High School Science Projects (584 results)

Here's how.

Science Buddies' high school science projects are the perfect way for high school students to have fun exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our high school projects are written and tested by scientists and are specifically created for use by students in the high school grades. Students can choose to follow the science experiment as written or put their own spin on the project.

For a personalized list of science projects, high schoolers can use the Science Buddies Topic Selection Wizard. The wizard asks students to respond to a series of simple statements and then uses their answers to recommend age-appropriate projects that fit their interests.

Cold Pack Chemistry: Where Does the Heat Go?

Science Fair Project Idea

Instant cold packs are popular with coaches and parents for treating minor bumps and bruises. The instant cold packs are not pre-cooled—you just squeeze the cold pack and its starts to get cold. So how does it work? In this chemistry science fair project, you will investigate the chemical reaction that occurs in instant cold packs. Read more

How Much Fat is in Your Food?

Science Fair Project Idea

Have you ever been told to avoid certain foods because they contain too much fat? Almost every food we eat has some amount of fat in it; often in an invisible form so we do not even notice. However, eating healthy does not mean getting rid of all fat in your diet. On the contrary, fat is an essential nutrient for your body! Only consuming too much of certain fat types creates problems. Are you curious about how to determine the fat content of different foods? Gather some chips, chocolate, and… Read more

Burning Calories: How Much Energy is Stored in Different Types of Food?

Science Fair Project Idea

Have you ever wondered how nutritionists know how many Calories a certain food contains? In this project you will learn a method for measuring how many Calories (how much chemical energy) is available in different types of food. You will build your own calorimeter to capture the energy released by burning a small food item, like a nut or a piece of popcorn. This project gives a new meaning to the phrase "burning calories!" Read more

DNA Fingerprinting

Science Fair Project Idea

Are you interested in the technical and ethical aspects of genetic screening, forensic science, and DNA fingerprinting? Scientists use different forms of a gene, called alleles, to differentiate between two fingerprints. One such sequence used in human DNA fingerprinting is the Alu repeat (a 300 base pair repetitive sequence of DNA) on chromosome 16. During evolutionary time, up to 1 million copies of the Alu repeat have become randomly inserted throughout the human genome. Within a specific… Read more

Make a Heart Rate Monitor

Science Fair Project Idea

People have a variety of reasons to use heart rate monitors. For example, patients in a hospital might have stationary, bedside equipment monitor their heart rate and alert medical staff in case of an emergency. Somebody going for a run might wear a portable heart rate monitor to keep track of their workout intensity. Heart rate monitors are not all the same—their appearance and function will vary depending on the intended use. In this project you will design, build, and program your own… Read more

How to Make a Battery with Metal, Air, and Saltwater

Science Fair Project Idea

Have you ever wondered how your cell phone or laptop keeps running once you unplug it? Sure, it is the battery that makes your portable electronics work, but how exactly does a battery do that, and from where does the electricity come? Generally, in a battery chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. In fact, many different types of batteries exist that are all based on a different set of chemical reactions. In this science project, you will explore a special battery variant called… Read more

How Sweet It Is! Measuring Glucose in Your Food

Science Fair Project Idea

You know that sugar makes food sweet, but did you know that there are different kinds of sugar? Sucrose is the granulated sugar that you usually use for baking. Another kind of sugar, which is found in honey and in many fruits, is glucose. In this science project, you will measure the concentration of glucose in a variety of foods. You will use special test strips that change color in response to glucose to measure the glucose concentration in different foods. Read more

Marble Roller Coaster: How Much Height to Loop the Loop?

Science Fair Project Idea

This is a really fun project even if you don't like going on roller coasters yourself. You'll build a roller coaster track for marbles using foam pipe insulation and masking tape, and see how much of an initial drop is required to get the marble to "loop the loop." It's a great way to learn about how stored energy (potential energy) is converted into the energy of motion (kinetic energy). Read more

Water Quality

Science Fair Project Idea

It is important to ensure that we all have good clean water to drink that is not contaminated by heavy metals or chemicals. One common pollutant in a water supply is lead in old pipes or paints that can leach into the water and cause lead poisoning. There are different kits available for testing the presence of lead and other contaminants in water. Test your water supply, and also the water in some local ponds, lakes or streams. The same contaminants that can harm you can also harm wildlife. … Read more

Crime Scene Chemistry—The Cool Blue Light of Luminol

Science Fair Project Idea

You may have seen police investigators on TV spraying a crime scene with a liquid that glows blue if there is any blood present. Luminol is the chemical which causes the glowing. In this chemistry science fair project, you will investigate what factors make this interesting molecule "light up." Read more

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