Science Fair
- Twenty Wells Science Fair 2025 Information
- Required Forms
- Things Not To Do
- Projects to Avoid
- Judging Rubric
- Tooele County School District Science Fair Information
Twenty Wells Science Fair 2025 Information
Dear Parents,
It is time to begin thinking about our annual Science and Engineering fair, which will be held on Thursday, January 30, 2025 and will run through Friday, January 31, 2025. Students in the sixth grade are required to complete a science project, but students of all grades are welcome to participate.
When planning a project, a great place to start is at https://usef.utah.edu/. This website has suggestions for projects as well as information on the scientific method, engineering process, and much more. Another great place to find ideas for projects is https://www.sciencebuddies.org/. The following are some suggestions that may be helpful as your child develops his or her project:
1. The most important aspect of the project is that your child learns from a hands-on experience.
2. The project should be the student's own original work.
3. Parents can help their student by:
a. suggesting project ideas and helping them get the proper pre-approval from the correct sources, including their teacher, and a doctor/scientist if needed-It is imperative that your child have preapproval of his or her project and that all guidelines are followed, as outlined in the Science and Engineering Fair Rules and preapproval form that are attached.
b. helping with information gathering, including the keeping of a journal with procedures, data and results
c. supervising and assisting with any technical work such as photography or construction
d. obtaining/building their Science and Engineering Fair board -which should be no larger than 30" deep, 48" wide, and 78" tall
e. encouragement to finish in a timely manner
f. safety/supervision - avoid using dangerous chemicals, poisons, bacteria, and open flames, etc. (volcanoes are also not allowed)
4. Projects for students in grades Kindergarten through 4th grade cannot advance to the District Fair but will be displayed. Fifth and sixth grade student projects will be evaluated based on the enclosed rubric. The top ten winners from the fifth and sixth grade will get the opportunity to enter the District Fair. Medals will be given to the top ten winners and all participants will receive a participation award.
5. Students may work individually or in groups of up to three. Please make sure that the name(s), grade(s), and teacher(s) of the student(s) presenting the project is/are on the back of the project.
6. While neatness is important in the presentation of the project, the focus of the project should be on the process rather than the decoration of the board . Students are encouraged to take pictures of their project. Students will not be allowed to bring the project itself to the fair; except for engineering projects which should have a
prototype. Please note that pictures including people's faces require a written authorization for their use or should have the faces covered with a sticker or other similar item. All Science and Engineering Fair presentation boards should be self-explanatory. Science Journals are strongly encouraged and can be placed in front of the board at the fair.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact me via email at aallen@tooeleschools.org or by leaving a message with the office at 884 1280.
Thank you,
Mrs. Allen
TWES, Science Fair Coordinator
Required Forms
Things Not To Do
Science fair rules may seem pesky, but USEF has rules because we care about students. We aren't trying to stop students' fun; we are trying to keep students, families, and teachers safe. Rules also ensure that projects comply with international, federal, and state laws.
USEF is affiliated with the Intel ISEF, so projects must follow all ISEF rules. The complete ISEF rules are found here: https://www .societyforscience.org/isef/intemational-rules
The Intel ISEF website has a handy Rules Wizard that helps you know what, if any, additional forms you will need to fill out. The Wizard can be found here: https://ruleswizard.societyforscience.org
The following are not allowed. Doing these things will get a project disqualified to advance to next level competitions. So, do not do them! Bolded items are the most frequent offenders.
Project
- Plagiarism, fabrication of data, or any other form of ethical misconduct.
- A demonstration project. (If your project is simply showing how something works, it is probably a demonstration. Change it into an experiment by selecting and manipulating a variable.)
- Failing to get SRC pre-approval if your project requires it.
- Failing to complete and submit the required forms. Be sure that you get all required signatures, and be certain that your dates are correct. If, for example, a form says you started your project on November 1st, but you didn't get SRC approval until November 15th , then we have a problem.
- Doing a project involving human subjects without IRB pre-approval.
- Doing a research project that causes more than momentary pain or suffering to vertebrate animals.
- Doing a project designed to kill vertebrate animals.
- Growing microorganisms at home (bacteria, fungi, etc). You can grow bacteria in a LAB.
- Doing a project designed to engineer bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics.
- Working with a BSL 2 organism in a BSL 1 lab .
- Working with any BSL 3 or 4 organisms.
- Doing a project with hazardous chemicals, activities, or devices without a Designated Supervisor ( or a Qualified Scientist, if using a DEA-controlled substance).
Project Display
Resolving problems with your display is usually possible, but it is best to simply avoid violating the display and safety rules. It is probably best to leave most of the things you might want sitting at your display at home. Use pictures instead; it will not negatively affect your judging scores and it will make your life much easier. The only things that you need at your project are your display board, lab book, and research report (if you have one).
The following are not permitted:
- All of your project display, including notebooks, pictures, gadgets, and papers, must fit within these
- dimensions: no more that 30" deep, 48" wide, and 108" tall (from floor to top).
- No living organisms, taxidermy specimens, preserved animals, human/animal body parts or body fluids are permitted.
- No pictures showing vertebrate animals during laborato1y procedures are allowed.
- No food is permitted at your display.
- No raw plant materials, living, dead, or preserved is permitted.
- No chemicals (including water), no hazardous substances or devices, highly flammable material, sharp items, or glass are allowed your display.
Projects to Avoid
Projects should NOT be demonstrations or repeat previously done experiments, but rather should be a collection and analysis of DATA.
1. Effect of music on plants
2. Effect of talking to plants
3. Effect of dark vs. light on plants or colored lights, etc.
4. Effect of giving plants other things than water, e.g. milk, soda, salt water, etc.
5. Effect of cola, coffee, etc. on teeth; tooth decay, coloring, etc.
6. Effect of running, jumping, music, video games, movies, etc. on blood pressure
7. Balanced diets (data usually unreliable)
8. Strength/absorbency of paper towels (and other products)
9. "Which is best?" -- Approach generally without scientific merit (which popcorn pops better, which soap, fertilizer, etc.)
10. Basic maze running
11. Any project which boils down to simple preference; what do girls/boys/cats/dogs like better. ..
12. Effect of color on memory, emotion, mood, etc.
13. Effect of color on food taste, e.g. changing the color of Jell-O to effect the taste
14. Optical illusions
15. Reaction times in general and distractions effecting reaction speed
16. Many male/female comparisons, especially if bias shows
17. Basic planaria regeneration
18. Detergents vs. stains
19. Basic solar collectors
20. Acid rain projects (Important: to be considered, thorough research into the composition of acid rain and a scientifically accurate simulation of it would be necessary.)
21. Basic flight tests, e.g., planes, rockets
22. Battery life (plug in and run down)
23. Basic popcorn volume tests
24. Taste comparisons, e.g., Coke vs. Pepsi can you tell the difference?
25. Sleep learning
26. Music effecting learning
27. Taste or paw-preferences of cats, dogs, etc.
28. Color choices of goldfish, etc.
29. Basic chromatography
30. Wing or fin shape comparison with mass, surface area, etc. not considered
31. Ball bounce tests with poor measurement techniques
32. Fingerprints and heredity
33. Hovercraft design
34. Colonizing bacteria from doorknobs, student's hands, places around the school, etc.
3 5. Memory Tests
36. Penny polishing; what cleans pennies the best
37. Insulation effectiveness
38. Coke & Mentos
39. Hand sanitizers and bacteria; which sanitizer is best?
Judging Rubric
Student(s) Name(s): |
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Project Name and Number: |
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Teacher(s): |
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Criteria |
Excellent |
Good |
Acceptable |
Fair |
Poor |
Project is original/creative and appropriate for the student(s) grade level(s). |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Clear, well written, testable science objective/questions/hypothesis or engineering problem/criteria/goal statements are present. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Appropriate resources were used and cited. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
A detailed plan/process is present. Procedures are logical and repeatable/reproducible. Sufficient sample sizes and trials were used. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Project is well documented including valid data, procedures, materials used, photos/engineering prototype, journal, etc. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
The project appropriately addresses/matches the science objective or engineering problem. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Project shows a complete and valid conclusion based on the data/observations including how what was learned could be applied in real life. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
A well written explanation is present that demonstrates a clear understanding of the project. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Board is creative, legible, and neat. All information on the board relates to the project. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Interview: Student(s) show(s) a complete understanding of the project, findings, data, etc. |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |