Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello Science Buddies,
I have a question regarding a Science Project for 10th Grade. I have a Science Project that is mandated since I am in a Honors Biology Class. It has to be advanced and I was wondering which one of these projects would be the best to do. I have caught an interest in sociology and Human Biology I just don't know if these two science projects are advanced enough:
How do fears change with age? - Sociology & Can peppermint improve reaction times? -Human Biology
Do you have nay suggestions or advice please and thanks.

Hi neclowe1,

Thank you for your question!

I like your ideas, but I believe your questions are a little bit too broad/open-ended -- especially the sociology-based question. When brainstorming ideas for a science project, it is important to have a specific, focused question. That way, you can have a clear-cut hypothesis and your methods for testing your hypothesis are feasible and not too complex. With that being said, I think the two questions you came up with are a good starting point. I suggest narrowing your focus for your questions. For example, what kinds of fears would you want to analyze the change of (i.e. I think you could focus on 1 or 2 specific fears and assess how they change with people of different ages)? Or, when studying the effects of peppermint, what tasks would you want to include to see if the reaction time improves (i.e. do you mean as in exercise performance or reaction time to a certain auditory or visual stimulus)? Here is a paper I found related to peppermint and reaction time: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103722/ Also, make sure you think about how you will collect data -- i.e. how will you assess how fears change and how will you measure reaction time? These are all important when designing a project!

Once you narrow your focus of your questions a little bit and devise a hypothesis for whichever question you choose, I will be happy to guide you further regarding the experimental design and analysis for your project!

I hope I have been able to offer you some advice moving forward with your science project -- I think you've got some great ideas already! Please feel free to reach out on this forum if you need clarification or have any questions or other ideas for your project!

--Brandi

Hello,
Thank you so much for you help. I have started to think more into the biology area of science and came across a totally different idea thanks to your reply on this wonderful website. The question that is being asked that I will use for my science project is: Do Different Dilutions of Disinfectants Affect the Development of Bacterial Resistance? I looked at the procedure and have questions about it. I was wondering instead of using a bacteria e coli what could I do in place of it? And instead of incubating sterile plates what could I do in place of it? Also on the procedure for a science experiment on science buddies I am having trouble comprehending the steps what do you suggest? I appreciate it and thanks once again.

Hi neclowe1,

I apologize for my late reply on this forum, but I am happy to help you as you work on your science project!

I think this question regarding disinfectants and bacterial resistance is interesting and is a good, focused question. E. coli is a very common bacteria used in microbiological research because it is easy to cultivate, grows quickly, and the nonpathogenic strains are considered low risk (biosafety level 1). I would suggest using E. coli K12 to start; if you want to use multiple strains of bacteria, you could use different strains of E. coli (some are pathogenic and require a BSL-2 laboratory to cultivate). If you have the capabilities to work with BSL-2 organisms, Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species are also good choices.

Regarding your question about sterile plates, may you please clarify what you mean so I can better assist? I will say it is important to use sterile techniques when working with bacteria.

When talking about the Experimental Procedure on Science Buddies, are you referring to this page? https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... procedures
When doing a science project, it is important to first have a question, or inquiry. Then, you develop a hypothesis -- usually these are formulated based on previous studies. Once you have your hypothesis, you should carefully design your experiments so that you can answer your question. Here are some tips to remember in experimental design:
(1) make sure you define your independent and dependent variables
(2) make sure that you define the variables that you would like to control and control them throughout the entire project
(3) run controls
(4) repeat your experiment multiple times (at least three)

Once you have designed your experiment, you will perform your experiments, gather the data, analyze it, and then draw conclusions.

I know this is a lot of information, but I do hope it helps! I am happy to help you with your experimental design if you have any questions. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reply on this forum. Good luck!

--Brandi