planning a science fair project - carnegie … of biological sciences outreach programs planning a...

Department of Biological Sciences

Outreach Programs

PLANNING ASCIENCE FAIR PROJECT

Dr. Becky GondaOutreach CoordinatorDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of Pittsburgh


Outreach Programs

WHAT WE’LL COVER

• A Brief Experiment

• Selecting a Topic

• Planning Your Experiments

• Interpreting an Experiment

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Why is yeast used in cooking?

• Single-cell Eukaryotes


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Do yeast cells use sugar like our cells?

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Glucose Carbon Dioxide + Ethanol + Energy


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Is sugar required for yeast respiration?

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SELECTING ASCIENCE FAIR TOPIC

What is Science?

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Science is …

• … a body of knowledge about our natural world and how it works,

– CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• … a process of exploration and discovery,

– INQUIRY PROCESS

• … the quest for solutions to human needs.

– SOCIAL CONTEXT

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The “Triad” of Science

A good Science Fair project will blend all three of these aspects of science!

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Content Knowledge

“What?”

Social Context

“Why?”

Inquiry Process

“How?”


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Pick a Science Fair Topic That …

… is interesting to YOU.

… investigates something useful or relevant to YOU and others.

… YOU can investigate with available materials and know-how.

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Content Knowledge

“What?”

Social Context

“Why?”

Inquiry Process

“How?”

Content Knowledge

“What?”

Social Context

“Why?”

Inquiry Process

“How?”

Content Knowledge

“What?”

Social Context

“Why?”

Inquiry Process

“How?”

Content Knowledge

“What?”

Social Context

“Why?”

Inquiry Process

“How?”

Content Knowledge

“What?”

Social Context

“Why?”

Inquiry Process

“How?”


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Some Example Science Fair Topics

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Habits of Scientific Thinking

• Skepticism

– Withhold decisions

• Open-Mindedness

– Consider all alternatives

• Rationalism

– Seek objective, empirical evidence

– Differentiate between fact and opinion11


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CONDUCTING RESEARCH:THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

• Problem

• Hypotheses

• Experiments

• Predictions

• Results

• Conclusions


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Scientific Method

• State the problem or question.

• List all hypothetical causes/solutions of the problem or answers to the question.

• Design an experiment to test one hypothesis.

• Predict results of the experiment.

• Conduct experiment and record observed results.

• Draw conclusions from the results.

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Source: Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York:Bantam; 1974. (Chapter 9)


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Scientific Method – Step 1:State the Problem

Your project can focus on …

… a question you wish to answer,

Question: How does temperature affect enzyme activity?

… or a problem you wish to solve,

Problem: How do I melt ice on my driveway in the most economical way?

… or a goal you wish to accomplish.

Goal: To build a robot that scoops out the cat’s litter box.

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Scientific Method – Step 2:Make Hypotheses

• Review what is already known about the subject.

• Each hypothesis is one possible explanation or prediction, based on pre-existing knowledge, that is testable.

• Think of as many plausible explanations as you can. Start by testing one!

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Problem: Is sugar required for yeast to produce carbon dioxide gas?

What is your hypothesis for this experiment?

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Scientific Method – Step 3:Design Experiments

• Design a controlled experiment to test the hypothesis.

– Designed to measure a single variable condition.

• Any pair of samples differs in only one way.

– Other environmental conditions are controlled.

• Everything else about any pair of samples is the same.

• See section on “Experimental Variables”.

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Our Quick Experiment

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Is sugar required for gas production?

Yeast + Glucose Carbon Dioxide + Ethanol + Energy

Yeast + Sugar Yeast alone Sugar alone20 ml warm water1/2 tsp yeast1/4 tsp sugar

20 ml warm water1/2 tsp yeast

20 ml warm water1/4 tsp sugar

Mix ingredients together, and measure how much foam is produced in 1 minute


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Scientific Method – Step 4:Make Predictions

• Making predictions are important for conducting your experiments and analyzing the results

• Helps you have a sound project

• Format of a Prediction statement

– If (this idea is true)...

– And I (do this action) ...

– Then (this result will occur).

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Scientific Method – Step 5:Obtain and Analyze Results

• Collect data through observation and measurement.

• Choose quantitative over qualitative measurements.

– Quantitative data can be analyzed graphically and statistically.

– Is variability associated with manipulated variable greater than variability due to chance or other variables?

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Our Model Experiment

• Mix ingredients together and measure the amount of foam (CO2)

• Is sugar required for gas production?

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Our Model Experiment

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Yeast + Sugar Yeast alone Sugar alone

4ml 0ml 0ml


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How can we be sure these results are accurate?

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The Effect of Temperature on Enzyme Activity


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Repeat your experiments.

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The effect of sugar on yeast carbon dioxide production: Trial 2

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Scientific Method – Step 6:Draw Conclusions

• Formulate conclusions based on the interpreted data.

• Identify if your hypothesis is consistent with the observed results.

• Conclusions are only as good as the data is accurate.

• Revise hypothesis, redesign experiment, and conduct further studies as necessary.

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Do the results support the hypothesis?

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The effect of sugar on yeast carbon dioxide production


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DESIGNING AN EXPERIMENT:EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLES

• Manipulated Variables

• Controlled Variables

• Responding Variables

• Uncontrolled Variables


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Manipulated Variable

“Independent variable”-treatment that is changed or manipulated; Each sample is subjected to different conditions for the manipulated variable: treatment, amount, time, duration, etc.; “cause”

Controlled VariableIdentical in all conditions; ruled out as affecting outcome

Responding Variable“Dependent variable”-properties that are observed or measured; “effect”

Uncontrolled Variable

Factors which may impact experimental samples or subjects differently, resulting in effects that are not due to the manipulated variable.Ex. Experimental error, bias, environmental conditions

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