NHHS Science Fair

Transcription

1 General Information NHHS Science Fair All projects may be completed in class. Students MAY take their projects home if they wish though it is NOT required. All projects are due on Monday, December 14 th, Project ideas will be provided by the instructor. Students may choose to use one of the recommendations or my come up with their own project. All student chosen projects MUST be approved by the instructor PRIOR to experimentation. All projects costs will be the responsibility of the student and parents. All necessary forms and paper work will be provided to the students by the instructor after project selection. Students may work in groups of up to 4 members. Project Ideas Under Pressure: Ball Bouncing Dynamics A Magnetic Primer Designer Learning Your A,G,C s (and T, too) Fighting the Flu: How your immune system uses its memory Heat Health: How does heart rate change with exercise What are the Odds? Modeling the Chances of Getting an Autoimmune Disease Do-It-Yourself DNA Balancing Act: Finding Your Center of Gravity What to find your own project? Try Remember, if you choose a project NOT on this list your project MUST be approved by your instructor!

2 Under Pressure: Ball Bouncing Dynamics Many sports use a ball in some way or another. We throw them, dribble them, hit them, kick them, and they always bounce back! What makes a ball so bouncy? In this experiment you can investigate the effect of air pressure on ball bouncing. In this experiment you will test if air pressure will affect the dynamics of ball bouncing. ball air pump ball pressure gauge (available at a sporting goods store) basketball or soccer ball stepladder video camera with a tripod paint tape measure (preferably metric) large roll of paper volunteer

3 A Magnetic Primer Designer How do scientists "copy" DNA? They use a process called the Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR. The key to making this process work is having a short piece of DNA, called a primer, that will stick to the larger piece of DNA you want to copy, called a template. In this science project, you will test how the number of matches and mismatches in a primer will affect its ability to stick, or anneal, to the DNA template during PCR. Test how matches and mismatches affect the ability of primers to stick to the DNA that is copied during PCR. A project kit containing most of the items needed for this science project is available for purchase from AquaPhoenix Education. Alternatively, you can gather the materials yourself using this shopping list: Small, flat, relatively weak magnets (50) Paint pen in a light color, such as yellow, orange, or white Clear packaging tape, 2 inches wide Metric ruler Hole punch Paper clip Small disposable cup, such as a three ounce paper Dixie cup Pennies (at least 60)

4 Learning Your A,G,C s (and T, too) This is a project about the "molecular alphabet" of DNA. With just four "letters," it manages to keep track of the plan for an entire person, and keep a complete copy in nearly every cell. This project will help you start learning this new alphabet. The goal of this project is to learn the basics about DNA sequences by examining some simple differences between groups of genes. Computer with Internet connection

5 Fighting the Flu: How your immune system uses its memory Being sick is no fun, especially when your friends are doing exciting activities that you have to miss out on. Thankfully, common illnesses usually last for just a few days, and then you start to feel better. Why is this? It is thanks to the immune system, which is a group of special organs and cells in your body that constantly work to keep you healthy. In this science project, you will make a simple model to investigate how the immune system defends the human body from common illnesses, and the role of the immune system's memory in this process. Investigate how memory cells in the immune system help the human body fight off illness. Glass jar with lid, 16 oz. A smaller or larger glass jar (with lid) would work too, but the amount of iron filings and salt will need to be adjusted accordingly. Salt (1 cup) Measuring cup Measuring tablespoon Iron filings (1 tbsp.). Iron filings are available from educational material suppliers or online at Amazon.com. Magnetic tape (1 inch wide, at least 3 inches long). It can be adhesive-backed or not. Magnetic tape is available from craft stores or online at Amazon.com. Ruler Scissors Plastic wrap Twist ties (3) Piece of paper Digital scale with 0.1-g increments. A digital scale that would be suitable (the Fast Weigh MS-500-BLK Digital Pocket Scale) is available from Amazon.com. Optional: Small tray, lightweight disposable bowl, or another piece of paper Optional: Camera Calculator

6 Heat Health: How does heart rate change with exercise Your heart starts beating before you are born and keeps right on going through your whole life. Over an average lifetime, the human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times. Keeping your heart healthy means eating right, not smoking, and getting regular exercise. Which of your favorite physical activities give your heart the best workout and help keep it fit? Find out with this science project! To measure your average heart rate during different types of physical activities. Clock or timer that shows seconds or a helper with a watch Comfortable exercise clothes Simple and fun exercise equipment. You will want to do at least three different types of exercises, but not all of them may require equipment. Some equipment you may need includes: Jump rope Bicycle Hula-hoop 1-kg weight Graph paper or a graphing program

7 What are the Odds? Modeling the Chances of Getting an Autoimmune Disease Do you know someone who has an autoimmune disease? Autoimmune diseases are fairly common, affecting more than 23.5 million people in the United States, which is about 1 in 13 people! You may have heard of some of them, such as diabetes (type 1), rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease. Many autoimmune diseases are poorly understood, but they all have one thing in common: they happen because a person's immune system (which normally fights off germs to keep the person healthy) attacks the person's own body by accident. In this science project, you will use M&M's candies and a die to make a model of the immune system in the human body and find out how a person's genetics affect whether they get an autoimmune disease or not. Use a model to investigate how a person's genetics affect their chances of getting an autoimmune disease. M&M's (at least one of each color). One small, 1.69 oz. package of regular M&M's should be sufficient. Alternatively, other small objects that come in six different colors or shapes could be used, such as plastic pattern blocks, which are available from Amazon.com. Bowl or cup Six-sided die

8 Do-It-Yourself DNA All living things have DNA inside their cells. How do scientists extract the DNA from cells in order to study it? In this science experiment you can make your own DNA extraction kit from household chemicals and use it to extract DNA from strawberries. Design a DNA Extraction Kit and use it to purify DNA from strawberries. Measuring cup Measuring spoons Isopropyl rubbing alcohol, 70% (1/2 cup) Salt (1/2 tsp.) Water Dishwashing liquid (1 tbsp.); Liquid detergent you use for hand washing dishes (e.g., Dawn ) Glass or small bowl Cheesecloth Funnel Tall drinking glass Strawberries (3) Re-sealable plastic sandwich bag Test tube or small glass jar, e.g., spice jar or baby food jar Bamboo skewer or other thin rod. They are available at grocery stores. Alternatively, you can use a toothpick if your test tube or small glass jar is no taller than a toothpick.

9 Balancing Act: Finding Your Center of Gravity Like to have the balance of a tightrope walker? Try the more close to the ground balancing test in this easy experiment to learn a few trade secrets of the high wire experts. In this project, you'll find your center of gravity and explore the physics of balance at the same time. No net required for this balancing act! The goal of this project is to explore how changing your center of gravity affects how well you can balance. Stop watch or timer that measures seconds Sidewalk curb with at least 3 meters (approx. 9 feet) clearance on either side An assistant to take times and spot you, if needed Two poles of the same material One pole should be at least 2 meters (approx. 6 feet) longer than the other. You can use wood poles, PVC pipe, or small diameter plumbing pipe. Pen or pencil Lab Notebook