Science Fair Topic Menu:
Name ______________________________
Below is a table of different topics & possible questions or problems to investigate for the science fair. You are NOT limited to the
examples listed here. You may choose any question or problem, as long as it fits into one of the categories below, is important to
people, and is safe. **REMEMBER, your project MUST be approved by your science teacher BEFORE you begin!**
Category
Energy
Topic Ideas
 Alternative fuels (biofuel)
 Fossil fuel energy
 Renewable energy (solar, wind,
 Building machine and/or program a
robot to solve real world problems
related to weather, climate change,
or human impact
o Design & build a self sorting recycling bin
o Design & build a robot to…Mix and aerate compost bins,
Pick up garbage, sort recycling, etc.
o Design & build a solar powered oven
o Design & build a solar powered water purifier
o Design & build an inexpensive, portable water filter
water)
 Energy efficiency
 Thermodynamics (the effects of
temperature)
Engineering:
(Mechanical and
computer science)
Example Questions or Problems
o How do green roofs affect energy use in a home?
o How does the type of insulation affect energy use?
o How does the color of a house/car/bus affect its temperature
in summer vs. winter?
o Design & build a “bird safe” wind turbine cover
o Design & build personal wind turbines to power a house
o Design & build a wave powered generator
o How does light intensity affect solar panel efficiency?
o How does temperature affect solar panel efficiency?
o Which type of biofuel produces the most energy?
 (* you must provide your own robot &
programming software)
Earth Science
 Climatology
o How do rising sea surface temperatures affect ocean
convection currents?
o How is water salinity (saltiness) affected by temperature?
o How does albedo affect (how much light gets reflected off an
object) affect ice cap melting?
o Does the type of material affect how fast it heats up or cools
down?
o How does water depth affect wave speed and size?
o How does air humidity affect air temperature?
o Does wind speed affect temperature?
o How does acid rain affect different types of rock?
Environmental Science
 Study of pollution (air, water, and
o Design & build the most effective bioswale for cleaning
water that runs off a parking lot or farms/lawns
o Design & build to most effective green roof
o How much does making a small change in your behavior
(i.e. turning off lights, or taking shorter showers) actually
decrease your energy use?
o How does climate change affect plant succession after
drought or wildfire? (would need to find long term data online)
o Can your compost pile heat the water for your shower?
o How does the acidity of the ocean affect animals with
shells?
o Do compostable plastics really break down faster?
Plant Science
 Agriculture/Agronomy
o How does temperature affect genetically modified
vegetables compared to heirloom vegetables?
o How does drought affect competition between native and
non-native (or invasive) plants?
o How does temperature affect plant germination or fruit
ripening?
o Use existing data to analyze the cost vs. benefit of existing
biofuels
Oceanography
Meteorology
Geology
land)
Environmental engineering
Ecology
Ecology
Genetics
o How do plants affect the temperature in a terrarium?
Narrowing down project ideas:
1. Read all the science fair topic ideas & example questions on the back of this sheet.
2. Choose the 5 topics or example questions/problems that you are most interested in learning more
about. Write them in the space below.
 _____________________________________________________________________________
 _____________________________________________________________________________
 _____________________________________________________________________________
 _____________________________________________________________________________
 _____________________________________________________________________________
3. Think about it… What experiment would you do to answer each question? What could you build to
solve the problem? What quantitative data could you collect during testing?
4. Cross out any questions or problems that you can’t figure out how to test or that you couldn’t gather
quantitative data about.
5. You will have 6 class periods to collect your data… look at the remaining options above. How much
time would you need to collect your data for each of those projects? Would you be able to do it all in
class, or would you need to do some of the work at home?
6. Choose your top two project ideas & list them in the space below.
 __________________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________________
* Bring your top 2 project ideas to your science teacher for approval before beginning your
project plan & background research.