Science Buddies: Free Teacher and Student Resources for Science Projects and Independent Student Research www.sciencebu

1. Science Buddies: Free Teacher and Student Resources for Science Projects and Independent Student Researchwww.sciencebuddies.org Ken Hess, Founder & President Presented at Intel ISEF 2012, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

2. The Headline • Science Buddies (www.sciencebuddies.org) is comprehensive, high quality, and free.

3. Comprehensive • Users: We have resources for fair administrators, teachers, parents, and students. • Grade levels: K-12 • Levels of difficulty: From elementary classroom fair projects to Intel ISEF. • Project areas: All areas of science. • Scientific method and engineering design process: From the initial question to the final presentation.

4. High Quality • Staff scientists with experience in both academic and corporate research • Top flight partners: Princeton, NOAA, WGBH, and many more • Award winning: AAAS/Science, Parents Choice, . . .

5. High Quality (cont.) • We answer our email, so you can give us feedback and know that someone read it: • scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org • Ask an Expert Forum • “Report a problem with this page” • “I did this project” • No cheesy advertising to distract students • Constant improvement of our materials

6. Free • 501(c)3 non-profit • PBS funding model: concerned corporations, private foundations, and individuals

7. Today’s Presentation • Overview of resources • Managing science projects in the classroom • Planning a science fair • Enlisting parents • Project Guide (how to do a science project) • Engineering Design Project Guide (how to do engr. project) • Advanced Project Guide (how to do independent research) • Project Ideas & the Topic Selection Wizard • Personalized answers to student questions • Career profiles • How to choose the proper resources for your needs

8. The Home Page

9. Managing Science Projects in the Classroom • Teacher's Guide to Science Projects • Benefits of a Science Project • Teacher Timeline • Safety Guidelines • Student Science Project Schedule • A Parent Guide to Science Projects • Printable Assignment Worksheets • Printable copies of Project Guide webpages • Grading Rubrics

10. Planning a Science Fair • A Guide to Planning a Science Fair • Step-by-step guide loaded with tools, tips, and tricks • Judging Guide • Judging Scorecard • Judging Scorecard: Basic • Judging Scorecard: Elementary • Project Tracking Spreadsheet Sample (.xls) • Science Fair Award Certificate Sample (.doc) • Science Fair Schedule Worksheet • Science Project Enrichment Tools

11. Enlisting Parents • A parents role in science education • Why are science fairs important? • How to help with a project • Explaining plagiarism to your child • Online Safety (sponsored by Symantec) • ikeepsafe.org! • Family Online Safety Guide • Parent newsletter

12. Finding a Project Idea: The Topic Selection Wizard

13. Topic Selection Wizard • Finding an interesting project is a tough problem • Lack of experience is a barrier for students • Can’t select an an area unless they are aware of it – you can’t dream about something if you don’t know it exists • Teacher can’t know every student’s interests • The Wizard examines student responses against hundreds of thousands that came before them • Personalized suggestions to each student • An easy to use, high quality solution. Students who use it are twice as likely to find project they like.

14. Topic Selection Wizard: Sample Questions • Do you ever wonder what makes some recipes turn out delicious and others turn out disgusting? • Do you enjoy gardening and working with plants? • Is math your favorite subject in school? • Do you like animals more than machines? • About 25 questions, total.

15. Topic Selection Wizard: Testimonial • “My daughter is totally into stuffed animals, loves our pets, and loves the Sierra Nevada camp with its bugs, birds & snakes, and where my wife is director.” • “I completely expected her to do an animal project and was prepared to talk about ethics and animal-use protocols.” • “Well, as she went through the [Wizard] questions, what we discovered is that she's deeply interested in electricity, devices, and math-oriented topics.  What?!” • “This was a real gift to all of us, as who knows what damage we parents could have done by acting on our assumptions?”

16. High-quality Project Ideas • Full Project Ideas include: • Abstract & Introduction provide background • Terms, Concepts & Questions to Start Background Research • Bibliography • Materials & Equipment • Experimental Procedure • Variations, approx. 3 – 5 suggestions for related projects • Abbreviated Project Ideas include: • Typically, just an abstract

17. The Comprehensive Range of Project Ideas • Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics • Astronomy • Biotechnology • Chemistry • Civil Engineering • Computer Science • Cooking & Food Science • Electricity & Electronics • Energy & Power • Environmental Engineering • Environmental Science • Genetics & Genomics • Geology • Human Behavior • Human Biology & Health • Mammalian Biology • Materials Science • Mechanical Engineering • Microbiology • Music • Ocean Sciences • Photography, Digital Photography & Video • Physics • Plant Biology • Pure Mathematics • Sociology • Sports Science • Video & Computer Games • Weather & Atmosphere • Zoology

18. New Project Idea Kits • Convenient: Offered on a selection of popular projects with hard to find materials or extensive materials lists • Comprehensive: Contain everything needed to complete a project (except perishables) • Prices: Starting at $59 • Free shipping • A portion of proceeds support Science Buddies

19. New Science Activities • Selection of activities perfect for in-class, at-home, or after school use • Current selection appropriate for grades K-8 • Each activity: • uses readily available materials • can be completed in one class period • comes with printable facilitator / educator guide and student guide

20. Project Guide: Comprehensive, High-quality “how-to” • How to Do a Science Fair Project • Covers everything from hypothesis & variables to display boards • Lots of material on background research & report writing • How to Do an Engineering Design Project • Tools, Techniques, and Reference Information • Focus on information not available elsewhere in age appropriate form • How to Build a Subsonic Wind Tunnel • Using Storytelling Alice • Electronics Primer (hands on techniques) • All About Agar • Measuring Plant Growth • Sample Size: How Many Survey Participants Do I Need? • And much more . . .

21. Comparing the Scientific Method with the Engineering Design Process

22. New Engineering Materials • New Comprehensive Engineering Design Project Guide • Judging Score Cards for engineering projects • Coming soon: • Engineering Design Process Poster • Grading Rubrics • Comparing engineering & artistic design

23. Advanced Project Guide (sponsored by Intel)Comprehensive, High-quality “advanced how-to” • Overview • Benefits of Top Science Competitions • Roadmap: How to Get Started • How to Find a Mentor • Mentoring & Coaching Advanced HS Student Research • Finding Ideas • Roundtable on Finding an Idea for an Advanced Project • Sample Projects from Advanced Competitions • How to Read a Scientific Paper • And, more • Experimental Design for Advanced Science Projects • Increasing the Ability of an Experiment to Measure an Effect • Data Presentation Tips for Advanced Science Competitions

24. Increasing the Ability to Measure an Effect

25. Ask an Expert • Answers to any & all science fair questions • Questions about one of our Project Ideas • Questions about a student’s own idea • Questions about STEM careers • Occasionally turns into a mentoring relationship • Typically, 24 hours or less turn around • Staffed by volunteer science and engineering professionals

26. Comprehensive STEM Career Information • Funded by the NoyceFoundation, now includes 150 career profiles • Forges a connection between science in the classroom and careers in science • Relevant careers tied to each Project Idea • Engage the students by using various forms of media to present high-quality career information • What does each professional do; the nature of the work • Subjects to study in high school, educational requirements • Salaries and projected job growth • Work environment • Interviews

27. STEM Careers: Range of Degrees • The career profiles introduce students to a comprehensive variety of career options possible in different areas of science.

28. STEM Careers: Range of Salaries • Similarly, the career profiles highlight careers with a comprehensive range of salary levels.

29. STEM Careers: Engaging Visual Introductions • Develop a synthetic fiber that can stop a speeding bullet. • Help discover new medicines that alleviate or cure diseases. • Figure out how to make hair-styling gel work even better.

30. How to Choose the Proper Resources Ask: What are my students’ needs & my teaching objectives? • Detailed Guidance: Step-by-step instructions to help students understand the scientific method and complete a successful, fun, and academically challenging science fair project. • Moderate Help: Assistance choosing an engaging age- and resource-appropriate science fair project, but I'd like students to independently figure out their experimental procedure from scratch. • Independent Exploration: Checklists and reminders about how to create a well-controlled scientific experiment, but I'd like students to independently select a science fair topic and figure out the appropriate experimental procedure. • Original Research: Advanced high school students working on original, publishable research.

31. Key to Resources for DifferentStudent Needs/Teacher Objectives

32. Science Buddies: www.sciencebuddies.org • Science Buddies is comprehensive, high quality, and free. • Keep in touch & up to date • Email newsletters (every month), sign up on our website • Science Buddies Blog • Science Buddies on Facebook • Science Buddies on Twitter