Resources

Below are a handful of resources and suggestions for Science Fair students.

Choosing your project category

Approaching experts for assistance

Resources from the Intel Inernational Science and Engineering Fair

Choosing Your Project Category

Many projects relate to more than one category in the Project Category list from ISEF. When deciding which category you want to list your project under, think about which judges would understand and appreciate it the most. For example, if your involves both environmental science and human health, who would best understand your work? An environmental scientist or a human health specialist? If your project involves computer modeling and astronomy, what aspect of your project is most innovative? Your computational methods or your model for the physical system?

• Animal Sciences (AS)
• Behavioral and Social Sciences (BE)
• Biochemistry (BI)
• Cellular and Molecular Biology (CB)
• Chemistry (CH)
• Computer Science (CS)
• Earth and Planetary Science (EA)
• Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical (EE)
• Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering (EN)
• Energy and Transportation (ET)
• Environmental Management (EM)
• Environmental Sciences (EV)
• Mathematical Sciences (MA)
• Medicine and Health Sciences (ME)
• Microbiology (MI)
• Physics and Astronomy (PH)
• Plant Sciences (PS)

Approaching Experts for Assistance

When approaching experts in your research area for assistance, Georgia Tech Savannah recommends:

• E-mails: use a clear subject line

  • Bad subject lines:

    • (blank)

    • request for help

  • Good subject lines:

    • science fair project on erosion - request to meet for 20-30 min

    • science fair project involving animals - unsure of standards

• Address the person by title

• Address the person as Dr., Professor, Mr., Mrs. or Ms.

  • Acronyms that qualify for "Dr." are: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Medicinae Doctor (M.D.), Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D), Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.), Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Doctor of Optometry (O.D.), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (MVDr.), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Doctor of Education (Ed.D), Doctor of Public Administration (DPA), Doctor of Biblical Studies (D.B.S.), Doctor of Law and Policy (Lp.D), Doctor of Occupational Therapy (O.T.D.), Doctor of Practical Theology (DPT), Doctor of Professional Studies (DPS or DProf) and Doctor of the Built Environment (DBEnv).

• If someone teaches at a college or university, but does not have a doctorate, address him/her as "Professor."

• Identify yourself

  • Identify yourself as a middle school or high school student

  • Identify your school or home school group/location

  • Include your teacher's name

• Clearly explain how much of the person's time you are requesting

  • Most working professionals are inundated with e-mails and work. If you are not clear about the amount of time you are requesting, the professional might assume you are asking for more time/effort that he/she has available. Have a clear idea of what you want from the person, whether it is reasonable, and clearly state it in your request.

  • Examples:

    • I have some questions about _____. Could I stop by to talk for 20-30 minutes?

    • I am having problems with my experiment, and wanted to know if you could look at my design. Could we meet for 20-30 minutes?

    • I am looking for assistance in designing my project. Could you work with me for 1-2 hours each week?

  • There is a big difference between a single 20-30 minute meeting and 1-2 hours each week!

• CC your Teacher

  • Keep your parent or teacher in the loop. Carbon copying them (cc) will lend some validity to your request, and they can help you tweak your professional communication skills.

 Resources from the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

The Society for Science and the Public offers resources to aid in the support of independent student research. They are provided to help students get started with a science fair project and suggest opportunities to further enhance science education.