Choosing A Topic

Stumped for a good idea? Interesting project possibilities can be found almost anywhere you look

During late fall and early winter of every year, at thousands of high schools across the country, hundreds of thousands of prospective science fairers buckle down to the task of selecting a project. Finding a suitable theme or topic is the first and, without question, the most important step in planning a winning project. Every future decision about building the project, where to shop, who to speak to, and how to orient the display and presentation at the science fair hinges on the topic.

There are no set rules for choosing a topic; everyone goes about it slightly differently and in his own way. But there are pitfalls to beware of and factors to carefully consider before making a selection. Perhaps the best words of advice that can be given to anyone planning a project are to look hard and long before you leap. Read this chapter carefully and see which of the stressed points apply to you. A hasty decision so early in the game might easily "KO" your chances of finishing in the winner's circle at the science fair if you finish at all.

Allow yourself plenty of time to consider your own interests, abilities, talents, academic level, and the advice of teachers and professional scientists you have spoken to before you make your decision.

If you are planning your first science fair project, be especially careful in selecting a topic. A beginner is easily carried away with the glamor and excitement of science fairing and may make an unfortunate choice. Most unfinished and abandoned projects are the result of the designer's haste in choosing a topic and selecting one that was all wrong for him as an individual. Being a "no-show" at your local science fair after many weeks or even months of unrewarding effort is a waste of your abilities and talents.

Reading, reading and more reading (left)! Only by gaining an extensive background can you intelligently choose a subject and execute your project. Often, the study of many related fields will be necessary.

Project ideas can also be gleaned from hobbies and school work. Here, the demonstration of a tube tester stimulates thought on the part of students at Stuyvesant High School in New York City (see right photo).
 
Interested in biology? Perhaps your project can be on some aspect of this subject. These science students (left) were among those selected to do a ten-week stint of original research at the Waldemar Medical Research Foundation, L. I.. N. Y. Typical topics included "Tumor Cell Respiration,"

and "Therapy of Osteomyelitis," among others.

An interest in amateur radio has been the inspiration behind many science fair projects in the field of electronics, an area which offers numerous possibilities to experimenters.

A Good Project

Before tackling the fine points of choosing a topic, a review of what makes a good science fair project seems in order. Everyone has his own ideas on the qualities a science project must have. You can probably conjure up a dream project in your mind (perhaps beyond your present ambitions) that you consider a sure winner. Your science or math teacher has his opinions on the subject. Science fair judges certainly have theirs.

You may be surprised to learn what the judges look for in a project and how they pick a winner. Contrary to popular opinion the flashiest, gaudiest, and noisiest projects don't automatically win. The three or four gentlemen who will corner you and your project will try to determine your scientific ability and creativeness by scrutinizing your project and probing for loopholes in your presentation. They ask penetrating and often embarrassing questions such as: "How does this 'flibber' work?," or "What does this 'whatsis' do?," all directed at the heart of your work.

Judges search for originality and scientific insight, and they are quick to sense whether or not you really understand your subject. Although you can double-talk your way out of a difficult point with family and friends, you will undoubtedly find that the judges know their way around your topic and can't be fooled.

As you select a topic you are also selecting a problem that you intend to solve. Whether this problem is concerned with the best way to collect and classify a series of biological specimens or the development of circuitry for an electronic device or a similar question in another field, you are claiming that you will try to solve it as your project develops. Your presentation at the science fair is a statement of how the problem was solved or why it wasn't if you were unable to overcome major obstacles blocking a solution. Obviously you must know a good deal about a subject before you can pose worthwhile and interesting problems, but more about this point later.

Courtesy Robert K. Fischer                              Walter Vecchio

If you find laboratory work fascinating, you may find your project there. Try to make arrangements to use or borrow expensive items such as a microscope. You may be able to work at your school.

An interest in astronomy can lead to a successful project. Here, Robert E. Fischer polishes the mirror for his prize-winning project (see the front cover and the report in the Project Section).

Courtesy IBM
Ideas for a project? You are constantly being bombarded with them! Even advertisements can be stimulating. The illustration above shows what an automatic language translation system, developed by IBM, can do when fed Russian text. A special typewriter converts the Russian characters to binary code on paper tape. The translation machine, which stores 140,000 entries coded in binary digits stored microphotographically on a glass disc, is fed the paper tape. It compares the digits on the tape and those on the disc by reading those on the glass disc photoelectrically while the disc revolves at some 1,800 revolutions per minute.

Professional scientists, educators, and other qualified persons are often willing to help with ideas, equipment and advice. Make as many contacts as you can among the professionals in your field.

Courtesy Mechanix Illustrated Electronics Illustrated

Popular magazines can help you choose a topic. Don't copy; add a new twist based on your own ideas.

General Dynamics Corp.

Interest in rocketry has resulted in a number of projects. Your best bet here is to confine yourself to one aspect of the subject a new fuel, design of a component, etc. Photo shows an Atlas carrying manned Mercury space capsule into orbit.
 
A handy rule of thumb to keep in mind is that you are judged on HOW you solved the problem. This is a mighty big "how," and covers a lot of territory. Originality is, of course, of prime importance; so is creative ability. But also included are the approach you took, your technical skill, your adherence to scientific method, your research into the work of professionals in the field, and your method of presenting results and conclusions. The last point is very crucial as the judges will expect conclusions about each individual facet of your project and will require good reasons for everything you display at the science fair.

Your project will represent YOU at the science fair, and will take many hours of YOUR time to complete. Therefore you and you alone should choose the topic that most interests you. Ask advice from others but make the final decision all by yourself.

Getting a round peg into a square hole is easy compared to completing a project on a topic that doesn't really interest you. At the same time remember that you must demonstrate that you solved your self-chosen problem. Consider everything the solution will require and weigh this against your assets of skill, knowledge, and ability before you start.

Getting Started

One of the popular approaches to choosing a topic is to relax in a large comfortable chair, block out the disturbing qualities of younger brothers and sisters with soothing hi-fi music, and ask yourself "What would be a good project for me?" Though a restful and enjoyable way to spend an evening, this technique is no better than pounding your head against the wall to stir up ideas. Just as a watched pot won't boil, your "watched" creative zone won't spout forth those winning ideas. Replace the chair and music with an open mind and before long good ideas will be popping into view.

As was hinted at earlier, an excellent source of ideas are your own interests and hobbies. Think back to a recent science magazine article you read that caught your fancy, or a class demonstration that intrigued you. Either or both could provide you with several good ideas. Hobbies usually suggest many worthwhile projects with the added advantage that they are in an already familiar field. For example, if you play a musical instrument you might decide to investigate the harmonic structure of musical tones; a small window box garden could be your laboratory for a series of experiments on plant growth; your skill at solving mathematical puzzles might be a starting point for a project dealing with mathematical games.

General Dynamics

U. S. Air Force
 
Space travel enthusiast? This is a popular topic, and many research, engineering, and theoretical projects have been devoted to it. The photo shows the MARS three-man space research station under study by scientists. The station is depicted in orbit 200 miles above the earth (see top).

More project possibilities? Perhaps that is what this group of science fair winners are thinking while viewing a weather radar installation at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The trip was one of the awards given to nine entrants in the 12th NSF.

Radio Corporation of America
 
Hobbies and interests are useful because they outline the broad regions wherein your talents lie. Let them be a guide to selecting a topic, but don't allow them to fence you in. Be receptive to the new ideas and concepts you are exposed to every day in classes and in conversations with teachers and friends. Often you will come across something new and different that will excite your imagination and set you planning a prize-winning project.

If you look upon science fairing as a new hobby or an extension of an old one, you will always make a good topic selection. Just as you wouldn't consider collecting stamps, or hiking, or raising tropical fish unless you were truly interested, you shouldn't allow yourself to consider any topic you find dull or uninspiring.
 
If you have no hobbies, class demonstrations are completely boring, and your friends are horrible conversationalists, you will have to find other sources of project ideas. Don't give up hope! Actually, you are being continuously bombarded with excellent suggestions from all angles. Just train yourself to look for them, and you will find ideas in whatever direction you turn.

To illustrate: The fascinating TV commercial that explained a new research development could have led you to several potential projects. Maybe your winning project could have been inspired by that scientific short you saw at the movies, or by the article you read in last Sunday's papers.
The trick to finding a good topic is to be alert at all times and to look at things that interest you in the light of whether or not they could lead to a project within your capabilities. Perhaps some of the photographs that illustrate this chapter will serve to stimulate your thinking about it.

Hughes Aircraft Co.

Perhaps you will find your idea here. At left is an artist's rendition of a new "moon-crawler" concept developed by scientists at RCA. The television-equipped exploration vehicle, capable of moving about on the moon in response to radio instructions from earth, could be operational within a few years.

Life in space? Researcher Erich E. Brueschke uses torch to fuse off glass tube in which living specimens were killed by exposing them to the ultrahigh vacuum present in space. From evidence that microorganisms evaporate in super vacuum. Hughes scientists reason that life was not transported to earth, had its origin here.

Be Realistic

Science fairers tend to be among the most optimistic of individuals. In fact they never seem to tire of planning vast "blue sky" projects absolutely impossible for them to complete. Although the idea of blazing new trails in science is certainly exciting and appeals to every science fairer, be realistic when you choose a topic.

The age of the basement inventor has gone the way of the Roaring Twenties into history. A modern Thomas Edison is almost out of the question. Today, research is just too expensive to be performed by any one individual working by himself, and instead is carried out by research teams working in university, industrial, or government sponsored laboratories.' While it is very possible, as has happened in the past, that a science fair project may shed some light on a relatively unexplored area or utilize existing techniques and devices in new applications, the chance of a science fairer making a sizable contribution to the "Art" is slim indeed. The reasons are obvious. In addition to lacking suitable equipment and facilities, a high-school student doesn't have a sufficiently wide technical foundation to build upon. Supplying this foundation is the task of a college education.

Science fairers as a group are becoming an increasingly larger portion of that unorganized club: The Association of Amateur Experimenters. This stalwart group of tinkerers amuses itself with unofficial experimentation in the same way other amateurs strum guitars, or plink pianos: just for fun. Just as learning to play an instrument doesn't necessarily make you a professional musician, learning to experiment doesn't mean you intend to be a professional scientist.

Visit the National Science Fair or even a large regional fair and you will find many advanced and sophisticated projects, each displaying a high level of ingenuity and original thinking. How is this possible considering the backgrounds of the builders? Simple! Each of the entrants has become, through study and hard work, an expert in his or her topic area. Although unqualified to add new material to a science and expand it, the science fairer is often capable of making useful contributions within the science. For example, an amateur astronomer might develop a new and very simple clock drive for a telescope. A back-yard biologist might make a detailed study of the effects of a chemical on the growth of a particular plant that biological researchers have not yet worked with. The results could be useful even though the chemical's action on other plants is understood.

Effects of agricultural chemicals on crop growth are studied by Du Pont scientists. Bean plants are grown in water, a method known as hydroponics or solution growth. All needed nutrients and test chemicals are supplied by means of a pipette. In the photo above, iron in solution is added.

Bacteriologists raise cultures of disease-causing bacteria and study effects of different chemicals on them. Here, a technician removes bacteria from test tubes to nutrient-filled Petri dish in the first step of basic research into the action of the bacteria.

Photos courtesy E. I. (In Pont tie Nemours & Co.
 
Our amateur musician of a few paragraphs ago might not be able to compose a symphony or experiment with unusual rhythms, but he would be able to write simple melodies.

The point is this: When you select a topic, choose a realistic one. Don't hope in advance to make an earth-shattering discovery. (On the other hand, it will not be surprising if a science fairer actually does one of these days!) Remember, by entering a science fair and actively participating in some scientific area you are automatically making a very important contribution: yourself. Tomorrow's scientists and engineers must come from today's high-school students. Building a project gives you a head start and gives your chosen field a potential scientist.

Originality

It is not easy to be original when you are planning a science fair project, but then, everyone agrees that a lot of hard work goes into winning projects. Originality is probably the single most important quality judges look for in a project, and rightly so. Duplicating last year's winning project shows the judges only one thing: You attended last year's science fair. Copying a device or project described in a magazine article proves you can read and follow directions. Only when you display original thought will you stand out in the crowd, both at the science fair and in the winner's circle.

Get ideas and inspiration from last year's projects and popular science magazines, but be sure your project has a new and lively twist. For example, a circuit you run across in an electronic experimenter's periodical isn't a very exciting or rewarding project by itself. However, if you use this circuit in a new and different way or modify it for use as part of a larger project, you have greatly increased your chances of winning.

Avoid "staple" projects. We call them staple projects because they turn up at fairs as regularly as sugar and flour on a pantry shelf. They include the ubiquitous Tesla coil, Van de Graaff generator, Wilson cloud chamber, simple reflecting telescope, and many, many others.

Tests must be run of agricultural chemicals to make sure they are safe. Here, a Du Pont chemist makes a chemical analysis of a tomato to check for harmful residues. Many science fair projects have been based on same problem (see right).

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co..

General Electric
 
Each year the growing local fairs sport a bigger and better collection. The list is too long to include, and each geographical region has its own favorite "staples."

Literally, these projects have been displayed to death, and in fact you can often purchase ready-made commercial models for less than you can build your own.

Most projects centered around "staples" are weeded out at local fairs, although occasionally one or two sneak through to regional or national competitions where they rarely get a second look.

It is really a shame that students bother to build them. With a bit more thought as to topic and originality, these same students could spend the same time building worthwhile projects.

However, if you can think of a new modification for a Tesla coil or find a research application yet unexplored, you have introduced the element of originality and may have a winning project.

If you aren't sure your project is original, compare it with a common garden variety lead pencil. The very first pencil ever made was certainly an engineering accomplishment. So were the modifications made on it through the years. Today, however, a pencil is a pretty ordinary object and by itself isn't very exciting. But give it to a writer, a mathematician, a scientist, or anyone able to record original material on paper, and the pencil becomes a useful and vital tool. When you plan your project decide on an exhibit that is more than a "pencil"; one that represents the original work the pencil helped create.

Timeliness

A science fair judge would not be likely to award a prize to a project describing a radical and different type of Roman chariot. Granted that the element of originality is there and probably so is scientific ability; but the project is not timely. The future doesn't look bright for chariot design engineers, and the project itself is of little value to the scientific community. On the other hand, a radically different automotive concept might rate an award as the automobile has an important place in our society and is the object of much current research and development.

"Bottle-cap" discs (left) are thermionic converters designed to help provide power for space vehicles. The sun's rays are concentrated on the "buttons" and electrons "boiled" oft the hotter side to the cooler side. Wires complete the electrical circuit.

A wafer-sized DC power amplifier made possible through the concept of molecular electronics requires only energy from flashlight to control 40 watts of power for two headlights (see below).

Westinghouse

You can determine the timeliness of your project by browsing through recent scientific magazines and journals concerned with development and activities in your subject. Almost every branch of science has its own journal to report research progress. Your local science or technical library is likely to be your best bet for locating publications covering your field.

If you are unable to locate current references on your topic and you are really interested in it, don't give up hope or the topic. Think about why your subject is important today and justify your research activities. Be prepared to demonstrate the timeliness of your project as you describe it to the judges at your local science fair.

If you are unable to find references and cannot think of any reasons for your efforts, re-evaluate the whole project. Chances are it is as unoriginal as it is untimely, and is, therefore, unworthy of your time and talents.

Determining Your Ability

We all must crawl before we can walk, and walk before we can run; all, that is, but a few very optimistic science fairers who annually fall flat on their respective faces.

Determining your ability comes under the same heading as being realistic when choosing a topic, and requires some honest self-evaluation. A simple, but well executed and successful project rates much higher with the judges than a half-finished, half-operating collection of unrealized ambitions.

Evaluate your technical skill, mechanical ability, and knowledge of the problems and pitfalls of working in your chosen area before you declare your intentions to build a project.
Not considering your ability or overestimating it is like cheating at solitare: you are only fooling yourself. Unlike a quiet game of solitare, however, not appearing at the science fair because your project doesn't work or changing topics in midstream can be both embarrassing and costly in time, effort, and money.

As an example consider the case of a young man who is a whiz in applied mathematics and very interested in digital computers. He knows how they work in theory and has the necessary technical background to design (on paper, of course) a simple demonstration computer. However, electronic circuitry and our friend have never seen eye to eye. In fact, he can't even turn on a television set.

He would like to do a science fair project concerned •with digital computers and decides to build the simple computer he has designed. After all, it looks relatively simple to solder a connection, and even though he doesn't know a vacuum tube from a vacuum cleaner he doesn't expect much difficulty in assembling his computer. Obviously our entrant will not get to first base with his project. He failed to evaluate his skills and realize that his talents lie in the theoretical and not the practical. A more suitable project would consist of a theoretical discussion of computer operation coupled with detailed designs for a simple demonstration computer, a project well within his capabilities.

A young lady with a flair for growing things and a rough idea of the existing theories of heredity might consider a project centered about some simple heredity experiments. Of course, she has never taken a biology course in high school, nor has she done any intensive studying of standard heredity textbooks.

Her project would fall flat because her presentation would be mostly "hand-waving." Lack of theoretical knowledge would prevent her from understanding what she is doing. There is a limit to how much you can teach yourself without proper instruction, and displaying a project you don't understand (assuming you can complete it) is as fatal to your chances of winning as exhibiting a carbon copy of someone else's work.
 
Our science fair hopeful with a green thumb should confine her efforts to more practically oriented ideas that permit her to make the most of her talents.

Learn exactly what your intended subject requires before you take the plunge. If you are unsure about your abilities ask your teachers or science advisors. They will tell you if you are aiming too high (OR too low).

If your heart is set on one particular topic but you know it is beyond you, consider the possibility of a "crash program" to bring yourself up to par. Consult your teacher or a professional in the field, and coordinate your effort so as to get the most from them. Don't make the mistake, however, of believing that the study of one single subject will always enable you to work in that field. Often there are several related subjects that must also be mastered. For example, an astronomy project might require a knowledge of optics, properties of glasses, local meteorology, advanced mathematics, photography, and other fields as well as the basic science of astronomy.

Top: Westinghouse Photo below: Dow Chemical Photo
 
Sun concentrated by reflector of solar-thermoelectric power plant ignites wood almost instantly (left). Power could be used to irrigate four acres of land with two feet of water per year pumping from 20 feet.

Aerodynamicists keep this supersonic test tunnel in constant use to determine reaction of various shaped vehicles to speeds and heats encountered by orbital and superorbital space vehicles (see right photo).

This is the Van de Graaff accelerator used by Dow Chemical Co. as a source of nuclear radiations for research (left). Here, scientist prepares chemical reaction for activation by electrons from laboratory machine.

Your Natural Resources

Careful consideration of the resources available to you when you build a project is of such importance during project planning that many science fairers "honor" it by putting it last on their check list.

Don't make that mistake when you choose a topic or you are letting yourself in for unnecessary disappointment, and often a heartbreaking experience.

Your natural resources include:

1. Time
2. Money
3. Sources of reference
4. Sources of equipment and parts
5. Lack of obstacles

General Electric
Simply, you must have adequate free time to do your project without sacrificing your regular school work; you must be able to afford your project; all necessary parts and supplies must be obtainable; you must have adequate local references to consult including both libraries and experts in your field; there must be no obstacles blocking completion of your project.

Most scientific fairers overlook the last point until it is too late. For example, a local law against firing a rocket presents a mighty obstacle to an amateur rocketeer.

Later chapters will discuss ways of planning your project taking everything, including the trouble spots, into consideration. Estimate what you will need in the way of time, money, help, and supplies, and make sure all are available. Once again your teacher or science advisor is the best person to check with if you are not sure of your estimates.

This kind of careful planning may cramp your "science crusader" style as you go rocketing ahead with your project. On the other hand, an ounce of prevention is more likely to get you to the science fair. Once you're actively engaged in actual work on the project you will find sufficient details to keep you busy. You won't be able to iron out trouble spots then that wouldn't have appeared had you considered everything more carefully when you chose a topic.

Safety

Warning words about the safety of your project should not be necessary. Common sense should dictate that a science fair project be safe and present no hazard to you, your family, or the public.

However, every so often the newspapers will run a story about a prospective science fairer who didn't quite make it to the fair because his project finished him off instead of vice versa. AMATEURS whose projects contain explosives, exposed dangerous voltages, deadly bacteria, poisons, etc., are courting trouble unless they know exactly how to handle their materials. Observe the concern for safety at established scientific installations and ask yourself if you have taken equivalent precautions. If you have not, your project may make headlines before the science fair.

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