2012 Project Appendices

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Lake Asbury Junior High School

Science Project PacketAppendices

Appendix A: Fields of Science/ Science Fair Categories ..2-3

Appendix B: Selecting a Project Topic/Question/Problem 4-5

Appendix C: Experimental Design .. 6

Appendix D: Setting up a controlled experiment 7

Appendix E: County Approval Forms . 8


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Appendix A: Fields of Science/ Science Fair Categories

AEROSPACE SCIENCE is the study and investigation of the earth's atmosphere and outer space. It includes thedesign, building, and operation of aircraft. Some topics that fall within this division are the operation of rockets,guided missiles, anything related to space travel, and the operation, and/or construction of satellites and airplanes.

ASTRONOMY is the science of the universe, including the planets and their moons, comets and meteors, the starsand galaxies.

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE* is the science that studies how humans and other animals act by means of observableresponses. Some topics that fall within this division are the effect of stimuli on organisms and their responses,learning, motivation, emotion, perception, thinking, individuality and personality.

BIOCHEMISTRY* is the branch of chemistry relating to the processes and physical properties of living organisms.This could include the reactions of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, enzymes, blood, urine, vitamins, hormones,poisons, and drugs. As well as the how these things are absorbed, digested, and used by organisms.

BOTANY is the study of plant structures and their functions, plant reproduction, growth, classification and disease.

CELLULAR & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY* is the study of the organization and function of the individual cell. Molecularbiology is the study of the interactions between the systems of a cell, including the making and controlling of proteins,DNA and RNA.

CHEMISTRY is the study of the structure and properties of substances. How substances are made and how theyundergo chemical and/or physical changes under various conditions.

COMPUTER SCIENCE is thestudy and making of computer hardware, software, Internet networking andcommunications, simulations/virtual reality or computational science (including data structures, encryption, coding,and information theory).

CONSUMER SCIENCE* is the study of comparisons and evaluations of manufactured or commercial products.Topics included in this category are taste tests, color preferences, quality control, and how well a product works.

EARTH SCIENCE is the science of the origin, structure, makeup and other physical features of the earth. Sometopics that fall within this division are geology (earth composition, rock formation, fossils, minerals, and fossil fuel);geography (landforms, soils, classification of streams, erosion, and sedimentation); oceanography (ocean waves,

ocean currents, composition of ocean water and coastal zone management); seismology (study of earthquakes); andmeteorology (study of weather).

ELECTRONICS is the branch of engineering and technology that consists of making things such as radios, televisionsets, and computers. Experiments involving circuits for communication such as radio, radar, laser, television, andelectricity; electric motors; solar cells and amplifiers would be in this category.

ENGINEERING is the design, construction, and operation of roads, bridges, harbors, buildings, and machinery,lighting, heating, and communication systems. Stress testing of building materials and strength of building materialswould be considered engineering projects.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE is the study of the protection and care of natural resources. Topics included in thiscategory are solar energy and its uses, water purification and usage, pollution control, soil chemistry, and

insecticides.

HEALTH SCIENCE* is the study of the human body and good health practices. Projects dealing with diet, care ofthe teeth, care of the eyes, and hygiene would be placed in this category.

MATERIALS SCIENCE is a branch of engineering that is the study of materials and how they can be changed andmade to meet the needs of modern technology.


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MATHEMATICS is the science of measurement, arithmetic (use of numbers, symbols, and numerical systems);algebra (probability, theory of equations, progressions, and combinations); geometry (study of geometric figures,similar figures, and scale drawings); calculus; trigonometry, statistics and graphing.

MICROBIOLOGY* is the branch of biology concerned with the study of microorganisms. This would include thestudy of bacteria, viruses, yeasts, fungi, and protozoa, and even studies involving cells or tissues.

PHYSICS is the science that deals with the laws concerning motion, matter, and energy. Topics found in thecategory of physics are force and pressure, gravity, Newton's Laws, relativity, kinetic theory, motion forces, work,energy, sound, light, and magnetism.

ZOOLOGY and or Animal Science* is the science that deals with the study of animals. This could include the studythe structures of animals, the functions of those structures, reproduction and heredity.

*projects in these fields of science require special supervision and guidelines and have certain restrictions. Theclassroom teacher may choose to limit the number of projects allowed from these fields.

For a complete list of ISEF Categories and Subcategories refer to the following link:

http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/project_categories
http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/project_categorieshttp://www.societyforscience.org/isef/project_categorieshttp://www.societyforscience.org/isef/project_categories


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Appendix B: Selecting a Project Topic/Question/Problem

Worksheet 1: The Four Question Strategy BrainstormingThis worksheet is meant to guide you through the project selection process. It was

developed from a four question strategy called Rooting into Inquiry, which is designed

to aid students in creating an original and meaningful science fair experiment. Refer to

the scenario and example worksheets provided to complete your own.

Example Scenario:

Leslee wants to do a project on plants. She then completed Worksheet 1: The Four

Question Strategy Brainstorming. See the completed worksheet below

Test subjectis the samething asproject topic. It

is the generalthing you wantto do yourexperimenton.

Write the

materials fromquestion #1.Choose onlymaterials thatwill have aneffect on the testsubject.Notice Leslee didnot choose theshovel or themeasuring cups.

Write a list of allthe possibleways that eachof the materialscan be changed.Use anothersheet of paper if

neededWrite youranswer toquestion #2 &then write outspecifically whatand how youwould measure

If you are havingtrouble comingup with materialsthen you canalso put in theparts of your testsubject. Like inthis case roots,leaves, stem,flowers couldalso have beenput in the boxes.


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Appendix B: Selecting a Project Topic/Question/Problem

Worksheet 2: The Four Question Strategy Creating a Project Question

Feasiblemeanscapable ofbeingsuccessfullyaccomplished

Answering the Why? for the last two

questions is just as important as the questionitself. If you cant answer the why then you

should not consider trying to investigate the

problem for your project.

Note: You willhave more thanthree questionsif you use all ofyour answers in#3 and #4 tomakequestions.Realize thatsome questions

will be betterthan others and

After you come up with a problem question

you need to get the approval of both the

teacher and your parent to continue. If

approval is not given by either your teacher

or parent, then you will need to go back and

come up with a new question. You may

have to work through Worksheet 1 and/or

Worksheet 2 multiple times before arriving

at and acceptable question.


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Levels of the IVare the testinggroups or theexperimentalgroups. Each is

treated with adifferent amountor form of theindependentvariable.You will need tounderstand whatmakes each leveof the IV differenfrom one anotheIn this exampleLeslee needs to

know how clay,sand, and loamare different fromeach other.

Appendix C: Experimental Design

Worksheet 3 Identifying the Variables, Control, and Constants

Use may need to begin your background research before completing this

worksheet.

Scenario continuedAfter Leslee did some research she decided to pick tomatoes as the plants thatshe would use in her project. She found out background information on tomatoplants which helped her to complete worksheet 2: Experimental Design Diagram.

Theindependentvariable is theone factor inthe experimentthat you are

purposelychanging.

Title: thequestion you artrying to answeSee worksheet You may find asin this exampleafter beginning

your researchthat yourquestionbecomes morespecific.The control

group is notexposed to anychange orexperimentaltreatment. In thisexample it is thegroup of plants

that is grown inregular pottingsoil with nothingadded.

The dependentvariable is the onequality ormeasurement aboutthe test subject thatyou are using todetermine if the

independent variablehad any effect on thetest subject.In this exampleLeslee is measuringthe main taproot tosee if adding sand,clay or loam willcause a change to thetomato plant

Constants are all the factors in the experiment that must bekept the same so that you can prove that any change in thedependent variable was caused by the independent variable.


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Appendix D: Setting Up a Controlled Experiment

When conducting your experiment, care must be taken to make sure that the independent variableis actually what causes the change to your test subject. When planning your experiment remember tokeep everything the same except for the single variable being tested.

Here is an example:

Experiment purpose: What affect does the type of soil have on the root growth of a tomato plant?

Hypothesis: If tomato plants are grown in soil with sand, clay, and loam then the tomatoes grown insoil with sand will grow the longest roots because the water will drain quickly from the soil and theroots will follow where the water drains.

The independent variable is the different soil types. The levels of the Independent variable are sand, clay,and loam. These are the only things that can be changed in the experiment. That means that the followingfactors must be kept the same or constant:

The age and type of the plants (6 week old plum tomato plants)

The type of pot the plants are in and soil (plastic 6 inch pot with 15cm3 of X brand potting soil)

The amount of sand, clay, and loam mixed with the soil (15cm3)

The amount of water, light, and fertilizer(watered 10 ml of water every other day, afternoonsun, 2 ml of liquid fertilizer brand Z every 14 days)

The number of tomato plants in each testing group (five trials x 3 plants in each trial = 15 plantsper experimental/testing group for a total of 60 test subjects, i.e. tomato plants)

The time the plants roots are measured and qualitative observations made (plantsroots aremeasured after 21 days in the morning between 9:00 am and 10:00 am. Also observed are thenumber of lateral roots, the color of the roots, the number of root hairs, the location of the rootsin the soil, color changes in leaves, texture of leaves and number and color and size oftomatoes on each plant and if the soil felt wet or dry)

Testing Groups/ Experimental Groups

Levels of the Independent VariableControl Group

Soil with nothing

added

Level 1

Soil with 15 cm3 sand

Level 2

Soil with 15 cm3 clay

Level 3

Soil with15 cm3 loam

Trials

1

2

3

4

5


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Clay County Schools Project approval form (to be completed by all students)

Documents

2012 Project Appendices