You can be Science Fair Ready

More information for Middle School & High School students

• How to get started

  Students need the support of qualified adults to complete a project. Make sure you review the High School Science Fair Ready Checklist or the Middle School Science Fair Ready FAQs – both found at www.scifair.com/resources. These will provide the information and steps you need to follow to participate.

  For help starting a project: Consult the materials on this page. You can also use and adapt this planning template. Download or make a copy to your drive.

   

  For project submission once you have a research plan: Teachers must have an account in the Regional zFairs page so students can choose their name on registration. Please review the zFairs tutorials at MAHS.zfairs.com (9-12th grade) or MAMS.zfairs.com (6-8th grade) for more information.

• Ideas to help come up with a topic for a project

  Sometimes it feels like the hardest part of science fair is getting started.

  • This slideshow was created by an MSEF teacher to help spark project ideas.
  • Keep individual or collaborative journals and record trends like weather, traffic, or price fluctuations at nearby stores.
  • Contact local town or city offices, like the DPW or Public Safety, and ask what projects they are working on.
  • Read scientific papers of interest and contact the authors to get more information and make a connection. (Contact info is typically included in published papers.)
  • Look for evidence of the science you’ll be addressing in school out in your community. What about chemistry in the grocery store, a news story about a meteor shower, or physics at the playground?
  • Sometimes curiosity starts with noticing. Use these BINGO sheets from Mass Audubon and see what you notice in the natural environment around you.
• Find videos of MSEF Alumni and other STEM Professionals here

  MSEF has recorded several videos from a variety of STEM professionals and MSEF Alumni.

  Check out the video links on our YouTube Channel @MassScienceFair.

  Alumni Interviews

  MSEF STEM Sparks

  MSEF Speaker Series

• Sources for data and background information

  There are a lot of great resources online that can provide inspiration for a project or background data for a topic you’ve already chosen. Check out these links. Email [email protected] if you have others you’d like to share with your fellow students.

  • Massachusetts Environmental Public Health Tracking: Explore issues in your community related to environmental public health. We suggest starting at ‘Community Profile’ to get a snapshot of your town. MSEF video tutorial for this site.
  • BioMap: This website provides an interactive map, information about habitat restoration, and information at both the local and regional level. MSEF video tutorial for this site.
  • Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium: this is coordinate by a group of federal agencies to look at land data from across the country.
  • MathWorks MATLAB & Simulink Student Programs: Explore the programs, activities, and competitions from our colleagues at MathWorks
  • NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has a ton of resources that can be fascinating to explore, such as Weather, Climate Resilience, and Data Visualization.
  • The Merlin App from Cornell Labs, FrogWatch USA, ISeeChange, and iNaturalist are popular tools to make digital observations of the world around you and, in some cases, explore data from past collaborators and observers.

  Find more curated resources through these MSEF videos.

• What to do if your project doesn't work out

  It is still an acceptable project if you disprove your hypothesis, weren’t able to complete enough tests, or were not successful in other ways. Being able to identify problems and articulate what you could have done differently shows judges that you have an understanding of your project area. Sometimes we actually learn more about the process and ourselves when things don’t go to plan. MSEF Alumni report that the mistakes they made in Middle School and High School projects helped them be stronger in STEM, both academically and professionally.

• You do not need access to a lab to conduct a strong project

  Data from past Science Fair winners has not shown that lab access provides an advantage. While some projects certainly benefit from access to lab equipment and resources, there are many project areas where it is not needed or appropriate. As long as you aren’t working with restricted materials that need a lab, judges appreciate and respect the ingenuity of creating materials and improvising. You can also consider exploring data analysis, computer modeling, social science or environmental studies among many other focal areas.

• How to find the contact information for the region

  Consult the Fairs page on this website to find your region and contact information. Paperwork and approvals must follow deadlines for your regional fair. Please consult your regional contacts for questions about the fair event.

  MSEF can provide additional support for resources, opportunities, and trouble-shooting during your project work.

• How to participate if your school does not have a Fair program

  Communication through zFairs and from the SRC goes to the Teacher. 

  In most cases the teacher is also the “Adult Sponsor” on the project, in which case they have additional responsibilities as well. 

  As a teacher alone, they are responsible for: 

  • Reviewing MSEF and school ethics statements with students and reviewing rules.
  • Providing signed ‘permission’ on the paperwork packet as the teacher.
  • Creating an account in zFairs before the student. Marking the completed paperwork ‘ready for review.’
  • Monitoring any communication with the SRC for project approval follow-up as needed.
  • Communicating with MSEF and Regional Fairs about participation in the Fair(s). 

  Student eligibility is based on school. See more details on the Student Eligibility Policy HERE.

  Create and adjust this TEMPLATE to ask a teacher for support.