Science Project Update

Today in all of the classes the due dates and what is required for a complete science project were reviewed. The students were shown where to access the information for what should be in a research paper. For any students who missed class today and for all parents and interested sponsors here’s an overview of what should be happening currently and in the future. I am hoping to be able to post a format of this update that includes graphics. I will have to do that at home since I hear the church bells around the school which means that it is 5 PM.

EXPERIMENTATION
Many students have begun experimentation and data collection. All data should be in metric units and recorded directly into the Science Project Data Log.

DUE DATES

The window to submit a research paper opens on December 9 and closes on January 6. This means that a student may submit a research paper on any of these days. Upon submitting a research paper, the student will be assigned a date for the oral presentation.

Oral presentations using the display boards will begin on December 9 and end on January 9. Students should bring their science project data logs when they do their oral presentation. Presentations will not be scheduled beyond Jan 9 except by teacher discretion. I encourage all students to submit early for several reasons including just having the process come to an end.

What’s a RESEARCH PAPER?
The answer to this question is best found at http://www.nefrsef.org

Click on the Complete Exhibitor’s Handbook choice under 2009 ISEF Handbook, Rules, Forms.

The link is to the entire handbook, but students should go to p. 31 for the 2009 Student Handbook.


The Student Handbook is very informative. It restates much of what the students were taught during the first nine weeks. The Mugs 1 and Mugs 2 projects were designed to model the process of scientific thinking to solve a problem.

Parents you may find p. 32 helpful. It describes the entire process that we began back in August.

The Elements of a Successful Science Project begin on p. 32 and continue onto p. 33.

Each Student is expected to keep a Science Project Data Log or data book. It is a record of all work done on and for the project. It is to be written in ink and each entry must be dated.

Each student is expected to submit a RESEARCH PAPER. The directions are clearly presented on pp. 32-33. The paper should be typed, double spaced, in Arial, Tahoma, or Times New Roman – 12 font. The only pages that must be stand alone pages are the Title Page and the Table of Contents page. The INTRODUCTION should begin on the third page. Each of the other headings may be continued on a started page (if a section uses just part of a page another section may be started on the same page). If the student wants each heading to start a on fresh page that is also acceptable. There is no minimum number of pages and there is no maximum number of pages. Each research paper will be similar in format, but should be unique in content. So it doesn’t matter how long the paper is if in fact all of the parts are there.

The information and questions on p. 32 in GETTING STARTED may help students as they write each section of the research paper.

It may be easier for the students to use MLA for their bibliography because that is the style traditionally used for their History Project also.
The Display Board is explained very well on nefrsef.org. At the STUDENT page click on the word BACKBOARD. A standard board from an office supply store should be just fine for any project. The standard boards which are made of either cardboard or foamcore usually are white or black. Any color of board is acceptable as long as it is the correct “shape” and size.

To set up the board, students MUST put the abstract in the lower left hand corner. It would be excellent if any student who would like to be considered for entry into the school science fair would put the abstract into a plastic sheet protector and then mounted the sheet protector/abstract on the backing paper.

Display boards must not contain pictures of students (in fact – NO FACES in pictures is a good rule). Using backing paper of strong colors may bring pizzazz to the display board and help its eye appeal. It’s very important that the display board with the abstract allow an observer to get an overview of the entire project, the results (data tables and graphs), and the conclusion.


The display board comes to class only on the day of the presentation. It does not come in early because it is made after the Research Paper. After all, much of the info in the research paper is the same info that will go on the board and it’s the same info that was on the research plan. Just the verb tenses change from the research plan to the paper and display and the bibliography may have become better through continued reading.