Science Fair Ideas for Middle & High School
Middle and high school students can participate in science fairs to receive extra credits and prepare for higher education. The experiences the students will gain during science fairs will help them develop better research, presentation and organizational skills. Middle and high school students should think of projects that are not basic in order to attract the attention of judges and, possibly, win awards.
Earth Science
Earth science, also known as geoscience, may include the study of the atmosphere, oceans and biosphere, as well as the solid earth. The United States Geological Survey's website has some suggestions for students who want to participate in science fairs. Earthquake prediction, seismic waves, seismograph and plate tectonics are some of the project ideas that middle and high school students can pursue. Research and perform experiments on topics pertaining to earthquakes such as reading and comparing magnitudes and intensities, earthquake preparedness, locating an earthquake and designing structures to perform well during earthquakes.
Create seismic graphs, fault maps and miniature models of buildings to provide visual presentations. Mocking up the earthquake movements will show observers and judges how different intensities affect soils, buildings and ocean waves.
Chemistry
Chemistry is a branch of physical science that deals in the study of chemical agents and compounds. An example of a science fair project for middle school students is balloon morphing, with the objective of showing how gases contract and expand. Using latex balloons, students can experiment with how different temperatures can affect the contraction and expansion of balloons.
High school students, on the other hand, can complete a project that involves crime scene chemistry. Using luminol, a blue solution that glows and is used by crime scene investigators to test for presence of blood, the students can show how different temperatures can affect the results.
Plant Biology
Plant biology is the biological study of plants and vegetation. For a science fair project, middle school students can perform an experiment to show if gravity can affect the direction of root growth. Plant seeds in different directions and show how growing rootlets respond to gravity.
An ideal project for a high school science fair is the study of soil microorganisms to show how important they are to plants. Perform a series of experiments to show how much plants depend on certain microorganisms in order to grow. Find out if sterilizing soils can slow down or speed up the growth of plants. Determine if a plant with a worm will grow healthier than a plant without a worm. Show actual growth results of plants in different soil conditions.
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