Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello,
My name is Dev Dhruv. I am in ninth grade and I love research. I know there are many problems on our planet and science can solve them. I am very interested in making a science fair for the Intel ISEF next year in 10th grade. However, I am confused as to where to start.
I read the article by Amber Hess on how to be successful as a top science fair competition. She said that first you must choose an original topic, something that has not been researched before. I wish to make an original contribution and make a scientific breakthrough. Raymond Wang won the Gordon E. Moore award for developing a new air inlet system that curbs disease. That is quite creative.
How can I come up with a great idea? My main interest is global warming, climate change, and energy. I want to research behind global warming and find some solution to a problem and make a breakthrough. I confused on what topic I should pursue that is original. Improving the efficiency of solar panels, for example, might require advanced electrical engineering concepts that could be hard to study in an year. I am not asking for a project idea. I am asking how I can find one. Should I read books/articles related to global warming? How can I find a topic that I can pursue in an year that is both realistic and still innovative?
I am really lost here and would love to get some insight. Thank you for your time!

Hi DevDhruv,

Picking a topic can be one of the hardest parts of a science fair project. It sounds like you have a general area of interest (climate change/energy issues) and are trying to figure out how to narrow your interest down to a specific project. Reading books/articles related to global climate change and renewable energy is a great strategy. When you find a specific topic in there that interests you, you can then drill down into more specific articles and books about those specific issues. In doing so, you might think of a particular question that you would like to tackle. That's how I decided on the scientific question I wanted to answer for my science fair projects back when I was in high school.

Thank you, Terik.

I live in [location info removed by moderator] County, and each year only 1 high school student from the county fair gets to go to Intel ISEF. I participated in the [location info removed by moderator] state science fair in 8th grade and I saw that many high school students there made amazing original projects. I will start reading books like you said and try to find a question I want to tackle.

These are some resources I think will get me started:
Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future (book)
Energy Systems and Sustainability: Power for a Sustainable Future (book)
Sustainable Energy (book)
Principles of Sustainable Enegy Systems (book)
Energy, Envrionment, and Climate (book)
Energy and the Environment (book)
Environmental Impacts of Renwable Energy (book)
Developments in Solar Cell Technology (article)
Ozone Depletion (article)
Ozone Depletion and Climate a Change (book)

Do you think this will help? I need a good background on the science behind global warming, energy, and the environment. Hopefully, I can find a specific area of interest.
Thanks for your help,
Dev

Hi DevDhruv,

Good luck! Post back if you have other questions. I went to ISEF three times, and it was a fantastic experience.

DevDhruv,

As a Science Buddies moderator, I removed the location information in your posts per the safety and security policies in place to protect you and our experts.

Good luck with your project.

Terik,
When should I get a mentor? I know that my general area of interest is climate change/energy issues, but I haven't got a question just yet. I know someone who has a PhD in Electrical Engineering. He has connections with some universities and can help me find someone who can provide me a lab, be a mentor, etc. Should I wait until I know exactly what to research before finding a mentor?
Thanks,
Dev

Hi DevDhruv,

Sorry for the delayed response! There are no hard rules for when to get a mentor. Check out these articles, if you haven't already. They provide several different people's perspectives on this issue:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ring.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... tors.shtml

In my personal experience, I was able to get help from other people in response to specific questions or problems that I encountered. The person who critically enabled my own experience stated in one of our early emails that he needed to know that I had a plan. My specific plan changed as I worked with various mentors because the mentors had a much better sense for what was and was not possible and realistic. But, having my own idea to begin with was critical. But, as you will see in those two other articles, other people have had different experiences.