Tips for Choosing a Science Fair Topic



The science fair is around the corner and it's time to pick your topic! For those new to science fair s--or for those who just need a little inspiration--Amber Hess, a mentor for Science Buddies (www.sciencebuddies.org) and former ISEF winner, offers some things to think about as students explore possible topics for a science fair project.

Choose a topic that will interest and challenge you. Although it is possible to make almost any idea into a science fair project, you need to make sure it will challenge you and that you will learn something from it. You will not learn any cool science doing an easy project. A stereotypical science fair project is "Which detergent works best" If you just test a bunch of different detergents on clothing and then say, "Detergent A cleaned the best," you haven't really learned anything. You might be able to recommend the best brand to your parents when they are doing laundry, but you would not be able to tell them why Detergent A was the best. To get the most out of your science fair project, you have to ask how and why.

Don't be afraid to try something new. If a topic is interesting but you don't know much about it, try it out! Don't be intimidated if you don't understand everything right off the bat. I often had to read information ten times before I understood it! Just keep studying and asking questions. You might find you enjoy a subject you never would have picked if you stayed with familiar topics. After doing a science fair project in chemistry, I realized I really enjoyed it, and now I'm studying to become a chemical engineer.

Narrow down your topic to ensure you make good progress by the time the science fair rolls around. Instead of trying to build the world's most intelligent robot, you might pick one small part of the programming to work on. You could then emphasize how your piece fits into the building of a robot. Also, do not choose a broad topic unless you are an expert in that field or plan on learning a ton of information--judges could pummel you with questions about aspects of the subject you are unfamiliar with.

Remember that complicated-looking science fair projects do not guarantee a win. Simple topics can turn into great projects. At most science fair s, a student with a simple project who knows her stuff will often win over a student with a complicated project who is not as great a presenter. This actually happened to me. At my first state science fair , a student with a simple electric motor project won. Later, I realized that he won because he thoroughly understood how the electric motor worked. My science fair project appeared more complex than his, and I had learned some science, but not nearly to the depth he had. Focus on learning the theory behind your topic--how and why things turn out the way they do.

I have learned so much from all of my science fair projects, and I hope you do, too. Just keep asking questions about the world around you and follow your curiosity, and you will end up with a great topic. For information about picking a topic and getting the most out of your science fair project, visit www.sciencebuddies.org the premier online source of K-12 science project information. For interviews with science fair veterans and mentors, visit www.cogito.org.

Amber Hess was an Intel Science Talent Search finalist and a Siemens Westinghouse semifinalist in 2005, and she won a first place Grand Award in chemistry at the 2005 ISEF. She qualified to compete at the California State Science Fair five times, winning 4th, 3rd, and two 1st place awards. Amber has been a Science Buddies mentor (www.sciencebuddies.org) for over four years, and is now majoring in chemical engineering at MIT.





Tips for Choosing a Science Fair Topic