Junior Science Research Projects
(SD6R)
Overview
- The first goal of this class is to help students find volunteer positions in academic, government, non-profit or commercial labs where they will participate in scientific, technological, engineering, or mathematical research with a mentor. Projects typically take from 5 to 15 months to complete and end over the summer or during the first two months of senior year.
- The second goal of this class is to help students acquire the skills needed to be successful in the scientific competitions that occur in senior year. Students will be given assignments that align with the requirements of the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF), Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, Google Science Fair, and others.
- SUNY Albany will award 4 credits for work done during the regular academic year to anyone who registers in October and pays the very reasonable fee in December. The grade you receive in this class will be enetered into the official SUNY record system as if you were a college student attending an undergraduate class at the Albany campus. For more info, see Mr. Rosenfeld in room A200.
- Students enrolled in this class commit to the entire academic year whether or not they ever find work in a lab or intend to continue working over the summer and on into senior year. The work load in this class are identical for all students.
- Grades are based partly on how much you do (the more things you try, the better your grade will be) and partly how well you do them (the better your work is, the better your grade will be) Every month spent working in a lab is worth one point toward your final grade. Important dates are in red. There are many extra credit opportunities. See grades-sd5r.pdf and grades-sd6r.pdf for more information.
Faculty
| name |
|
office |
|
em |
ail |
(718) 724–8500 |
| Mr. Elert |
|
A214 |
|
elert@ |
midwoodscience.org |
ext. 2141 |
| Mr. McDonnell |
|
A300 |
|
mmcdonn2@ |
schools.nyc.gov |
ext. 3003 |
| Mr. Rosenfeld |
|
A200 |
|
trosenf@ |
schools.nyc.gov |
ext. 2003 |
| Ms. Sullivan |
|
A214 |
|
jsulliv11@ |
gmail.com |
ext. 2141 |
Spring Semester (SD6R)
Spring Meetings for Juniors
Check the calendar on midwoodscience.org often. Individual, team, or small group meetings are the way business gets done. (Large group meetings are rare.) Keep your supervising teacher up to date on your progress. Do not hesitate to tell us of problems. Above all, do not miss your appointments. They count significantly toward your grade.
- February
- Entrance meeting. Everyone attends.
- First Meeting (Only Meeting)
- Intel STS Practice Application: Started
- January Lab Log
- March
- Everyone visits NYCSEF at City College in March
- Intel STS Practice Application: Mentor Form(s) Signed
- Intel STS Practice Application: Effectively Finished
- NYCSEF Visit: Discuss Four Written Observations
- NYCSEF Research Plan: First Draft
- February Lab Log
- NYCSEF Research Plan: Second Draft
- NYCSEF Practice Application: Started
- April
- First Meeting (Only Meeting)
- NYCSEF Research Plan: Third Draft
- NYCSEF Practice Application: Mentor Form(s) Signed
- NYCSEF Practice Application: Effectively Finished
- March Lab Log
- May
- First Meeting (Only Meeting)
- PowerPoint First Draft
- April Lab Log
- PowerPoint presentations
- Midwood High School Science Fair
- June
- PowerPoint presentations, continued
- Exit meeting
- May Lab Log
Preparing for the Intel STS: Part II
Assignment 8: Intel STS Practice Application
Part A: Answer all relevant questions in this Word document to the best of your ability. Questions marked with an asterisk are required and must be answered. Type your responses in the blank space below each question. Do not modify the formatting. Save frequently. Do not print. Email the completed document to your supervising teacher at least one day before your February meeting.
Part B: Show this letter to your mentor (the person who is most familiar with your research). Explain that you will be asking them to complete a similar set of questions online with a deadline in mid-November. Return the tear off signature line to your supervising teacher. Let your mentor keep the remainder of the letter for future reference.
Preparing for NYCSEF
Assignment 9: Visit NYCSEF
The New York City Science and Engineering Fair will be held Sunday, March 4, 2012 at City College in Hamilton Heights, Manhattan. Juniors and Sophomores will attend from 2:00–4:00 PM during the public viewing period. Attendance will be taken near the end of the fair. Look for a Midwood science teacher or an officially designated student monitor.
- Find 4 projects while public viewing is underway. Pick projects that you like or are interested in. Read some of the board on your own and interview the student(s) responsible.
- Record the project title and answer the following 4 questions.
- What events or objects were studied?
- What data about these events or objects were collected?
- What conclusion did the student make?
- Why is this research important?
Do not say, "My teacher made me come here. What's the answer to number 4?" or anything similar.
- Every student observer at NYCSEF is expected to interview a unique set of participants. There will be approximately 500 projects at this event, so there is no reason why there should be any overlap. If you go with a friend, the two of you must analyze different projects.
- Type up the responses to your interview questions and submit them to your supervising teacher on Monday, March 5, 2012. Be prepared to answer additional questions at your next March meeting.
Assignment 10: NYCSEF Practice Application
Overview: Participation in the New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF) is required for all seniors in Science Research. The application packet consists of an astounding 26 pages of rules and guidelines and 21 pages of forms. The list below provides a link to a local copy of every document available from the NYCSEF website identified by page number.
- Rules and Guidelines
-
- Student / Project Information
- Team Information
- Official Project Abstract
- Research Plan / Project Summary (4 Parts): Instructions
- Research Plan / Project Summary (4 Parts): Instruction, continued
- Checklist for Adult Sponsor (1)
- Signature Page
- Student Checklist
- Approval Form (1B)
- Regulated Research Institutional/Industrial Setting Form (1C)
- Qualified Scientist Form (2)
- Risk Assessment Form (3)
- Human Participants Form (4)
- Human Informed Consent Form
- Vertebrate Animal Form (5A)
- Vertebrate Animal Form (5B)
- Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents Risk Assessment Form (6A)
- Human and Vertebrate Animal Tissue Form (6B)
- Continuation Projects Form (7)
Part A: Review all 21 NYCSEF forms. Determine which of three basic categories each form belongs to …
- forms that are primarily the responsibility of the student
- forms that are primarily the responsibility of the mentor
- forms that do not apply to your specific project
Complete as much of this cover letter as you can, print it out, and bring it to your April meeting. DO NOT GIVE IT TO YOUR MENTOR TO SIGN YET. Your supervising teacher needs to review it for accuracy first.
Part B: Print out the forms that you will ask your mentor to fill out next year. Arrange them in order, place the completed and approved cover letter on top, and staple the whole packet together. Deliver the packet to your mentor as soon as possible. Explain that you will be asking them to complete a similar packet of forms with a deadline in mid-December. Return the tear off signature line to your supervising teacher. Let your mentor keep the remainder of the cover letter and the attached forms for future reference.
Assignment 11: NYCSEF Research Plan / Project Summary
The project summary is a succinct detailing of the rationale, research questions, methodology and risks of your research project and should be completed PRIOR to the start of your experimental research. Submit your final draft to your supervising teacher on or before Friday, April 27, 2012.
- 500 words or less
What is the RATIONALE for your project? Please include a brief synopsis of the background research that supports your research problem and explain why this research is important scientifically and, if applicable, explain any potential societal impact of your research. Please include citations in your project rationale.
- 250 words or less
State your HYPOTHESIS(ES) / RESEARCH QUESTION(S) / ENGINEERING GOAL(S). Describe how your research question(s), hypothesis(es) and/or goal(s) build on the research described in your project rationale.
- 500 words or less
- Describe in detail your research methods and conclusions.
- Procedures/Data Collection: Detail experimental design, including all procedures used for data collection.
Be sure to describe in detail only those methods and procedures you (and your teammates) conducted, and not
those of your mentor, teacher, or from any other researcher.
- Data Analysis: Describe the procedures to be used to analyze your data and answer your research question(s).
- Be sure to address all questions in Part B that are relevant to your research project. PART B – ONLY For projects with:
- HUMAN SUBJECTS (See pages 7-9 of the Rules and Guidelines)
- Subjects. Describe who will participate in your study (age range, gender, racial/ethnic composition). Identify any vulnerable populations (minors, pregnant women, prisoners, mentally disabled or economically disadvantaged).
- Recruitment. Where will you find your subjects? How will they be invited to participate?
- Methods. What will participants be asked to do? Will you use any surveys, questionnaires or tests? What is the frequency and length of time involved for each subject? Please include a copy of the survey or questionnaire (if used) in the research study and provide information as to how the survey questions will inform the research project.
- Risks. What are the risks or potential discomforts (physical, psychological, time involved, social, legal etc) to participants? How will you minimize the risks?
- Benefits. List any benefits to society or each participant.
- Protection of Privacy. Will any identifiable information (e.g., names, telephone numbers, birth dates, email addresses) be collected? Will data be confidential or anonymous? If anonymous, describe how the data will be collected anonymously. If not anonymous, what procedures are in place for safeguarding confidentiality? Where will the data be stored? Who will have access to the data? What will you do with the data at the end of the study?
- Informed Consent Process. Describe how you will inform participants about the purpose of the study, what they will be asked to do, that their participation is voluntary and they have the right to stop at any time.
- VERTEBRATE ANIMALS (See pages 10-12 of the Rules and Guidelines)
- What POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES to vertebrate animals were considered for this project? Be sure to present a detailed justification for use of vertebrate animals.
- What procedures or methods that will be used to minimize potential discomfort, distress, pain and injury to the animals during the course of experimentation and any detailed chemical concentrations and drug dosages. Projects containing procedures classified as USDA Pain Category D or E are PROHIBITED for NYCSEF.
- How many animals will be used in this study? Provide the species, strain, sex, age, etc of the animal and how the animals will be housed and cared for daily. Justify the number of animals planned for this study.
- How will the animals be disposed of at the termination of the study? Experimental procedures involving toxicity studies, predator/vertebrate prey experiments, or studies where students performed euthanasia on a vertebrate animal are PROHIBITED for NYCSEF.
- POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS BIOLOGICAL AGENTS (See pages 13-16 of the Rules and Guidelines)
- Provide a description of the Biosafety Level Assessment process and BSL determination (see page 16 for details).
- Where did you obtain the specimen, agent, source of specific cell line, etc.?
- What safety precautions will be used during experimentation?
- How will any potentially hazardous biological agents be disposed of at the end of the study?
- HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS, ACTIVITIES & DEVICES (See pages 17-19 of the Rules and Guidelines)
- Provide a description of the Risk Assessment process and results.
- Provide a brief summary of the chemical concentrations and drug dosages that will be used in experimentation.
- What safety precautions and procedures will be used to minimize risk?
- How will any hazardous chemicals or materials be disposed of at the end of the study?
- 500 words or less
Provide a list of AT LEAST FIVE (5) MAJOR REFERENCES used to form the basis of your research project. References must be from science journal articles, books, or other publications. Encyclopedias and Internet search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo, WebMD, Wikipedia, etc.) are not considered as major references and WILL NOT be accepted.
Finishing the Year
Assignment 12: PowerPoint Presentations
- Tell us in a PowerPoint presentation what you do in your lab and what you hope to accomplish.
(Students who did the alternate assignment: explain the 3 papers you reviewed.)
- Prepare 6 to 8 slides and be prepared to talk for 6 to 8 minutes.
- First drafts must be emailed to Mr. Elert before midnight Sunday, April 29.
- Meet with your supervising teacher to quickly go over your presentation sometime between the deadlines above and below this bullet.
- Final drafts must be emailed to Mr. Elert before midnight Sunday, May 6.
- Attend 10 days of the possible 20 days of presentations.
- Present on one of these 10 days.
- Fill out student surveys after every presentation.
- Clap politely after every presentation and ask good questions from time to time.
Midwood High School Science Fair
Thursday, May 24, 2012, 3:00–6:00 PM
All Science Research students participate in this event.
- Sophomores
- Bring something to eat or drink.
- Participate as contestants.
- Feast.
- Juniors and Seniors
- Help set up.
- Participate as judges.
- Feast.
- Help clean up.
- Alumni and Teachers
- Participate as judges.
- Feast.
Lab Logs
Lab logs are due at the first meeting of each month.
- January logs are due in February.
- February logs are due in March.
- March lab logs are due in April.
- April lab logs are due in May.
- May lab logs are due in June.
Extra Credit
STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
Public Lecture
Attend a STEM lecture
- Clear the lecture with your supervising teacher.
- Attend, listen, and take notes.
- Retain your admission ticket (or other proof of attendance)
- Complete this assignment while the lecture is still fresh in your mind. (Print the page before you go.)
- Bring the completed assignment to your supervising teacher with proof of attendance to your next one-on-one meeting. (Be prepared to answer additional questions.)
Possible Lectures
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Image of the Week (IOTW)
Create a blog entry around a set of scanning electron microscope images.
- Identify an object or set of objects that can be imaged under the SEM. (All objects must be solid and desiccated.) Clear it with Mr. Elert.
- Make an appointment to use the SEM period 10 and beyond.
- Make a series of images. Select the best (most artistic, most interesting, most informative).
- Write an essay of 100–500 words related to your best images. Essays should be written in a non-technical, entertaining style like that found in New Scientist, Scientific American, Discover, Wired, The Guardian, The New York Times, Seed, etc.
- Your images and text will be posted to the Midwood Science website.
Competitions and Events
Participate in STEM competitions or attend STEM special events.
- Tell your supervising teacher what you intend to do officially.
- Provide evidence of progress or participation for partial credit.
- Manage your time effectively. Anticipate Deadlines. (Items written in strikethrough are past deadline or possibly discontinued.)
- Provide evidence of completion for full credit.
Last Updated 30 January 2012. Expired items are written with a strikethrough. New items will be added as they come across my desk. Contact me if you find anything you think I should check out.
