St. Mary’s Catholic School Science Fair 2012-2013

1. St. Mary’s Catholic School Science Fair 2012-2013 Student Kickoff – 7th and 8th grade

2. St. Mary’s Science Fair • Resources you can call on • Teachers (Mrs. Cwalina, Mrs. Voelker & Mrs. Genth) • Science Fair Coordinators • Mr. & Mrs. Grossbauer : (610-489-5598 / joe_grossbauer@msn.com ) • Parents • Guidebook • Take some time to read through it now, refer to it later

3. St. Mary’s Science Fair Calendar • GB pg-3 • Research plans due October 26, 2012 • Projects Due January 16, 2013 • SMS Science Fair January 17, 2013

4. St. Mary’s Science Fair • What does it mean to go to Montco Fair? • After our science fair is complete, we will be selecting a handful of projects to compete at the Montgomery County Science Research Competition (MCSRC) • The MCSRC works very similar to ours • Judges review the project • Judges perform an oral interview of the scientist • MCSRC is held March 21st – 24th • DVSF Fair is April 2nd – April 4th

5. St. Mary’s Science Fair • Certain kinds of experiments require approval from the MCSRC Science Committee before you are allowed to start • Any experiment that involves animals or humans • This includes any experiment that involves surveys • We are asking that NO projects involve ingestion – eating or drinking of anything • Done for safety reasons

6. St. Mary’s Science Fair • There are a forms to be filled out (GB pg-9) • When you submit your research plan, there are a couple of forms (simple!) for you to complete and submit • Your package will include a Research plan, Form 1A & 1B • Anything involving humans needs Form 4 too • Depending upon your particular project, there may be other forms required; we will contact you if needed • All forms are on the SMS Website There are some instructions in the guidebook, if you have any questions on the forms, just ask.

7. St. Mary’s Science Fair Focus Areas…

8. St. Mary’s Science Fair • Research Plans • Each student must submit a typed research plan (GB pg 8) • Describes the experiment, the hypothesis being made along with the description of the experimental procedure • Should include a bibliography of the resources used for researching the subject • Research plans must be approved by the teacher and science fair coordinator • You will receive a feedback form approving or rejecting your experiment, along with some suggestions (GB pg 10) • You can update it as the experiment progresses

9. Example Research Plan

10. St. Mary’s Science Fair • Spend time doing research • Books, Magazines, Internet sources, Experts • The more you know and understand the subject, the better you will be able to conduct the experiment, and then to be able to communicate it with others • Judges are looking for you to have understood your subject • A bibliography with 1 source is not sufficient research; MCSRC is looking for at least 5 sources

11. St. Mary’s Science Fair • Data Analysis • What’s the difference between Data and Information? Data • raw facts • no context • just numbers and text Information • data with context • processed data • value-added to data • summarized • organized • analyzed

12. Data vs. Information Information Data • 6.34 • 6.45 • 6.39 • 6.62 • 6.57 • 6.64 • 6.71 • 6.82 • 7.12 • 7.06 Data is raw material & unorganized facts that need to be processed When data are processed, organized, structured or presented in a given context so as to make them useful, they are called Information

13. Data  Information Data Summarizing the data Averaging the data Selecting part of the data Graphing the data Adding context Adding value Information

14. Purpose Project Title Abstract Hypothesis Data Bibliography Tables Graphs Conclusion Procedure Photos Experimental Journal Materials Typical Display Setup St. Mary’s Science Fair • Display (GB pg-11) • Your display should show all the major parts of doing the project. • Make it look good ! This is not an art project, but the fact is, the first impression on the judges is the display. • Make sure everything is spelled correctly!

15. St. Mary’s Science Fair • Display restrictions (GB pg-12) • Displays can be no wider than 36” and no taller than 48” • Do NOT place your name or the school name on your display • Not allowed on/with your display : • Living things, including plants • Food • Chemicals including water • Glass or glass objects • Take pictures and display the pictures • Photographs of people other than yourself or your immediate family are not allowed; add a citation of who took the photos • Use Metric units for all measurements and data

17. St. Mary’s Science Fair Final Reminder Notes • Do research – many sources are available; you should have at least 5 • Research plans need to be typed • Return the required forms, including parent signatures • No ingestion experiments please • Keep a journal – record everything you do • Change only one variable at a time • Do a sufficient number of trials • Units on your display must be in metric • It’s OK if your hypothesis was wrong DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST WEEK TO WORK ON YOUR PROJECT!!

18. St. Mary’s Science Fair QUESTIONS ?