STEM Research Fair -Student Resources-

Things to consider as You start working on a STEM-Research Fair Project:

1. Choosing a STEM-Research Fair Project TOPIC

What thing(s) am I most interested in? Food? Baseball? Gardening/Plants? Pets? Robots? Computers? Skateboarding? Etc. What am I really “passionate” about?

Be sure when choosing a topic, you consider things like: Is it manageable? Will you be able to do testing? For instance: If you decide you want to test the properties of snowdrifts, do you live near the snow? If not, maybe you need to choose another topic.

For ideas:
Browse through the library at your school and visit your public library. Look in newspapers, especially the Science articles in the The San Diego Union-Tribune for local science ideas. Look in magazines such as Audubon, Discover, Horticulture, National Geographic, Organic Gardening, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Psychology Today, Science News, Scientific American, Sky & Telescope, Smithsonian, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Wired, etc. and specific magazines for things like bicycling, cooking, diving, skateboarding, swimming, etc.

Talk to people like your parents, teachers, friends, neighbors, grandparents–ask them for project ideas. And of course browse the Internet using “Google” or any search engine you like. And try online help sites like Science Buddies.

2. Learn about the Steps of the Scientific Method

The scientific method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. Does this mean all scientists follow exactly this process? No. Some areas of science can be more easily tested than others. Learn more about the Scientific Method HERE.

3. Find a teacher at school to be your advisor

Any teacher can be your project advisor but Math, Science, Engineering, and Computer Science teachers are more aligned with the Science and Engineering Fair categories.

4. Your Project Notebook

Along with your project, you are expected to have a notebook. Here is a Sample Fair Project Notebook from GSDSEF.

5. Your Project Display Board (Backboard)

You need to prepare a display board to communicate your project. Here is it’s structure.

6. PowerPoint Presentation

This 10 slide PowerPoint presentation should give an overview of your complete project. You must include a title slide with the following information: Your name, Grade, School, Teacher name, Project Title, and your proposed Category. In addition please create a slide with your Abstract and another one with your Bibliography. On the remaining seven slides tell judges about your project!!