Please help!

[deleted-70034]

Hello!

I am a 9th grade student, very involved in science, and really need help figuring out an advanced science project.
My main feilds of focus are Astronomy, Ecology, Entomology, Paleontology. If anyone could help me with project ideas it would be terribly apriciated.
My equipment; I have access to alot of basic equipment: Telescope (Celestron 70eq Refractor scope), A digital Celestron Microscope (150x magnification, overlight), vials and forceps, I already have tons of specimens of different catagories (fossils, feathers, skulls/bones, shark teeth), a computer, cameras (Canon Coolpix).
I am deffinatly very serious about science, and last year i was able to come up with an advanced project, which won me 2 awards at the Ottawa Regional Science FAir, except this year im seeting my mind to accomplishing a greater goal; the Canada wide science fair (CWSF)
My location Is Ontario, Canada (I find that some projects can change due to location).
Thank you so very much in advance!

Cheers!
Shamus

[donnahardy2]

Hi Shamus,

Welcome to Science Buddies! You have a wide variety of interests and excellent equipment, so I’m sure it will be possible to find another good project to work on. And this is a good time to get started if you want to go to CWSF. Why don’t you start by checking our the science fair project ideas on the Science Buddies website below and look for ideas that you are interested in and that feasible for you do to. Many successful projects are focused on solving an environmental or energy related problems, but any project that is based on a scientific principle would be suitable.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... deas.shtml

When you find a topic that appeals to you, do more background reading, preferably using scientific references to learn more information and find out what has been done on the topic in the past. This will help you identify a unique problem that you can investigate with a carefully controlled experiment. I don’t think it is possible to do too much background reading; and I think you will find this very helpful for finding your project.

What did you do for your project last year? Are you interested in continuing with the same project?

Donna Hardy

[deleted-70034]

Last year I looked at the posssibility of the changing of species throughout different layers of a Late Ordovician shale outcrop... It won me two special division awards..
No, don't think it would get me to far if I were to continue it.
Ok,I will take another look at the website! But would some of those projects be considered advanced?
Thank you very much!

Cheers!
Shamus

[donnahardy2]

Hi,

How are you coming along with your background reading? Have you started to narrow down a topic yet? To help you, please refer to the information on the Science Buddies Website (lower left of page) on doing an advanced project. This information will give you a good idea of what you are looking for.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ndex.shtml


Donna Hardy

[deleted-70034]

Yes, I have actually..
I beleive it will be comparing the Ottawa Formation and the Sugar River Formation.. Both are mid-late Ordovician, and both lie in the Iapetus sea..

Cheers!

Shamus

[deleted-70034]

Sorry, i guess I should explain myself a bit more... i'm used to talking to my friends who are also amateur paleontologists..
Alright, so A formation is a grouping of a certain bedrock.. in my case the Ottawa and Sugar RIver formations are both limestone. limestone usually shallow sediments. long with the knowledge of the sediment type, we have the species found.. A common one is crinoids. Crinoids only seem to apear in costal habitats; such as reefs or lagoons.
And I could go on about how you can look at each find, and determine another key factor towards the environment, but i will probably bore you.
But the main idea is to compare all those factors, and see how the environment changed, through the couple hundred kilometers distance between site A and site B (which is aproximatly 200km.

[donnahardy2]

Hi,

This sounds like a great project to me. It’s not boring at all. Since you will be continuing a project, and since it is likely that the same judges will be judging the first round or two of the judging, it will be important to have a project that is a clear progression compared to last year’s project and includes a new unique problem to solve. Here’s the Science Buddies website information on doing an advanced project that would be useful to review before you get started again.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ndex.shtml

You will be comparing two sites 200 Km apart with similar limestone layers. Will you be comparing the crinoids and other species at the two sites? I thought geologists compared results in vertical layers to look at climate changes? However, it’s been a while since I studied the late Ordovician and the only thing I remember are the trilobites. It would be helpful to explain the problem you are working on.

Donna Hardy

[deleted-70034]

Its more paleontology then geology..
Im havent narrowed down on a question, but i know i will be comparing the different faun; which would include crinoids, trilobites, cephalopods, brachiopods, corals, bryozoa, etc..
I will also be looking at how the environments would have changed.. to look at the environment, you can ever so simply just look at the species found, they will say alot about the habitat.

Cheers!
Shamus