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Types of Projects
What Types of Projects Can Students Do?
The days of making a volcano or building a light circuit as a science fair project are long gone. The most important advice we can offer is to make sure your students are answering a question, not just building a model of something.
If your students follow the Scientific Method or Engineering Design Process, they will naturally select the right kind of project that will do well at SARSEF or any competition.
These violate the rules of virtually any science fair and will disqualify a student before their project is even judged. Projects will be judged using one of two sets of criteria: either the Scientific Method or the Engineering Design Process. Although very similar, scoring is slightly different. Scientists study how nature works. Engineers create new things — such as products, websites, environments and experiences. Because engineers and scientists have different objectives, they follow different processes in their work. Scientists perform experiments using the Scientific Method; engineers follow the creativity-based Engineering Design Process. Some projects fit well under both areas; however, it is best to have your student decide which he or she will be using to complete a project, and then stick to it. Read below for a quick description of each process or visit the Judging Criteria for more details. The Scientific Method is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by making observations and doing experiments. The steps of the scientific method are to: It is important for your experiment to be a “fair test.” A fair test occurs when you change only one factor (variable) and keep all other conditions the same. If your project involves creating or inventing something new, your project might better fit the steps of the Engineering Design Process. The Engineering Design Process is the set of steps that a designer takes to go from identifying a problem or need, to creating and developing a solution that solves the problem or meets the need. The steps of the Engineering Design Process are to: During the Engineering Design Process, designers frequently jump back and forth between steps. Going back to earlier steps is common. This way of working is called “iteration,” and it is likely that your process will do the same! Topics to avoid
Topics that are not allowed
Which Process to Follow: Scientific Method or Engineering Design?
Scientific Method
Engineering Design
Every Child. Thinking Critically. Solving Problems.