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Listed below
are over 250 science project ideas that might be considered by junior and senior
high school students.
Natural Resource Conservation
 | Demonstrate how liquid methanol could be made from
natural gas. |
| Construct a working model of an internal combustion
engine running on methanol. |
| Illustrate how a fleet of tanker trucks carrying
methanol could supply automobile fuel for an entire city. |
| Demonstrate how engineered lumber could reduce waste. |
| Illustrate how hydrogen gas might be stored efficiently
using carbon nanotubes. |
| Construct a working model of fuel cell running on
hydrogen. Illustrate how such a device might be used in an electric car. |
| Illustrate how glass foam might be used to make strong
building materials with high insulation properties. |
| Construct a working wind generator. Illustrate how such
devices would save coal and gas resources. |
| Illustrate how a large solar sail attached to an
electric car could charge the car’s battery when parked in the sun. |
| Build a working model of an electric car that uses super
capacitors to store electrical energy. |
| Explore other building materials that could be
substituted for lumber. |
| Demonstrate how an ultra-insulated home would reduce
energy needs. |
| Build a working model of a solar water heater. |
| Demonstrate how compact fluorescent lamps can reduce
lighting energy needs. |
| Build a working model of an efficient street light that
uses light emitting diodes. |
| Illustrate how a sewage plant could produce natural
gas. |
| Show how many electronic devices with an “instant on”
feature waste electricity. |
| Illustrate some of the latest solar photovoltaic panels
are being developed. Some panels are shaped as shingles. |
| Demonstrate a working model of a house being heated and
cooled by a “heat pump”, drawing energy from the cool ground. |
| Illustrate how a “swamp cooler” works in dry climates. |
| Show how natural gas could be extracted from the ocean
by mining deep water methyl-hydrates. |
| Construct a working model of a sunlight ultraviolet
monitor and illustrate how the reduction of the ozone layer will cause an
increase in the UV light from the sun. |
| Illustrate how a home with two basement levels could
provide large living areas built on small lots. |
| Show the energy saved by allowing workers to work out of
their homes, instead of commuting to an office. |
| Explore new varieties of lawn grasses, which require
less irrigation. |
| Build a model of a neighborhood energy farm, which
provides fuel for both heating and powering automobiles. Farms might form
partnerships with nearby farmers, who can deliver manure which can be turned
into nature gas. |
| Explore ways a modified car could help clear the air, as
it is driven. |
| Demonstrate how you could save city water by storing
rain water in undergroundtanks. Water from roofs would be routed to tanks.
Used for irrigation only, not drinking |
| Build an energy monitor that displays gas and
electricity usage. Unit connected to the power and gas meters. Maybe place
the display next to the thermostat. Displays real time usage as well as weekly
and monthly totals. |
| Build a lawn moisture sensor. Tells you when it is time
to water the lawn. Saveswater by not allowing sprinkler to turn on of the lawn
is moist enough. |
·
Show how an organized community could use law clippings to feed
cattle.
| Define ways to shoot water retaining gels into lawns to
reduce irrigation requirements. Gel reduces evaporation. |
| Demonstrate an electric generator that is driven by sea
wave action. |
·
Demonstrate how sea wave action could be used to produce fresh
water from sea water using reverse osmoses.
·
Explore different ways that fresh water could be extracted from
sea water.
·
Illustrate some uses for old tires.
·
Experiment with some methods to make fertilizer on the farm.
·
Find out if certain biodegradable materials actually do degrade.
·
Demonstrate a way to keep pigeons from roosting on buildings.
·
Demonstrate how paper can be recycled to produce other products.
·
Invent an electronic water usage monitor that could be easily
attached to a shower head to help the user conserve water.
Communications
| Speculate how communications within a home might change
when optical fibers bring super high speed data to the home. |
| Propose some new uses for the global positions system
(GPS). |
| Illustrate a radio station like communications system
that provides audio books on demand. |
| Demonstrate a system that converts text to natural
sounding human speech. Devise a way the text might be changed to include
speech inflection codes. |
| Illustrate how earth would communicate to a human
settlement on Mars. |
| Demonstrate the time delay problems when trying to
communicate with humans on Mars. |
| Build a working model of a system that sends data
through walls using magnetic pulses. |
| Illustrate how a “spread spectrum” communications system
works. |
·
Demonstrate how long range communications to deep space probes
might be possible using modulated light instead of radio waves.
·
Perform some optical communications experiments using reflections
off of clouds.
·
Demonstrate a house to house communications system using free
space optical methods
| Demonstrate how an “optical wave length division
multiplexing” communications system works. |
| Illustrate how data error detection and correction
schemes work. |
| Demonstrate how a “retro-reflective” light modulator
could be used to send data. |
| Illustrate how optical fibers can carry light
information over long distances with little loss. |
·
Demonstrate a simple telephone system that uses optical fibers
instead of wires.
·
Experiment with methods to send audio information through optical
fibers so it could be heard using standard headphones, without batteries or a
power source.
·
Illustrate how a wide area optical information broadcasting system
might work.
·
Build a working model of a long range telemetry system that uses
powerful light pulses and a pulse position encoding scheme. A xenon flash tube
might be used as the light source. Just two flashes would be needed to send data
over a 30 mile range.
·
Illustrate the principles of a wireless radio frequency
identification device (RFID) system.
·
Show how the devices are currently being used to identify pets,
using tiny pills injected under the skin of the animal.
·
Build a working model of a helium filled blimp that is radio
controlled and is equipped with a tiny television camera. Define some uses for
such a craft.
·
Demonstrate a secure computer communications system that uses data
encryption techniques.
Energy
| Perform research on a unique tree that grows a wax laden
berry, which could be used to produce fuel for automobiles. |
| Demonstrate new light sources that draw less energy
than conventional tungsten filament lamps. |
| Illustrate a large scale solar energy farm using sun
tracking mirrors to focus sunlight onto a central collection tower. |
| Build a working model of a system that produces
hydrogen gas from aluminum cans and water. |
| Illustrate a working model of an electrodeless sulfur
lamp. Show how such lamps could save energy in home, office and street
lighting needs. |
| Build a working model of a “hanging weight” energy
storage system that could be used on the Moon or Mars. The weight would be
lowered into a very deep canyon and would be connected to a motor/generator. |
| Illustrate how inkjet printing schemes could be used to
fabricate inexpensive solar photovoltaic panels, printed onto glass. |
| Build a working model of a hydrogen/air fuel cell. |
| Illustrate how heat from deep geothermal wells could be
used to generate electrical power. |
| Demonstrate how a large ocean ship could generate a
sizable amount of energy by deploying a super large wind sail. The ship
pulled by the sail might drive a large propeller, which would power a
generator. The energy might be stored as hydrogen gas or as a super large
capacitor. |
| Predict how solar photovoltaic panels might be used if
their cost were drastically reduced. |
| Illustrate how large scale super capacitors might be
used to store electrical energy for an entire city. |
| Demonstrate the principles of using a high speed
flywheel to store energy. |
| Illustrate a working model of a system that uses
compressed air to store energy. |
| Demonstrate how solar ponds work and how they could
produce water hot enough to drive gas turbines. |
| Compare the various ways to store energy in energy per
unit volume and energy per unit weight. |
| Illustrate how an aggressive use of wave, wind and
solar power stations could satisfy much of the U.S. energy needs. |
| Review the various ways energy, needed by a city, could
be transported. |
| Conduct research on the additional cost needed to build
super insulated homes over a more conventional designs. |
| Illustrate how a “hybrid” electric car works. |
| Illustrate the areas of the U.S. that would be suitable
for large scale wind energy farms. |
| Build a working model of a portable wind energy
generator, one that would be moved to a windy location as needed. |
·
Illustrate how solid methyl hydrate could be mined from the deep
ocean and used as fuel
·
Demonstrate how PV solar cells on a roof might work to save money.
·
Illustrate how a heat pump air conditioning system works and how
it would save electricity.
·
Demonstrate how concentrated sunlight might be used in an industry
needing high temperatures. Glass, steel, brick and cement industry?
·
Explore different ways to store energy. Giant flywheels, molten
salt and compressed air in old mines are three examples.
·
Show how compact fluorescent lamps save energy when compared with
standard tungsten incandescent lamps.
·
Illustrate how very large kites could be used to extract a large
amount of energy from the wind.
·
Demonstrate how human motion controlled lighting inside office
buildings could save energy.
·
Illustrate how different thermal insulation materials, used in
wall insulation, compare. Test heat conduction of fiberglass, Styrofoam,
recycled paper and a vacuum.
·
Illustrate how a nuclear fusion power plant might operate.
Physics
| Demonstrate a how a special optical fiber could be used
to measure electrical current, flowing in a wire. |
| Illustrate how a micro-mirror array could be used as a
high speed light modulator. |
| Build a working model of a Sterling cycle electrical
generator, powered by concentrated sunlight. |
| Illustrate how a vortex air swirl could be used to
separate minerals on the Moon or Mars. |
| Demonstrate a working solar furnace. Illustrate how it
might be used for making glass and steel. |
| Demonstrate how light pipes could be used to bring
natural sunlight to a manned habitat below the surface of the Moon or Mars. |
| Demonstrate how many materials, such as plastic and
rubber, become very brittle when cooled to dry ice temperatures. Demonstrate
other materials that don’t become brittle. |
| Illustrate how a blimp could be used on Mars to take
detailed photos of the surface. |
| Build a working model of a “hanging weight” energy
storage system that could be used on the Moon or Mars. The weight would be
lowered into a very deep canyon and would be connected to a motor/generator. |
| Demonstrate the insulation properties of glass foam.
Show how such materials might be used on the Moon or Mars. |
| Build a working model of a system that uses pressured
Marian air as a means to store energy. |
| Demonstrate the principles of a greenhouse. Show how
such structures might be built on the Moon and Mars. |
| Build a working model of a spring powered electrical
generator. The device might be used to power a flashlight or a radio. |
| Demonstrate a “snap action” electrical generator.
Pressing the snap button could kick spin a magnet, which is surrounded by a
coil . The device might be used to power garage door openers or unlock car
doors without batteries. |
| Illustrate how a jet of water at 10,000 psi can cut
thick steel plates. |
| Demonstrate how optical fibers and a laser could be
used to detonate explosives safely. |
| Illustrate how optical fibers could be used for
sensitive instruments measuring pressure, temperature, motion, magnetic and
electric fields, vibration and biological changes. |
| Demonstrate how optical fibers can transfer optical
images. |
| Devise a fluorescent lamp that emits near infrared
light using special phosphors. |
| Illustrate how lasers could be used to sense speed of a
moving material. |
| Demonstrate how sandblasting with solid carbon diode
reduces dust. |
| Illustrate how electrically conducting “Velcro” could
have many uses. |
·
Display how noise cancellation techniques might be used for
something.
·
Illustrate an attachment for a camcorder that allows views inside
your mouth.
·
Experiment with infrasonics (very low frequency sound). Build a
working unit that can process the low frequencies and make them audible.
·
Demonstrate how Ferro-fluids might be used for something.
·
Demonstrate that colors can be produced from a spinning wheel that
contains only black and white lines. Try to explain why it works.
·
Demonstrate the superior strength of some composite materials over
conventional steel and wood structures.
·
Illustrate how an audio CD player works. Show how much more
information could be put on the CD if a deep blue 350nM laser were used instead
of a 830nM infrared laser.
·
Demonstrate that simple electrical nitrogen sparks in air are
powerful light sources with very fast rise and fall times. Describe some
possible uses for the light pulses.
·
Illustrate how optical radar would work. Show by using the speed
of light, the distance to objects can be measured.
·
Illustrate how a scanning electron microscope works.
Chemistry
| Demonstrate how liquid methanol can be made from natural
gas. |
| Build a system that demonstrates how breathable air
could be made on Mars by removing carbon diode from the Marian air and
increasing the level of oxygen. |
| Demonstrate a process of producing chemicals needed to
grow plants could be made from leeching Martian sand and rocks. |
| Illustrate how Meteorite fragments on the Moon or Mars
could be melted and processed to form steel, electricity conducting nickel
ribbons, magnets and other materials. |
| Invent some new chemical reactions that could produce
more hydrogen from water and other chemicals, using electricity. |
| Define some novel uses for “scratch and sniff”
micro-capsules. |
·
Build your own small liquid air generator. Show how pure
nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases can be removed from the liquid air by a
process known as fractional distillation.
·
Experiment with a special ceramic material that holds lots of
water. Maybe show how it might be used to reduce irrigation.
·
Demonstrate how a micro sieve works to produce nearly pure oxygen
from air. Come up with other uses for this technology.
·
Demonstrate some uses for micro capsules (scratch and sniff).
·
Illustrate a way to extrude composite materials that could be used
on a building site like wood.
·
Build a working model of a hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell. Illustrate
how the devices are used on space craft's.
·
Illustrate a metal smelting process using concentrated sunlight as
the heat source. Such a process would be useful for new settlements on Mars.
·
Illustrate some methods how carbon dioxide could be removed
(scrubbed) from air that is breathed by humans on a spacecraft or on a Martian
settlement.
·
Make your own aerogel cubes. Describe some uses for this new
material.
·
Illustrate how some more complex hydrocarbon molecules could be
produced from the basic building blocks of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide
that can be extracted from the sand and air of Mars.
Electronics
| Experiment with infrasonics (very low frequency sound).
Build a working electronic circuit that can process the low frequencies and
make them audible. |
| Build a working model of an energy monitor that
displays gas and electricity usage. Unit connected to the power and gas
meters. Maybe place the display next to the thermostat. Displays real time
usage as well as weekly and monthly totals. |
| Invent an electronic water usage monitor that could be
easily attached to a shower head to help the user conserve water. |
| Speculate how electrical power could be transported on
the Moon or Mars. What voltages and line frequencies should be used? |
| Devise a new power supply technique to transform
alternating current to direct current. Perhaps a high frequency transformer
with a multiple turns ratio could be used. |
| Build a “blackout alarm”. The device would warn companies that
their electrical power will be turned off.
|
| Invent a way humans can be detected in coal mines. |
| Illustrate how an optical computer mouse operates.
Define how the technology might be used for measuring moving materials without
contact. |
| Invent a circuit that stops a dog from barking. |
| Build a working model of a device that indicates how
level a surface is. Perhaps it would make different tones when a bubble moved
in a tube. |
·
Build a snow and rain monitor. Perhaps light from an infrared
light emitting diode could used to detect the reflections off the rain drops and
snow flakes.
·
Demonstrate something using new super capacitors. Perhaps
illustrate how a large bank of such capacitors could be used to store energy.
·
Make your own electrets (capacitors with permanent charge) using a
mixture of waxes baked in an oven. Experiment with some possible uses for the
large devices.
| Modify a CD-ROM player to provide 100 hours of voice
audio. Great for audio books. |
·
Build a working model of a body temperature monitor and alarm.
Might be great for hikers worried about hypothermia.
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Build a working camera system that is triggered by moving
wildlife. The device would make the animals take their own photos.
·
Build a time to dust alarm. The device would flash a light when it
was time to dust. Perhaps a simple pulsed light emitting diode and photo
transistor could be made to work.
·
Build an earth quake alarm. Such devices could save lives.
·
Build a freeze alarm. The device would sound an alarm when the
temperature dropped below 32 degrees F.
·
Demonstrate some uses for super bright light emitting diodes.
Perhaps you could build a solid state flashlight that uses the latest super
bright white light emitting diodes.
·
Illustrate some uses for head mounted digital displays. Perhaps
you could build a simple disk reader that would display text from a book.
| Demonstrate a camera system linked to a VCR that is
turned on only during human motion. Such a device is useful for security
camera systems |
·
Such a device is useful for security camera systems.
·
Demonstrate how a large number of books could be stored on
computer disks. The latest DVD disks could store about 5,000 novels.
| Build a voice “Babble” Generator. Circuit generates a
sequence of nosey room sounds, with hundreds of people talking, interleaved so
in can be continuous. Used to mask other voices, jamming of radios |
·
Build a working optical radar system. Maybe just measure the
distance between the transmitter unit and a distant corner cube type mirror.
·
Explore some uses for old computers.
·
Explore some uses for defective memory chips.
·
Show how human motion can be detected by the disturbance in the
earth=s natural electric field that their motion produces.
·
Build a cold cathode fluorescent lamp driver that is run off of a
standard 120vac power line. Describe how such devices might last longer and be
cheaper than standard hot cathode fluorescent lamps.
·
Build a working model of a communications system that uses
modulated light produced by fluorescent lamps.
·
Experiment with electrical signals that are detected from metal
probes pushed into the ground. Worms, insects, distant lightning strikes and
human foot steps might be detectable.
·
Build an electronic stethoscope. Use the device to record human
heart and breath sounds.
·
Build a device that can measure the speed of a thrown baseball
without using radar gun techniques.
·
Build a wind energy monitor. The output signal from a simple wind
speed meter (anemometer) would be fed to a computer that would calculate and
plot the potential energy per unit area each day. Such a system might be useful
to help define locations for wind energy farms.
·
Develop a shower water temperature monitor. Such a device might
help conserve energy.
Space
| Speculate what materials Martian could trade with Earth. |
| Build a model of a manned vehicle that would be used to
explore the surface of the Moon or Mars. |
| Invent a space suit to be used on the Moon or Mars that
is equipped with a solar sail. Show how the sail could extend manned surface
excursions by providing additional electrical energy. |
| Devise a way a space suit on Mars could generate its own
breathable air, using Marian air. |
·
Build a system that demonstrates how breathable air could be made
on Mars by separating carbon diode from the air and increasing the level of
oxygen.
| Demonstrate how a water column could be used to form an
air lock on Mars. |
| Build a working model of a revolving door air lock for a
Martian habitat. |
·
Demonstrate ways to extract water and oxygen from simulated
Martian rocks and sand.
·
Illustrate how liquid water could be extracted from ice buried
deep under the ground on Mars.
| Speculate on some of the social problems that might
emerge on a long space mission. Define ways they can be dealt with. |
| Illustrate how Mars could be “terraformed” to an Earth
like climate. |
| Illustrate the construction of greenhouses on the Moon
or Mars. Show how plants and fish might be grown in such structures. |
·
Illustrate how the Martian moon Phobos could be used as a supply
depot for Mars missions.
·
Demonstrate a method to measure the mass of an object in space.
·
Demonstrate how an ion propulsion system works.
·
Illustrate how a mass driver propulsion system works. Perhaps
build a small working model.
| Explain how a mass driver on the Moon could be used to
send manufactured materials into Moon orbit. Later the materials might be
used as supplies for a manned mission to Mars. |
·
Illustrate how we might communicate with worlds light years away.
·
Build a system showing how artificial gravity could be produced
for long space flights. Perhaps two sections of a spacecraft could be linked
with a strong rope and spun.
·
Build a working model of a photovoltaic solar electrical power
plant for Mars settlements.
·
Illustrate underground shelters that are designed for Martian
settlements.
| Demonstrate how certain nickel-iron rocks found on Mars
might be processed toproduce steel or made into ribbons to carry electricity |
·
Illustrate how certain carbonate compound laden rocks on Mars
might be processed to form Portland cement with the aid of concentrated
sunlight.
| Demonstrate how some sand on Mars might be turned into
glass for a variety ofuses. |
·
Illustrate how an outpost on the moon might be developed to
provide air, food and fuel for long manned space missions to the outer planets.
·
Demonstrate how optical laser based communications systems might
be better than radio techniques for deep space missions.
Education
| Experiment to determine if students listening to an
audio book learn as much about the book as students reading the book. |
| Invent a system that would play prerecorded audio
tracks triggered by encode messages in museum displays. Perhaps solid state
MP3 players could be modified to store up to 10 hours of recordings. |
·
Invent a board game that teaches some science.
·
Write a computer program that helps kids learn math.
·
Write a computer program to help kids understand music.
·
Compile a master list of Internet sites and links that cover a
specific topic and could be useful to learn about that subject.
·
Develop some classroom kits that would help teach kids certain
science principles.
·
Develop some classroom construction kits that teach something in
electronics.
·
Invent some teaching aids for deaf and blind students.
·
Invent a computer system that can read books to students.
·
Develop a classroom aid that helps students search for information
on the Internet.
·
Use cartoons to help educate children about the dangers of giving
strangers on the Internet, personal private information.
Biology
| Predict if humans would grow taller on Mars with only
1/3 gravity. |
| Speculate if germs exist on Mars and if they would make
humans sick. Suggest how the humans could defend themselves against Martian
germs. |
| Predict if humans born on Mars could return to Earth.
Would they be able to cope with the higher gravity and will the have immunity
to Earth germs? |
| Devise a biological method to turn cellulose into
sugar. |
| Predict the effects of the Martian 1/3 gravity on the
growth of plants. Will they grow large? Will they produce more food? |
| Develop some microbes that would help break down food
waste products on a Martian human settlement. |
| Demonstrate some eatable plants grown using
hydroponics, without soil. |
·
Show how paper money and coins can carry germs.
·
Demonstrate how germs are killed using electrically induced
pressure waves in water.
·
Compare differences in growth rate of certain food plants that are
grown with continuous simulated sunlight and natural sunlight, lasting only 12
hours per day.
·
Show how the growth rate of some plants may change when exposed to
higher than normal carbon dioxide gas.
| Define some biological experiments to be performed on
Mars. |
| Illustrate some methods used to test for signs of
microbial life in Martian soil. |
| Develop some methods to serialize Martian soil, before
it is used to grow food. |
·
Demonstrate eatable plants being grown using hydroponics (no soil)
techniques.
·
Research how some bacteria that might be used on a Mars settlement
to grow
certain key life sustaining chemicals.
·
Demonstrate how the sands of Mars might have to be neutralized and
fertilized before plants would grow.
·
Perform some research the define the best kinds of eatable plants
that could be grown on a long space mission. Plants that provide lots of eatable
material with little waste would be desired.
·
Perform some research to define the best kinds of aquatic plants
and animals that might be grown for food on Mars.
·
Perform some research that shows how some newly discovered
bacteria can flourish without any help from the sun. The bacteria relies only on
some sulfur based compounds.
·
try to find out how dogs can detect cancerous tissue samples with
their nose.
·
develop teaching aids for deaf and blind students
| Devise a method for a one hand operated control system
to move a space robot through 6 different axis. |
| Illustrate a robot that would collect and sort
materials on the Moon and Mars. |
| Demonstrate a robot that makes clothes on the Moon or
Mars. |
| Illustrate a robotic system that would fabricate green
houses and manned habitats from the sand on the Moon or Mars. |
| Develop a robot that could make roads on the Moon or
Mars. |
| Demonstrate a robotic system, controlled by humans,
that would explore the surface of the Moon or Mars. |
| Illustrate a self controlled robotic aircraft that
would fly through the thin air of Mars, taking high resolution photos. |
| Develop a fully automatic system that scans and
digitizes books, magazines and newspapers. |
| Experiment with plastic muscles, that could find uses
in robots. Electrical current fed into the materials causes it to contract
like a muscle. |
| Invent some new robotic systems to speed the
construction of homes and offices. |
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