You don't have to be a rocket scientist to succeed at science fair. And you might just discover something cool in the process. Our Science Fair Survival Guide will help you get organized, with tips for top performance and some chillin' ideas for bay projects even Sponge Bob would love. So warm up your brains and dive in·.

How did:

John Baird invent television?

Laszlo Jose Biro invent the ball point pen?

George deMestral invent Velcro?

Jack Kelby invent the first microchip?

Tim Berners-Lee create the World Wide Web?

They used the scientific method to discover·..

The scientific method is simply a way to organize your thinking. You'll use it for your science project - and (hopefully) for the rest of your life. In a nutshell, it's a way to test a hypothesis or prediction using these steps:

• Observe some aspect of the universe, then research your topic.
• Formulate a Question about what you observe.
• Hypothesize: Predict an answer to your question.
• Test your prediction by conducting an experiment.
• Record results (data) and repeat experiment to confirm results.
• Explain your results and make a conclusion, discussing whether your experiment did or did not support your hypothesis.

Start with the end in mind. Make a timeline working backwards from the finish line to ensure adequate time for each important step. Begin at least 8 weeks ahead and include these milestones:

It's time to put your ideas to the test. Still stumped? Here are a few examples of questions and hypotheses.

Question: Is the evaporation rate the same for all water?
Research: Water and evaporation.
Possible Hypothesis: Fresh water evaporates faster than salt water.
Possible Hypothesis: Polluted water takes longer to evaporate.

Things I need:

• Plastic or glass containers to collect the water.
• Pans (all same size) to put the water in. Need 3 pans for each type of water.
• Graduated metric cylinder or gram weights to measure water.

1. Collect a gallon of water from at least 3 sources: Tampa Bay, lake, pond, river, Gulf of Mexico. Use a gallon of distilled water (or tap water) as a control.
2. Label the pans (remember: 3 pans for each type of water).
3. Using a graduated metric cylinder, measure an equal amount of water from each sample and the control water to pour into pans. Rinse and dry the cylinder before you measure the next water sample.
4. Place pans together, inside on counter or table away from fans or heat.
5. Allow each water sample to evaporate.
6. Keep a record of how long it takes each pan to evaporate. Measure or weigh each pan each day at the same time.

Examine where water pollution is greatest and develop a way to filter out pollution?

Figure out which manmade surface is best for growing marine plants and construct an artificial reef to replace natural habitat that has been damaged or destroyed?

Determine the effect of boat wake on the shore and develop a way to minimize those effects?

Research and demonstrate ways to remove impurities from water using only sunlight as a heat source?

Congratulations! Now that you've completed your research, it's time to write up your Results and draw some Conclusions. Did your experiment support your hypothesis? What can you learn from the data? What future projects might you suggest on this topic? What would you have done differently?

Be neat.

Type or write neatly, check for typos, and practice your layout on a table or floor before you paste up a final copy.

Be bold.

Large, bold headlines and colorful graphics make your display easy to read and visually appealing.

Follow orders.

Information should be organized a certain way, with purpose, problem, hypothesis, variables and procedures on the left; title and graphics in the middle; and results and conclusions on the right.

Finish strong!

Don't shortchange your conclusion. What happened and why do you think the experiment turned out the way it did? Why is this information important?

My checklist

• [ ] Cover and Title page
• [ ] Table of contents
• [ ] Abstract (summary of experiment)
• [ ] Introduction (problem and hypothesis)
• [ ] Background information (research from notecards)
• [ ] Bibliography

Check out these resources for more great ideas and tips:

1. www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/welcome.html
   Written by and for elementary students. Includes a great page on generating ideas.
2. www.halcyon.com/sciclub/
   Exchange ideas with other students.
3. www.schooldiscover.com/sciencefaircentral
   Cool site with separate guides for students, teachers - even parents.
4. www.sciencehunt.com/
   Find out how judges think, where to get materials and helpful tips for parents.
5. www.members.aol.com/ScienzFair/ideas.htm
   Large and comprehensive source for science fair projects.
6. www.cyberbee.com/science/prep.html
   Devoted to prepping students for science fair, this site includes forms to help conduct and log experiments.
7. www.howstuffworks.com/
   Terrific site for researching an area of science.
8. www.tryscience.org/
   Content contributed by science centers and museums worldwide. Great site for science information and experimentation.

...and don't forget the Hillsborough County Science Library at MOSI, where you can actually check out scales, magnets and other tools, along with books and videos, plus view actual projects. Call 813-987-6378. And visit MOSI online at www.mosi.org.

Surfers! ·. Check out the coolest search engine of them all, www.google.com. Type in any keyword or topic - from marsupials to mass spectrometry - and instantly pull up top sites.

Special thanks to the creative minds at MOSI's education department
for the Science Fair Survival Guide.

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