8th Grade Science Fair Project

[ea123]

I am interested in doing a science fair project about blindness, not color blindness, but blindness. I want to test out a theory, but I'm not sure what exactly to do. I want to test out genes, stem cell therapy, or some type of substance that is proven to enhance sight on blind cells. I am not really sure how to test it out though. I would not know how to gain access to testing subjects, like blind mice, or how to get the genes, stem cells, or sustances. I had this idea that sounds very strange, but I was thinking if I could insert the gene or stem cells that helps fix the photoreceptors in the eye, then insert specific genes from an animal that has impecable sight, then I could help humans see even better. That sounds impossible to me though, and maybe a little crazy. I really need some ideas on experiments for blindness and how to get access to these resources. Also, please don't give me a basic science fair project to do. I am in 8th grade, but I am in an advanced school, with advanced classes, and I am capable of doing a higher level experiment. I dont think there would be a problem with labs either, as the high schools around me offer labs for students needing lab equipment and places to store their experiment for science fair.
Thank you for your help.

[ea123]

Also, I forgot to mention that my science fair project is due at the very beginning of December, but I would like it to be done by the beginning or middle of November so that I can prepare my board and get everything together.

[deleted-132180]

Hello there,

That is a really cool idea, but these experiments are really difficult to do and most likely cannot be done in the span of a month, even if you have access to work in a university lab. I would perhaps try to find a local university lab that studies blindness, and if there really isn't any, at least one that studies stem cells or gene therapy. I would ask if you would be able to meet with them and tell them about your project so you can get their feedback about it. Since they study the subject in which you're interested, they will have a much better idea on what kinds of experiments you can do that is feasible to finish within one month. Most labs tend to be pretty happy to help out young students with science fair projects, so I think it's worth a shot to send out some e-mails and see if you get any replies!

For future science projects, if you really want to do research that requires more advanced/sophisticated techniques and model systems, I would suggest contacting local labs which study your subject of interest way before your project is due. Doing science experiments is not trivial, and oftentimes, for something really complicated, it can take up to weeks or months to optimize an experimental protocol before you can actually go ahead and test your hypothesis with the experiment. You want to give yourself some time to be able to try out different parameters for your experiments, and once you find one that is optimal, repeat your experiments to make sure that your results are consistent. Afterwards, it will also take some time to sit down and analyze your data to see what the experiment is telling you about your hypothesis. It's great though that you're already thinking of these big questions and wanting to do more advanced experiments! Always great to see young students that are enthusiastic about science, and we'd be really happy to help you out if you have further questions or need people to help brainstorm ideas for experiments!

Connie