4 SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT IDEAS TO TAKE HOME 1ST PLACE Commonwealth Electric
INTRODUCTION
Are you one of the millions of students who’s been tasked with developing and creating a science fair project this year? Or maybe you’re a parent or teacher who needs to come up with some ideas for their students. Whatever the case, you’ve found your way to this science fair project ideas list. Before you dive in, we want to encourage you to come up with your own unique experiments & ideas using these ideas as inspiration. The best projects are ones that you’re passionate about since it really shows through the work and dedication to the final result. That being said, let’s look at some interesting projects you could try out or get inspired by this science fair season.
1. ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS “Go Green” and “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” are phrases that are now well known in our culture. We should consider ourselves lucky since these things were basically non-existent until recently! Energy efficiency projects are experiments or projects that examine various parts of making something energy efficient or reducing energy use in some way. This opens you up to a world of possibilities! For example, you could see how applying energy efficient products like lightbulbs, thermostats, or others actually reduce energy usage and bills over a certain period of time. Try using Mass save rebates or other state-wide initiatives to keep the cost of the project low. Another example would be looking at biodegradable or compostable waste like fruits/vegetables, other food, compostable cups, plates, and silverware. How long does it actually take these things to degrade? What conditions must be met in order to speed up the process? What conditions slow it down or make this impossible? These questions and more can be answered with an awesome and culturally relevant science fair project!
2. PLANT FERTILIZERS Would it be a science fair without some sort of plant being grown or tested? Science fair project ideas often include plants because they can usually be done in shorter timelines and they can be easily manipulated for experimentation in a number of ways. One example would be to test the effectiveness of various plant fertilizers on plant growth. You could get 4 or 5 brands of fertilizer to test how each affects a fast growing plant’s growth like bean sprouts or a type of herb. This would be mixed with a standard soil option to reduce variables. Unfertilized soil would act as the control. You could then analyze your results based on what’s in the different fertilizers. What compounds are in the most successful fertilizer? What was the worst one lacking? Was there little to no difference? Even a simple experiment like this can answer many questions and relate to a number of scientific concepts from chemistry to botany and more.
3. ARE VIDEO GAMES EXERCISE?
This might seem like a silly question, but many people consider video games to be sports. eSports is a huge phenomenon around the world that sells out stadiums and brings in millions of viewers annually. So if they’re sports, are they exercise? There are also video games that have you exercise like Wii Sports or the Nintendo Switch’s Ring Fit Adventure. This type of experiment could look into the heart rate of people as they play video games vs when they’re at rest. You could then compare those heart rates to those that are average during traditional exercise like yoga, running, or team sports.
4. SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT IDEAS THAT ARE OUTSIDE THE NORM: CREATE AN APP OR WEBSITE Computer science, coding, and computer engineering are all types of science. Many school science projects tend to skew more towards biology and psychology, so stepping into a more technical subset of STEM will set you apart from your classmates. This is especially great for students who are more technically inclined, excel in mathematics, or just enjoy computer science! Come up with an idea for an app or website that you’re passionate about or at least something that’s relevant to your life. You could create a simple game, a to-do list app, a website that organizes your class assignments, or even just a site that shows different photos every hour. Whatever you choose, if you can create a working app or site, it will be very impressive and a great accomplishment!
SOURCES https://comelectrical.com/project-cat/energy-efficiency/ https://comelectrical.com/service/energy-efficiency/ https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/ring-fit-adventure-switch/ https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/more-platforms/nintendowii/games/products/wii-sports/10065517.html https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/8-free-website-creator-tools
