Engineering Science Fair Projects for High School Students
Creating a science fair project as a high school student has many benefits — learning more about the process of designing, experimenting, inspiring a love of learning in students, and even helping the college application process.
In this blog post, we are sharing different ways that high school students can benefit from working on their own engineering science fair projects. We will also discuss types of engineering projects, as well as how to get started as a high schooler.
What is an Engineering Science Fair Project for High School Students?
A science fair project is a research-based project that is often completed in an area of interest and submitted to some type of fair. Engineering projects specifically relate to projects that include various aspects of engineering. Through these projects, students have the ability to experiment in a sub-field of engineering that they are interested in.
Examples of common engineering science fair projects (from ThoughtCo) include:
What is the best material to put in a sandbag to block water, such as during a flood?
How tall can you build a tower using only a sheet of paper? You can cut it, fold it, crumple it, but only use that single material. What works best?
Compare the characteristics of a structure that is made using different materials. You can compare strength, corrosion resistance, and elasticity. Be creative. The trick is to make certain your measurements are truly comparable to each other.
What can you do with a swim cap to optimize its ability to decrease drag in water? Can you alter the shape? Does one material work substantially better than another?
The goal of such science fair projects is to delve deeper into the field of engineering and uncover the truth behind a question you may have. In addition, these projects can help students stand out in their college applications. Completing in-depth research projects shows colleges that you are willing to explore things that make you curious and be a problem solver. This helps these colleges get a better understanding of the person you are beyond any simple measure like GPA or standardized test score.
Benefits of engineering science fair projects for high schoolers
There are a number of benefits to working on an engineering science fair project as a high schooler — some of which we are sharing below.
Create a love of learning
Science fair projects allow students to learn more about a topic that interests them in a very engaging and thought-provoking way. Engineering projects specifically require hands-on work that makes the learning and experimentation process extremely fun. These types of projects encourage students to continue exploring fields that interest them. These experiences can help foster a love of learning in students that would otherwise just do tedious homework to learn about new concepts.
Build Problem-Solving Skills
A vital part to any science fair project is problem solving. This is even more apparent in engineering projects. Due to their nature, students will be tasked with undergoing hypothesis-testing procedures that will help them learn more about scientific research. Through this process, students will learn leadership skills, communication, and creativity. These skills are extremely applicable in the real-world too. Science fair projects will help prepare students for their futures in whatever industry they decide to go into.
Moreover, because of the versatility of engineering, students have the capability to learn many skills. From a design perspective, students may learn about the physics of creating a catapult or trebuchet to launch items to a maximum distance. If coding was used, students will learn how to create programs in languages like Python to achieve specific tasks. The benefits are endless.
Boost Your College Applications
As stated earlier, science fair projects help students stand out in the college application process. They show that students are willing to go above and beyond to learn more about topics they are interested in. Moreover, colleges know of the extreme dedication that completing such projects take. They will recognize your hard work and willingness to take initiative to solve a problem that you identify. This will introduce them to so much more about you past your ‘stats.’ Doing such engineering projects for social good will also show colleges that you are focused on making the world a better place.
How to get started with a engineering science fair project as a high schooler
We have shared many different engineering science fair project ideas to help you get started, but at the end of the day, an engineering project is about what YOU want to know more about. Use the aforementioned ideas as inspiration as you brainstorm your own project topics.
If you are looking to create your own science fair projects as a high schooler, you may be interested in our programs at Inspirit AI. The Inspirit AI live online program exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
Pursuing an engineering science fair project as a high school student has so many benefits, and at Inspirit AI, we are excited to see the amazing work that our students will continue to create!
Finding Science Fairs for Your Engineering Science Fair Project
Nearly every school district will have a local science fair competition that you can sign up for. Many open up submissions early on in the year, so make sure you are checking frequently. Event competition will have different rules, but most have an engineering section that will be perfect for your project.
Read through your competition’s rules guide carefully to ensure that your project plan fits and is allowed. Some competitions may have requirements on materials you can use, number of people in a group, or the amount of help you can receive from an adult.
After finding your science fair and reading through the rules, get ready to start your project! Science fairs almost always host end of year award ceremonies where students are rewarded for their hard work. Make an awesome project, and you could win a huge prize!
So, without anything else stopping you, go out there and start planning your own engineering science fair project!
You may also like this blog post with additional Engineering Science Fair Projects for High School Students.
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
