Tips for Young Scientists
 
Tips on how to... Plan Science, Do Science, Show Off Science, and Go for the Gold!! Choose An Exciting Topic • Choose a topic that will interest and challenge you. • Do not be afraid to try something new-you will learn about it along the way. • Remember that complicated-looking projects do not guarantee a win! Learn Cool Theories • Remember the characteristics of science we have studied: scientists are looking for truth - they never change data to fit their guesses. And they always measure carefully and keep good records! • After picking a topic, spend a lot of time gathering background research. • Look for important concepts that will explain how and why your experimental results turn out the way they do. Be a True Scientist • EVERYTHING should be in your log book. It should be a complete record of your project. • Keep your detailed and up-to-date log book with you regularly. It will help you organize your thoughts and should include ALL of your research, notes, observations, resources, and conclusions. • Judges will use your log book to evaluate your project. Trudge Onward! • Review the evaluation form often to remind yourself of what the judges will be looking for. • During the experiment, do not get discouraged if you run into problems. • Do not stop if your experiment does not turn out the way you think it should. • It’s okay if your hypothesis is proved incorrect. • Judges like to see persistence - so keep at it! Ask for advice if you need help. • Besides, judges love to read about the problems you ran into and how you solved/tried to solve them. Use Your Brain (It’s not as hard as it seems!) • Look at your results and ask yourself why they do/do not make sense. • Think about your background research to help you figure out what happened during the experiment. • Practice and time your oral presentation in front of your family. Just tell about 1) what you were trying to find out, 2) how you experimented to answer your question and, 3) what your learned from your experiment. Keep it simple! Pretend your parents are the teachers or judges and answer their questions.
Monday, December 24, 2007