Science

Investigation

Awards 2017 Student Guide

Year 5 – Year 12

Food & Fibre Science Investigation Awards

Practical Investigation – Student Guide

Year 5 – Year 12

Contents Background ............................................................................................................................................. 3

The Science Investigation Award ............................................................................................................ 3

TOPIC ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

YOUR HYPOTHESIS .................................................................................................................................. 4

Now you have your topic - Develop a plan… .......................................................................................... 5

PRACTICAL DESIGN.................................................................................................................................. 5

Randomisation and replication ............................................................................................................... 6

Recording Data ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Report ..................................................................................................................................................... 8

Your Poster .............................................................................................................................................. 8

Judging .................................................................................................................................................... 8

Ideas for the Science Investigations...................................................................................................... 10

Background The Food and Fibre Science Investigation Awards are for students from Year 5 to 12 to complete a science, food or fibre research project. This competition gets students to research any chosen topic and produce a scientific investigation report in a poster form. Last year over 800 students in years 5 to 12 participated in the Awards. Students presented their

research poster at one of four regional competitions, with entries judged by local scientists and

industry representatives. From here, the top students then competed at the State final held at the

Royal Adelaide Show.

This year we have the same program on offer – students produce a science investigation poster,

compete at a regional competition and then the finalists from each of the regional competitions go

through to the State Finals, held at the Royal Adelaide Show. Finalists at both regional competitions

plus the Royal Show State final will compete for a total cash prize pool of over $3000 and free tickets

to the Royal Show!

The Science Investigation Award The steps you take in designing your science investigation are the same steps a professional

scientist would take. You simply choose a topic that interests you and investigate it! There

are some rules… For the best chance of winning an award, students are encouraged to

follow the below guidelines.

Essentially, the Science Investigation Award involves you researching a topic of choice, then

writing it up as a science research paper THEN summarising this research and presenting it

in a poster. The following sections should be included in both the report and poster:

- Abstract (optional): What you did, why you did it and what you found out.

- Background Information: Set the scene - reasons for choosing the investigation (i.e.

why does this need research, why is it relevant, what does current research suggest

or is there no research? Plus and any other information that you have researched

that relates to the topic.

- Practical design: Include the following… Your hypothesis / aim, the apparatus and

method.

- Results: Present your results and data, include tables and/or graphs and images

showing your research approach.

- Discussion: Summarise what you found out… And consider how could you improve

your investigation? Was the data accurate and valid? What this research means for

others? Any extension ideas for this investigation?

- Conclusion: Did your experiment support your hypothesis? You may also like to

consider including - References for any books, journals or websites you found

information from and acknowledgement for anyone who helped you

- Photos and diagrams are great to include with your poster also!

TOPIC Pick something that you are interested in (note a list of ideas is provided in appendix 1).

Topics might include… Do plants grow better with music playing? Will ducks grow

better on an organic whole food diet vs a pellet diet? Does fertiliser kill soil

microbes? Is water quality in creeks affecting tadpole health? Do food preservatives

make you feel hyperactive? Essentially, ask questions about the way something

works, something you have observed but haven’t been able to explain or challenge

an old wives tale…

Ensure your topic is something you can research and gain answers too in the time

you have

Check your plan with your teacher/mentor

Check that you have the equipment to do what you are after

Check that the topic is ethical and you have the work, health and safety equipment

needed

YOUR HYPOTHESIS Once you have a topic in mind – you need to carefully design a hypothesis.

o An hypothesis:

Is testable

Is a prediction

Can be shown to be wrong (falsifiable)

Is carefully worded

Should lead to discussion and debate

Is original

A hypothesis often take the shape of "If ____then ____" statements.

‘Your Dictionary’ states that: A hypothesis is an educated guess or proposition that

attempts to explain a set of facts or natural phenomenon. In a hypothesis statement,

students make a prediction about what they think will happen or is happening in their

experiment.

An example may include:

If leaf colour change is related to temperature, then exposing plants to low

temperatures will result in changes in leaf colour.

Hypotheses contain two variables. One is “independent” and the other is “dependent.” The

independent variable is the one you, the “scientist” control (i.e. temperature) and the

dependent variable is the one that you observe and/or measure the results (leaf colour).

Develop a plan… Now you have your topic and hypothesis… Ask yourself these questions

o What data will I need and how can I collect this… o Will it cost much? o Is it ethical? You need to run this past your teacher. We will not accept unethical science

investigation projects. o Do I need help? o Will you need help collecting data? o Where will you collect your data? o What equipment will you need? o What work, health and safety requirements will I need? Lab coats, safety glasses, gloves –

note the judges will check that you have followed safe operating procedures in your

experiment so this must be addressed! o How will you analyse the data? o What risks are there i.e. what external factors could influence your results and how can you

manage these (i.e. if looking at the affect of water on plant growth – what if it rains on your

experiment?) o How will you monitor and record your data? Can you use a spreadsheet? o Are you on track with time! Develop a timeline…

PRACTICAL DESIGN Each practical must be a FAIR TEST. This means all factors in the test must be controlled

except for one. This is the VARIABLE and it is the point of your investigation.

Here are some examples:

Controlled Factors (Same for all tests) – is known as the independent variable

Variable factors

Plant size, type

Soil amount and type

How much and how often you water the plants

Concentration of salt in water

Temperature

Amount of nitrogen

Type/ number of aphids.

You also need a control. Wikipeda states that a scientific control is an experiment or

observation designed to minimize the effects of variables other than the independent

variable. This increases the reliability of the results, often through a comparison

between control measurements and the other measurements. You will need to write about

your control and variables in your method.

Randomisation and replication To ensure you collect good quality / robust data your experiment needs to be replicated and

randomised… This means you do the same experiment many times to test that the results

are not just a once off.

An example may be…

You are testing how much (kilograms per hectare) a certain ferilister affects plant growth.

But in your experimental site there is a natural spring, areas of different soil types and an

old road (Compacted soil) which goes through the site. Each of these factors may affect the

plants grow so it would be hard to test the impact of the fertiliser. For this experiment, the

control is no fertiliser, then there are two variables 50 kg/ ha of fertiliser and 100 kg/ha of

fertiliser. You then need to test this… If you placed your treatment plants in the below

pattern, you would achieve a biased result as the environment / soil type etc could affect

your experimental outcome rather than the fertiliser.

To achieve a more scientifically valid result – you need to randomise and replicate. The

below experimental design would help you minimise risks. This approach uses more

treatments and randomises how the treatments are placed.

Note that:

» Replication can be:

» Within the experiment

» Repeating the whole experiment at different sites

» Different groups repeating the experiments at different times and places

Recording Data Collecting, recording and presenting data is vital to your science investigation. Good data helps you identify trends and patterns between variables. Data analysis can be tricky (or inaccurate) if data is not collected properly. It is good to record everything as you go, as an important reminder of what you have done.

Here are a few tips:

Have a book / spreadsheet specifically for recording your results. Develop a template

so you can track the time / date etc – do this upfront so you don’t forget!

Record the date of every entry.

Record the time of every entry – make sure you record your observations at the

same time intervals i.e. be consistent.

Take photos to track your progress.

Include appropriate data tables and/or graphs in your final poster.

Report Write up your report. It is best to write your report in the following order

- Abstract (optional): What you did, why you did it and what you found out

- Background Information: Reasons for choosing the investigation and any other

information that you have researched that relates to the topic.

- Practical design: - Hypothesis - Aim, Apparatus and Method - Results include tables

and/or graphs

- Discussion: What did you find out? How could you improve your investigation? Was

the data accurate and valid? Any extension ideas for this investigation?

- Conclusion: Did your experiment support your hypothesis? You may also like to

consider including - References for any books, journals or websites you found

information from and acknowledgement for anyone who helped you

- Photos and diagrams are great to include with your poster also!

Your Poster You need to present your science investigation as a poster… This does not mean you print off your

report and stick it on a poster board – there are too many words! You need to select your key

messages from each section and summarise them. Fonts should be large enough to easily read.

Remember - The poster is just to communicate a summary of your aim/hypothesis, introduction,

methods, results and conclusions.

Here are a few tips:

Your poster should…

Be bade of card measuring ~900mm wide by 700mm high and can include a header board of the same material ~700mm by 300mm that slots into the top of the display.

Be able to be flat packed

Summarise the background, hypothesis - Aim, method, results, discussion, and conclusion.

Include photos and diagrams which help tell the story.

Have your first and last name, Year level, School on the front and back.

Remember to pick topic that you are interested in, repeat your experiment, allow enough

time, follow the scientific investigation method and have lots of fun be a scientist!

Judging Your science investigation will be judged at one of four regional events. Judges will include

teachers, scientists and researchers. They not only want to hear about how you completed

your investigation and your results, but also why you chose that topic, what you enjoyed

about completing your science investigation and what experiment could you do next time to

make your investigation even better!

Food & Fibre Science Investigation Awards Judges will be looking for

- Your poster appearance and presentation

- Unique and exceptional high quality of work

- Any relevant back up work of a high standard

- Following the logical process of the design cycle approach or scientific method

exhibited

- Strong ethical approach to improve the quality of human life or condition

- Use of appropriate work, health and safety equipment

- Understanding or rural problems and solving these in a unique manner

- Positive interaction with the judges and public

- An outline is provided on the following page and as a separate document which you

may like to provide to students about what to remember.

Awards The judges decision will be final… There will be more than one judge for your poster. Each judge will

score your sections out of 10. Winners will be notified on the day. We have an award pool of $3000!

GOOD LUCK!

Appendix 1: Ideas for the Science Investigations

Here are a range of ideas you can consider…

1. Which foods are preferred by fungi/bacteria?

a. Should only the same kinds of foods be tested?

b. How do I tell the difference between bacteria and fungi?

c. How much of each food should be sampled?

d. What factors (variables) need to be kept constant (i.e. kept the same in my

experiment)? Why should these variables be kept constant?

e. How do food scientists inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi on foods?

2. Do jams decompose?

a. What are the signs that the jam is decomposing?

b. Should only one kind of jam be tested e.g. fruit jam?

c. Should different brands of the same jam be tested?

d. What conditions should the jams be exposed to?

e. How much jam should be used in the investigation?

f. Which ingredients help to inhibit decomposition in jams?

3. Do all sugars taste the same? Can you taste the difference between the different

types of sugars?

a. What are the most commonly used sugars e.g. glucose, sucrose, etc

b. Who will be used as testers for the investigation? Justify your choice of testers.

c. Will the sugars be dissolved or used in powder form?

d. How will testers rate the different sugars?

e. Why are different sugars used in different food products?

4. Many people need to monitor their sugar intake. Do fruits and vegetables contain

different type of sugars e.g. glucose, sucrose?

a. Should the investigation only focus on fruits or vegetables?

b. What are the differences between a fruit and a vegetable?

c. What chemical tests identify the different sugars?

d. Should the same concentration of fruit/vegetable be used for the investigation?

e. Which sugars have the most influence on the Glycemic Index?

5. Which fruits/vegetables contain glucose, starch, proteins and minerals?

a. Should the investigation only focus on fruits or vegetables?

b. What chemical tests identify the different sugars?

c. What test identifies proteins?

d. What test is used to identify minerals e.g. chloride ions?

e. Is the flame test a useful technique for identifying different metals ions

(minerals)?

f. Why do some people need to monitor the chemical content of foods?

6. How long will foods last past their used-by-date (e.g. eggs, milk)?

a. How do we determine if eggs or milk, etc are ‘off’?

b. What conditions increase the likelihood of eggs or milk going ‘off’?

c. What conditions decrease the likelihood of eggs or milk going ‘off’?

7. Many food products use acidic or alkaline solutions as a preservative. Develop a set

of natural indicators to test a range of pH solutions.

a. Which fruits and vegetables contain dyes that can be extracted easily?

b. Do the colours need to be preserved so they remain stable?

c. What pH range does each indicator test?

d. What safety precautions need to be considered in the investigation?

8. Which type of bread (white, whole grain, sour dough, etc) turns mouldy the quickest?

a. Should different brands of the same bread be tested?

b. Should sliced or loaf bread be used for the investigation?

c. What conditions is bread normally exposed to?

d. Do different moulds grow on different breads?

9. Some fruits prevent jelly from setting.

a. Which fruits should be used for the investigation?

b. Should only one brand of jelly be tested?

c. Does using raw fruit or cooked fruit make a difference? Why?

d. When should the fruit be added to the jelly?

e. What size pieces of fruit should be used?

10. Factors that influence

a. action of yeast in bread manufacture

b. action of bacteria in yoghurt manufacture

c. fermentation process in alcohol manufacture

Are waters in urban area more polluted than in rural areas?

How can plants be used to measure the level of Air Pollution?

How do phosphates affect Oxygen level in water?

Does caffeine raise a person’s Blood Pressure?

Is tooth paste beneficial or harmful?

What sort of fabric would be best to keep an astronaut warm?

Absorption of pollutants in different soils

Does Organic material affect water absorbency in soil?

How to stop water evaporation from catchment areas

How to make a solar panel stove

What material works best in a sandbag for preventing a flood?

Effects of Mouth wash on various bacteria

Are we washing our hands effectively?

Water retention rates in fabric.

Reaction time in left and right hands.

Does the shape of something affect how fast it falls?

How much water do plants need?

The strongest glue

Is cheap cotton thread as strong as more expensive thread?

How many letters will an average pen write?

Paper towel absorbency.

Do different types of soil hold different amounts of water?

The effect of music on the heart rate

Do the surrounding colours affect a birds eating habit?

Aural reaction time

What is the best way to get rid of stains?

Chewy removal

The effect of exercise on heart rate.

Which crops grow the best?

Does wheat grow differently using different water sources?

Synthetic fibre vs natural fibre

Does adding Ca & shell grit to their wate and feed make them lay more and heavier eggs?

The effect of decreased atmospheric pressure on the growth of Triticum Aestiuum

Does grooming affect a horse heart rate after exercise?

Does chilli affect metabolism?

The effectiveness of water holding crystals in different soil types.

Do different types of soil change the pH of water?

Comparing different soils to determine optimum vine growth.

Apple Oxidation

Which clothes material is most durable when put under pressure?

Bi-carb soda rockets.

Water retention rates in fabric.

Material drying.

Reaction time in left and right hands.

The strongest glue

How much vitamin C is in your vegetables?

The jellybean flavour test.

How many letters will an average pen write?

How does horse behaviour change in different weather?

Paper towel absorbency.

The effect of music on the heart rate

Comparison of reaction times for video games vs sport

Which wood burns the best?

Do the surrounding colours affect a birds eating habit?

Aural reaction time.

What is the best way to get rid of stains?

Which sports ball can be catapulted the furthest?

Chewy removal.

The effect of exercise on heart rate.

Which crops grow the best?

Does wheat grow differently using different water sources?

Synthetic fibre vs natural fibre http://www.sciencebuddies.org/ http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category0.html http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/ http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/ http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/ http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml