Science Project Ideas

[SilentNight]

I have a science project to do for biology and I am stumped for an idea. I've been checking google but haven't been able to find anything good. so I thought you guys could help. Please post some ideas. The teacher is incredibly arbitrary so as long as I make it look professional I shoud get an A. The faster the project the better.

[Lilly]

What are the parameters of the assignment? Do you have to do an experiment? Do you have to go through the whole scientific method? How long do you have to do this? What materials are you allowed to use? Does it need to show a specific biological principle?

[SilentNight]

My bad, I should have been more specific. It can be any experiment that can be presented as data and that follows the scientific method. I have about two weeks, hence the need for a quick experiment

[RandomLogic]

At what level? Scientific method is pretty basic so like middle school? high school?

Is presenting the Scientific Method the idea? or is it a general science project type thing? Ie pick something, present a hypothesis and either prove or disprove it?

[SilentNight]

High school, the latter. Lesson learned: Be a lot more specific. :smallredface:

[Semidi]

My bad, I should have been more specific. It can be any experiment that can be presented as data and that follows the scientific method. I have about two weeks, hence the need for a quick experiment

Also, what materials do you have access to? Microscope, chemicals, and so on.

[RTGoodman]

Back my freshman year in Earth Science, my friend and I did a project on the effects of pollution on plants. We went and bought about a dozen identical plants from the local garden store, kept some as controls, and then subjected the others to experimentation. :smalleek:

We put some in a freezer (don't remember what this represented), some in direct light and heat (like global warming/ozone depletion), watered some with both water and chemicals (specifically, stuff that can cause acid rain), put one in a big old fish-tank and burnt some tire bits and other pollution in it (since that seems pollution-esque :smallredface: ), and stuff like that.

It wasn't the most scientific, but it was better than everyone else's projects and we got high A's on it. You could probably do something like that, if you're lacking other, better ideas.

[Vella_Malachite]

Well, you could always subject plant or animal tissue (dead animal tissue) to a range of (plant: environmental, animal: chemical) stimuli, that always works.

Another idea is to collect a sample of onion DNA, that's pretty simple. This would also be good if you need to do some background research on the subject.

The CSIRO Double Helix Club website (http://www.csiro.au/products/DoubleHelixClub.html) is useful; a bit young, but you could get some good ideas from it.

Good luck!:smallsmile:

[MandibleBones]

My junior year, a friend and I build a torsion-based catapult (basically a mangonel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangonel)) and documented the changes in distance, velocity and force of a launched sphericle object dependant on how tightly our ropes were wound (our hypothesis being that as the ropes were wound tighter, the object would fly further, faster and more forcefully).

The catapult took some time to build, the tests took a few hours, and the write-up took the rest of the day we tested, but it met the requirements, was something that hadn't been done that year, and most of all was fun.

[Serpentine]

Science projects seem to be a real American thing. I don't really get them :smallconfused:

You could demonstrate erosion - have a slope set up with lots of potplants down it, and another with none, and pour water down it, and compare how much dirt is washed away - or maybe see what sort of bread gets the most interesting mold on it.

[RandomLogic]

OOo! I got one. throw hot dogs down a hallway!

... and calculate pi!

http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Pi-by-Throwing-Frozen-Hot-Dogs

[Jack Squat]

What about how (model) rockets work? included could be a demonstration (setting off a model rocket, or if your school isn't fun, a video of a rocket going off.) with your explanation of what's going on.

[Archonic Energy]

the effects of prolonged exposeure to an Apeture Science Super-Colliding Super Button

well someone needs to do that experiment, and GLaDOS seems unintrested...

THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW!!!

sorry. :smallredface:

[Ichneumon]

What about apoptosis?

[RandomLogic]

What about apoptosis?

Programmed cell death for a 2 week science project? At a high school level?

Pretty interesting topic, but I would say both time and level incompatible.

[Ichneumon]

What about plant communication?

I read this story once about plants being able to sense if other plants of the same species were nereby and if so would adjust their growth accordingly.

[thubby]

make cheese. or yogurt.

[Om]

Go completely leftfield and do your project on the use of evolutionary algorithms in computational optimisation or simulation optimisation

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

Okay....Gonna take a personal hand in this one, though a bit of research on your part should be done. Since this is a biology class, a little experiment showing one of the complications of diabetes might fascinate the class.

There are widespread arguments in the medical community about a condition called diabetic neuropathy. One of the working theories is that when a diabetic loses control, sorbitol gathers in the nerves. And...well, allow me to quote a bit of writing I've done on the subject.


The nervous system is like the electrical lines of a house, starting with the generator (the brain) connected to the main power line (the spinal cord), which then branches out various cables and wires (numerous other nerve cells). Some of these nerves are set up in confined spaces. Part of this particular neuropathy theory is that the molecular structure of sorbitol attracts water molecules. Add water to a dried out sponge and the sponge expands, right? Imagine the nerve cells doing the same thing within a confined space. The nerve starts to choke, panics in its fashion, and sends a message to the brain, “HELP!” Then we’re right back to the numbness and pain that I’ve described.

I've had surgery to help correct this problem, where three of those choke points were widened to help heal the damaged joints. I leave it to you on how you would show this in class, as well as finding statistical data. This will be a test to see if your Google-fu is strong. You might also discover quite a bit on what advanced diabetic neuropathy can lead to, including amputations.

Go forth and learn, my child! :smallwink:

[Zombie pixe]

well, that erosion one sounds good. and simple, and it was mine too :smalltongue:

[Ranna]

What about the decay of items (bread..cheese..milk) in different temps - but it will smell...alot - could talk about the rate of bacteria growth and fungal elements blah blah blah

however, its an easy hypothesis with easy background

Biology projects are boring chemistry ones are much much much more fun :smallcool:

[SilentNight]

make cheese. or yogurt
a little too time consuming. I'll stick to gaming cheese, thanks.:smallbiggrin:

Okay....Gonna take a personal hand in this one, though a bit of research on your part should be done. Since this is a biology class, a little experiment showing one of the complications of diabetes might fascinate the class.
Thanks alot, it sounds interesting. I might look into it. On an unrelated note my great uncle lost a foot to diabetes about a month ago. He just died this week.:smallfrown:


OOo! I got one. throw hot dogs down a hallway!

... and calculate pi!

http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Pi-...rozen-Hot-Dogs
I am going to try and get the teacher to O.K. that.:smallsigh:

however, its an easy hypothesis with easy background

Biology projects are boring chemistry ones are much much much more fun

Easy is prime. I can't wait till chemistry.

Thanks to all of you. The help is much appreciated. If I can figure out the diabetes thing I will definitely do it. If not, maybe the hot dog/pi one.