Ninth Grade, Human Biology & Health Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 6)

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-12th

What is herd immunity, how is it achieved, and what impact does it have on outbreaks? Students will explore these questions and more in this lesson plan. They will then use SimPandemic, a free online tool, to model different levels of viral immunity in communities to understand how a population can reach the herd immunity threshold and the impacts that has on individuals and populations during a COVID-19 outbreak. Remote learning adaptation: This lesson plan can be conducted remotely. … Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
HS-LS2-8. Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species' chances to survive and reproduce.

Seasonal Disease Outbreaks

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

"Flu season" is something we deal with every winter. Cyclical or seasonal outbreaks of an infectious disease can occur for a variety of reasons, such as seasonal changes in host behavior (for example, more people staying indoors), the seasonal abundance of disease carriers (for example, mosquitos), and many others. Another factor that can play a role in cyclical outbreaks occurs when the natural immunity to a disease has a short duration. This enables each individual in the population to… Read more

Sound Localization

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

How accurately can people identify the location of a sound source when blindfolded? Imagine the hemisphere of space that extends above your shoulders at arm's length. Divide that hemisphere up into regular sectors and test the ability of blindfolded test subjects to point to a remembered sound source. For example, you could use the beep from a timer held at each test location, and then have the test subject point to where they think the timer was located. Record the magnitude and direction of… Read more

Testing Gait Symmetry with Uneven Loads

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The way humans walk—our gait—is usually fairly symmetrical. Each step we take with the left foot is similar in length and timing to the step with the right foot. This symmetry makes walking efficient and reduces stress on the muscles and joints. But what happens when the body is challenged by an uneven load, such as carrying groceries in one hand or holding a backpack on one shoulder? Biomechanics research shows that unequal weight distribution can disrupt gait symmetry, forcing one… Read more

Under Pressure: Does a Child's Blood Pressure Depend on His or Her Age?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Every time you go to the doctor's office, the nurse measures your blood pressure. But why does he or she do this? What does your blood pressure tell your doctor about your health? And what exactly is blood pressure? In this life science project, you will learn about blood pressure and what causes it. You will even learn how to take blood pressure readings. Once you learn this skill, you will test a population of children and determine if blood pressure depends upon a child's age. Read more

Use Machine Learning to Identify Lyme Disease-Transmitting Ticks

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Ticks are a growing public health concern in North America, as their populations and the diseases they carry, like Lyme disease, are on the rise. But how can we help people identify the ticks they encounter to reduce their risk of infection? With artificial intelligence! In this project, you will gather image data of three different tick species and use a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify them. You will also apply image augmentation techniques to expand and enhance the dataset,… Read more

Using Vaccines to Fight Outbreaks

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-12th

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What exactly is a vaccine? Can vaccines prevent outbreaks? How effective does a vaccine need to be to help a population during an outbreak? Students will explore these questions and more in this lesson plan by first learning the biology behind vaccines. They will then use SimPandemic, a free online tool, to model different vaccine parameters to understand how vaccines affect both individuals and populations during a COVID-19 outbreak. Remote learning adaptation: This lesson plan can be… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
HS-LS2-8. Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species' chances to survive and reproduce.

What’s Your Ideal Walking Speed?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Walking may seem simple, but it is actually a carefully coordinated process involving balance, rhythm, and efficiency. The way we walk—our gait—changes depending on speed. At slower speeds, people tend to take shorter, more careful steps. At faster speeds, stride length usually increases and step frequency (cadence) rises to keep up. Biomechanics researchers study these patterns to understand how speed influences gait mechanics and stability, since walking is one of the most… Read more

Ninth Grade, Human Biology & Health Projects, Lessons, Activities (58 results)

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