Science Fair Projects That Get Attention
By Cheryl Turlin
Science Pioneers Judge
16 Years
It is all about the Students and their Questions.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
STUDENT IDEAS FOR PROJECTS
 INTEREST OF STUDENT
 INTERNET
 MAGAZINES
 WWW.SHOWBOARD.COM
 IDEA SHEETS
 OLD PROJECTS
 LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
 CURRENT EVENTS
INTERNET
HELPFUL WEBSITES
http://www.ipl.org/youth/projectguide
http://www.chem4kids.com
http://isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/steps.html
http://www.sciserv.org/isef
FAIR RESOURCES
http://www.ipl.org/youth/projectguide
Science Fair Resource Guide
http://www.madsci.org/libs/areas/reagents.html
Finding Science Reagents
http://www.scifair.org
The Ultimate Science Fair Resource
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/sci/chem/internet/science_fairs.html
http://www.chipublib.org/008subject/009scitech/scifair.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ls/pathfinders/scifairs/
http://www.us.net/mccpta/science.html
http://cusef.byu.edu/science%20fair%20resources/resources/htm
http://www.saludak-12.org/scifair.htm
http://www.hamiltonschools.org/davies/sciencefairrefs.htm
http://www.saluda.lib.sc.us/science.html
http://sciencepage.org/scifair.htm
http://www.wheaton.lib.il.us/library/scifair.html
IDEA GENERATION
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral
Science Fair Central
PROJECT IDEAS
http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net/
http://www.cmste.uregina.ca/scifair.html
http://www.sciencebob.com/lab/sciencefair/resources.html
http://www.yahooligans.com/science_and_nature/experiments_and_activities/science_fairs/
SCIENCE FAIRS
http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net
Science Fair Homepage
http://istf.ucf.edu
Internet Science and Technology Fair
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/sciencefairs
Another Science Fair Homepage
http://www.drexel.edu/dvsf/
http://www.gnsef.org/resources.html
More
INTERNET
PRESENTATION AND EVALUATION
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/scifairstudio/handbook/presandeval.html
Science Fair Studio
SCIENCE FAIR JUDGING SHEET
http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net/judging_sheet.html
OTHERS
http://www.sciencedaily.com
http://www.enn.com
http://www.newscientist.com
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/amasci.html
http://www.ontariosciencecenter.ca/kids/cool_stuff/fairlinks.asp
http://homeworkspot.com/sciencefair
All Projects must be based upon a measurable
and testable investigative question?
All units of measure must be in scientific units,
meters, grams, liters, Celsius, Kelvin, etc. Not
inches, ounces, gallons, or Fahrenheit!
Often the projects don’t pop.
We Start With:
K
I
S
• Keep it Simple
• Interesting and Eye Catching
• Sound Science
Putting It All Together
Examples come from:
http://www.swsd.k12.pa.us/swhigh/science/sciencefair/3.html
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project_gallery.shtml
•Working
Model
•Notebook
•Data log
•Design Plan
•Photos
•Topper
•Crowded
•Too many words on
the Board
•Maybe too much –
Platform diagram
maybe not needed
Analyze
This
NOT TOO MUCH!
Or your real work gets lost.
When thinking about color think about dangerous animals.
They have bright flashy colors that complement each other.
The colors act as a warning and to get attention.
Color Demands Attention
In the
right
Amount
and
Combination
Examples come from:
http://www.swsd.k12.
pa.us/swhigh/science
/sciencefair/3.html
Use of toppers
Examples come from:
http://www.swsd.k12.pa.us/swhigh/sc
ience/sciencefair/3.html
And
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/scien
ce-fair-projects/project_gallery.shtml
•Use Clear Labels {Once is Enough}
• Check Data Tables and Graphs for Labels
•Clearly Labeled
•Limited in Color (Aligned all the way across)
•Summarized
•Use an Offsetting Background Sheet to Accent Your
Information Sheets
• SPELL CHECK EVERYTHING {then do it gain}
•If hand written-fourth through sixth-Skip every other line!
•How to use photos
•If it is mold, bacteria, or extremely messy -Take lots of
color pictures and make sure they are related to the
project.
•Display photos in order of project progression