mind map at any stage in your design process and for absolutely any purpose. You
can mind map at the very beginning before you have even decided what problem you are going to
solve. You can also mind map to generate possible solutions to your problem or to identify different
types of users for your project. Mind map whenever you feel the need to empty the thoughts in your
head or whenever you feel stuck during the design process.
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Brainstorming – Developing a Hypothesis
#1 Rule when creating alternative solutions: DON'T SETTLE FOR YOUR FIRST IDEA!
• Good designers try to generate as many possible solutions as they can before choosing one that they
feel is the best. This creative process of developing ideas is called ideation.
• Methods of ideation include:
Examining existing solutions
Creating and using analogies
Conducting brainstorming sessions
Sketching and doodling
Why Create Alternatives?
When solving a design problem, there are always many possible good solutions. If you focus on just
one before looking at the alternatives, it is almost certain that you are overlooking a better solution.
Good designers try to generate as many possible solutions as they can before choosing one that they
feel is the best. Even "wild and crazy" design ideas that you end up rejecting might have some pieces
that can make other designs better.
Ideation
Ideation, also known as idea generation, is the creative process of developing ideas. Start ideation after
you have settled on a design problem that you want to solve and have done your background research,
including the analysis of existing solutions. If you have not researched existing solutions, be sure to do
so before starting ideation. Existing solutions are a great place to begin the ideation phase of your
process because they give you a starting platform for ideas.
Generating lots of ideas is important to solving your design problem, so follow these key rules! One
key rule for successful ideation is no limits. Start huge. Don't confine yourself to only one or two great
ideas, and don't be afraid to think outside the box. No solutions are impossible during the ideation
phase, so consider even the craziest of ideas. There will come a time later on when you will weigh
your ideas against one another based on how easy they are to implement, but not yet. Ideation is the
perfect time to put aside all judgment, and see how many design solutions you can come up with!
#1 Rule when Ideating: Don't settle for your first idea!
If you think you have a great solution to your problem right from the beginning, you might be tempted
to stick with that original idea. Even if it's the most perfect, without-a-doubt, best possible way to
solve your problem -- don't stop here! Fixating on your first idea is a terrible mistake, because it stops
your creative process before it even has the chance to get going. You never know what new ideas
could branch off of your original idea or what new ideas might come to you over time, so you have to
give the process (and yourself) a chance.
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Below are many creative techniques to help you come up with design ideas.
Existing Solutions
Existing solutions to your problem (or similar problems) are one of the best sources for creating design
alternatives. Studying these designs will give you creative ideas of your own. Can the best features of
existing solutions be combined in new ways? Can two entire solutions be combined to form one, better
solution? Are there pieces missing from existing designs that if added, might make the designs more
successful? Ask yourself these questions and see what new ideas you can come up with.
Analogies
By comparing your design problem to an entirely different situation, you may notice solutions that
never would have come to mind otherwise. Try to create analogies between your design problem and
random objects and people. For example, ask yourself:
How is my design problem like [random object or problem]?
How would I solve my problem using a [random object]?
How would [random person, company, or group] solve my problem?
Choose random objects and people to create these analogies. Even though they may seem unrelated,
the analogy will force your mind to come up with ideas to fit the specific cases of the random objects
and people.
Example: Imagine you are designing a better lunchbox for students. Try these analogies to
spark new and interesting design ideas...
Analogy: How is designing a lunchbox like designing a hotel?
Answer: When designing a hotel, you need to design for the people who will be staying in it.
Think about the furniture, the decorations, the size of the rooms, etc. Try applying these to
your lunchbox. What about the size of the lunchbox? Are there any components you could add
to your lunchbox to serve as furniture-like features? Does the food in the lunchbox need
furniture to sit on? You may never have considered these ideas without comparing a lunchbox
to a hotel.
Analogy: How would I design a lunchbox using a skateboard?
Answer: You might create a lunchbox that has wheels, or a lunchbox that could be attached to
a skateboard, or a skateboard that has a compartment to store food, or a lunchbox that could
strap to the bottom of someone's feet. All of these are lunchbox designs that you might never
have considered!
Analogy: How would Facebook design a lunchbox?
Answer: Facebook might design a lunchbox that you can take pictures with, or a lunchbox that
has a computer screen on the inside. All of these are lunchbox designs you may never have
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thought about!
Brainstorming
Group brainstorming is a great way to generate lots and lots of ideas. Ask your friends, parents, and
relatives if they would be willing to help you brainstorm ideas to your design problem. Gather a few of
these people together for 30 minutes to an hour and tell them about your design problem. Then, leave
the rest to discussion! Keep in mind:
Fewer than five or six people per brainstorming session are best.
No judgment! No ideas are bad ideas during ideation.
Post-it notes are a great way for the people to show their ideas to the group.
You should write down all of the ideas mentioned in your design notebook.
Sketching and Doodling
You can come up with great ideas by using all of the techniques above, but ideation really isn't
complete without sketching and doodling. Drawing is an ideal way to express your ideas and to
visually connect multiple ideas to one another. Draw everything on your mind! Even if the idea is not
fully developed, try to draw it and see what it looks like. Sketch all of the ideas that you have already
come up with using other ideation techniques. By sketching, you will see new aspects of those ideas
and be able to come up with even more.
"Sleep on It!"
Ideation isn't a one-day activity. In fact, it should be the longest phase of your entire design process. So
don't feel like you need to come up with your perfect solution in one sitting. Ideate until you feel like
you've run out of ideas. Then, sleep on it and return to ideation the next day or a few days after that.
You will be surprised at how many more ideas you are able to come up with!
Alternative Solutions Checklist
Answer the questions in the quick checklist below to find out if you considered enough alternative solutions.
What Makes Good Alternative Solutions?
For Good Alternative
Solutions, You Should
Answer "Yes" to Every
Question
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Did you use more than one of these ideation techniques to generate alternative
solutions for your problem?
• Examining existing solutions
• Creating and using analogies
• Conducting brainstorming sessions
• Sketching and doodling
Did you come up with several possible solutions for your problem?
Yes / No
Yes / No
Developing a Hypothesis
After students have researched their STEM Fair problem they should have an educated guess based on the
information gathered about their problem statement. The educated guess will be the students’ hypothesis.
The hypothesis should be worded so that it can be tested in an experiment trial. A student will do this by
expressing the hypothesis using their independent variable (the variable the student will change during their
experiment) and their dependent variable (the variable the student observe). The dependent variable changes
depending on the changes in the independent variable. The hypothesis will be stated in an “If, then, because”
statement. “If a particular independent variable is changed, then there is also a change in a certain dependent
variable, because ________.”
Example Hypotheses:




“If I open the faucet (faucet opening size is the independent variable), then it will increase the flow of
water (flow of water is the dependent variable), because ________ (reasoning).”
“Raising the temperature of a cup of water (temperature is the independent variable) will increase the
amount of sugar that dissolves (the amount of sugar is the dependent variable) because ________
(reasoning).”
“If a plant receives fertilizer (having fertilizer is the independent variable), then it will grow to be
bigger than a plant that does not receive fertilizer (plant size is the dependent variable) because
________ (reasoning).”
“If I put fenders on a bicycle (having fenders is the independent variable), then they will keep the rider
dry when riding through puddles (the dependent variable is how much water splashes on the rider)
because the location of the fenders blocks water from splashing onto a bicycle rider. (reasoning).”
Note: When students write their own hypothesis they can leave out the part in the above examples that is the
brackets ( ).
Notice in each of the examples it will be easy to measure the independent and dependent variables. This is
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another important characteristic of a good hypothesis. A hypothesis is testable if it can readily measure the
variables.
Documenting – Engineering Journal
All students who are entering an engineering design project in the school science fair must have a
journal (log). The journal is the way that you connect your writing, thinking, research, planning,
building, testing, and conclusion to your engineering design project. The interviewer can question
everything that is written in the journal.
The journal consists of four main parts:
Title page
Table of Contents page
The Engineering Design pages
The Bibliography (Works Cited) page
1.
2.
3.
Title Page
The title page consists of the project title, student name, school, and date.
Table of Contents
Make a table of contents that shows where the pages of the Engineering Design process steps are found with page
numbers so these steps are easily found.
Define a need
Research
Design Requirements
Project Prototype Designs
o Beginning Prototype Designs
o Final Prototype Designs
o List of Materials
o Step-by-Step Procedure
Building, Testing and Recording, and Analyzing the Prototype
Redesigning, Retesting and Recording, and Analyzing the Prototype
Conclusion
The Engineering Design
In this section you will write what you did or discovered by following each part of the Engineering Design
process. See the Engineer Design process pages (4a and 4b) to know what should be written on each page.
Define a Need page
Research page
Design Requirement page
Project Designs
o Beginning Designs page
o Final Designs page
o List of Materials page
o Step-by-Step Procedure page
Building, Testing and Recording, and Analyzing the Prototype
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o Building the Prototype page
o Testing and Recording page
o Analysis page
Redesigning, Retesting and Recording, Analyzing the Prototype
o Redesigning page
o Retesting and Recording page
o Analysis page
Conclusion page
4.
Bibliography
Write a list of the three or more sources you used for research by telling the type of source, title, and page numbers
(if applicable).
Documenting – Engineering Journal
Samples of design notebook entries. Top left: a 1503 page from Leonardo daVinci's notebooks
depicts his work on water wheels and Archimedes pumps. Top right: an entry from the notebooks
of Alexander Graham Bell. Bottom: entries from the notebooks of Thomas Edison involving, from
left to right, the phonograph, the electric generator, and the incandescent lightbulb. Images courtesy
of Thomas Edison National Historical Park.
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Documenting – Engineering Journal
What is a design notebook?
A design notebook is a way for a designer or engineer to keep a history of his or her design project
from start to finish. It is a place to record research, observations, ideas, drawings, comments, and
questions during the design process. At the end of your project, someone reviewing your design
notebook should be able to understand fully how you got to your solution.
What goes in a design notebook?
Everything goes in a design notebook. Your design notebook starts when you begin thinking about
possible problems to solve. Write down everything you know about these problems and why you want
to solve them. Then write down, draw, sketch, glue, or tape in every step of your process between this
first step and your final solution.
Here are examples of what you might find in a design notebook:
Notes on background research
Interviews with users or experts
Drawings and sketches
Photos of competing products
Lists of design requirements
Questions/issues you face
What type of design notebook should I get?
Use either a quadrille-ruled (graph paper) notebook or one with blank pages. On plain or gridded paper,
you will be able to not only make notes but also sketch. You can find these types of notebooks at your
local arts and crafts store, art supply store, or often at the local drug store.
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The size of your design notebook is up to you. Some designers and engineers prefer smaller notebooks,
because they are easier to carry with them at all times. Others like larger notebooks, because the pages
are bigger for sketching. This is your design notebook, so pick one that you are excited about using!
“Plan” – Engineering Design & Testing Procedures
Of course, the primary goal of the PLAN stage is to make a workable solution to your problem. This goal is true of all
planning efforts.
Risk Reduction
In any complicated planning effort, for example, building a robot for a competition, you will be uncertain about how
well certain elements of your design solution will work. In a situation like this, it is very important to eliminate the
uncertainty as soon as possible. This is called risk reduction. The longer you wait to eliminate the risk, the more likely
that you will waste time on a solution that will fail. It is much better to find out that a potential solution will not work
early in the design process before choosing your final solution for development. Fail fast, fail early!
To do risk reduction, use an appropriate method of planning (described below). For example, one strategy is to
prototype just a small part of the potential solution, the risky part, to make sure that it will work.
Drawings
Designers use drawings to record ideas so that they are not forgotten, to communicate ideas to others, and to study
how different parts of a design work together during development.
There are several types of drawings. Sketches are rough freehand drawings done very quickly and usually showing just
the outlines of an object. Pictorial drawings portray a photo-like view of objects. Technical drawing is an accurate way
of drawing that shows an object's true size and shape. It is often done with CAD (computer-aided design) software and
is used in plans and blueprints that show how to construct an object. Technical drawings show in detail how the
pieces of something relate to each other.
Prototyping
A prototype is an operating version of a solution. Often a designer makes a prototype with different materials than
the final version, and generally it is not as polished. Prototypes are a key step in the development of a final solution,
allowing the designer to test how the solution will work and even show the solution to users for feedback.
Occasionally, designers will prototype pieces of the final solution very early in the design process. Sometimes
designers will make several prototypes during the development of a solution.
Storyboards
Storyboards are a series of graphic illustrations or images for the purpose of visualizing a video, website, software
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program, environment, user experience (like a theme park ride), or the like. Storyboards show how the solution
appears as the user interacts with it over time, highlighting any problems in the flow of the experience.
Analysis, Running the Numbers
Sometimes development work can be as simple as adding up the weight of all the components of a solution to see if
the total weight meets the requirements. Similarly, you might add up the cost of all the parts to get a total cost or
predict the speed of a vehicle by looking at the power of the engine. Analysis of this type is an important part of the
development of many solutions, and it is often called running the numbers.
Requirements for the PLAN Stage:
The Plan stage is crucial for a successful engineering project but is often overlooked by students. SO, you will not
receive any materials for the BUILD phase until the PLAN stage is complete. You will be asked to complete three riskreduction planning components for the PLAN stage:
1. A detailed diagram involving several views drawn to scale
2. A detailed material list with costs and quantities of materials.
3. A prototype
These three items must be completed and approved by a project supervisor (teacher) before you may begin the BUILD
stage.
For each revision of your project idea, you will need a scale drawing using the attached blank project sheet, a detailed
material list using the attached budgeting form, and a completed prototype.
Optimization
Almost any design problem has multiple requirements. In many cases, requirements might conflict with each other, at
least somewhat. For example, if you try to maximize almost any characteristic of a solution (speed, appearance, etc.),
the cost will go up. Optimization is the process of finding the best trade-off between your different requirements, and
it is an important part of almost every planning effort.
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“Plan” – Engineering Design & Testing Procedures
Design Requirements
Design requirements state the important characteristics that your solution must meet to be successful.
For example, imagine that your problem statement relates to grocery store bags. You want to design a better
grocery store bag--one that uses less expensive material than the paper and plastic bags that already exist.
Your design requirements are the important characteristics that your bag must meet to be successful. Based on
your problem statement, a successful bag would use less expensive material than existing bags and function
properly as a grocery bag. Examples of some of your design requirements might be that the bag needs to:
Have handles so that shoppers can carry multiple bags of groceries.
Hold up to five pounds of food without breaking.
Cost less than five cents to make.
Collapse so that it can be stored in large quantities at grocery stores.
Effective design requirements are:
Needed to solve your design problem. If it is not needed, leave it out. You'll have enough other
things to work on!
Feasible. A good design requirement is not just a wish. Ask if you have the time, money,
materials, tools, and knowledge to make it happen.
Subject to change as you do more research and design. Always ask yourself, is this requirement
needed and feasible? If your answers to those questions change, it is OK to change the
requirement.
Design requirements can fall into many different categories, such as size, cost, ease of use, and environmental
impact, to name just a few. Here is a more complete list of Design Requirement Examples.
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One of the best ways to identify the design requirements for your project is to use the concrete example of a
similar, existing product. Examine it in detail-take pictures, and take it apart if you have permission. Analyze
how and why it works the way it does. Every single feature of the existing project represents a potential
requirement for your design. (Of course, your design will have changes and improvements, so the
requirements will not be identical.)
“Plan” – Engineering Design & Testing Procedures
When you analyze an existing product, you build a mental library of techniques, mechanisms, and clever
tricks. You acquire building blocks that you can use to construct your own designs. As you analyze more
products, you can gain additional building blocks to use in your design. All designers do this!
These examples show how to analyze an existing product:
How to Analyze a Physical Product
How to Analyze a Software Product or Website
How to Analyze an Environment (like a space where people do something)
How to Analyze an Experience (like an entertainment experience)
How many design requirements should you have? For a school project, three to five will often be a good
number. For large, complex projects, there may be hundreds or even thousands of requirements. Here is more
information about How Many Design Requirements? you should have.
First, as a group, your list of design requirements should provide a complete description of the key features
that will make your design successful. Ask yourself, is anything missing?
Second, as a group, your list of design requirements should be feasible. Individually, your requirements might
be feasible, but all together they might not be. For example, you might have time (or money or resources) to
make one of them happen, but not all of them. Another potential problem might be that it is impossible to
meet two or more of your requirements at the same time. For example, imagine that you are designing a
toaster for a bagel shop. Two of your design requirements might be that the toaster needs to be large enough
to toast ten bagels at a time, and it needs to fit on the bagel shop's counter. What if a toaster large enough to
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hold ten bagels at a time will not fit on the shop's counter? In cases like this, you must make a trade-off, a
compromise or change in one or more requirements so that they can be met at the same time. In the toaster
example, you would need to decide which is more important: toasting ten bagels at once or fitting the toaster
on the counter? If the changes to your requirements make it impossible to solve your problem, you should
look for a different problem to work on.
The Design Brief
To complete the requirements step of the design process, you should write a design brief. A design brief
gathers all the key information for solving your problem in one place. It should contain:
A description of your target user.
A definition of the problem you intend to solve. [Who] need(s) [what] because [why].
A description of how existing products are used and why they fail to address the problem.
A list of all the requirements for your design.
Experimental Design & Procedures
Students will plan how they are going to test their experimental question. You will need to explain the
following information to your students before they begin designing their experiment.

Relationship between the experimental trials and the hypothesis
o Students should design their experiment so that it will answer their STEM Fair problem
statement. The experimental trials will test whether the hypothesis is true or false.

Control Groups versus Experimental Groups
o Each experiment trial should have two groups, an experimental group and a control group. The
experimental group will receive the treatment or what the student is testing (i.e. the
independent variable). The control group will not receive the treatment. Both groups are
exposed to exactly the same testing conditions, such as location and time length of trial, etc.

Dependent versus Independent Variables
o The dependent variable is the variable that is measured to determine if a change has occurred.
When a student measures they are measuring the result that occurred when the student changed
the independent variable. The dependent variable is what the experiment is actually
measuring.
o The independent variable is the variable changed by the experimenter.

Constant Variables
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o A fair experimental trial should be conducted by changing only one variable at a time while
keeping all other variables constant. The variables that being maintained throughout the
experimental trials are called the constant variables. All factors of the control group and the
experimental group must be exactly the same except for one variable, the independent variable.

Safety Concerns
o Safety is a particular concern during the experimental testing process. Teachers will need to
review any safety issues as students are developing and designing their STEM Fair project.

Budget for experiment & Materials List
o You will need to explain the costs of experiments. Students will need to create purchase orders
that include the items needed complete the experimental trials and modifications portion of
their STEM Fair project. The students should be mindful of their budget ($15 per group) when
selecting a solution for their problem statement and designing their experiment. The students
should also consider the availability of items in their materials list. If the availability or supply
is low the cost will be higher for that item.

Technical Procedures Document (including number of trials)
o Students should also perform several experimental trials to give their experiment validity,
meaning that their results were not just an accident. Each time the student completes the
experiment it is called a trial. So instead of doing the experiment once the student must do
each round of experimental trial two or three times.

Observation Chart
o It is also important to maintain a data collection and observations log for analysis purposes.
The chart should include their independent and dependent variable. The purpose of the
observation chart is to allow students to chart the changes throughout their experiment.
Students will chart the data from the experimental group and the control group. The students
will use this information to construct their results charts and graphs. They will also use this
information to in their conclusion.
Students will maintain a log to determine if all portions of the design process are complete (i.e. variables,
groups, constants, materials, steps, and number of trials).
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“Create” – Prototype Construction
The next step in the Engineering Design Process is for your group to create a prototype of your design. Your prototype
will be constructed out of the materials you purchased and will be based off of your scaled drawings, engineering
design, and procedures created in the previous steps of the EDP.
Below are several things that you need to keep in mind as your team builds:

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


Who is responsible for what? Work together as a team, making sure that every member of the group fulfills
his or her role.
Is the prototype high quality work? Push yourselves for excellence in design. Your prototype should be a
good representation of the final product.
What is the plan? Follow the plan your team laid out in the previous steps of the EDP exactly. The opportunity
to make changes in the next step of the EDP.
Does the prototype work? Analyze the prototype and talk about what works, what doesn’t, and what could be
improved.
Is it worth it? Conduct a simple cost-benefit analysis. Do the costs of creating your design outweigh the
benefits? Or, do the benefits outweigh the costs?
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“Test” – Collecting & Analyzing Data
Students should carefully review all of their experimental data that they have collected. Using charts and graphs will
help the students to analyze the data and patterns. After creating their charts and graphs students should answer the
following questions:



Did I get the results that I expected?
What did I find out from my experimental trials?
How does my data help me explain why I think certain things happened?
Calculating and Summarizing Data
Students may need to perform calculation on their raw data to get their results used to generate a conclusion. These
calculations may come from know formulas that describe the relationship that they were testing, such as Force = Mass x
Acceleration or Volume = Mass / Density. While completing these calculations students may need to convert units
(centimeters to millimeters, etc.). All units should be of the same scale. Students can create a spreadsheet using
programs such as Microsoft Excel to aid them in their calculations. The created spreadsheet can then be used on their
display boards to show their results. Students must label the rows and columns in their spreadsheet. They also should
include their units of measurement (grams, centimeters, liter, etc.)
Students completed two or more trials for each of their experimental trial rounds. Students should determine the best
method for summarizing their results including each of their trials. The summary could be generated from calculating
the average for each group of trials or using ratios and percentages. Students may also choose to display their data as
individual data points.
Graphs
Graphs are an excellent way for students to display their results. All of the STEM Fair projects should have a minimum
of one graph. Below is a list of guidelines for students as they are creating their graphs for their science fair project.
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
The independent variable should be placed on the x-axis of the graph and the dependent variable should be
placed on the y-axis.
The axes of the graph must be label. Students should provide the unit of measurement in the label (grams,
centimeters, liters, etc.). The graph should also have an overall title related to the information contained within
the chart or graph.
If students have more than one set of data they should show each series of data in a different color or symbol.
Students should also include a legend with clear labels.
Different types of graphs are appropriate for different experiments. A few of the possibilities are listed below.




Bar Graph – This graph is appropriate for comparing different trials or different experimental groups. It is also
a good choice is the student’s independent variable is not numerical.
Time-series – This graph can be used if the independent variable is numerical and the dependent variable is
time.
XY-Line Graph – This graph shows the relationship between the dependent and the independent variable when
both are numerical and the dependent variable is a function of the independent variable.
Scatter Plot – This graph may be used to show how two variables may be related to one another.
“Modify” – Redesign & Retest
The design process involves multiple loops and circles around your final solution. You will likely test your
solution—find problems and make changes—test your new solution—find new problems and make
changes—and so on, before settling on a final design.
At this point, you have created prototypes of your alternative solutions, tested those prototypes, and chosen
your final design. So you're probably thinking that your project is finished! But in fact, you have yet to
complete the final and most important phase of the engineering design process—test and redesign.
Test and redesign requires you to go out and test your final design with your users. Based on their feedback
and their interaction with your solution, you will redesign your solution to make it better. Repeat this process
of testing, determining issues, fixing the issues, and then retesting multiple times until your solution is as
successful as possible. Keep in mind that minor changes this late in the design process could make or break
your solution, so be sure to be thorough in your testing!
Redesign
After you have tested your design, you will use your findings to complete a redesign of your solution. Use the findings
from testing to:
• Fix any problems that occurred, and
• Further polish aspects of the design that were even more successful than you originally thought.
To make these changes, look at the answers to the three major questions you asked during testing:
• Is your user able to overcome the problem by using or interacting with your solution? If the answer is "yes," focus on
why the user was successful. What specific aspects of your design helped the user to achieve success? Should
those aspects become larger parts of your design? Should you make these features more prominent or more
obvious to the user? Consider emphasizing these aspects of your design. Then, in the next round of testing, see
if the user is able to achieve success even more quickly and easily.
If the answer is "no," focus on the problems
that users encountered during testing. What prevented them from achieving success? What changes to your
design would eliminate these issues? Make these changes.
• Does the user ever need to ask you any questions when using or interacting with your solution? If the answer is "yes,"
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focus on the questions that the users asked you. Why did they need to ask you a question? Were they confused?
What part of the solution wasn't self-explanatory? You normally wouldn't be there to answer questions, so how
can you make sure that the next users won't need to ask the same questions? Make changes that will eliminate
these questions.
• Does the user interact with your solution exactly the way that you intended for them to? If the answer is "no," focus
on what the users did that you hadn't intended to happen. Did their unexpected actions make your design more
successful or less successful? If less successful, what changes could you make to your design to prevent these
unexpected actions? What issues are causing the users to interact differently than intended, and how can you fix
those issues? Make these changes.
• If you have measureable targets for your solution, did you meet them? If your design requirements call for your
solution to be better, faster, or cheaper, you should measure the improvement that you made. If you met your
targets, great! If not, how can you redesign your solution to improve its performance?
Once you have made changes to your design, go back and test again with your users. See if the improvements and
changes you made negatively or positively affected your solution. Ask yourself the same three questions again, and then
repeat the redesign again. Repeat this test and redesign process as many times as necessary to make your final solution
as successful as possible. It may seem like you are doing the same thing over and over again, but with each test and
redesign, you are greatly improving your project!
Developing a Conclusion
A student’s conclusions will summarize if their STEM Fair project results support or contradict their original
hypothesis. If the experimental results support their original hypothesis the students will “accept” their
hypothesis. If the experimental results contradict their original hypothesis the students will “reject” their
hypothesis. In the conclusion students will state key facts from their background research to help explain
their results. The students will also state trends from their data and how they used their research data to
accept or reject their hypothesis.
If the students’ results did not support their original hypothesis it is important for you to explain that that is
okay and there is something to be learned from their experiment. It is important to explain to students that
they cannot change or manipulate their results to fit their original hypothesis. The students should explain
why things did not go as they had originally expected. Often professional scientist and engineering find that
their experimental results do not support their hypothesis. These scientists and engineers then use these
results as the first step in constructing a new hypothesis.
All students, those who accepted their original hypothesis and those who rejected their original hypothesis, the
group should begin thinking about additional experimentation and prototype modifications that should happen
next. What did their results make them think about their product, prototype, or how their experimental
solution may be related to another topic or subject? What are some changes that the students will make
during their next experimental trial or prototype design and construction?
It is important to explain to all students the engineering design process is an ongoing process. When students
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discover that their hypothesis is not true they have already made advances in their learning that will lead them
to ask more questions that will lead to new experiments and new engineering designs. The STEM Fair judges
do not expect everyone’s original hypothesis to be supported. They do not car whether you prove or disprove
your hypothesis. The STEM Fair judges’ focus will be on how much the student has learned.
Display Size and Setup
Create a display board so your findings can be shown at the science fair. It is a summary of your
project and reflects your journal. This is your showcase. Make it creative and colorful. Below are
ideas for a good display board.
Physically sound and durably constructed, able to stand by itself.
Title of your project at the top.
Show all the steps of the Engineering Design process (except the research) with a brief explanation
of each: the need, design criteria, preliminary and final designs, building, testing results and the
analysis, redesigning and retesting results and the analysis as needed, and the conclusion. The
research will be in the journal.
Well-organized and easy to follow from one idea to the next.
Neat, edited, and without scribbles and misspelled words.
Creative, pleasing to look at, colorful, with different font sizes to show emphasis.
Photos of the developing experiment. (Only the students doing the experiment and family members
can be displayed on the board. Others need parent permission if under 18 years of age.)
Drawn pictures, artwork, and icons that bring out the ideas of the experiment.
The journal should be in front of the display.
Display Size and Setup
Students will need to prepare a display board to communicate their work to others at the STEM Fair. Students will use
a standard, three-panel display board that unfolds to be 36” tall by 48” wide.
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Students should organize the information on their display board like the cyclical process that represents the
Engineering Design Process. The audience should be able to quickly follow the flow and progression of the students’
engineering design and experimental trials by reading the cycle from right to left, top to bottom. Student must include
each step of their STEM Fair project: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, and Improve. The setup of all the STEM Fair board
should be as displayed above.




Students should use text that is at least 12 point on their display board. It is acceptable to use slightly
smaller fonts for captions on pictures and tables.
The title should be large and easily read from across the room. Students should choose a title that accurately
describes their work, but also grabs the audience’s attention.
Students should use pictures on their display boards. A picture can speak a thousand words and really grab
the audience’s attention. Students may use photos or drawn diagrams to present non-numerical data, to
propose models to explain their results, or to show their experimental setup. Students should not put text
on top of photographs or images because it can be very difficult to read. Students should use captions under
the photo or diagram if needed. These captions must include the source for each picture or image.
For the Innovation Academy STEM Fair “Student Science Fair Registration Form” must be completed and
attached to back of their display board.
Materials and Construction Techniques


The standard presentation boards are self-standing. The display board should be white, and will be provided
for each team.
Students should print their information on white paper that will be attached to their display board. Students
should be reminded to proofread each sheet before attaching it to their board.
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


Glue sticks (use plenty) work well for attaching sheets of paper to the display board. Students may also use
double-sided tape for items like photographs that may not stick to glue.
Students may also choose to use cover stock or card stock instead of regular paper. These heavier papers will
wrinkle less when they are attached to the display board. Matte paper is preferred over glossy because it
shows less glare, which can make the display board difficult to read.
Students should be encouraged to use color construction paper to add accents to their display boards. A
common technique is to put sheet of construction paper behind the white paper containing their text.
Digital Presentation
One component of your STEM Fair display is the digital presentation. The medium that your group will be using to create the
digital presentation is a tool called Livebinders. Just like a physical three-ring binder, Livebinders allows us to group, classify, and
share information but in an online digital format.
Take a few minutes (no more than five) to explore a sample Livebinder. Pay special attention to the tabs and subtabs. The
following link will take you to the “NASA MMS Challenge” binder: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=330317
Tabs
Subtabs
Content
Note: This Livebinder is a sample created for another activity, not the STEM Fair.
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Steps to Creating a Livebinder:




Your team leader will appoint one person as being in charge of creating a Livebinder account and coordinating with group
members regarding the content and layout of the binder.
The group member responsible for the digital presentation component will navigate to http://www.livebinders.com and
click “Sign Up” in the upper right-hand corner.
Complete the registration information. You must use your Gaggle email account for registration.
Submit your information and you are now ready to create your STEM Fair Livebinder!
Adding Content to Your Livebinder
 Your Livebinder will be comprehensive, including all aspects of your group’s STEM Fair project.
 Therefor, the following tabs must be included in your Livebinder:
o Project Problem
o Project Research
o Hypothesis
o Documentation
o Plans
o Create
o Test
o Modify
o Conclusion
 Within each tab (above) you will need to include subtabs with all documents, pictures, resources, etc. used throughout
the Engineering Design Process.
Oral Presentation
Explaining Your Project
The judge’s interview gives you the opportunity to explain your project. The judge wants to
know how much you know about your project. The following questions are examples of
questions that the judges might ask you:
How did you arrive at your idea for the project?
How did you finalize your research problem?
What are the specific characteristics of your target user?
How did you use research to build on the work of others?
What information about your project did you gain through networking? (How did others help
you or give you ideas?)
How did your research assist you in this project?
What planning did you conduct for risk reduction?
Why did you settle on the materials that you chose for your prototype?
How did you test your prototype?
Explain your results.
Explain your conclusion.
How much time did you spend on your project?
How do your results relate to your background knowledge?
How do your results help you in understanding the world better?
What are the practical applications of your project?
What are the scientific principles at work in your design?
What problems did you encounter?
How could you have improved your project?
If you completed your project again, what would you change?
37
What questions do you have now?
Explaining Your Background Knowledge and Related Topics
The judge also wants to know your background knowledge about the subject you chose. Some
of the judges’ questions may not be about your project. He/she may ask questions related to
your topic. For example, if you built a tsunami model to test the destruction a tsunami could
cause, it would be well to know about tsunamis and the damage they can do, how they can do
so much destruction, and places tsunamis have happened. Even though this information is not
entirely what your project is about, it shows you have done research about tsunamis.
Show your excitement about your project when you speak. Don’t talk too fast. Elaborate on your
answers. Help the judge understand your project by speaking clearly in an organized manner so it’s not
confusing. You need to demonstrate evidence of learning.
Judges do not want you to redo your experiment for them. Their interest lies in your
knowledge of the Engineering Design process, the display board, the results, and the
knowledge you acquired.
Communication Tips for the Interview
1.
2.
3.
4.
Practice greeting the judges with a firm handshake and smile.
Introduce yourself and invite the judges to hear about your project.
Show your excitement for your project when you speak.
Keep your shoulders open to the judges. If judges visit you in a group, avoid turning
your back to one judge when speaking to another judge.
5. Practice speaking at a slow, confident rate. Speaking too quickly can be seen as sign of
weakness.
6. Use gestures and body language to draw your judge’s attention to the display board or
prototype as you are explaining.
7. Maintain eye contact.
8. Smile!
9. Elaborate on your answers by adding details and evidence.
10. Use transition words.
11. Incorporate vivid verbs into your responses.
12. Turn negatives into positives. For example, if a judge asks about what problems you
encountered with your prototype, be sure to mention your fantastic solution as well!
13.Be sure to think of intelligent questions you would like to ask the judges.
14. Request ideas for improvement. We can all be better! Asking for feedback shows that
your project is meaningful to you and that you are eager to learn.
15.Be sure, be sure, be sure to thank the judges for their time. Our judges are volunteering
to help us grow to be better designers and thinkers. Our STEM Fair could not exist
38
without their support!
16.Shake the judge’s hand a final time at the close of the interview.
Factors judges use to make
their decision
What the judges are trying to determine
Examples of questions a judge
might ask during an interview
39
Creativity / Originality
Is this work novel or innovative?
Scientific Thought
Did the student understand the scientific
method and apply it appropriately?
Background Information /
Thoroughness
Does the student understand what was
done previously in the field?
Why did you choose this topic
and how did you settle on your
approach to the problem?
Can you walk me through how
and why you decided on this
experimental design?
How does you approach to the
question differ from people’s
previous approaches?
What was the most surprising
experimental challenge you
faced during the science project?
How did you overcome it?
Skill / Independence
Who designed and carried out the bulk of
the work?
Thoroughness
Is the completed work sufficient to move
the field forward?
What were you goals with this
science project and how would
you evaluate where you are in
respect to those goals?
Clarity
Can the student clearly and easily discuss all
aspects of his or her project? During an
interview, judges might want to make sure
that a student can think and speak well
when thrown a curve.
If your tests had shown XYZ
instead, what would you have
done? Why?
Teamwork (only applicable
for team projects)
Was each member of the team fully
involved? Does each member, regardless of
his or her specific experimental role,
understand all aspects of the science
project?
The great thing about working
together is the synergy between
people. What would you say was
the most important skill or idea
each of you had during the
course of the science project?
Oral Presentation
The judge’s interview gives you the opportunity to explain your project. The judge wants to
know how much you know about your project.
40
How you received the idea
How you personalized it to make it unique
How you prepared it
How you set it up
What information you discovered
What the information means
What your conclusion is
The judge also wants to know your background knowledge about the subject you chose. Some
of the judges’ questions may not be about your project. He/she may ask questions related to
your topic. For example, if you built a tsunami model to test the destruction a tsunami could
cause, it would be well to know about tsunamis and the damage they can do, how they can do
so much destruction, and places tsunamis have happened. Even though this information is not
entirely what your project is about, it shows you have done research about tsunamis.
Some questions that might be asked:
Explain where you got your idea for the project.
What did you do to personalize it and make it unique?
Explain the project method you used.
Why did you choose this subject?
Explain your results.
Explain your conclusion.
How does the result relate to your background knowledge?
How does the result help you in understanding the world better?
How does your project have practical applications?
Specific background knowledge about your subject.
What problems did you run into?
How could you have improved your project?
If you did it again, what would you change?
What questions do you have now?
Tell some ideas you learned from your research.
How did the research help you with your project?
How much time did you spend on your project?
How did others help you or give you ideas?
How did you test your prototype?
Be excited about your project when you speak. Don’t talk too fast. Elaborate on your answers. Help
the judge understand your project by speaking clearly in an organized manner so it’s not confusing.
You need to show evidences of learning.
Judges do not want you to redo your experiment for them. Their interest lies in your
knowledge of the Engineering Design process, the display board, the results, and the
knowledge you acquired.
School Level STEM Fair Information
41
COMMENTS
III. INTERVIEW
Excellent
5
Good
3-4
Fair
1-2
Innovation Academy STEM Fair - JUDGING SHEET
School Level STEM Fair Information
II. DISPLAY
I. JOURNAL / LOG (Engineering Design)
o Neat, edited, and physically sound
Title Page/Table of Contents: Title, name, school, date,
o
method displayed, easy to follow, and
and Engineering
the table of contents
self explanatory
Need: A need for the project is defined
o Journal and display showed a close relationship
Research: Three different sources cited with well-written
notes
o Creative Board Design
COMMENTS
COMMENTS
Excellent
Excellent
5
5
Good
Good
3-4
3-4
Fair
Fair
1-2
1-2
Design Requirements: Clear statement of the
requirements for prototype development
Preliminary and Final Designs:
o Beginning and final designs drawn and labeled showing
changes to meet the design requirements
o
Materials’ list and step-by-step instructions clearly
written
Building and Testing the Prototype
o Prototype built according to the design requirements
o Sufficient data gathered during the first testing. Data is
analyzed if redesigning is necessary.
Redesigning and Retesting: Redesigning and
retesting done showing gathered data and analysis.
Conclusion: Reveals evidence of learning
Innovation Academy STEM Fair - JUDGING SHEET
Name(s) ____________________
School
Project Title __________________________________________________________________________
42
o
Student shows a basic knowledge of field studied and
able to elaborate
o
Student is able to explain how the engineering method
was used
o
Student shows interest, enthusiasm, and a passion
toward the project and could tell how it was
personalized
IV. PROJECT FOLLOW THROUGH
o
Creative, procedural approach with ingenious use
of materials and equipment to solve the problem
o
Project shows in-depth thought and work to solve
the problem
o
Results show a well, thought out, reasonable
conclusion showing a useful connection to the world
SCORE
Sub scores
Excellent 5
Good
3-4
COMMENTS
Excellent
5
Good
3-4
Fair
1-2
Fair 1-2
Total Score
/100
May 10th, 2013
Dear Parents,
43
It is STEM fair time! Students at Innovation Academy will have the opportunity to create a STEM fair project.
The project will be a small group project with a focus on the Engineering Design Process (EDP). The students will begin
by identifying the “problem(s)” associated with their group’s assigned product. The students will work in groups to
research their assigned topic, brainstorm, create a prototype, plan, test, evaluate and modify their product to better
meet the human needs. Student groups will also create a STEM fair board, a digital display, and participate in a
presentation during the STEM fair on May 17th.
The students will work on the STEM fair project throughout the next week during Project Days at Innovation
Academy. The classes will begin work on their science fair projects the week of May 13th. The project will be finished
by the end of the week. The students will work on their STEM fair project in their assigned small groups on Project
Days during the week. During the Project Days the grade level teachers will provide instructional support and
examples of how to successfully complete the STEM fair project. The engineering design portion, creation of the
prototype, testing, evaluating and modifying of the prototype, and creation of the STEM fair board will be complete
during class in small groups on Project Days. Their group leader may assign students tasks. These tasks will need to be
completed outside of class time during the week of May 13th. These tasks may include, but are not limited to,
research, sketching, and creation of the STEM fair digital presentation.
The students will then participate in the STEM fair to on Friday, May 17th. The students who place in the top
three of each grade level’s STEM Fair will be recognized at the Innovation Academy Awards Day. All students are
expected to complete the STEM fair in their assigned small group (according to the rubric). The STEM fair project will
be part of the students’ final grade in all classes.
The STEM fair is a wonderful opportunity for your student to engage in exploration, investigation, and handson engineering experience. The STEM fair project is also an opportunity for students to work successful in a small
group setting. This experience will continue to simulate the real-world career situations that have been incorporated
into the projects at Innovation Academy. Students will greatly benefit from encouragement and support from their
parents to successfully complete the project. We look forward to working with your students to complete their STEM
fair projects. If you have any questions about the science fair project and process please email any of the seventh
grade teachers or call Innovation Academy to speak with us.
Student’s Name: _______________
Parent’s Signature: ____________
Date: _____
This signed form is to be returned to your Homeroom Teacher on Monday, May 13th, 2013.
Innovation Academy’s
44
STEM FAIR
STUDENT HANDBOOK
2013
iST M
Learn Different.
Timeline for 7th Grade’s STEM Fair
STEM FAIR
Phase 1 – Identifying the Problem
Monday, May 13th
Phase 2 – Research and Brainstorming
Monday, May 13th
Phase 3 – How to Document (Engineering Journal)
Monday, May 13th
Phase 4 – Planning, Designing, and Creating
Tuesday, May 14th
Phase 5 – Data Collection and Analysis
Tuesday, May 14th
Phase 6 – Modifications and Re-Testing
Wednesday, May 15th
Phase 7 – Creating and Exhibiting a Display
Thursday, May 16th
Friday, May 17th
Science Fair – School Wide
Project Selection Log
45
Student’s first and last name (printed) ____________________________________________
Grade ________ Room # ________ Teacher’s name ________________________________________
� Team Leader’s signature _____________________________________ Date ______________
Each student’s STEM Fair project must be innovative:
You will complete the Engineering Design Process to solve your product’s unsolved or poorly solved
problem. Using the Engineering Design Process will take you through the correct process of
determining the problem, doing research, brainstorming, making a hypothesis (your best guess at how
it will turn out), planning, designing and creating your prototype, conducting your testing trials,
analyzing your results, and modifying your prototype to make the best product.
THE ORIGINAL UNSOLVED OR POORLY SOLVED PROBLEM OUR PROJECT WILL SOLVE IS:
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Please list the other four ideas that you have brainstormed before selecting this topic.
1. ________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Engineering Project – Problem Statement Checklist
Answer the questions in the quick checklist below to find out if your project is on the right track.
46
What Makes a Good Engineering Project?
Your teacher may put some restrictions on projects. Have you met your teacher's
requirements?
Is the topic interesting enough to read about and work on for the next couple
months?
Can you find at least three sources of written information on the subject?
Can you think of a way to measure whether your solution is better than what
already exists? It is always best if you can measure your improvement
numerically: cheaper in dollars, faster in time, etc.
Can you design a solution that is safe to build, use, store, and dispose of?
Do you have all the materials and equipment you need for your solution, or will
you be able to obtain them quickly and at a very low cost?
Do you have enough time to complete your design and make it before the due
date? Allow time for doing additional research and fixing problems. It is very
rare for everything to work correctly the first time.
If you are planning to enter a science fair outside of your school:
Does your project meet all the rules and requirements for the science
fair
Have you checked to see if your science fair project will require
approval from the fair before you begin construction?
For a Good
Engineering Project,
You Should Answer
"Yes" to Every
Question
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Project Research Plan Worksheet
1. Define the problem you intent to solve. [Who] need(s) [what] because [why]:
47
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. List the keywords and phrases from your problem and the topic general. (Hint: Use an
encyclopedia to help you.)
__________________ __________________ __________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
3. Now use your keyword to build questions to guide your background research. Develop at least three
from each “question word”. Don’t worry about whether you already know the answer to the
questions – you’ll find the answers when you do your background research. And do not forget to
“network” with knowledgeable adults who can help guide your toward good materials.
Question Area
Target User
How It Works,
How to Make
It
Possible Questions (you can think of others)
Substitute your keywords (or
variations of your keywords) for the
blanks in the previous columns.
Write own the relevant questions and
use them to guide your background
research.
Who needs ____________?
Who wants ____________?
Who buys _____________?
What does my target user (a child, an elderly
person, whoever your target user is) need or
want in a __________?
How much would my target user be willing
to pay for a _______________?
What size should I make _________ for my
target user?
Who invented _________?
How does a _______ work?
What are the different parts of a
___________________?
What are the important characteristics of a
______?
How is performance measured for a
__________?
Where does _____ get used?
What is ________ made of?
Why is _________ made from or using
____________?
What is the best material, component, or
algorithm for building __________? (You
may even ask this separately for the different
parts of your device or program.)
Project Research Plan Worksheet
48
4. Ask questions to help you understand products or programs that fill similar needs to the need you
identified:
What products fill a similar need?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of products that fill a similar need?
What are the key, must-have features of products that fill a similar need?
Why did the engineers that built products that fill a similar need design them the way they
did?
How can I measure my design’s improvement over existing designs?
Project Research Plan Checklist
Answer the questions in the quick checklist below to evaluate your plan for background research.
What Makes a Good Background Research Plan?
Have you identified questions to ask about your target user or customer?
Have you identified questions to ask about the products that already exist to
solve the problem you defined or a problem that is very similar?
Have you planned to research how your product will work and how to make it?
For a Good Background
Research Plan, You
Should Answer "Yes" to
Every Question
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
“Plan” – Engineering Design Brief
49
Define the problem you intent to solve. [Who] need(s) [what] because [why]:
Describe the existing products are used and why they fail to address the problem:
Describe the target user for your solution:
List the requirements for your solution.
A good design requirement is needed to solve your design problem. If it is not
absolutely needed, leave it out.
A good design requirement is not just a wish: you must believe that it is feasible.
Ask if you have the time, money, materials, tools, and knowledge to make it
happen?
If you have conflicts between your requirements, have you investigated making
trade-offs among them?
“Plan” – Engineering Design Brief Checklist
50
Answer the questions in the quick checklist below to grade your design brief.
For a Good Design Brief,
You Should Answer
"Yes" to Every Question
What Makes a Good Design Brief?
Does it define the problem you intend to solve? [Who] need(s) [what] because
[why].
Yes / No
Does it describe how existing products are used and why they fail to address
the problem?
Yes / No
Does it describe your target user?
Yes / No
Does it list all of the requirements for your design?
Yes / No
Is each design requirement needed to solve your problem? If it is not needed,
leave it out. You'll have enough other things to work on!
Yes / No
Is each design requirement feasible? Ask if you have the time, money,
materials, tools, and knowledge to make it happen. If you have conflicts
between your requirements, have you investigated making trade-offs among
them?
Yes / No
Prototype “Problem” Log
51
Original Problem Statement: _______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Problems with Prototype
Create a list of “Problems” encountered while testing your prototype. Record that list of “Problems” in the chart
below. Once you have created a list of “Problems” rank your problems with 1 being the highest (or most important to
fix first).
Rank
WHAT is the Problem
WHY was this problem
encountered?
HOW can it be fixed?
Action Plan
How does your team plan on altering the prototype to correct these problems? Write a short paragraph outlining
your plan:
Start back into the PLAN stage to create a new materials list, scale drawing, and prototype. Be sure to address the problems identified as key
problems during this prototype evaluation.
Teachers’ Research Log
Summaries
52
Bibliography
Source 5 –
Website
Source 4 –
Book/ Article
Source 3 Book/ Article
Source 2 Book/ Article
QUESTION / TOPIC
Source 1 Book/ Article
STUDENT’S
NAME
STEM Fair Research Log
Research Summary
(This is to be completed for each source)
Type of Source: ___________________
Name: ____________________
Source Number: ________ of 5
53
1. What is the question you are trying to answer? (Research Question) __________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the source helping you answer that question? ______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why should your source be considered reliable? (Provide evidence. Refer to the “Test Before You Trust”
Reliability Rubric.) ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. MLA citation for source: (Consult www.easybib.com or the Purdue Online Writing Lab.)
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Summary of source (abstract) __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
6. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
STEM Fair Research Log
Research Summary
(This is to be completed for each source)
Type of Source: ___________________
Name: ____________________
Source Number: ________ of 5
54
1. What is the question you are trying to answer? (Research Question) __________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the source helping you answer that question? ______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why should your source be considered reliable? (Provide evidence. Refer to the “Test Before You Trust”
Reliability Rubric.) ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. MLA citation for source: (Consult www.easybib.com or the Purdue Online Writing Lab.)
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Summary of source (abstract) __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
6. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
STEM Fair Research Log
Research Summary
(This is to be completed for each source)
Type of Source: ___________________
Name: ____________________
Source Number: ________ of 5
55
1. What is the question you are trying to answer? (Research Question) __________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the source helping you answer that question? ______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why should your source be considered reliable? (Provide evidence. Refer to the “Test Before You Trust”
Reliability Rubric.) ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. MLA citation for source: (Consult www.easybib.com or the Purdue Online Writing Lab.)
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Summary of source (abstract) __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
6. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
STEM Fair Research Log
Research Summary
(This is to be completed for each source)
Type of Source: ___________________
Name: ____________________
Source Number: ________ of 5
56
1. What is the question you are trying to answer? (Research Question) __________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the source helping you answer that question? ______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why should your source be considered reliable? (Provide evidence. Refer to the “Test Before You Trust”
Reliability Rubric.) ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. MLA citation for source: (Consult www.easybib.com or the Purdue Online Writing Lab.)
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Summary of source (abstract) __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
6. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
STEM Fair Research Log
Research Summary
(This is to be completed for each source)
Type of Source: ___________________
Name: ____________________
Source Number: ________ of 5
57
1. What is the question you are trying to answer? (Research Question) __________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the source helping you answer that question? ______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why should your source be considered reliable? (Provide evidence. Refer to the “Test Before You Trust”
Reliability Rubric.) ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. MLA citation for source: (Consult www.easybib.com or the Purdue Online Writing Lab.)
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Summary of source (abstract) __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
6. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Teachers’ Experimental Design Log
58
Purchase Order
Technical Procedures
Materials List
Hypothesis
Product and Associated Problem
Variables
Team
Leader’s
Name
Students’ Engineering Design Log
Name: ________________
59
Trial Number: ________________________________________________________________
Variables
(Fill in the table with the appropriate information from your team’s engineering design.)
Independent Variable
Dependent Variable
Controlled Variable
(What will you be changing in the
produce? There will only be one
item in this list.)
(What will you be measuring or
observing to determine if your
engineering modification is
successful?)
(What will you be keeping the
same during the engineering
testing?)
Hypothesis
(Fill in the table with the appropriate information from your own experiment.)
If (I do this) _______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Then (this) ________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________will happen,
Because __________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Students’ Engineering Design Log
60
Materials List
(Also complete Purchase Order)
Technical Procedures
What costs do you expect?
(Also complete Purchase Order)
Number of Trials: 2 – Include Materials needed for the modifications – Trial 1 & Trail 2.
Teacher Signature: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________
Teachers’ Charts and Graphs Log
61
Team
Leader’s
Name
Legend
Labeled Axes
Variables on correct
axes
Consistent
Numbering
Equal Spacing
Chart/ Graph Title
Product and Associated
Problem
Students’ Charts and Graphs Log
62
As you are collecting your experimental data remember that you must display an observation table for each
experimental test and graph to display your results. By creating a chart or graph you are making it easier for people to
understand the relationship between your variables. Below there are some helpful hints to remember when you are
creating your chart or graph.
Check
when
completed
Leave equal spaces between the numbers on the axes.
Number the axes consistently. For instance, if you start with the number 0 and the next
values are 5 and 10, you cannot skip 20. The next number would be 15.
Your graph or chart must have a title. The title should relate to the information contained in
the chart or graph.
The independent variable should be placed on the x-axis of the graph and the dependent
variable should be placed on the y-axis.
The axes of the graph must be label. You should provide the unit of measurement in the
label (grams, centimeters, liters, etc.).
If you have more than one set of data they should show each series of data in a different
color or symbol. Be sure to include a legend with clear labels.
Teachers’ Conclusion Log
63
Team
Leader’s
Name
If Hypothesis is rejected
stated possible bias or
experimental errors
Suggestions for
Future Research
Research linked to
Conclusions
Conclusions Supported
by data
Accepted or Rejected
Hypothesis
Product and Associated
Problem
Students’ Conclusion Log
64
After you gather your data and complete your observation chart you will need to analyze your results. When
you analyze your data you need to ask “What is the data telling me? What trends to I see in my graphs? Are
the data for the control and the experimental group the same or different?
Most of the data collected in during our STEM Fair projects will be mathematical, or described by numbers.
Working with the data will help you practice your use of calculating mean and median. Mean is the average
of your data, and median is the middle-most value when all of the measurements are listed from smallest to
largest. For example, two experiments may have the same mean but differ is how the results are distributed.
You will need to compare the means and the medians of your data to determine how they differ. If you are
unsure about some of the math calculations or concepts you should ask your teacher or team members for
help.
When compiling your conclusion the main question you must answer is “Do my result agree with my
engineering hypothesis?” If your results support your engineering hypothesis you will “accept” your
hypothesis. If your results do not support your engineering hypothesis you will “reject” your hypothesis. It is
okay to accept or reject your hypothesis. You should not change your data or results so that you can accept
your original engineering hypothesis. There is something to be learned from accepting and rejecting
hypotheses. Often engineers and scientists find that their experimental results do not support their hypothesis.
These engineers and scientists then use these results as the first step in constructing a new hypothesis, start
new research, modifying their prototype and re-testing.
After you determine if your engineering hypothesis will be accepted or rejected you must state why. If your
data supports your hypothesis, why do you think they do? If your data does not support your hypothesis, how
are they different? And why do you think they differ? The most important portion of the conclusion will be
to explain why you got the results that you did. When you are answering these questions it is important to
refer to key points discovered during your research. Information obtained during your research will be helpful
in supporting your data and explaining the relationship between your data and engineering hypothesis.
The last portion of your conclusion should include the following. If your original hypothesis was rejected you
must state possible sources of bias, experimental, or engineering errors. You will need to determine if there
are any changes that you could make to your engineering design and technical procedures to change the
outcome of your research. At this stage your team will modify your engineering design or technical
procedures and re-test your prototype. Each group is expected to modify their prototype and re-test twice.
Sources of bias are generally found in experimental design as well. All students, whether you accepted or
rejected your hypothesis, should describe factors that they believe contributed to their results. Then, you
should briefly explain possibilities for new experiments that could build on your results. These could be
derived from any investigative questions that cam up during your experimentation. These questions will
guide other students and researchers who find your research interesting and want to study the topic more.
Check when
complete
Accepted or Rejected Hypothesis
Conclusions supported by data
Conclusions linked to Information found in Literary Research
Modifications for Engineering Design or Technical Procedures
If Hypothesis is Rejected stated possible Bias or Experimental Errors
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Student STEM Fair Registration Form
INNOVATION ACADEMY
______________________
( Please Print Clearly )
NAME
AGE
GRADE & SCHOOL
PROJECT TITLE
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
(Attach a copy of the project abstract)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Reference:
9/24/12 5th /6th Grades Engineering Design Science Fair Packet (ED-SFP)
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Paul Nance, the Jordan District Elementary Science Teacher Specialist
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