- Collections: Rocks, fossils, insects, pressed plant specimens, etc. Include where they were collected, when, as well as scientific and common names. What environment where they found in? How common was this species/rock type/fossil in the area where found or elsewhere?
- What is the Scientific Method of discovering new information? What rules does it have? You might give examples of bad science (i.e. the Piltdown Man fraud, circular reasoning, scientist losing their jobs because they don't have "politically correct" beliefs, etc.). The real Scientific Method of discovery has been a great blessing to the world!
- Sometimes new scientific ideas are so unpleasant or inconvenient to use that people have fought against even considering them. There are examples of real science being pushed aside because people "knew it couldn't be true" even though the evidence was great the the truth was badly needed!
- How does the Peer Review Process help and hurt good science?
Consumer Science
- (Example) "Do Debbie Meyer Green Bags really keep foods fresh longer?" Compare food stored in these bags with food stored in other, similar types of bags.
- What other products can you find to compare with each other? Laundry detergents? Urine odor removers? Look around at everyday objects and consider your own assumptions! There are possible Science Projects everywhere!
Remember, if you are entering your Project as an Experiment, you must have a control and only one variable for it to be a true experiment that follows the Scientific Method!
Astronomy
(image credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) - ESA Hubble Collaboration)
- Consider theories of how stars, planets, galaxies, or solar systems were formed. Contrast evidences for/against the positions of Creationists and Evolutionists.
- Consider the evidence for/against the claim that the universe has a structure, with several layers of galaxies surrounding a center, and with our area of the universe being in the center.
- What is the structure of our sun? What evidences are there that the sun is/is not billions of years old?
- What is a comet? An asteroid? Is there evidence that asteroids or comets have struck the earth, or might someday?
- How do stars differ from one another, or galaxies, or planets? How likely is it that we might someday find another planet like the earth, able to support life?
These would be excellent additional research questions to add to a Model type of Science Project!