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STEAM FAIR �AT TMSA

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WHAT IS A STEM FAIR?

A journey of scientific inquiry

YOU answer a scientific question by conducting an experiment.
The process ends with a showcase event that shows students that their work matters to the school community.

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YOUR BENEFITS

Inquiry and Experiential

This is YOUR own learning adventure.
YOU might explore topics such as:

Timing ocean tides
How gears work
Chemistry of baking ingredients

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YOUR BENEFITS, CONTINUED

Integrates skills they’ve learned in other classes:

Math skills
Computer skills
Research skills
Writing and presentation skills

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YOUR BENEFITS, CONTINUED

Furthers students’ interest in science

Serves as a basis for future science fairs, which present opportunities for scholarships, awards, and prestige
Promotes interest in a science career

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Category Descriptions

Biological Science A

Animal Sciences
Plant Sciences
Microbiology

Biological Science B

Behavioral and Social Sciences
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Cellular & Molecular Biology
Biomedical and Health Sciences

Chemistry

Chemistry
Biochemistry

Earth/Environmental Science

Earth & Environmental Sciences
Environmental Engineering
Energy: Chemical and Physical

Physics & Mathematics

Physics and Astronomy
Mathematics

Technology and Engineering

Computational Biology & Bioinformatics
Engineering Mechanics
Material Science
Embedded Systems
Robotics & Intelligent Machines
Systems Software

More information: https://ncsef.org/index.php/rules/categories

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Awards

Junior Projects (Biological Sciences A; Biological Sciences B; Chemistry; Earth/Environmental; Physics; and Technology/Engineering):

1st Place- NASA Center Overnight Trip
2nd Place- NASA Center Overnight Trip
3rd Place- NASA Center Overnight Trip
4th Place - XBOX SERIES X
5th Place - Drone
6th Place - Tablet

Honorable Mention - (for each category 1st, 2nd and 3rd place with a medal and certification)

High School Projects (Biological Sciences A; Biological Sciences B; Chemistry; Earth/Environmental; Physics; and Technology/Engineering):

1st Place- NASA Center Overnight Trip
2nd Place- NASA Center Overnight Trip
3rd Place- NASA Center Overnight Trip
4th Place – Playstation 5
5th Place – Drone
6th Place – Tablet

Honorable Mention - (for each category 1st, 2nd and 3rd place with a medal and certification.

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SUPPORT

The school fair is the first step in the competitions that lead up to the international level, where prizes total over $3,000,000 and the top winners take home $50,000 scholarships. These competitions are for middle school and above. But even doing projects at the elementary level gets students ready to participate at these fairs later on.

Preparing a science fair project is an excellent example of what education experts call active learning or inquiry (also, hands-on learning). It is a very effective instructional method; indeed, it is recommended as a cornerstone of successful science teaching. Yet, according to the National Research Council, active learning is not employed often enough in the classroom and its absence is seen as one of the key factors behind kids losing interest in science and not performing to their potential.

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PROJECT PLANNING

Our planning involves breaking the science project into small, manageable assignments that are spread out over time.

We provided YOU with detailed guides to explain exactly what needs to be done at each step of the project.

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PARTNERSHIP

Students

Work
Responsibility

Parents

Encourage
Answer questions
Supervise safety
Come to the fair!

Teachers

Step-by-step assignments
Checkpoints graded along the way

Science Fair Success

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PARTNERSHIP, CONTINUED

Students

Work
Responsibility

Parents

Encourage
Answer questions
Supervise safety
Come to the fair!

Teachers

Step-by-step assignments
Checkpoints graded along the way

Science Fair Success

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PARTNERSHIP, CONTINUED

Students

Work
Responsibility

Parents

Encourage
Answer questions
Supervise safety
Come to the fair!

Teachers

Step-by-step assignments
Checkpoints graded along the way

Science Fair Success

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WHAT DO THE STUDENTS NEED TO DO?

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OVERVIEW

5 STEPS OF STEM Fair Project.

Ask a question/ Make an observation
Construct a hypothesis.
Test the hypothesis by doing an experiment.
Analyze the data and draw a conclusion.
Communicate the results.

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��ASSIGNMENTS �

STEP-1- 10/13/2023 (Ask a questions/ Background Research
STEP-2 10/20/2023 (Form a Hypothesis)
STEP-3 11/13/2023 Test your hypothesis with experiment
STEP-4 11/27/2023 Analyze the data and draw a conclusion
STEP-5 12/1/22 (Final Day Display Submission)
FAIR DAY 12/09/23 Saturday 9 am to 3 pm

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STEP- 1 ASK A QUESTION.

This is the foundation.
If you identifiy a question that is safe and can be answered through experimentation, the rest of the project will follow.

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STEP-1 ASK A QUESTION, CONTINUED

Safety

This will be reviewed by the teacher when you fill out a project proposal form.
The philosophy of safety: It is not a list of prohibited projects. Instead, it is a careful review by the teacher.

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STEP-1 ASK A QUESTION, CONTINUED

How to Pick a Good Question

The question should be interesting enough for you to read about and then work on for the next couple months.
There should be at least three sources of written information on the subject.
Make sure the experiment is safe to perform.
Ensure there is enough time to do the experiment before the science fair. For example, most plants take weeks to grow. If you are doing a project on plants, you will need to start early.

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SOME RESOURCES

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STEP-1 DO BACKGROUND RESEARCH.

Collect information.

Define what to look for.
Look in a variety of sources.
Key Goal: Obtain enough information to make a prediction of what will happen in the experiment.

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STEP-1 DO BACKGROUND RESEARCH, CONTINUED

Organize research.

With organized research that is based on questions, the writing will flow.

Use multiple sources, no copying.
Writing should be focused on the project.

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STEP-2 CONSTRUCT A HYPOTHESIS.

What is a hypothesis? An educated guess about the answer to a question.

If/then: If I do [this], then [this] will happen.

“If I increase the temperature of water in a cup, then the more sugar will dissolve.”

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STEP- 3 TEST THE HYPOTHESIS BY DOING AN EXPERIMENT.

Process

Part 1: Design an experimental procedure.

Steps and materials should be spelled out.

Part 2: Do an experiment.

Actual testing of hypothesis occurs, answering the question.

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STEP-3 DO AN EXPERIMENT.

Expectations

It’s ok if the first experiment goes wrong and YOU havet to modify the procedure.
It’s ok if the experiment disproves the hypothesis.
Safety, safety, safety!
It takes time!

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STEP- 4 ANALYZE THE DATA AND DRAW A CONCLUSION.

Example of a graph that draws a conclusion:

How wind generator power changes with wind speed.

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Wind Speed (m/sec)

Power (kW)

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STEP- 5 ABSTRACT AND FINAL REPORT

A report that collects all the above written assignments in one place plus a short abstract of the project..

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FINAL STEP

You can find this diagram and a lot of helpful information about display boards at www.sciencebuddies.org.

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HAVE FUN!