Middle School Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 56)

Clean Up The Water with a Trash-Skimming Robot

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Engineers are trying to tackle the world's ocean pollution problem using robots. Some robots, like Mr. Trash Wheel and the ship featured in this Mark Rober video, are stationary and collect trash as it flows out of rivers before it gets into the ocean. Others, like the Jellyfishbot, are mobile and can squeeze into narrower spaces to collect trash: Can you build and test your own trash-skimming robot? If you do not have access to a natural body of water to test it in, you can use a bathtub or a… Read more

Click a Button Without Your Hands: Design a Puff Switch

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever wondered how you could push a button without using your hands? How would you type on a computer or play a video game? You could use a puff switch - an electronic switch activated by blowing into a straw. This type of assistive device can help users with limited mobility or physical disabilities do everything from using a computer to steering a wheelchair. In this project, you will design, build, and test a puff switch that is connected to a tiny programmable board that you can use… Read more

Cold Room? Heat It Up with A Homemade Solar Air Heater

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What do humans need to survive? We need food, water, and warm shelter. We all need a warm place to live, particularly when it's chilly outside. How do many of us warm our houses or apartments? We depend on fossil fuels to supply gas and electricity to our heaters. But burning fossil fuels to create energy is harmful to the environment. What if there was a way to warm our homes without burning fossil fuels and it was free? In this science fair project, you will build a solar air heater and see… Read more

Column Chromatography: Can you Separate the Dyes in Grape Soda Using Space Sand™?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What color is grape soda? If you pour it into a clear glass you can easily see it is purple, but that is usually not its natural color. Manufacturers add red and blue dye to the soda. The dyes mix together and you get purple soda. What if you wanted to un-mix the dyes, could you? Yes! In a chemistry laboratory, using a technique called column chromatography, you could separate the two dyes again. But what about at home, can you use low-tech supplies to do the same thing? In this science… Read more

Create a Facial Recognition System with Machine Learning

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever wondered how your smart devices can recognize and distinguish your face from that of others? In this project, you will explore how to create and modify a facial recognition model using a type of artificial intelligence known as neural networks. This project is designed for beginners and requires little to no coding experience. Ready to give it a shot? Read more

Create a Sea Breeze

STEM Activity

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A hot summer day is the perfect time to go to the beach and cool down in the brisk ocean water. But it's not only the water that has a cooling effect at the beach. Have you ever noticed that there always seems to be a cool breeze blowing from the ocean to the shore? Where does the wind come from? In this activity, you will build a model of the ocean and the beach to find out—so next time you go to the beach, you will know why the sea breeze is blowing! Read more

Crossed Up: Does Crossed Hand/Eye Dominance Affect Basketball Shooting Percentage?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Everyone's used to the idea that people are either right-handed or left-handed for particular tasks. That is, one hand is preferred (or dominant) over the other for a particular task. Did you know that people also have a dominant eye? This project is designed to look for consequences of having the dominant hand and eye on the same side of the body (uncrossed) vs. having the dominant hand and eye on opposite sides of the body (crossed). Read more

Death Rays: What Duration of Ultraviolet Exposure Kills Bacteria?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Ultraviolet light can damage DNA molecules. If a cell's DNA repair mechanisms can't keep up with the damage, mutations are the result. As harmful mutations accumulate, the cell eventually dies. How much ultraviolet light is too much for a bacterial cell? Read more

Determining Iodide Content of Salt

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever noticed that the salt you are using says it is "iodized"? Iodine is an important micronutrient, which means we need it in small quantities to be healthy. Because iodine is rare in many people's normal diets, it is added to table salt. Then when people salt their food, they are also adding this important micronutrient. In this food science project, you will use some kitchen-friendly chemistry to investigate which types of salt have iodine added (in the form of iodide) and which do… Read more

Do Oranges Lose or Gain Vitamin C After Being Picked?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Are oranges highest in vitamin C when they are fresh from the tree (or, in a pinch, the grocery shelf)? Does the amount of vitamin C in an orange change over time, after it has been picked? In this science project, you will find answers to these questions by measuring the amount of vitamin C in a solution using an iodine titration method. Read more

Middle School Projects, Lessons, Activities (1,332 results)

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