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.
How do you figure out how to get places? Do you ask for directions, look at a map, or consult a compass? There are many ways for people to figure out how to travel from one place to another, but how do other animals do it? In this science fair project, you'll use real data, collected by biologists, to figure out how migratory birds manage to navigate more than 2,000 miles from their breeding grounds to their wintering grounds.
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Zoo_p053
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
This science fair project requires the use of a computer with Internet access to download data-analysis software.
Wouldn't it be nice to avoid those nasty electric shocks you get after you have walked around on carpet and then touch a doorknob? These shocks are caused by static electricity. In this project, you will build a super-sensitive charge detector to investigate the electric fields created by static electricity. The detector can sense invisible electric fields before you touch something and get zapped, so try this project to avoid the shock of shocks!
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Elec_p050
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
Familiarity with using a solderless breadboard, or willingness to learn.
Material Availability
For your convenience a kit is available for this project from our partner
.
A bridge collapse, like that of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge, can be a major disaster. Bridges that cannot hold enough weight to do their intended job can be a serious public safety issue. And if they collapse, they can also cause economic damage due to costly rebuilding and people and companies scrambling to figure out how to circumvent the months of traffic impacts.
Figure 1.
On August 1, 2007 the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapsed killing 13 people and injuring 140…
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If you've ever played or watched basketball, you might already know that your chances of successfully banking a shot on the backboard are higher in certain positions on the basketball court, even when keeping the distance from the hoop the same. Ever wondered what would account for this? Do you think you could actually explain this using geometry? This science project will put your knowledge of geometry and algebra to good use. You will calculate and quantify how much more difficult it is to…
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If you have ever tried to hit a target (such as a trash can) with a wad of paper, you know that aim is everything. But it is not always easy to get it right every time! Missing is not that big a deal with a wad of paper, but what if you were in an invading army in the Middle Ages, using a catapult to hurl huge stones and knock down castle walls? For a successful invasion, it would be important to know exactly how far, and how reliably, a catapult could launch a projectile. In this project you…
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Math_p046
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
An introductory-level understanding of statistics (mean, standard deviation, and the normal distribution) is helpful, but not required for completing this project.
Material Availability
A kit is available from our partner .
See the Materials tab for details.
Cost
Average ($40 - $80)
Safety
Do not aim the catapult at people or breakable objects; minor injury possible.
Imagine seeing waves glowing a beautiful blue color. The marine dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula is responsible for this magnificent phenomenon. Pyrocystis lunula is a bioluminescent organism—bioluminescence is the production of light by living organisms. But does this organism always glow, no matter what the conditions, such as how much light there is? In this biotechnology science fair project, you will investigate how altering this dinoflagellate's exposure to light and dark affects…
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BioChem_p033
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Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Specialty items: Living Pyrocystis lunula cell cultures are required for this science fair project and can be ordered online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
You are probably very familiar with the fact that over time, exercise changes your muscles, your lungs, your bones, and even your mindset; but did you know it has an immediate effect on your body's biochemistry? You can see this in the amount of glucose (a type of sugar your body uses for fuel) circulating in your blood. Blood glucose levels change as you exercise. For most people, this is not a big deal. But for top-level athletes in the middle of intense exercise (like a marathon), or for…
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HumBio_p039
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Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
Informed consent must be obtained from participants in this experiment (parental consent must be granted for minors). The experimental design (including consent forms) must be approved by your fair's Scientific Review Committee ([# ProjectGuide Name="Advanced.ScientificReviewCommitteeSRC" Value="HtmlAnchor" HtmlText="SRC" #]).
Material Availability
A blood glucose monitoring system is required to do this science project. See the Materials list for details.
Cost
Average ($40 - $80)
Safety
Follow all safety precautions when using the blood glucose monitoring kit and when handling blood, as described in the Procedure. If somebody who has diabetes wants to participate in this science project, review the safety notes at the beginning of the Procedure before starting.
Have you ever pulled a muscle or just been sore after a long day of work or exercise? Hot showers are great, but maybe you've used the more convenient heat packs. Heat packs, which you can buy at grocery or drug stores to soothe aching muscles, use exothermic reactions to produce a low level of heat that lasts for an extended period of time. Exothermic reactions change chemical energy into heat energy. In this chemistry science fair project, you will use heat packs to study the heat-generating…
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Chem_p054
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Specialty items are required. See the Materials & Equipment list for details.
Cost
High ($100 - $150)
Safety
Adult supervision is required. Use caution when working with the oxygen canister.
How easy is it for you to walk along and follow a line that is painted on the ground? Simple, right? You might be able to follow a line without giving it much thought, but how could a robot do that? In this project, you will build your own automatic line-following robot that can race around a track that you create. This technology has plenty of real-world applications—maybe one day you could help design self-driving cars!
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Robotics_p023
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- Less Details
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
You will need to know how to use a breadboard to do this project. See the Science Buddies reference [# ProjectGuide Name="Breadboard.Tutorial" Value="HtmlAnchor" #] if you have not used a breadboard before.
Material Availability
A kit for this project is available from our partner
.
Cost
High ($100 - $150)
Safety
Short circuits can get very hot and present a burn hazard. Be careful to follow the directions in the Procedure in order to avoid short circuits when building your robot.
In the animal kingdom, many different critters use whiskers to help them find their way around in the dark, through murky waters, or even to help them hunt prey. Whiskers can be very useful when the animals cannot rely on sight. Did you know that you can also build a robot that uses "whiskers" to find its way around? This project will show you how to build a simple robot that uses whiskers as "bump sensors" to help the robot detect when it is about to bump into an obstacle, so it can turn…
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Robotics_p028
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- Less Details
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
You will need to know how to use a breadboard to do this project. See the Science Buddies reference [# ProjectGuide Name="Breadboard.Tutorial" Value="HtmlAnchor" #] if you have not used a breadboard before.
Material Availability
A kit is available from our partner
.
Cost
High ($100 - $150)
Safety
Short circuits can get very hot and present a burn hazard. Be careful to avoid short circuits when building your robot. See the Procedure for more information.
