Project Guides (Page 15)

Summarizing Your Data

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Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, Median, and Mode In most cases, the first thing that you will want to know about a group of measurements is the "average." But what, exactly, is the "average?" Is it the mathematical average of our measurements? Is it a kind of half-way point in our data set? Is it the outcome that happened most frequently? Actually, any of these three measures could conceivably be used to convey the central tendency of the data. Most often, the… Read more

The Value of a Science Fair Project

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With the jam-packed schedules of today's families, why would either a student or a parent want to add one more major activity? Clearly, any school project assigned to a student should meet a stringent test for usefulness. Surprising to some, a science fair project is one of the best learning experiences a student can undertake. And, if it is taken seriously, it can be an excellent way to earn significant prizes, qualify for scholarships, and distinguish a college application. Conceptually, a… Read more

TLC Analyzer

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Abstract Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a widely used method for qualitative analysis to determine the number of components in a mixture, to determine the identity of two substances, or to monitor the progress of a reaction. The more accurate high-performance TLC (HPTLC) is better suited for quantitative analysis. Unfortunately, HPTLC requires expensive equipment that most high schools and colleges cannot afford. If digital photography is combined with regular TLC, it can perform highly… Read more

Transporting Your Board

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Sometimes you may need to transport your display board to a fair across the state or even across the country. There are several options available. Portfolio Shipping Cases If you have followed our advice and built a modular board, we recommend a portfolio case, like the one shown in the picture. This means of transport has many advantages, not the least of which is that you can carry your display with you, letting you make changes up to the last minute. It is also convenient to work with… Read more

Using Animal Tracking Data from Movebank for Science Projects

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What is Movebank? Movebank is an archive of animal movement data collected by scientists in the course of their research. Many of these scientists have agreed to share their real data with you, a user of the Science Buddies website, to analyze and use in your own science projects. How do wildlife biologists track animals? In order to understand more about animal behavior and habitats, wildlife biologists track animals. They do this by attaching tracking devices, often called tags to… Read more

Visualizing Molecules in Three Dimensions

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Introduction Although we often see molecules depicted using two-dimensional (2-D) figures, they are in fact three-dimensional (3-D). Many scientific questions can be better understood by seeing and interacting with molecules in three dimensions. There are a number of tools available on the Internet that allow the user to rotate, flip, and otherwise manipulate virtual molecular models of chemicals and macromolecules. If you would like… Read more

What is Big Data?

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You might have read or heard the phrase big data used on the internet or in a television commercial. But what is big data? How is it defined, and how is it different from "regular" data? Can you use it for a science project? This reference page will help answer some of these questions and get you started exploring the world of big data. Data is information, and there are many different types of information. If you have done a science project before, you probably collected information by… Read more

When Competition Doesn't Turn Out the Way You Want

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An interview with Amber Hess. Strangely enough, the science fair Amber learned the most from was her first trip to the California State Science Fair (CSSF) in seventh grade—where she did not win anything. Her teacher had been kind enough to take her display board over to the regional fair. By pure luck, she was chosen as an alternate for the state fair, and someone who qualified for state dropped out. "I thought to myself, why not go? Who knows...it could be fun. At that point it was all… Read more

Winning Scholarship Essays

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Would you ever guess that feeding dog food to your family as a kid might help you earn a scholarship? That's exactly what happened to Lauren Croda, one of the recipients of a 2009 Bio-Rad scholarship! Applicants for the 2009 Bio-Rad Scholarship Program were asked to answer one of the two following questions: What can be done to encourage interest and participation in science? How can science be used to improve our world today? Below, you can read a little about each of the three winning… Read more

Writing a Hypothesis for Your Science Fair Project

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What is a Hypothesis? A hypothesis is the best answer to a question based on what is known. Scientists take that best answer and do experiments to see if it still makes sense or if a better answer can be made. When a scientist has a question they want to answer, they research what is already known about the topic. Then, they come up with their best answer to the question based on what they know. This is called a hypothesis. The hypothesis has to be testable. A scientist must be able to do… Read more

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