Hi irregular,
Here are my answers:
1. What exactly was the 'simple chemistry experiment' which you preformed in eighth grade?
I did an experiment that was completed by Raleigh (and Ben Franklin) a long time ago. The molecule I studied is called "oleic acid" and it has the unique property that it will spread out in a pan of water to be a layer only one molecule thick. If you know the volume of the drop of oleic acid and the area of the layer, you just divide volume by area and get the length of the molecule. You can read about it here:
http://www.scienceteacherprogram.org/ch ... erg00.html
2. How do you study the molecular structure of products? Is expensive equipment required? Is there a computer program which is able to study the structure?
There are a few ways. If you already know what it is you are working with, you can just look at the molecular properties in a text book. This is what I did for oleic acid (at least to explain why it only forms a layer one molecule thick. It has cool bonding properties with other oleic acid molecules!).
If you have an unknown sample, you need to use very expensive equipment in order to determine the molecular structure. NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) can be used, mass spectrometry can also work, it depends on the molecule. I used NMR for one of my experiments and I just asked around at local labs to see if they would help me out and would volunteer their time. My point when I was talking about understanding the molecular structure of gum was to emphasize that in order to do some "easy looking" projects at a level where a judge would be impressed, it often requires studying advanced concepts and using expensive equipment. At Science Buddies we want you to really learn something from your project, so taking the "easy" way out and doing a stereotypical project like "how long does gum last" isn't really all that useful to you. You'll know which gum lasts the longest, but you won't know WHY unless you study the properties of the components that make up the gum.
There are a couple of programs that are free that allow you to draw molecules (even see them in 3D!). Check out CHIME and ChemSketch (
http://www.liv.ac.uk/chemistry/Links/plugins.html). They won't help you determine what a molecule looks like if you don't know what it is. There is special software that comes with the expensive equipment, and even it doesn't just give you the answer! Normally you have to interpret a bunch of graphs to determine the structure.
3. What grade did you start communicating with a mentor for your science fair projects?
I got a mentor starting in 11th grade. I actually found my mentor at the CA state science fair while I was presenting my 10th grade project. She thought what I did was cool and I we kept in touch.
4. How did you generate your science fair idea in grade 7&8? What about in high school, when you developed more original and complex ideas?
Wow, 7th and 8th grade was a long time ago! I can't really remember. Sometimes my dad would suggest things if he found something in a science article. Other times I found something in a science magazine. Sometimes it was related to a hobby I enjoyed. I just asked my dad and he doesn't remember either!
5. How did you juggle school, events, extracurricular activities and your science fair project throughout the year? Or did you start and complete your entire project in the summertime?
In middle school I did the experiment during my winter break in February. The fair was normally right at the end of the break. In high school I worked on it during the summer and vacations, but also some during the school year on weekends or when I had free time after school.
6. Lastly, I'd request you to read my current topic, both my posts and the experts' post. If possible, I'd love to have you advise me as well. Barrett and Donna are extremely helpful, and I'll value just one more brain in the game. My other science-related questions are in that post, these are just a few questions. Here is the link: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5967
Of course I'll help you out. It's why I volunteer after all
. Us Experts enjoy seeing students who really utilize the Ask an Expert board and care about their projects and want to learn. We get many posts where a student just wants us to give them the answers without doing any work, so it's refreshing to work with one who cares. I've read some of your original posts but not all, I'll catch up and help you when I can. It looks like Donna and Barrett are doing a superb job so far. I'll chime in if I can add anything.
I will quickly say that in middle school, doing an original topic is extremely advanced. I won 1st place in chemistry at the CA state science fair with my oleic acid experiment, and it was something that had been done before, and I didn't add anything to the subject. However, I understood the theory behind why it all worked, and I studied the molecule's properties. Basically, I "knew my stuff." While it is great that you are trying to challenge yourself, don't stretch yourself too thin and do something too advanced, especially since you don't have months to work on your project. It's high school where original research is really emphasized. I'm sure we can help you figure out something that is challenging and original in some way, without it being overwhelming.
If you are thinking about entering more advanced competitions, you might want to look at the Young Scientist Challenge. I entered my 8th grade project into that as an after thought and didn't get anywhere. I don't think it was what they were looking for. Maybe looking at their website will give you some criteria for doing a good project and help you flesh out some details. Here's the link:
http://www.youngscientistchallenge.com//-/https/www.sciencebuddies.org/cdn/Files/21464/5/sb-logo.png){kind=logo}
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Sorry for the lengthiness! Thank you SOOOO much, once again.