How to Do - Indiana Dental Association
HOW TO DO
A
SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
A Guide for Students, Parents and Teachers
Prepared By The
ISAAC KNAPP DISTRICT DENTAL SOCIETY
Representing Dentists In
Adams County
Allen County
DeKalb County
Huntington County
Jay County
LaGrange County
Noble County
Steuben County
Wells County
Whitley County
Forward
Part of the Mission of the ISAAC KNAPP DISTRICT SOCIETY (IKDDS) is to Promote an Appreciation of and Interest in Oral Health while Fostering a Greater Understanding of the Science and Art of Dentistry among the Citizens of our District.
We intend to accomplish this mission, in part, by encouraging students to undertake dentally related Science Projects. It is our hope their study of oral health issues will at least result in a greater appreciation of their own health and personal responsibilities toward oral hygiene and regular professional care. Furthermore, it is our expectation that this endeavor shall spark an interest in some that will lead to a vocation in the field of Dentistry.
There are numerous wonderful opportunities in the field of Dentistry that are often overlooked. We encourage the bright and conscieneous student to investigate these opportunities – talk to an IKDDS member. We actively seek these leaders to join our profession.
This document has a definite slant toward encouraging dentally related science projects. However, the information presented applies to any scientific paper and is used universally. Furthermore, this document is intentionally more comprehensive than needed for many projects but was designed to also answer the needs of the serious student and to give guidance to parents and teachers in areas most students would not consider. Younger students will most likely use a simpler format and one is included for them.
Almost all of the information contained herein has been obtained from other sources but not all sources are recognized. We thank those whose work we have borrowed in preparing this document. We hope you find these guidelines useful and we would appreciate your suggestions for future revisions.
The Society acknowledges its debt of gratitude and sincere appreciation to Linda Wall for the hours spent in preparing and revising this document and many other papers on this project. Without her help this effort would not have reached fruition.
The ISAAC KNAPP DISTRICT DENTAL SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS. August 29, 2005
Dr. Dennis Zent
President, 2005-2006
Mr. John Trautman
Executive Director
(260) 459-9441
Document Prepared by:
IKDDS Science and Research Committee Steven Wert, DDS
John E. Regan, DDS, MAGD, Chairman Ralph Merkel, DDS
Andrew Schmidt, DDS
Stephen D. Regan, DDS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
I. Prologue 4
A. Advice to Students and Parents 4 (From a parent) Barbara Olenyik Morrow
B. Science Fair- A Personal 4
(From a parent) Barbara Olenyik Morrow
II. Steps to be taken 6
A. Start Early 6
B. Know the Rules 6
1. Safety First 6
2. Local School Rules 7
3. District Rules 7
4. Intel International Science & Engineering Fair Rules 7
C. Selecting a Subject 8
D. The Scientific Method 10
1. Title 10
2. Abstract 10
3. Background Statement 10
4. Literature Review 10
5. Materials and Methods 10
6. Results 11
7. Discussion 11
8. Conclusions 11
9. Acknowledgements 12
10. Bibliography 12
E. The Scientific Method Simplified. 13
F. Presenting your Results 14
1.Exhibiting Your Project 14
2.What Judges Look For 15
III. Where to find Help 17
A. Your local IKDDS member 17
B. Internet Sites 17
C. Local Experts 17
IV. Appendix 18
A. Intel ISEF rules
B. Ideas for Dentally Related Science Fair Projects 29
C. Example of a Science Fair Project 30
D. Teachers Lesson Plan 31
V. References 32
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I. PROLOGUE
A. Advice to Students and Parents Regarding Science Fair Projects (From a Parent)
1. Use the summer to brainstorm for ideas. Avoid the pressure, once the school year begins, of having to come up with an idea the night before the science fair form is due.
2. As you read newspapers and magazines, keep an eye out for science articles. Parents should draw children’s attention to certain articles and discuss with them how the article might serve as a springboard for a project. In the same vein, parents and students should listen to science segments on television or radio (public radio is a great source) and think about ways to launch a school project.
3. Talk to experts. Ask health professionals (your physician, dentist, optometrist) if they have suggestions for a project.
4. Look for opportunities for your child to conduct some or all of his/her research in a laboratory setting. For example, before my son’s freshman year in high school, he read an interesting article about translucent concrete. They agreed, and during the meeting they showed my son their in-house state-certified lab. They offered to let him do research there, which he did. The experience allowed my son to work with professional, to gain respect for sophisticated equipment, and to observe how science has real-life applications.
5. Persevere. Don’t be discouraged when you call someone for ideas, and they say they don’t have time to help. Be polite and ask that person if they can recommend the name of another person who might have similar expertise. Remember-there are lots of experts to talk to. If you strike out with one, try another.
6. Use the internet-but use it wisely. Steer your child toward professional publications and scientific journals as they begin researching a subject. Help make them aware that not everything that claims to be “science” follows the scientific method.
7. Have fun. Understand at the outset that hard work lies ahead. But science is all about discovery, and for the curious-mined, discovery is always fun.
By Barbara Olenyik Morrow
B. Science Fair-A Personal Story (From a Parent)
During the summer before my son’s freshman year of high school, he read an article in
the newspaper about a study showing that non-cola drinks can cause cavities. Knowing
that he would be required to do a science fair project for his honors biology class, my
son began researching the issue of tooth decay. While he looked for articles via the
Internet, I mentioned his project idea to our local dentist, Dr. Dan Schmidt of Auburn.
Dr. Schmidt pulled together several articles and also offered a suggestion-namely, that
my son examine the question of whether people are missing out on fluoride when they
drink bottled water.
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My son followed that suggestion, did more research, and then launched an experiment
at the Health Research Science Center at Indiana-Purdue University in Fort Wayne. Dr.
Mark Putt and his assistant Michael Moore agreed to let my son use their laboratory,
and with Michael Moore serving as advisor, my son tested for the presence of fluoride
in a wide variety of bottled waters purchased in stores. He also conducted tests on
water treated in home filtering systems.
Along with learning a great deal-about everything from ions and electrodes to how to
maintain healthy teeth-my son benefited from the chance to work with knowledgeable
professionals in “real-life” work environments. As a parent, I believe this project
enriched my son’s understanding of the connection between health and science, and it
introduced him to the possibility of a career in dentistry.
By Barbara Olenyik Morrow
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II. THE STEPS TO BE TAKEN
A. Start Early
1. The best single piece of advice we can give you is to start early. Give yourself at
least a three (3) month head start on your deadline. Many experiments take time!
And then, extra time is required to analyze the results, type them for presentation,
make your display and rehearse your judge’s presentation. Put the important dates on
your family calendar.
2. The Role of the Parent: Science Fair Projects offer an exceptional learning
experience because of their self-taught and participation components. However, a
science fair project almost always requires parental help. Take some time to discuss
the project with your child. Be a resource person; keep the child on the right track
by asking probing questions, helping them make contact with other people, helping
them obtain or build the necessary equipment and assisting with the research and/or
experimentation. Parents should be particularly aware of any possible safety issues
such as machinery, electricity, radiation, or caustic chemicals for instance. Make
this a fun family educational experience. You will find this is easier to do if the
student selects a subject of interest to them. Get involved but don’t take over the
project.
B. Know the Rules
1. Safety First
a. Safety is an important factor in any kind of project. Some types of projects are
usually prohibited because of potential safety hazards. Be aware of any
hazards.
b. Check with your local school if you have specific questions.
c. Chemical and Glassware-usually glassware must be securely mounted. Chemicals usually cannot be displayed but colored water or photographs are used instead.
d. Fire and radiation. No explosives, fuels, poisonous materials, or aerosol cans are usually allowed. Radiation projects cannot be dangerous. Asking a specialist in the field (such as an IKDDS member in case of dental radiation) to check your idea. Ultraviolet light is usually allowed during judging only.
e. Biological Hazards:
1) No living vertebrate animals are usually allowed.
2) No hypodermic needles and syringes may be displayed.
3) Molds and bacteria that are unknown or dangerous to humans should not be
displayed. Use photos. Harmless molds and bacteria, sealed in petri dishes,
as obtained from a supply house, are usually allowed to be displayed.
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f. Electrical and Mechanical Hazards
1) All moving parts must have protective covers.
2) Machinery must be well built
3) Equipment and switches should run on 110-115 Volt A.C. or dry cells.
4) Connections and devices to secure wires should be insulated and the wires need to be the right size for the use and the voltage.
5) Noisy devices may be operated only when requested by the judges.
6) Spark discharge equipment must not interfere with communication channels.
7) Any device constructed by a student must have a suitable cord of at least six feet with a 3-prong plug. Lamps may have a two (2) prong plug.
g. Note the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
Safety Rules listed in the Appendix on page .
2. Local School Rules
a. The IKDDS surveyed all 200 schools in our 10 counties and found a great deal of
variety in how each school approached Science projects.
b. Some schools allowed students in the First, Second, and Third grades to work in teams
rather than individually, for example.
c. Some schools only conduct science fair projects every other year.
d. Be sure to contact your school for local rules. We discovered some excellent Science Fair Manuals being provided by some schools. By all means, follow your schools directions first and use this guide as a secondary resource.
3. District Science Fair Rules
a. District rules tend to be more strict and conform to more regulations. They belong to the Intel ISEF and, therefore, are subject to their rules which are noted below.
b. The Northeast Indiana Regional Fair is usually held at IPFW in March. Contact information is listed below.
c. Science Central also has a science fair day. Those interested should contact them.
4. Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Rules
a. Several years ago, Intel took over for Westinghouse in sponsoring the ISEF. Locally, the
following are members of ISEF and, therefore, follow their rules.
Angola: Northeastern Indiana Tri-State Regional Science Fair
Professor Ann A. Benson
Tri-State University
1 University Avenue
Angola, IN 46703
(260) 665-4256
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Fort Wayne: Northeast Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Carol Dostal
IPFW – School of ETCS
2101 E. Coliseum Boulevard
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
(260) 481-6905
b. Intel ISEF rules are available at isef/primer/rules.asp
c. The Intel ISEF Guidelines for Science and Engineering Fairs/2005-2006 are quite thorough
and should be reviewed in their entirety by those interested in serious fair competition. You
will find excerpts of some of their requirements in the appendix on page 18. The entire
document is available from Intel ISEF by writing:
Science Service
1719 N. Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
C. Selecting a Subject
1. Many people feel this is the most difficult part of doing a science project because
once the subject is chosen the rest of the parts fall in place as a logical sequence.
2. Inquiry based learning: Students are encouraged to choose a topic that interests
them. The best projects are usually those that help you explore things that you
question. For example:
a. Is one toothpaste really better than another?
b. There are many toothpaste brands on the market. Can one stop demineralization of teeth better than another?
c. Does bottled water contain fluoride?
d. Is one toothbrush better than another?
e. Should you buy a soft, medium, or hard toothbrush?
f. Do breakfast cereals which contain sugar hurt teeth?
g. Which brand of Xylitol is best?
h. Does waxed or unwaxed floss remove plaque best?
i. Does one brand of paper towel absorb more water than another?
The list is virtually endless and we have included many additional ideas in the appendix on page 29. .
2. Parents can help their student select a subject which is within their level of understanding. A First or Second grade student wouldn’t be expected to undertake a project of the same complexity as an Eighth grade student.
3. Choose a limited subject. Remember that the best science projects are not necessarily the most elaborate ones-projects that use a lot of expensive equipment or ones with the fanciest, flashiest displays. In fact, judges don’t tend to be impressed with projects or displays that look too “professional” or have, obviously, been done with a lot of outside help and money. Your child will have to be able to tell the judges how they did the project and discuss the results so too much coaching can be a hindrance rather than a help.
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4. The internet provides a wealth of information. Try sites listed on page 17. .
5. Your school or public library will be helpful at finding information or ideas for projects.
6. Walk through your local grocery store, pharmacy, or retail store with the thought of comparison shopping to generate ideas.
7. Talk to your family IKDDS member, physician or other professional. Your parents may be able to help you make these contacts but don’t be afraid to do it alone. These people will almost always “bend over backwards” to help you.
8. You can use Science Fair books to get ideas but then plan the experiment on your own. There are experiment books that tell you exactly what to do but then it is not your project.
9. Make a list of topics that interest you. List some questions about your topics. If you cannot ask any questions pick a different topic.
10. Science Categories to choose
a. BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Human and animal behavior (psychology, anthropology, sociology and archeology)
b. BIOCHEMISTRY
Genetics, food chemistry, photosynthesis and hormones.
c. BOTANY
Study plant life (plant anatomy, horticulture, and Classification
d. CHEMISTRY
Organic chemistry, and inorganic chemistry
e. COMPUTER SCIENCE
Study and development of computer programming
f. EARTH SCIENCE
Geology, meteorology, astronomy, seismology, and geography
g. ENGINEERING
Projects that apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses (mechanical, civil, aeronautical, chemical, electrical, automotive, heating, sound and environmental)
h. ECOLOGY
Study of the environment (pollution, man’s relationship with Earth)
i. MEDICINE AND HEALTH
Dentistry, nutrition, allergies, dermatology (skin), sanitation and hearing
j. MICROBIOLOGY
Biology of microscopic organisms (bacteria, fungi, and protista)
k. PHYSICS
Using principles, theories, laws, and techniques governing energy and its effect on matter (acoustics, fluids, gases, magnetism, gravity and friction)
l. ZOOLOGY
Study of animal (vertebrates and invertebrates)
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D. Follow the Scientific Method
1. Title: The Title page of your project is, obviously, the first piece of information on your
paper but it probably is not the first thing you should determine. The Title may not become
apparent until the project is nearly completed, Furthermore, projects can turn many new
directions as new questions arise during their execution.
2. Abstract. An abstract is a condensed synopsis of your project. Since the volume of scientific material is so large and time to read it all too short, today, most research reports summarize the purpose, results and conclusions in less than 250 words. It is placed under the Title and before the Background Statement. The abstract cannot be written until the project is completed.
3. Background Statement. This is the first thing you should do. Every good scientist follows and organized approach to their work. This section clearly explains what you are trying to discover. It could also be referred to as “The Purpose”. Usually a Science Project should state what you think will happen which is referred to as the “Hypothesis”. If you include an hypothesis, you should give an explanation of why you made the prediction to show that it was an intelligent choice and not just a wild guess. Use the words “if” and “then” to state your hypothesis. You hypothesis must be very clear so you can test it.
. 4. Review of the literature. Research your topic. This section reports work other
people have done in the area of your subject. The U.S. Patent office refers to it as
“Prior Art”. A good project involves work in a library. In your report, you should
summarize what you’ve found about your subject and give proper credit in a
bibliography. Even if you find the question raised has been answered by someone
else, you can still do the project anyway to find out for yourself and to check the
other person’s result. Sometimes this material is included under “Background
Statement” and not listed as a separate heading.
a. Health related literature reviews can be found under “Pub Med or Ovid Medline”. There is usually a fee for these literature searches but contact the Indiana University School of Medicine Fort Wayne and you may get what you need there without cost.
b. Engineering related literature reviews can be found by contacting an engineering
department.
. 5. Materials and Methods
a. This section reports on how you conducted your investigation. It reports all
the materials you used and how you used them. It should be in enough detail
that someone else, who is unfamiliar with your project, could duplicate what
you did. Be specific. For example, instead of “dirt” record “2 liters of
potting soil” and, instead of “water” use “150 ml of tap water.” Since the
actual equipment is the heart of the science project, report on it in more detail.
Remember: you should design your experiment so that you have controls.
Controls mean you must regulate anything that could influence the outcome
of your experiment. Everything should be done the same way each time
except for the one thing you are testing.
b. Assemble your materials. You may be surprised to find that you can use
many household items in place of expensive laboratory equipment. However
be sure to use calibrated scientific equipment for accurate measurement of
quantities and temperatures.
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c. Carry out your tests/experiment in an organized manner. Make sure you
perform your steps the same way each time you carry out the experiment. This is
called reproducibility. Run the experiment as many times as reasonable; at least
three (3) times and ten (10) or twenty (20) is MUCH better. This is called multiple
trials. If problems develop, try to figure out what went wrong and then change your
procedures to correct the situation. Any changes should be noted in your
procedures and this may become part of your experiment. As you do your
experiment you may find new questions. You may want to redesign your
experiment to find solutions to these questions. This is how some
outstanding research is born.
d. Record your observations. You should keep a detailed daily record or “logbook”
of measurements, changes, observations and problems involved in your
experiment. This logbook is an important part of the Science Fair display.
Your logbook should be kept in ink and must not be changed or altered.
Errors are noted by placing a single line through the wrong notation. The
wrong notation should not be obliterated with “white out” or by other means
and should still be legible. You may want to take photographs or make
diagrams or drawings of various phases of your experiment.
e. Measurements. All measurements should be done accurately and
consistently. It is recommended that all measurements be done in the metric
system when possible. Be sure you are measuring all of the changes caused
by the variable of your experiment.
6. Results: This section reports on what happened. Organizing your data into charts,
tables and/or graphics will make it easier for you to draw conclusions and, also,
easier to present at the Science Fair. Remember: there are no wrong results; just
unexpected ones.
7. Discussion. A discussion section is not always included in a scientific paper. Some
times the conclusions section includes what the authors want to “Discuss”. A
discussion section is often used to state how an experiment may be improved. Or,
why your results differ from a previous author. You may discuss difficulties
encountered doing the experiment that influenced the results. It is a place for authors
to state opinions based on the project. Sometimes they will suggest a new hypothesis
or suggest another experiment be attempted.
1. Conclusions. In this section briefly summarize your results. Be specific; don’t
generalize. Do not introduce anything that has not already been discussed. You may
have a statement indicating whether your hypothesis was correct or not. Don’t worry
if the hypothesis is proven incorrect; this is part of doing science. Explain clearly
how you arrived at your conclusion. Be sure to show how your results support your
conclusion. This section will analyze your results.
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2. Acknowledgement: Acknowledging the help of statisticians, secretaries who type, persons
who reviewed your work and others, including parents, is common in scientific papers and
certainly recommended in a Science Project. Besides being a common courtesy to say
“Thank You” and giving credit where credit is due, it shows that you did your
“homework” to seek outside help. Judges (and teachers) like that.
3. Bibliography: This section lists references you used to research information on your
subject. Documents reviewed but not used can be included, too, in a Science Project
Report, although they would not be used in a professional research paper to be
submitted for publication. There are several ways to present bibliographical
information and each teacher usually has a format they want you to follow.
Professional peer reviewed Journals also vary in the way they want bibliographical
information presented. When in Rome do as the Romans do.
11. National Science Teachers Association Diagrammatic Outline
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E. The Scientific Method Simplified
4. General outline of the scientific method is as follows:
5. Identify and carefully STATE THE PROBLEM. This is usually in the form of a
question sparked by some observation that has been made.
6. COLLECT INFORMATION about the problem. Find out what other people
have learned and/or written about the problem.
7. Form a HYPOTHESIS. Make an educated guess or a suggested solution to the
problem/question. Base it on observations made and information gathered.
8. TEST the hypothesis. Through experimentation, a person tries to find evidence
to support the hypothesis or to disprove it.
9. PROBLEM—the question to be answered or hypothesis to be
tested
10. PROCEDURE—the steps followed to do the experiment.
There must be a control for each variable in the experiment.
11. OBSERVATION –noting anything that happens in the
experiment
12. CONCLUSION—should indicate whether the hypothesis is to be
accepted as true, rejected, or possibly modified.
13. Any student wishing to be eligible for the Regional Science Fair at IPFW must follow
the scientific method.
[pic]
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F. Presenting Your Results
1. Exhibiting Your Project.
a. Format
14. The exhibition of your Science Project in the Science Fair is the final step. This should include a display, your project logbook/journal, your written report, and equipment or materials from the experiment.
15. PHOTOS help, especially enlargements (5x7 or 8x10). Drawings, graphs, or charts are also useful.
16. PLANNING. Sketch your display design before attaching the materials. The usual display is a basic 3-sided display made from foam board available at retail and/or office supply stores as illustrated below:
[pic]
A THREE-SIDED DISPLAY
1=photographs or drawings of your work;
2=graph or chart of the results
Your equipment, project report paper, and logbook/journal can be placed on the table in front of the display board. Of course, you can arrange the display as you think best to communicate what you wanted to do, how you did it, what the results show, etc.
b. Review the sections on Safety First on how to present chemicals, bacterial agents, etc. Especially note what can not be displayed.
c. Eye-Catching. Make your display stand out. Use neat, colorful heading and charts that are easily understood without further explanation.
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2. What Judges Look For
a. The Students Work. As mentioned above, the project should not look too
“professional”. It also, should be written in a Students language. It is MOST
important that the student can intelligently discuss the project with judges.
Parents can be a help by practicing questions about the project with your student.
Judges may ask about peripheral items not germane to the main topic. For
example, if you use pH measurements as a test, the judges may quiz your
understanding of pH. “Be prepared” applies to more than just the Boy Scouts!
b. Possible questions a judge may ask that you should be able to answer.
The main thing about the judging is to PLAN AHEAD. If you know what the judges
are going to be looking for, you can plan your project better and prepare your display
more clearly. Ask yourself these questions.
1. Can you tell the judge(s) what you have learned by doing this project?
2. Have you chosen an experiment that you yourself could do on your own?
3. Did your hypothesis come from scientific information that you read or learned in class? The library?
4. Have you used the scientific method to solve your problem?
5. Have you set up a controlled experiment and gathered data?
6. Did you use equipment and methods that were appropriate for your experiment?
7. Have you used several sources of information rather than just one?
8. Have you written your paper in your own words rather than copying from a book?
9. Have you done most of the work yourself? If you had help, have you given credit to those people who helped you?
10. Have you repeated the experiment enough times to be certain of your results?
11. Did you report your results accurately, even if they were not what you expected?
12. Are you certain that the scientific facts you are stating are correct?
13. Have you drawn conclusions that fit the data you have collected?
14. Can you explain your project simply and in an interesting way to the judge(s)?
15. Does your written report contain a description of your experiment from purpose through conclusions?
16. Does your visual display clearly show your data in a neat attractive way?
c. Judging Criteria
1. Attention to safety issues
2. A Project Data Book that shows consistency, thoroughness, accuracy and detailed notes.
3. How well did the student follow the Scientific Method?
4. How well the experimental procedures were used.
5. How much of the experiment thought and design was the students own work?
6. How significant is the project in its field?
7. Judges applaud students who can speak freely and confidently about their work.
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8. Intel ISEF uses the following criteria:
a. creative ability 30
b. Scientific thought and/or Engineering goals 30
c. Thoroughness 15
d. Skill 15
e. Clarity 10
3. Your written report
a. You will probably need to prepare a science project report in the form of a paper.
b. Title Page. A good title gives a good first impression. Be sure to center it on the page.
Your name, school and grade are usually placed in the lower right hand corner.
c. Safety Page. A Safety Page is normally not a part of a scientific paper but is
recommended for science projects to show you were cognizant of these issues and took
steps to provide for safety. On the Safety Page you should list the major hazards of
your project and what you have done to make it safe and avoid injury.
d. The report should then contain the Top 10 steps listed under “Follow the Scientific
Method” on page 10. Each of these steps should have their own heading (except
“Title”) and be organized as follows:
1.) Title. A good title is an extremely important attention-getter. It should simply and
accurately represent your research. The Title should make the casual observer
want to know more. An unanswered question is a good example: “Which
Toothbrush is Best: Hard, Medium or Soft?”
2.) Abstract
3.) Background Statement or Purpose
4.) Literature Review (Sometimes included with background statement)
5.) Methods and Materials
6.) Results
7.) Discussion
8.) Conclusions
9.) Acknowledgements
10.) Bibliography
e. Your report should contain photographs, drawings, charts, graphics, etc. as needed. Visual
aids almost always enhance a report. The reports should be placed in an appropriate binder to
protect it from handling. It is always prudent to prepare a duplicate copy.
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III. WHERE TO FIND HELP
A. Your local family IKDDS Member dentist. Be sure to contact your family dentist and tell him you are interested in developing a dentally related Science Project. Take this document with you and review this information together. If you are new to the area and have not yet contacted a local family dentist, contact the IKDDS central office at 260-459-9441 Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 4 P.M. for a list of IKDDS Members in your area. You can also locate a member dentist through . Your school has a IKDDS Sponsoring Dental assigned to it who is available for assistance. You can find their contact information by asking your teacher or by calling the IKDDS office at 260-459-9441.
B. Local Experts. You can find additional local experts at Community Colleges and Universities as well as in industry. Many times a parent will have a connection or can find someone with a connection to the person you need to see. Sometimes a project does not need outside direction but it almost always turns out to be a very positive experience for the student. And, judges like to see the initiative that you look to seek outside help.
C. Dr. Larry Wiedman, Ph.D Department of Biology, University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, IN has an excellent video presentation on how to create a Science Fair project.
D. The Internet. You can find just about anything on the Internet and Science Project information is no exception. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TRY and click on “IKDDS HOW TO DO A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT” FIRST. Some of the following sites may get you started:
1,
2. discovery/
3.
4.
5.
6. isd77.k12.us/resources/
7.
8.
9. youth/projectguide
10. dyn/rockhounds.html
11. nwf/education
12. kids
13. atoz/atoz.htm
14. urganext.uius.educ/gpe
15. tqjunior.3715
16. minibeast
17. mnh.si.edu
18. relativity.html
19. physics4kids/index.html.
20. exhibits/parkphysics
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21. fi.edu/tfi/activity/physics/op-3.html
22.
23. all-science-fair-
24.
25. fairprojects.html
26.
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B. Ideas for Dentally Related Science Projects
The following list of dentally related science projects is presented to give you some idea of the
broad scope of subject areas that might be considered. Try to come up with your own area of
interest. You are encouraged to talk with your own IKDDS member family dentist and your
parents to determine the exact subject you would like to investigate. Remember to limit the
scope of your project. Keeping it simple doesn’t mean it can’t be a great project.
1. Treat an egg with fluoride and then dip in acid. Non-treated shell will get soft.
2. Stain teeth and then brush with different dentifrices to see which one removes the stain the
best.
3. Put teeth into different beverages to observe erosion.
4. Coat agar media in petri dishes with saliva and then add a drop of mouth rinses. Measure
zones of inhibition.
5. Rinse with different mouth rinses and then swab mouth at different times and plate on dish
with agar.
6. Treat teeth with topical fluoride then subject to acid to see protection.
7. Test pH of various liquids and their affect on extracted teeth.
8. Tooth staining – using the various beverages served at school
9. Amount of acid in and impact of on tooth enamel – using the various beverages served at
school.
10. Effect of light on bacteria growth on enamel.
12. Influence of various forms on music on easing a patient anxiety-classical, easy listening,
rock & roll, country (you get the picture).
13. Plaque or tarter removal using different combinations of home care dental devices – dry
toothbrush only, toothbrush + toothpaste, etc.
14. Tarter/plaque buildup associated with selected foods.
15. Ph of selected foods and impact on tooth enamel.
16. Comparison of sugar and sugar substitutes in tarter/plaque formation (e.g. sugar, splenda, nutrisweet, Equal, Swee10).
17. Sugar free candy vs. candy with sugar.
18. Measure the stickiness of various chewing gums and the amount of residue left on the teeth (e.g. bubblegum, dentyne, sugar-free gum, any regular chewing gum).
19. Tooth brushing effectiveness using various toothbrush models by a person with arthritis in the hands.
20. Tooth brushing effectiveness: right hand vs. left handed persons.
21. Test the corrosion of various types of wire in the presence of saliva, juices, soda and other foods or beverages (regardless of whether the wire would have been used in the manufacture of an orthodontic intraoral device.)
22. Ph level in mouth at different times of the day (record food/beverage intake and brushing activity in conjunction.
23. Why teeth react to hot and cold substances.
24. How dental anesthetics work.
25. How dental x-rays work.
26. How the absence pf front teeth affects speech.
27. How the absence pf front teeth affects the ability to play an instrument.
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28. Student idea exchange from http:board/archive.shtml
1. I did a project on the effects of artificial sweeteners on teeth. It was very successful. All that you did was take about 5 different types of sweeteners and place them with 4 ounces of water in a junior baby food jar with 1 large raw egg. The corrosion of the egg indicates the corrosion on teeth because eggs are the closest thing to teeth. The only thing is that you have to do so many tests that it takes forever. I did four tests each with two packets of sweetener in each jar. Then I did one test with 5 packets. Just make sure the jars don’t open or else your house will stink. It is really cool to look at how the different sweeteners break down the eggs. Try it, it got me to state.
Amanda Chilicote
Mt USA-Tuesday, October 2, 2001 at 11:23:45 (MDT)
2. I got teeth from a local dentist and I soaked them in different kinds of soda for a week or so and displayed them, showing how much they got colored and what I thought about it.
Mandie
WA USA – Friday, February 23, 2001 at 18:46:25 (MST)
3. What is worst for your teeth, lemon juice, chocolate milk, or Sprite? First
you need to get three teeth. I got them from my dentist. Put them in the
different containers with the liquids. Each night brush each tooth and
notice the color it turns. I know it sounds gross but the project got 1st place
and it was really interesting.
Sara
AZ USA – Monday, December 11
4. My 7th grade year I did “the effect of different mouth wash brands on bacteria” Get at least 20 (if you are doing 3 different brands of mouthwash, 5 per brand and 5 without anything) petri dishes with agar in them. Get a cotton swab for each petri dish and run the swab all around your mouth then rub the swab onto the dish going bother vertical and horizontal, repeat for all the dishes. Then take a coffee filter and cut the bottom of it the same size as the dishes for each dish, then pour your different types of mouth wash into a separate bowl for each. Then with tweezers dip the filter into the mouth wash then lay the filter on top of the agar, repeat for each dish the place all the dishes into a incubator for 24 hours. Then get a transparent pie chart with 50 equal sections and count how many sections had bacteria growing, compare the bacteria that is growing with the filters and the dishes without filters, then compare the different brands of mouth wash.
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Jade
KY USA – Monday December 11, 2000 at 15:55:52 (MST)
29.
When do bacteria appear on toothbrushes?
They say we should change out toothbrushes about every 3 months. When do students change their brushes?
30. hhtp://websites/hunthow.nsf/Lookup/PickProject
Dry tooth brushing’s effectiveness for removal of plaque from teeth.
31. hhtp://homeworktips.library/biscifaircleaning.htm
Do dogs or humans have more bacteria in their mouths? Use a cotton swab to get samples both before and after brushing teeth for both the dog and the human. Submitted by Daddies Babi Gurl.
Make sure your petri dishes are clean. If you can, have an adult boil them in water, and only handle them with tongs (like you would use for frying food).
Put the clean petri dishes on a tray, and prepare the agar according to directions. Let the agar set.
Get two q-tip type cotton swabs and roll one of the swabs around in your mouth, especially against
the teeth and gums, then roll the swab across the agar, making a stripe. The ideal is to have every surface of the swab tough the agar somewhere, but without gouging the surface of the agar. Its kind of like rolling an invisible roller stamp across a piece of paper.
Repeat, with the second q-tip in the dog’s mouth as best you can, and then roll that swab across the agar in the other petri dish.
Cover both loosely with petri lids, and let grow, again according to instructions on the agar.
32. Student idea exchange
1. Using eggs to represent teeth is very smart because egg shells have calcium just like teeth so they act kind of the same. How I am doing my project is I am staining 36 eggs, using 6 kinds of toothpaste and trying each of them 6 times to make sure my experimenting is correct. I am staining 18 of the eggs with kool-aid and 18 of them with coffee to make sure the toothpaste works the same with different substances. Then I am going to mix all 6 toothpstes separately with water (make sure to measure the toothpaste and water), then I am going to put an equal amount of the toothpaste and water into 36 cups and place all of the eggs into them and then every 10 minutes take them out and check to see which one is the whitest. Make sure to use the 5
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2. scientific procedures, state the problem, do the research, make a hypothesis, experiment the problem and make a conclusion.
3. Science fair project on which tooth paste works the best. I am using tile and soaking them in coffee, cake and kool-aid for 30 minutes apiece. I am going to use different toothpaste and brush each tile for 2 minutes. Then I will be able to see which 1 works the best.
4. Hey…I saw this posted and I am also doing a science project on toothpaste. I am making agar plates and putting a swab from someone’s mouth on the plate and then I am going to put it in the incubator to grow the bacteria. Then I will split the bacteria into 4 sections and put watered down toothpaste on the sections (a different kind of toothpaste on each section). And then where the bacteria doesn’t grow you measure that and whichever section has the biggest ring is the best. I hope this helped.
33. Student idea exchange
Problem to be solved: Which substance is best for cleaning teeth? Will the more expensive
cleaning agents be the most effective for removing stains?
Hypothesis: I will soak and stain 60 tiles for 2 days. Twelve tiles will soak in each of the following substances: cola, coffee, grape juice, tea, and spaghetti sauce. I will clean each tile with Crest (regular paste): Rembrant (a whitening toothpaste with peroxide): Mentadent (fluoride toothpaste with baking soda and peroxide): Formula #1: 2 Tbs. Baking soda, ½ tsp. Hydrogen peroxide, a pinch of salt and ½ tsp. water: Formula # 2; three parts baking soda, one part salt, 3 tbs. Glycerin, 10-20 drops wintergreen and just enough water to make it “toothpastey”. I will brush half of each tile with 25 strokes. Two tiles with be used with the same cleanser for each stain. One quarter tsp. Of cleanser will be used for each tile. Each cleanser will also be used on an unstained tile.
34.
Hypothesis: Sports drinks have a negative effect on teeth.
Materials: Mettler analytical balance, pH paper, 6 baby food jars, Gatorade, Powerade, Pepsi, apple juice, vinegar, water, 6 tooth samples, pair of tweezers, survey sheets, plastic bags.
Procedure: We first weighed our six tooth samples on the Mettler analytical balance. Next, using pH paper, we measured the pH of the six liquids we were using: Gatorade, Powerade, Pepsi, apple juice, vinegar, and water. We put some of each liquid into each jar, and then used tweezers to pick up each tooth sample and put one in each jar of liquid. The samples stayed there for three weeks.
After these three weeks, we took the teeth samples out of the jars. We then compared each sample in appearance to the one that had been in water. We weighed the samples again to see if the weights had changed after three weeks soaking in the liquids. We also constructed a survey to see if children drank sports drinks and how often they drank them. The survey was given to volunteers ages 7-15 years. We tallied the results.
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Results: All of the sample (except water) showed a change in color and weight after 17 days in the liquids. The weight loss in the two sports drinks and apple juice were very similar. We were surprised that the Pepsi tooth sample showed only a 4.5% decrease compared to 15.2% and 15.8% for the Gatorade and Powerade. The vinegar showed the most change at 86.55%.
We found that most of the people surveyed drink sports drinks. While most had them only once or twice per week, eleven people drank them 3-6 times per week. Fewer people drank colas and most of them had less than four times a week.
35. .
How does Xylitol Affect the Acidity of Plaque?
Objectives/Goals: The objective of our project was to test the effectiveness of xylitol in reducing the acidity of the plaque.
Methods/Materials: We tested five subjects. The night before the testing they did not brush their teeth. Then in the morning we tested the acidity of the subject# mouths. Then they ate Frosted Flakes, and we recorded their mouth#s acidity every five minutes for the next thirty minutes. On a different occasion, we had the same subjects repeat the experiment chewing Spry gum with xylitol after eating the Frosted Flakes. We ran these trials twice on five subjects to ensure the integrity of the data.
Results: In the # without xylitol # graph, the acidity level slowly increases until a certain point (usually around 15 minutes), where it goes back to normal. Our hypothesis stated that the xylitol would effect the acidity of the mouth. In the graph that includes the average of all subjects, the trials with xylitol have a consistencey lower acidity than the xylitol reached a pH of only 6.45. The graph of the plaque tested directly after the consumption of the complex carbohydrate, without the introduction of xylitol, illustrates the Stephan Curve.
Conclusions/Discussion: Having the cardiologist Dr. Featherstone, run tests on our data, it was concluded that the baseline (before chewing the gum) was not statistically significant between the two groups, from a Student t-test, showing that they do not differ at the baseline (p> 0.05, by the Student t-test, two tailed. The p value was 0.008.).
After ten minutes the data did show to be statistically different between the two groups (p> 0.05 by Student t-test, two tailed. The p value was 0.008). The trials with xylitol did show a significant difference overall between the two groups, with the acidity not increasing a great amount, and when it did, coming back down fairly quickly as shown by the t-test with p>0.05. Xylitol does affect the plaque, hindering its growth and by-product of acid. Our experiment is pertinent to our daily lives, because we should each brush our teeth, but many people cannot find time to do so, or are away from a place where they are able to do so. Our experiment shows that if people are unable to brush their teeth, they can chew xylitol, which will reduce the acidity in their mouth, and
hopefully prevent cavities.
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In our project, we tried to find out the effect that xylitol gum has on the acidity of plaque.
Dr. Featherstone ran a statistical analysis for us: Dr. Bayless consulted with us about project.
36. Fluoridation in city water versus well water versus bottled water.
37. Fluoride content in baby formula/
38. The Effect of Different Liquids on Teeth.
39. The Effect of Different Liquids on Plant Growth.
40. How are teeth affected by fluorides and acids?
41. My daughter and I did one in the 4th grade on the differences in the teeth of herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. I took impressions of her teeth, I took impressions of a bear teeth (from a skull of course that I got from the uncle of a former student who was a taxidermist) and impressions from a dog skull I got from my Vet. We didn’t have an example of an herbivore but the bear teeth wer impressive! Now we could have also done a project on custom impression trays because the bear and the dog arches are a little longer than humans and I had to make impression trays for those impressions! This can be expanded to be appropriate for older age groups and include more discussion on anatomy. She and I got first place.
42. Perhaps overused, but always interesting is the acid effects of various beverages and soft drinks on enamel (and caries potential) – instead of enamel, some students have used hardware nails as the subjects of corrosion.
43. A project could be done with disclosing agent to show photographs of plaque formation, and brushing/flossing effectiveness, etc.
44. How do various soft drinks effect teeth?
45. Toothbrushes, do the bristles cut or polish?
46. How effective are over the counter tooth whiteners?
47. How does tooth decay progress?
48. What are the classes of tooth decay?
49. Can tooth decay be reversed with zylitol?
50. What kind of carbohydrate (sugar) is mot harmful on teeth when combined with bacteria?
51. How does spit heal teeth?
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52. What gives tooth its color?
53. What are calculus deposits on teeth?
54. What are the purposes of enamel and dentin on teeth?
55. What bacteria cause tooth decay?
56. What bacteria cause gum disease?
57. Are dentists really necessary?
58. What does fluoride do to teeth?
59. How abrasive are various toothpastes/
60. Fluorosis, what is it?
61. I’m partial to the only project that I have ever worked on with a child. We made a contraption that used PVC pipes to compare the effectiveness of waxed vs. unwaxed floss. Of course our hypothesis was wrong. We thought unwaxed would carry a dot of oil paint farther, but consistently waxed did. We likened it to using a broom vs. a squeegee to remove a puddle from a tennis court.
62. Every year Dr. Kugar and I see students soaking various calcium pieces (actual teeth, egg shells, etc.) in various solutions (soft drinks, juices, etc.). “Which stains more…..”, Which cleans better….”
63. Another commonly seen topic is students doing saliva agars trying to determine if the family pet has a dirtier or cleaner mouth than their own.
64. Oral immunology is the study of antibody responses in the mouth to foreign materials. Included in this is the analysis of salivary antibodies to bacteria that cause dental cavities or gum disease. The experiment outlined below is designed to introduce you to one particular aspect of dental research.
General references
1. Janeway, C.A.,P.Travers, M. Walport and J.D. Capra. (eds.) Immunobiology: The
immune system in health and disease. 4th ed., 1999. Garland Publishing, New York.
2. Slots, J. and M.A. Taubman. (eds.) Contemporary Oral Microbiology and Immunology
1992. Mosby Publishing, St. Louis.
Exercise 1: Determination of Salivary Antibodies to Streptococcus Mutans in Families.
Introduction: The causative agent of dental cavities is the bacterium Streptococcus mutans which is present on the tooth surfaces of most individuals. Individuals with large numbers of cavities
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have large numbers of S. mutans, while cavity-free sunbects have fewer S. mutans. However, all individuals have salivary antibodies called immunoglobin A )IgA) to S. mutans. Little is know about hereditary aspects of salivary IgA antibodies to S. mutans. An experiment to assess whether antibody levels are similar between members of the same family can be conducted by collecting saliva from all members of several families.
Preparation: You will need 10 ml test tube for each person to be studied. In addition, one enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) plate with 96 wells, S. mutans cells, dried milk, saline, anti-human IgA antibody labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP), ELISA OPD substrate and 2N sulfuric acid and an ELISA plate spectrophotometer will be used. ELISA measures the ability of antibody to simply attach to bacterial cells. Saliva is collected by simply having each subject expectorate into a 10 ml tube for 2-5 minutes.
ELISA Procedure
1. Coat wells of 96 well ELISA plate with antigen. For this assay, the antigen will be S. mutans which has been formaldehyde killed and diluted to 0.1 M carbonate/bicarbonate buffer pH 9.6 to 0.5 O.D. at 660 nm (measured using a spectrophotometer). Pipette 100 ul into each well. Incubate covered 96 well plate for 3 hrs at 37°C.
2. Wash plate 3 times with normal saline.
3. To block unreacted sites on the plate, pipette 200 ul/well of 5% dried milk. (Carnation or other similar quality) in saline. Leave covered 96 well plate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Shake out milk.
5. Dilute saliva samples 1:4 saline containing 1% milk. Pipette 100 ul into each well. Do a;; samples and controls in triplicate, therefore you need 300 ul of diluted saliva/sample. Controls include wells incubated with saline only. Incubate covered 96 well plate for 1 hr. at 4°C.
6. Wash plates 3 times with saline.
7. Dilute goat anti-human IgA labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) 1:1,000 in saline containing 1% milk. Pipette 100 ul into each well. Incubate covered 96 well plate for 1 hr at 4°C.
8. Prepare fresh citrate bugger pH 5.0 substrate every time!
ml
0.05 M Citric Acid 10.25
0.05 M Na Citrate 14.75
dH2 0 25.00
Total 50 ml
To 20 ml of citrate buffer pH 5.0 add 1 OPD tablet (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis) then add 14 ul 30% H2 O2 and mix. Wash plates 3 times with saline. Pipette 100 ul of substrate
into each well. Watch for color development (yellow-brown) for approximately 30
min.
9. Stop reaction by pipetting 100 ul of 2N H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) into each well.
10. Read plate on spectrophotometer at wavelength 490 nm. Can be read at Indiana University School of Dentistry (Dr. Gregory’s lab).
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Findings: Your data will indicate different levels of salivary IgA antibodies to S. mutans between subjects. Graphs of the results compating antibody levels between different families will be the best way to illustrate your results.
Other exercises in this field: 1.) Collect saliva from subjects over different times of day (i.e., upon waking, after breakfast, before lunch, before bed at night, etc.) and measure antibody levels as described above. 2.) Conduct the same experiment using an agglutination assay as described below. Agglutination measures the ability of antibody to clump large numbers of bacteria into visible aggregates.
Agglutination assay:
1. Use the same S. mutans antigen as used for the ELSA.
2. Dilute antigen to 0.75 OD at 650 nm inagglutination buffer. To make 220 ml agglutination buffer add:
200 ml 0.15 M NaCl
5.6 ml 0.5 M KH2PO4
14.4 ml 0.5 M NaHPO4
0.64 g EDTA (0.01 M)
3. Dilute whole saliva (1:4) in agglutination buffer.
4. Label samples on edge of plate.
5. Add 50 ul of agglutination buffer to wells rows 2-12 in a plastic U-bottom microtiter plate.
6. Add 50 ul of saliva to first and second rows of wells.
7. Carefully mix contents of each well and transfer 50 ul from the second row into the next row, and continue to row 11.
8. Add 50 ul of antigen to all the wells.
9. Rub bottom of wells to mix the wells.
10.) Incubate 2 hours at 37°C, refrigerate overnight.
11.) Read plates after 18-24 hours in the refrigerator, looking for agglutinated
cells in bottom of the wells.
12.) The titer is the lst dilution that shows agglutination. Agglutinated cells
look like a pellet in the very bottom (U-bottom) of the plate while un-
agglutinated cells settle evenly across the entire bottom of the plate.
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IV. APPENDIX
A. Intel ISEF Rules
1. The following rules are only published in part to give participants an idea of the limitations
imposed on certain areas and to alert you to hazards. You are highly encouraged to obtain the
entire document if your experimentation falls under one of these rules. You are also advised to
seek expert help from an individual in an institution approved for research in any of these
areas. As you can see from reading the rules below, there are strict standards and state and
federal laws governing certain types of records. It would be best to select a project outside
these areas in most instances.
2.
[pic]
C. Example of a Dentally Related Science Project
D. Teachers Lesson Plan, Timetable and checklist
Requirement ________________Due ____________________Check when _____ completed
1. Discuss Science Fair Packet September 7
with your class__________________________________________________________________
2. Introduce $25.00 first place award
for a dentally related science project_________________________________________________
3. Send the Science Fair Packet
home with your students.___________________________________________________________
4. Set Date when Project subject
is due to be handed in._____________________________________________________________
5. Distribute due dates for other
materials & school Science Fair
& District Science Fair.____________________________________________________________
6. Collect the Project Description October 5
including problems, information
& hypothesis.___________________________________________________________________
7. Collect the rough draft outlines November 2
. from your students of their experiment
_ design._________________________________________________________________________
8. Collect outlines & rough draft of project December 7
problem, information, hypothesis,
procedures, results & conclusion.____________________________________________________
9. Collect final reports and December 14
board sketches from your students___________________________________________________
10. Return the sketches and reports
to each student with comments______________________________________________________
11, Remind students that there is
one week left before Science Fair____________________________________________________
12. Set up for Science Fair_____________________________________________________________
V REFERENCES
A. Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
Jill Cole
Science Service
1719 N Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-785-2255
B. Haverhill Elementary School Science Fair Information Packet 2005
Maria McAfee
Haverhill Elementary School
4725 Weatherside Run
Fort Wayne, In 46804
C. Huntington County Schools’ Science Fair Handbook 2004
Trace Hinesley
Huntington County Community School Corporation
44 E. Park Drive
Huntington, IN 46750
D. Lancaster Central Elementary Science Fair 2003-04
Rhonda Rasdorf
Lancaster Central Elementary School
275 East Jackson Street
Bluffton, IN 46714
E. Huntington Catholic Science Fair Information Packet 2005
Mr. Jason Woolard
Huntington Catholic School
960 Warren Street
Huntington, IN 46750
F. Indiana University School of Dentistry
Dr. Chris Miller and Faculty
1121 West Michigan Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202
G. Indiana University School of Dentistry
Ms. Jan Cox
Mrs. Barbara Gushrowski
H. Dr. Tim Russell
Virginia Dental Association
Science Talent Awards Program
2616 Sherwood Hall Lane, Suite 405
Alexandria, Virginia 22306
I. Indiana State Department of Health Dental Division
Dr. Mark Mallatt
J. Indiana University Oral Health Institute
Dr. Bruce Schemehorn
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