2012 Coriell Science Fair
Student Guide For
Basic Fair Information & Basic Project Elements
(Revision A-090711)
Who is Eligible to Participate
1.
Students in 6th through 12th grades
•
Individual Projects
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Grades 9, 10, 11 & 12 participate separately at each grade level
Grades 6, 7 & 8 participate together as a single 6th-8th grade level
Team Projects
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Teams are limited to 2-3 students/team
Students in grade 6,7 & 8 participate as a single 6th-8th team level
Students in grades 9,10,11 & 12 participate as a single 9th-12th team level
2.
Attend school in Burlington, Camden or Gloucester Co., New Jersey
3.
Regular or Home-school students
4.
If your school does not participate:
Students with adult sponsors may participate
5.
If your school or organization has a science fair:
Your school or organization decides who may participate
How to Participate
1.
Download ISEF Rules and Forms from Coriell Web
http://www.coriell.org/education/science-fair/
2.
Read and understand the rules and requirements and paperwork thoroughly before
beginning: See “Forms and Rules.ppt” for info on required supervision and forms
3.
ALL projects must be approved by a parent/guardian (Approval Form 1B) BEFORE
starting and ALL projects involving physical, biological, and chemical risks, human
participants or vertebrate animals must ALSO be approved BEFORE starting by an SRC
By Coriell Scientific Review Committee (SRC) OR
& also if appropriate by a Regulated Institute or Industry SRC
4.
Plan a project & submit with ISEF forms and Research Plan*, & Coriell Student
Contact Form: Send COPIES, Keep ORIGINALS)
A: To Coriell
G Butler, Coriell Inst. 403 Haddon Ave, Camden 08103
Email gbutler@coriell .org or sciencefair@coriell.org
Fax (856) 964-0254 attn Science Fair
B: If done at a Regulated Institute/Industry (RI/I), to the RI/I AND** to Coriell
**If done at RI/I (including work in summer), Coriell can approve or reject defacto
•
The research plan is a “what I plan to do and how I plan to do it” document written before work starts and
submitted with paperwork for approval and risk assessment in contrast to the abstract which is a
“what I did and what happened” document which is submitted after the project is done.
How to Participate: Continued
5.
Coriell or Regulated Inst SRC reviews projects and emails back:
Approved (You may then begin project)
Revisions Required (You must resubmit corrected paperwork )
Coriell will determine, based on type of correction if you:
May NOT begin work before resubmitting
May begin work before resubmitting
If revised paperwork is approved you may begin
If work was done or will be done and approved at a Regulated Institute,
Coriell must also approve or acknowledge that approval
6.
Do the research
7.
Register: If you decide to come to Fair, submit Registration form to Coriell
between Feb 1 and Feb 19 (form will be posted on web late Jan.)
8.
•
Submit abstract with registration form if project is complete
•
If project is not complete by registration deadline:
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Send registration form before Feb 19 and
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Send abstract before March 12, or bring to set-up day (March 16)
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Both abstracts and registrations forms are required to enter Fair
Set up is Friday March 16, Fair day is Saturday March 17
Competition Categories
Behavioral & Social
Biochemistry
Botany
Chemistry
Computers
Consumer Science (6th-8th grade only)
Earth & Space
Engineering
Environmental
Math
Medicine & Health
Microbiology
Physics
Zoology
Teams 6th-8th and Teams 9th-12th (2-3 student /team limit)
Five Basic Steps in Doing a Project
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Plan the experiment and obtain approval
Do the experiment and keep a daily journal
Write a report
Make an abstract (summary paragraph)
Create a presentation board
MAKE A HYPOTHESIS
An educated guess of what will happen
Should be reasonable, but not necessarily correct
Crystals will be larger when evaporation is slower.
(Hypothesis of Positive action)
Red classroom wall color will make student test
scores lower.
(Hypothesis of Negative action)
Soil temperature will not affect plant growth.
(Hypothesis of No action)
Choosing a Topic
“What is the effect of __A__
variable
on __B__
subject
measured by __C__
when __D__
Students fill in the ABCD blanks from lists
units
is constant
MEASURE SOMETHING
Examples of variables to
be measured
Irrigation / drought
More mass / less mass
Angle of launch
Sunlight / dark
Color of light
pH
Temperature
Type of substrate
Kinds of measurements
Length / height
Color change
Speed / velocity
Temperature
Time
Mass
Opinions on surveys
Volume
Use numbers if possible
Constants
Are things that stay the same because:
You hold them constant so that only one variable is tested at a time:
In this example if plant growth differences due to light or water etc.
are being measured, keep all the plants the same kind
Or Constants can also be physically invariant like:
Light speed = 650 million mph
Liquid Nitrogen is -196 C
Variables
0
Are things you manipulate (Independent)
And things that change in response (Dependent)
1
4
Manipulated (Independent): weight on car
Observed (Dependent): distance traveled
Controls
Are things to which you compare your results
Negative Control (untreated): In comparing
which toothpaste works best it is:
Brushing your teeth with water
Positive Control (treated with something known
to work very well): In determining which color
light makes plants grow better it is:
Sunlight
“N”: Repeated Measurements
N is the number of times you test something
N should be 3 or more.
Conclusions drawn from only one trial are
usually incorrect.
Why Repeat Experiments?
Example of wrong conclusions due to not repeating experiments
Which Rots Faster: Potatoes or Tomatoes ?
If N=1 its incorrectly: Tomatoes, If N = 3 its correctly: Potatoes
Trial 1
(N=1)
Potatoes
8
Potatoes
Trial
1
Trial
2
Trial
3
Average
8
6
4
6
days to rot
Tomatoes
4
days to rot
Tomatoes
days to rot
Incorrect
Conclusion
Tomatoes
(N=3)
4
16
10
10
days to rot
Better
Conclusion
Potatoes
Tables, Graphs, and Photo Tips
Your data shown in tables, graphs, and photos communicate the most
about your project to the judges!
A judge should be able to look at only your data (tables, graphs, and
photos), your abstract your title and understand the project without
reading anything else
Common Table, Graph and Photograph Flaws
Absent Title
Unlabeled Axes (Axis titles or units of measurement missing)
Absent Legends
Absent credits for who took photos or source
Helpful Graph Components
N=
Standard Error bars (statistics)
Example of a Good Graph
Effect of UV Filters on Plant Growth
6
Plant Mass (Gm)
5
No Filter (+ Ctrl)
UV A Filter
UV B Filter
Dark (- Ctrl)
N=6
4
3
2
1
0
0
7
Time (Days)
14
The Abstract
When you have completed your project, write an abstract
telling what you did and what happened.
Keep it Short (250 words or less)
Purpose :
Why you did the experiment
Procedure : How you did the experiment
Result:
What you found out
Conclusions: What you learned from the experiment
Where to Put Abstracts:
Send one copy to Coriell: (Put your project title, full name and school
on this copy only).
Attach one copy to you poster (upper left corner preferred)
(Do NOT put your last name or school on this copy)
Make an additional dozen copies (also without last name or school)
to place by your poster for judges to take to the deliberation session.
The Poster
Title
Format in same order
as a scientific paper
Results
Abstract
(250 words)
Methods
Diagrams
Introduction
& Background
Include diagrams
& flow charts
in methods
Use 14-16 Point font
to make it easy
to read quickly
Data
Graphs,
Photos
Materials
& Methods
Judges have
5-10 min to read.
Keep it short and
to the point
Discussion &
Conclusions
In discussion
Include:
Significance of results
What you would do
If it didn’t work
Report
Log Book
Loose Abstracts
for Judges (12)
What you would do
if you could continue
the experiment
Science Fair Display Rules
Size limits: (30 inches deep, 4 feet wide, 9 feet tall from floor)
No liquids (except water integral to a sealed apparatus)
No sharps (no knives, scalpels, needles, glass, nails, etc.)
Do not have anything or parts of anything that is or
has ever been alive: Use Photos.
Examples:
No plants, animals, seeds, bones, teeth, bacterial
or cell cultures, worms, fish, insects, etc.
No human or animal food
No chemicals or drugs
No flames
No photographs of surgeries
No awards, medals, endorsements or advertisements
The Interview
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Judges interview students after viewing projects with the students absent
Each student will be interviewed by at least two judges, often simultaneously
Students can also be interviewed by additional special awards judges
Be prepared to do the following:
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Give a brief overview of you project and answer questions
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What made you select the problem – What was the background?
What was your hypothesis?
What kinds of methods did you use?
What results did you get?
What problems did you encounter, and how did you solve them?
What conclusions did you draw. Why are your results important to advancing science, medicine or engineering?
What would you do next if you continued the project and / or had additional resources?
Offer a copy of your abstract for the judges to take back to the deliberation session
What the judges are looking for?
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Originality and Creativity
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Scientific Thought
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Understanding, recognizing limitations, considering what could be done next, sufficient data, reasonable interpretations
Clarity of Communication
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Positive and negative controls, recognizing and controlling variables, repeats, appropriate methods
Thoroughness
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Contribution to basic or applied research or advancement or improvement of design or technology
Clear statement of hypothesis, well-labeled clear graphs, charts, diagrams, descriptions of methods
Skill
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Good experimental design, analysis of data, problem solving skills, age-appropriateness, appropriate level of mentor involvement
Advancement
• Who Qualifies for Advancement to DVSF:
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1st and 2nd Place winners in each category for each grade 9th-12th
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners for each category in the 6-8th grade group
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners for (9th-12th ) teams (9-12 is one level)
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners for (6th-8th ) teams (6-8 is one level)
• What do I have to do if I am qualified to advance?
– Coriell informs you that you are qualified at the awards ceremony
– Coriell sends you paperwork to DVSF in advance if you qualified
– You simply show up at DVSF
• Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF):
– Dates: Tuesday April 3rd to Thursday April 5th, 2012
– Location: Oaks, PA
– More Information: http://www.drexel.edu/dvsf/
• International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
– DVSF advances it’s top 13 projects to ISEF
– Location and Dates: Pittsburgh, PA, Sunday May 13 - Friday May 18, 2012
– More Information: http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/
Got Questions?
• Contact Dr. Gary Butler,
Coriell Institute Science Fair
– (856) 757-9716
– gbutler@coriell.org
Help with ISEF Forms
Please download and review the PowerPoint or pdf:
2012 Forms and Rules Guide
Guide for Successful Completion of ISEF Forms (And Getting Approval
without Correction and Resubmission)
Posted on Coriell’s Web:
http://www.coriell.org/education/science-fair/
For assisting teachers, parents and students in understanding the ISEF rules
and forms and for preparation of ISEF paperwork, improving their
chances of getting approval for Coriell’s Fair, and ensuring paperwork is
in order if the project is selected for advancement to DVSF or ISEF