Reflections of a Science Fair 2011

Jane and I spent some time at the local middle school Science Fair as greeters and judges. As like book fair, I have some real issues with some of these "projects". Here are just a few of my thoughts that I wish I could have written down when judging the projects.

Thought #1: "Exactly when did you start your project again?" Of the over 50 projects I looked at, a overwhelming majority of them had less than a week's worth of data. This suggests to the judge or audience that your project was started no more than a week prior to the Science Fair. There are certain things that do not work well in a very short experiment. For example, you are not going to get a good idea of how talking to your plant helps it grow in one week. You are not going to be able to get a good deal of mold to grow in less than a week. You may not be able to get your rock candy to form in one week. You could tell the students who placed a lot of time and effort (as well as thought) into these project and you could tell who got up the weekend before and said, "Oh, yeah. Science Fair project is due Friday. Should do something, shouldn't I?" Students of the world - you aren't fooling anyone!

Thought #2: "Sample size matters!" Polling your family to see which cookie they preferred is nice. However, to get a better result, your sample size should probably be more than 3 people. The larger the sample, the better you can defend you findings. I'm sure your mom loved letting you stay up for 72 hours straight so you could play XBOX. However, how long you personally can go or how much sugar you eat (to make you "hyper") is an individualized thing. I personally doubt you can recreate your results and validate your answers.

Thought #3: "If you go on vacation, ask someone to water your Science Fair project." It is not a good excuse, nor does it look good, when your project is ruined because you went to Knott's Berry Farm for a week and forgot to ask someone to water your plants. They died because of that! Plant Killer!!!!

Thought #4: Every year we have this one - "Your banana is not rotten! You put it in the fridge and it got black. That happens when you place a banana in the fridge. You will learn this with life experience. But don't tell me the banana rots faster in the fridge cos it simple ain't so." Self explanatory. The number of years I've seen this exact project and they all seem to think a black refrigerator banana is rotten. Never had a frozen banana? Try it, student Science Fair participant.

Thought #5: "If you take the whole project, word for word, hyperlink for hyperlink, off the Internet, I just might notice it." - Come on! At least make it look like your own work!!! I will admit there was only one this year where there were more last year. But, dang! Click here for photo should not be in the project. I don't care if the idea comes off the Internet, from a book, from your own mind. That's fine. But, make the work your own.

Thought #6: "Sweetie. Honey. Darling Child. If you learned something in 2nd grade, it makes a really bad Science Fair project for an 8th grader." This year, I noticed there was a trend for going back and doing projects that confirmed 2nd grade Science. A student actually hypothesized that adding salt to a growing plant was going to help it grow. This child was heartbroken when it not only didn't make it grow, it killed the plant! SURPRISE! Let's see what salt water does to your goldfish, child! Another student decided that plants die if you don't water them. Science rule #1: All living things require water. It is one of the four basic needs of all living thing (water, food, living space, and homeostasis.) .

Thought #7: "Remember to add seeds" - One of the project involved growing plants in various different fertilizers to see which one grew fastest. The constant was the water amount and the original soil. Variable was the fertilizer. After 4 weeks, nothing had grown. I read the report from start to finish and not once did this child identify the plant or if there was a plant/seed added to the soil. I suspect, as did Jane and another judge, that the child never added seeds or a plant to grow. They just added fertilizer and dirt and waited for something to sprout. This is a sad moment for me as an ex-educator. I would have hoped that, by 8th grade, the concept of spontaneous plant growth would be a myth.

Thought #8: "When taking data and making an assumption based upon the data, make sure the data itself seems logical." One of the projects was comparing earthquake data and volcanic activity. The child came to conclusion that there is no connection between the two based on data for large earthquakes for the time period around volcanic activity. Whuuuuuh???? If the child had done a little more research, they would have found that one of the indicators for potential volcanic activity is to record seismic activity. And, it doesn't have to be right in the area, either. A earthquake halfway around the world can have effects. This child suffered from lack of research. It is hard to compare two things and, without doing added research, make them fit together.

Thought #9: "How exactly do you identify who can tell a fake smile from a real one for your sample?" Although I am not an expert on the topic of "fake smiles" or the Duchenne Smile (named for Benjamin-Armand Duchenne de Boulogne - a man who shocked people to cause muscles to react), I happen to know that most people cannot tell a difference because that is what research says. Your friends, small sample although they are, are either lucky at guessing or they know you better than you think. Because 75% of people cannot tell the difference, according the 2005 study at Minot State. And, how did you decide which of your photos was a real smile and a fake smile. Did you have a camera person taking photos all day? Candid shots or something like this. I'm just curious.

Thought #10: "If something is already highly studied or researched and already a part of common knowledge (and is a commonly used educational tool), it is probably not your best choice for a Science Fair project." Teachers and students alike make use of mnemonic devises in every day learning. Making the question "Does a mnemonic devise really help students learn?" really isn't a question anymore. My generation of learners can tell you the colors of the rainbow have something to do with a dude called Roy G. Biv. And don't ever forget order of operations is controlled by My Dear Aunt Sally... much less remembering to Please Excuse her on occasion. If it didn't work, my darling, it wouldn't still be a teaching tool. In 1942, Columbus sailed the ocean blue? And, my mom's technique for for remembering the Pomo tribe in California, although not repeatable, is a mnemonic I will remember for a lifetime. And, placing something to song works too. I can list almost all the states because I learned them by putting them to song. My mother in law does the same with the presidents. Devices work.

Please send me some good project next year. Then again, I love the entertainment.