Science Fair 2014: Science vs Engineering

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In thinking about the upcoming science fair, an important decision is which type of project to choose--either a science project or an engineering project. While they share many common aspects, they are fundamentally different. Do you want to design and build something to accomplish a particular task? Are you curious how something works, or how one quantity might affect another? These are questions to ask yourself while deciding what type of project to do.

Here a few resources to use when deciding:

1. The judging criteria for the Flint Regional Science Fair and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. (The St. Clair County Science and Engineering Fair uses a similar form.)
2. A scoring rubric that does a nice job comparing and contrasting science and engineering projects.

Weigh in--what type do you think you'll do and why?

Science Fair 2014: Getting Started

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Choosing a Specific Project

Often, the hardest part about doing a science fair project is selecting a topic to study. It's best to choose a topic that interests you. Coming up with an original idea is nice, but sometimes we need a little inspiration.

1. Do a Google image search for winning science fair projects. Try to draw some quick generalizations... ... Are there any similarities among various winners (not in their subjects, but in their presentation or style)?
2. There are many resources online with science fair project ideas. Let's use the one featured at education.com. Browse through the list, read them, and write down at least three topics that you might find interesting. Make sure your choices are not the same as anyone else sitting near you in class (we want unique projects!).