Top 5 Chemistry Science Fair Projects (Including Tips and Tricks)
Do you want to stand out on college applications? Or do you want to have a blast while mixing and testing chemicals? Maybe you want to find out the answer to a question that has been stuck in your head for the longest time.
Well, science fairs are perfect for all of these.
What is a Science Fair
A science fair, in layman's terms, is a competitive fair in which students research and present their results. They are incredible platforms for students to delve deeper into the world of science and learn the scientific method. The scientific method is the standard procedure to go about researching.
It involves five steps:
Finding a question
Making a hypothesis
Gathering data
Analysing the data
Drawing conclusions and presenting it
Furthermore, science fairs can help you hone your problem-solving skills, improve your creativity as well as enhance your critical-thinking skills.
Why do a Chemistry Science Fair Project:
Chemistry is a science full of interesting visual spectacles and mesmerizing reactions. The scope for experimenting with chemistry is very vast.
Furthermore, Chemistry is all around us and learning about it is vital. Chemistry can also teach you a lot about the scientific method as it involves precise measurements, observations and safety.
To add on, the world operates based on the principles of chemistry. Whether you want to drive your car or mop your floors, chemistry is everywhere.
Top 5 Chemistry Science Fair Projects:
Are you perplexed about what science fair project you should do? We’ve made a comprehensive list of 5 Science Fair Projects that will leave the judges astonished.
AI + Chemistry
What is the chance that any other contender went the extra mile and used AI in their science fair project? AI is one of the best ways to level up your science fair project. Whether you use AI to analyse your data, gather your data or draw conclusions, any judge will be impressed and look highly upon your project.
Where to begin?
Inspirit AI’s AI+X research module is the perfect way to learn AI and incorporate it into your science fair projects. Inspirit AI has helped produce award-winning research projects, oftentimes getting published in esteemed journals. You are assigned a mentor who has experience in college-level research and is a specialist in your desired field.
Elephant toothpaste
The bright reactions of hydrogen peroxide accelerated to extreme speeds with potassium permanganate( or potassium iodide) are sure to leave all your peers in awe. The reaction makes for a spectacle of an extremely bubbly fountain of colour.
You can experiment with different catalysts and different amounts of catalyst to find what works best. Remember to note down all details and observations to ensure the best chances at your science fair dreams.
Kombucha
Learn about the chemistry behind fermentation while making yourself a traditional Japanese tea. Fermentation is the process of breaking down sugars with the help of microorganisms such as yeast. It is the process behind alcohol production.
To experiment you can use a combination of tea, sugar and yeast to make kombucha. You can experiment with levels of sugar and yeast, along with other factors like temperature and sun exposure to understand how they affect kombucha production. Ensure that an airlock is maintained so that the pressure build-up is not too much( this prevents a devastating explosion).
Glow in the Dark
Making a glow-in-the-dark material sounds like everyone’s childhood dream. The process of making your glow-in-the-dark material is not too complicated and produces some stunning results.
This experiment works on the same principles as fireflies and glow-in-the-dark sticks. It involves the oxidation( or loss of electrons) of luminol, resulting in the emission of fluorescent lights.
The reaction is done by dissolving luminol in a basic solution and then hydrogen peroxide. You can play around with using different concentrations of luminol, hydrogen peroxide and the base to see which works best. Furthermore, you can investigate the effects of higher temperatures and the use of different colouring agents
Crystals
Did you know, you can make beautiful crystalline structures with just water and salt/ sugar? By using the principles of crystallization points, you can produce different crystals with unique structures.
The crystallization point is a temperature ( similar to boiling points and melting points) which is unique to different materials. It is the point at which upon cooling and evaporation, crystalline structures are left behind.
You can manipulate these structures by using string structures and metal wires to create a scaffolding-like structure upon which crystals can form. Many different salts could be used for crystal production, including copper sulphate, iron sulphate etc. By tweaking several factors you can alter the quality of crystals and size of crystals. The final temperature and salt used are two of the most commonly changed factors.Ensure that you let the solution evaporate naturally, otherwise, the crystals will get ruined.
Tips and Tricks to Win with Your Chemistry Science Fair Project:
Be creative:
The one thing judges always look out for is creativity. No one wants to see another boring repeat of the effects of sunlight on plants. Think outside the box and try to relate your project to a problem you have been facing. This applies to your presentation skills as well. Try to incorporate creative presentation means(if allowed) or maybe demonstrate your experiment live.
Isolate variables:
One of the most common mistakes is changing too many variables per test run. For more accurate results, isolate one aspect you are changing and observe the effects of changing it. To make sure your results are more accurate you should run your experiment at least 3 times to avoid anomalous results. This adheres to the scientific method and is always good to follow
Presentation:
Practice makes perfect! Try and practice your presentation in front of a group of friends or your parents. Ask them for feedback and questions they have about your project. If you can answer all their questions, you are ready for the final day of the science fair! Judges look out for things like clear presentations and the ability to answer questions on the spot.
Detail:
Use correct, accurate terms for scientific concepts. In the judge’s eyes, you don’t want to look like you don’t know what you’re talking about. Try to draw connections to other scientific concepts as well, as it demonstrates your critical thinking ability.
Conclusion
All in all, science fairs make great learning opportunities that help you develop key skills like problem-solving and critical thinking. Hopefully, this blog has given you the tools and tricks to help you do well in your science fairs. Or maybe it has motivated you to participate in a chemistry science fair project. Regardless, even if you don’t win, remember the key skills you learned and the fun you had experimenting with things around you. Make sure to always be careful when experimenting and remember to enjoy the journey. Good luck!
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.
