Choosing A Science Project

The science student should choose a project that is interesting or even exciting to him, but the student must also consider other factors that will determine the success of the project. Use the check list below to determine if your project will have the possibility of being a success.

1. Is the subject of my project interesting to me?
2. Are the necessary materials available?
3. If some materials must be bought, can I afford them?
4. Has my teacher approved my project?
5. Have I made a preliminary investigation? (This is discussed fully in another section.)
All five of these questions must be answered "yes" before going ahead with a project. If even one question is checked "no," do not proceed with the project, but instead, choose a project that will pass this five-question test.

Students who find difficulty in selecting a project might begin by trying to think of certain things that have puzzled them, such as:

1. Why is a red dress red?
2. Is one brand of toothpaste better than another?
3. How do we know that everything is made of atoms when we cannot see atoms?
4. What causes heart attacks?
5. How do experts tell the difference between two rocks that look alike but are really different?

     The above list represents only a small fraction of the number of questions that young people think of nowadays. Surely, you, your friends, brothers and sisters, parents, and relatives have often though of such questions. Good! Now is the time and place to begin a scientific investigation that will lead to an answer to your question.

     The very question you ask could be the title of your project! Now, is picking a project title really so difficult? If, after thinking "really hard" for a question, you find that you still cannot think of one, you should then go to the library, look through the card catalog for books on science projects, and browse through the science books on the shelves. If this proves ineffective, be sure to ask you teacher and librarian if they could suggest some good project references. Even the best teachers and librarian are incapable of mind-reading; it is therefore your duty as a student to speak to these people when you know that after trying your very best you still come up with nothing.

     As a last suggestion in selecting a topic, be sure that you do not pick a topic that is too vast. For instance, you might want to make a project on the insects of your community. A brief bit of research would show that there are so many insects in your community that your project would tell very little about each. It would be much more interesting to narrow down your topic to only the butterflies, or bees, or ants, and really come up with some interesting facts on these animals.