Science Fairs

If spring means Science Fair at your school, use these Web sites to get a head start on everything from planning the fair to project ideas to national competitions. Thanks to information and technology specialist Keith Schroeder, School District of Marinette, for the timely topic and Web site suggestions!

Science Fair Process | Project Ideas | Research and Inspiration | National/International Contests

Science Fair Process

The Society for Amateur Scientists provides The Ultimate Science Fair Resource with information on the science fair process, how to complete a display or report, project ideas, and research links.

The Science Project Primer from Intel features articles like Why Complete a Science Fair Project? and Learning about the Scientific Method, as well as a science fair checklist and tips for students and parents.

Step-by-Step Science Fair Success is a guide for middle school teachers planning fairs from the science Web site Access Excellence. It includes planning steps, student worksheets, assessment rubrics, judging guidelines, and more.

The Discovery Channel's Science Fair Central includes a science fair handbook and tips written by science writer Janice VanCleave. The teachers' section has checklists for fair organizers.

The USDA Agriculture in the Classroom site provides a simple guide to science fair projects for younger students, along with science fair ideas focusing on agricultural topics such as plants, food, and animals.

You may want to refer parents to Fear of Science Fairs for tips on how to help their children with a project.

The Science Fair Page from the the Houston (Tex.) Public Library demonstrates how to use the "Big Six" information gathering process to do research for science fair projects.

This Guide to Doing an Experimental Science Fair Project, from CyberFair, gives a brief, clear description of steps for completing a project. An intermediate-level guide is also available.

Successful Science Fair Projects, from Neuroscience for Kids, provides a relatively brief outline of the science fair process, as well as some neuroscience project ideas.

Find more helpful links at Marinette (Wis.) School District's Science Fair Web Sites.

Project Ideas

The Chicago Academy of Sciences offers a list of interesting questions for Science Fair Project Ideas.

The Eastern Newfoundland Science Fairs Council provides Ideas for School Science Fairs for primary, elementary, intermediate, and high school students.

Science Snacks, from the San Francisco Exploratorium, features instructions for miniature versions of some of the museum's exhibits, complete with questions and explanations. The Science Explorer section of the Web site includes additional projects.

Math Ideas for Science Fair Projects, from the Math Forum, provides lots of ideas.

Get some great ideas for science fair projects involving forces, materials, loads, and shapes from the Interactive Labs on the Building Big Web site.

Backyard Conservation, from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, provides tip sheets on a number of conservation practices that could serve as the basis for science fair projects.

NASA's Multimedia Resources for Students gives lots of information that might inspire a project, such as real-time satellite tracking or instructions for models of many NASA craft.

Find ideas for engineering projects, like an egg bungee jump or a popsicle stick truss bridge, at Discover Engineering from the National Engineers Week Foundation.

The Mad Scientist Network MAD Labs describes edible and inedible experiments that "require a mere rummaging of the kitchen cabinets to perform."

The Pfizer Fun Zone provides simple chemical experiments that could serve as project ideas or starting points.

Bill Nye the Science Guy's Home Labs section offers more ideas for experiments.

Research and Inspiration

For students interested in investigating pollution in their own community, Where You Live offers environmental data by community from the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA air quality data for a city or state also are available from AirData.

R&D Reports About Model Rockets, from the Apogee Rockets company, is a research resource for the advanced student interested in rocket-related science fair projects.

The USGS interactive map and database GEODE lets you analyze and present data about agriculture, biology, geology, natural hazards, and more.

The University of California Museum of Paleontology's Discover the History of Life is a good place to start research on geology, paleontology, or the evolution of life.

Those who plan to use live bugs in a project should check out these Insect Rearing Sheets from the University of Arizona's Center for Insect Science.

Imagine the Universe Science, from NASA, provides information on the electromagnetic spectrum, cosmic objects, and more.

The National Weather Service supplies current and historical weather data for anywhere in the United States.

Learn about capillary action, trends in water use, or other water issues at Water Science for Schools, from the USGS.

National/International Contests

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (high school)

Internet Science and Technology Fair (K-12 teams)

Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (grades 5-8)

West Point Bridge Design Contest (K-12 open contest; grades 7-12 for prizes)

Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology (high school teams and individual seniors)

The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Science Fair (links to Web sites for many international, national, and local science fairs)

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