| With the jam-packed schedules of today's | | | | adulthood. Procrastination is definitely not |
| families, why would either a student or a parent | | | | rewarded.Savvy students, especially those who |
| want to add one more major activity? Clearly, | | | | work their way up to higher levels of competition, |
| any school project assigned to a student should | | | | learn even more about communications skills. |
| meet a stringent test for usefulness. Surprising to | | | | They learn the importance of marketing--picking |
| some, a science fair project is one of the best | | | | topics and tuning their presentations in ways that |
| learning experiences a student can undertake. | | | | will make them most likely to impress a science |
| And, if it is taken seriously, it can be an excellent | | | | fair judge. While some may bemoan this lack of |
| way to earn significant prizes, qualify for | | | | purity in the pursuit of science, the fact is that |
| scholarships, and distinguish a college | | | | even a professional scientist must compete for |
| application.Conceptually, a science fair project is | | | | funds to continue his or her research. When |
| very straightforward. A student chooses a | | | | better to learn how to persuade others than |
| scientific question he or she would like to answer. | | | | before your livelihood depends on it?A science fair |
| Then, library and Web research on the question | | | | project even provides an opportunity for the |
| gives the student the background information he | | | | discussion of ethical issues such as plagiarism and |
| or she needs to formulate a hypothesis and | | | | falsification of data. Indeed, such a discussion is |
| design an experiment. After writing a report to | | | | highly recommended. The ease of copying |
| summarize this research, the student performs | | | | information from the Internet is hard to resist, |
| the experiment, draws his or her conclusions, and | | | | and many students are far ahead of their |
| presents the results to teachers and classmates | | | | teachers in understanding what is |
| using a display board. Most students do their | | | | possible.Preparing a science fair project is an |
| projects for a school science fair, but in many | | | | excellent example of what education experts call |
| cases students can enter that same project in | | | | active learning or inquiry (also "hands-on" learning). |
| fairs at the city or county level. This is the first | | | | It is a very effective instructional method; indeed, |
| step in competitions that lead up to the | | | | it is recommended as a cornerstone of successful |
| international level, where prizes total over | | | | science teaching. Yet, according to the National |
| $3,000,000 and the top winners take home | | | | Research Council, active learning is not employed |
| $50,000 scholarships.What makes a science fair | | | | often enough in the classroom and its absence is |
| project such a great learning experience is that it | | | | seen as one of the key factors behind kids losing |
| involves so much more than science. If the | | | | interest in science and not performing to their |
| student is in middle school, the research report will | | | | potential.Colleges want to see what students have |
| most likely be the longest paper the student has | | | | done with the opportunities they have available to |
| ever written. The bibliography for the report will | | | | them, and science competitions are a fantastic |
| also be the first ever for some students. And, | | | | opportunity. Typically, from two to four percent |
| while library research is still important, these | | | | of science fair entrants at the high school level |
| reports are a great way to hone computer | | | | move on to the top level of science fair |
| research skills as well as learn the ins and outs of | | | | competition, the Intel International Science and |
| common office programs such as word | | | | Engineering Fair. While the competition is stiff, |
| processors and spreadsheets. Most projects | | | | those odds are a lot better than the lottery.Of |
| involve a good deal of math, and all students get | | | | course, learning about science is at the heart of a |
| an opportunity to enhance their presentation skills | | | | science fair project. Our society relies more on |
| when they prepare their display board and discuss | | | | science every day, and science fairs are a great |
| the project with judges.A science fair project will | | | | way for students to become more |
| also have a longer duration than any other | | | | knowledgeable about how the world around them |
| assignment a student has done. In contrast to the | | | | works. Every citizen needs sufficient science |
| typical school homework due the next day or | | | | literacy to make educated decisions about what |
| perhaps a week hence, a science fair project | | | | they see or read in the media, about their own |
| requires a student to learn to plan over two or | | | | health care, and about other every-day problems. |
| three months, a skill of immense importance in | | | | |