Science Fair Projects Demystified in JPL Education Videos

Just in time for science fair season, the Education Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has released a video series designed to take teachers, students and parents through the sometimes mystifying process of crafting a science fair project.

The six-part video series (available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/sciencefair/ ) features JPL scientist Serina Diniega, engineer Arby Argueta and educator Ota Lutz, who team up to take viewers step by step through the project design process, from generating an idea to communicating the final results in an attractive display.

Students learn about one of the hardest steps in the process – generating an idea – from the perspectives of scientific investigation and engineering design, discovering how to observe and ask questions about the world around them that can serve as starting points for their projects.

The videos also cover common areas that students often overlook while designing their projects, such as asking a testable question that examines just one concept, and considering elements that could affect an experiment and factoring them into the results.

Visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/sciencefair/ to watch the series, download related resources and to find notes for teachers and parents.