Student Guide. Are the proud sponsors of the Nelson Tasman Region Science and Technology Fair

Transcription

1 Student Guide Are the proud sponsors of the Nelson Tasman Region Science and Technology Fair

2 Contents Entering 2 Ideas and Help 3 Science Process 4 Technology Process 5 Writing up 6 Making an exhibit 7 Judging criteria 8 Preparing for an interview 9 Checklist 10 Get started- How to Enter First of all you will need to decide if you will be doing a science or a technology project There are separate judging forms for science projects and technology projects. This means that in your ENTRY FORM you must tick the type of project you are submitting. Entry forms this year can be done online. All projects will be considered for the Cawthron Prizes but there are many special category awards, please look at which ones you can apply for and tick the appropriate boxes on the form. 2

3 Ideas and Help Choosing a project can be difficult so choose a topic you are passionate about and that you think may be fun and interesting to investigate. What is the difference between a Science and Technology project? Science projects will generally try and validate experiments by gathering data to prove or disprove a hypothesis. Science projects seek answers to questions. Technology projects are those that develop a product, device or process. The development of this product/device or process seeks to serve a purpose, a human need. Technology projects solve problems. We have asked some of our scientists to provide some ideas and even though some of them may not be of your interest, they may spark some ideas in your head of the type of questions and solutions you could tackle. Sustainability, Waste and Environment How many people forget to take their reusable bags to the super market. What could help? Is bottled water cleaner that tap water? Food Technology What's the hottest chilli? Test the capsaicin level for a scientific study. What's the sweetest apple? Test the sugar level in a range of apples. What's the fattiest potato chip? Test the starch content. Biology Are the sizes of shells found on the beach reducing in strength, size or number over time? Are there any signs found in shells to suggest effects of climate change/pollution, increased impacts by people or catch? Where can the weka/tui/bellbirds in our region be sighted and what is attracting them? How do wetlands improve the ecology of rivers?

4 Science Process Decide on a question Do some research What are your interests and hobbies? Use the ideas list, the library and search the internet Do some background research, ask your teacher or an expert Create a hypothesis Predict what you think the answer may be, what will happen and why Develop a method Collect results Evaluate results in a conclusion/discussion How will you answer the question? What can you measure? Is it a fair test and do you have a control experiment? Carry out the experiment and record all the measurements and your observations What do your results show? Compare your results to your research. Was your hypothesis correct? 4

5 Technology Process Decide on a problem or need for a solution Do some research What are your interests and hobbies? Use the ideas list, library and search the internet Do background research, who and where will it be used. Ask your teacher or an expert Develop ideas/concept Produce first design or model What are the key requirements and steps to a solution Choose one idea to develop. Test your prototype, how well is it working? List any problems and challenges Produce the final product Test and evaluate Record all your improvements on your design, including how and why Is your solution better than the existing one? Does it solve the problem? Can it be mass produced? 5

6 Writing Up - Science Science and Technology is fun and exciting thinking up all those questions you want to answer or how to best solve a problem. Then you go out and test your theory or solutions. But science and technology would not progress through the years if nobody knew what has already been done, so we must write up all our hard work. We need to write this all out in a logical flow so that it makes sense to anyone reading it. These are the main parts of a science experiment write up. Background- Why are you doing this experiment and what did you find out about the topic before you started. Hypothesis/Aim- Describe what you will do and what you think will happen. Materials & Methods- Step by step, what did you do? What equipment did you use? (make sure somebody could copy exactly what you did) Results/Observations- Use your senses, collect data you can measure and describe what you observed. Organise data it to table or graphs and describe what it tells us. Pictures drawing, videos are all useful ways of showing results. Conclusion/Discussion- Based on your RESULTS and OBSERVATIONS what did you find out? Was your hypothesis right? Can you compare this to other peoples work? why do you think it happened? How would you change it if you did it again? What further questions have come up (ask yourself what if? Bibliography- What books and websites did you use to find out information? 6

7 Writing Up - Technology A technology write up is slightly different to a science write up, but some elements are similar. Technology projects can vary in nature quite a bit, so please feel free to add to these recommendations to suit your project. Background- Why are you doing this project and what did you find out about the topic before you started. Aim- Describe what is the problem, need or want. What will you aim to do and what is your criteria for your design. Why were you inspired to find a solution? Design- Labelled diagrams or photos are good here of prototypes. Explain why you did it and its attributes? What materials did you use and why? Evaluation- Discuss how your design performed (against your criteria)/ Modification- Show what you changed and why. You can use Design, Evaluation and modification several times and technology has a cyclic nature. Future recommendations/marketing- Show what you would have/will do next. Where do you see this going in the future. If you have done any marketing it can also be included here. Bibliography- What books and websites did you use to find out information? 7

8 Max 150cm Making an Exhibit Max 120cm Free standing and robust Title is eye-catching and thought provoking Use colour and photos, make it attractive Writing must be no smaller that 1 cm and legible Clear and concise design, with a logical flow Space in front of board can be used for equipment, product or logbook 8

9 Judging Criteria It is important to know what you will be judged on, that way you can make sure you score highly and remember all relevant aspects. There is separate judging criteria for science and technology projects. Science Technology Scientific Thought and Understanding o Hypothesis stated/question identification o Cause and effect identified/predicted o Method devised and appropriate/fair o Appropriate results/data collection o Conclusions based on results o Applicable discussion/significance o Suggested limitations/sustainable solutions Creativity o Student led investigation/genuine interest o Originality in concept/approach/methods o New observations/insightful/inventive o Creative sustainability practices/actions Technical and Graphical Skill o Complete data set available in log book o Equipment and method assembled well o Appropriate representation of data/results Interview o Understanding of background research o Ability to explain concept clearly o Can discuss problems/sustainable solutions Presentation o Exhibit is well designed and attractive o Project presentation with logical flow o Key aspects are easily identifiable Development and Understanding o Evidence of idea development o Performance evaluation of final product o Efficiency/reliability of product o Use of appropriate materials/processes o Environmental/sustainable consideration o Ease of use/ergonomics Creativity o Student led investigation/genuine interest o Originality in concept/approach/methods o New observations/insightful/inventive o Creative sustainability practices/actions Technical and Graphical Skill o Design and construction o Equipment and method assembled well o Log book complete Interview o Understanding of background research o Ability to explain concept clearly o Can discuss problems/sustainable solutions Presentation o Exhibit is well designed and attractive o Project presentation with logical flow o Key aspects are easily identifiable o Aesthetics of product/outcome 9

10 Preparing for an Interview Every student will be interviewed by two judging pairs, so four people will listen to you talk about your project. Interviews are easy for some natural communicators, but can be a daunting thought for others. The best thing to do is be prepared, you may have finished your project a while ago so read back on everything Things you may get asked: Why did you do this project? Did you enjoy it? Do you understand the ideas and concepts of the project? What was the process you took to complete the project? What were the challenges you overcame? What would you do differently in retrospect? Remember that you know the full details of your project because YOU did it, you are the expert! 10

11 Checklist Complete an entry form and select the appropriate Special Category Awards Read and agree to the conditions of entry and the fair rules Send the entry form back (deadline 5pm, 14 th August) Complete and return the ethics form if required Do background research and get help from an expert Carry out your amazing project/investigation (remember to keep a logbook) Design and create your exhibit Take your exhibit to the Cawthron Science and Technology Fair (registration is between 8am 9.30am and exhibits must be ready by 9.45am on Monday 21 st September 2015 for primary and intermediate students of Wednesday 23 rd for secondary students) Be present for judging interviews between 10am and 2.30pm Remove your exhibit between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday 26 th September