Futuristic Science Projects for School Fairs
School science fairs have many benefits to students, from learning about presentations to following the scientific method of investigation. Projects that focus on problems our society will face in the future can help bring awareness of these issues to students.
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Man Affects the Environment
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Human activities can affect our environment. Hypothesize that changing the reflective surface of the earth affects the temperature.
Cut off the bottom of a half-gallon milk carton. Cut several large slots in all four sides for airflow. Punch a hole in the top and insert a piece of string. Tie it to a thermometer, and suspend the thermometer inside the carton. The idea is to keep the sun from directly hitting the thermometer.
On a sunny day, hold your thermometer carton 3 feet above a patch of green grass. After three or four minutes, record the temperature. Next, hold your thermometer 3 feet above an asphalt driveway for three or four minutes. Record the temperature. Do the same over a concrete sidewalk. Compare the temperatures and determine whether the man-made surfaces prevent the natural cooling effect of grass.
Solar Energy
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Our supply of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, is limited and someday will run out. Using solar, wind and other renewable sources for electric power will help conserve our fossil fuels. Conduct a project to determine how reliable solar energy production is in your area.
Ask someone who has installed solar panels whether you may take daily readings from his inverter, which converts DC from solar panels to AC and syncs it to the local utility grid. Inverters have a display that shows the number of kilowatts being produced.
Check the electrical output each day at noon for a month. Compare the number of days in which maximum output was achieved to the total number of days observed. Determine how much the maximum output decreases during overcast days to see how viable solar energy is in your area.
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Savings Earth's Resources
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Earth's resources are finite and recycling helps conserve them. Do a science fair project that compares the amount of recycled trash with the total amount discarded during a typical week.
Weigh several empty trash cans and record their weight. For one week, place all recyclable items (cans, bottles, cardboard) in one can and all other trash in a separate can. Use more cans if needed. At the end of the week, weigh each trash can and subtract the weight of the can. Compare the weight of the recycled material with the unrecyclable trash.
Propose ways to increase the amount your household can recycle, such as placing kitchen waste in a compost pile and buying products in bulk to reduce packaging.
Hydroponics
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Before humans can live on the moon or Mars, they will need to be able to grow their own food. Hydroponics is the science of growing food with a nutrient solution rather than soil. Conduct a science project where you attempt to grow different vegetables hydroponically to find which ones are the most promising for space use.
Make a nutrient solution by mixing 1 tablespoon 5-10-5 plant fertilizer, 1 teaspoon Epsom salts and 1 teaspoon washing ammonia with a gallon of water. Grow plants in pots filled with a "soil-less" medium, such as sand, gravel or small stones. These mediums give support to the plants and roots but have no nutritional value.
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