For more questions, click here.  Remember always that, the best questions are your own.  Before beginning any project, keep these rules in mind:

• Complete your Research Plan and Approval Form before the project begins
• Do not experiment with explosives of any type.
• Do not experiment with current from electrical outlets unless your teacher grants permission.
• Experiments on people require permission from the subjects and from your teacher.
• Experiments on pets are not permitted at the International Science and Engineering Fair.
• Experiments using drugs or other controlled substances require a teacher's permission and a doctor's supervision.
• No animal possessing a backbone may be killed or harmed.
• No plants, animals, or food are to be exhibited at the South Central Regional Fair. Use photos only.

In short, you must do no harm to yourself, to anyone participating in your experiment, or to anyone who might touch your experiment at a local or higher-level fair. 

Most science projects, use a three-panel display telling:

• The question that you asked.

• The reading you did about that question.

• How you intended to answer the question.

• What you found when you attempted to answer that question in that way.

• What you learned.  This is the most important part.

• Any other ideas for further research in the area.

• A brief summary of what you did and learned.

A highly compressed science project is shown here:

Question  Which gender is more dense, boys or girls? Hypothesis  The average density of senior high school males is greater than the average density of senior high females. Materials 1. Five senior boys. 2. Five senior girls. 3. Large tank of water. 4. Scale.

Procedure 1. Immerse each student. 2. Get volume by overflow. 3. Get weight on a scale. 4. Divide weight by volume. Results Densities For 10 Students lbs cu ft density B1  145  2.37  61.2 B2  205  3.33  61.6 B3  183  3.05  60.0 B4  192  3.11  61.7 B5  127  2.17  58.5 G1  145  2.54  57.1 G2  123  2.17  56.7 G3  173  3.10  55.8 G4  171  2.88  59.4 G5  120  2.00  55.0

Graph The average density of the 5 boys exceeded the 5 girls.  The boys’ muscles made them the denser sex. A “t” test said my results could happen by chance less than 5 times in 1000. Conclusions  Senior boys may be denser than senior girls.

For more information see the South Central South Dakota Science and Engineering Web page at www.dwusciencefair.com.

Prize-winning displays have:

• An experiment that makes proper use of the scientific method, or of mathematical reasoning, or one that creates an engineering project that works as intended
• Clear writing, correct spelling, charts and graphs that are easily understood, and proper use of words such as “affect” and “effect”.
• Great looking pictures, if appropriate.  The regional fair has a special Kodak award for pictures alone.
• Days of research for a local award, weeks of research for a regional award, and years of research for an international award.
• Hot topics. Our regional fair needs studies on mathematics, geology and especially those making good use of the metric system.