Stem Chemistry Projects

[Roman Bayramdurdiyev]

NoteSome of these projects were written as classroom labs but can be adapted to become science fair projects too. Just consider variables that you can change up, like materials or other parameters. That changes a classroom activity into a true scientific method experiment!

By this age, kids know that many plants move toward sunlight, a process known as phototropism. So high school science fair projects on this topic need to introduce variables into the process, like covering seedling parts with different materials to see the effects.

Bacteria can be divided into two groups: gram-positive and gram-negative. In this experiment, students first determine the two groups, then try the effects of various antibiotics on them. You can get a gram stain kit, bacillus cereus and rhodospirillum rubrum cultures, and antibiotic discs from Home Science Tools.

Cell mitosis (division) is actually easy to see in action when you look at onion root tips under a microscope. Students will be amazed to see science theory become science reality right before their eyes. Adapt this lab into a high school science fair project by applying the process to other organisms too.

This edible experiment lets students make their own peppermint hard candy while they calculate mass, moles, molecules, and formula weights. Tweak the formulas to create different types of candy and make this into a sweet science fair project!

Take a closer look at an everyday item: soap! Use oils and other ingredients to make your own soap, learning about esters and saponification. Tinker with the formula to find one that fits a particular set of parameters.

When you think of physics science projects for high school, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the classic build-a-bridge. But there are plenty of other ways for teens to get hands-on with physics concepts. Here are some to try.

See electricity in action when you generate and capture a Lichtenberg figure with polyethylene sheets, wood, or even acrylic and toner. Change the electrical intensity and materials to see what types of patterns you can create.

A basic bottle rocket is pretty easy to build, but it opens the door to lots of different science fair projects. Design a powerful launcher, alter the rocket so it flies higher or farther, or use only recycled materials for your flyer.

Many schools are changing up their science fairs to STEM fairs, to encourage students with an interest in engineering to participate. Many great engineering science fair projects start with a STEM challenge, like those shown here. Use these ideas to spark a full-blown project to build something new and amazing!

Smartwatches are ubiquitous these days, so pretty much anyone can wear a heart-rate monitor on their wrist. But do they work any better than one you can build yourself? Get the specialized items you need like the Arduino LilyPad Board on Amazon.

3D printers are a marvel of the modern era, and budding engineers should definitely learn to use them. Use Tinkercad or a similar program to design and print race cars that can support a defined weight, then see which can roll the fastest! (No 3D printer in your STEM lab? Check the local library. Many of them have 3D printers available for patrons to use.)

Hydroponics is the gardening wave of the future, making it easy to grow plants anywhere with minimal soil required. For a science fair STEM engineering challenge, design and construct your own hydroponic garden capable of growing vegetables to feed a family. This model is just one possible option.

Return to the good old days and build a radio from scratch. This makes a cool science fair project if you experiment with different types of materials for the antenna. It takes some specialized equipment, but fortunately, Home Science Tools has an all-in-one kit for this project.

The challenge? Set up a system to alert you when someone has broken into your house or classroom. This can take any form students can dream up, and you can customize this STEM high school science experiment for multiple skill levels. Keep it simple with an alarm that makes a sound that can be heard from a specified distance. Or kick it up a notch and require the alarm system to send a notification to a cell phone, like the project at the link.

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Encourages proposals and supplemental funding requests to expand the NAIRR Pilot community through community outreach, research training and support for educators to bring inclusive AI educational experiences to classrooms nationwide.

Supports institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions by providing funding for graduate fellowships for new or continuing students who received the distinction of NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Honorable Mention within the last three years.

Supports analytic and methodological research focused on improving NSCSES data quality, as well as education and training in the use of large-scale nationally representative datasets to advance the understanding of the science and technology enterprise.

Supports the advancement of privacy-enhancing technologies and their use to solve real-world problems. Aligned with a recent executive order on AI, PDaSP will enhance the ability to privately share and analyze data for a range of use cases and applications.

Supports organizations that will provide advanced cyberinfrastructure resources in production operations, supporting computational and data-intensive research and ensuring equitable access to these resources.

Supports research on engineered systems with a seamless integration of cyber and physical components, such as computation, control, networking, learning, autonomy, security, privacy and verification, for a range of application domains.

Supports startups and small businesses to transform scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Phase II funding goes to further the development of a proof-of-concept or prototype created with Phase I funding.

Invites active Advanced Technological Education program award recipients to submit supplemental funding requests to provide scholarship support to eligible students under the NSF Scholarships in S-STEM program.

Supports capacity building at HSIs through projects focused on institutional transformation and STEM education research, as well as HSI Hubs that amplify areas of need and importance to the HSI community.

Supports regional alliances in identifying and selecting outstanding STEM teachers across the nation to reward their achievements, raise their public profile and create rewarding career paths that support STEM research and public scientific literacy.

Invites planning proposals for large-scale CISE research projects that promote sustainable capacity-building and competitiveness across EPSCoR jurisdictions, leading to success in CISE large-scale project competitions.

Encourages the submission of proposals from EPSCoR interjurisdictional teams who have historically conducted foundational research to extend their work by pursuing related, use-inspired research questions in any STEM area that NSF supports.

Over the 2-day STEM camp students ranging between 3rd and 8th grades worked with community leaders in STEM fields to understand the chemistry of water, create experiments, learn about the importance of wetlands and understand the processes behind cleaning, caring for and maintaining our valuable local fresh water sources.

Day one consisted of students participating in experiments with Dr. Svelta Tordorova from Syracuse University on heat transfer through water. In the afternoon, the students worked with Monica Caves from Upstate Freshwater Institute on a water table and virtual tour of Onondaga Lake. A middle school educator from the East Syracuse Minoa School District, Sue Sobon, provided context for all of the activities on day one. On day two, the students went on two field trips, using a North Syracuse School District bus and driver (thanks Miss Gina!) for transportation. Students were able to see the Onondaga Lake Restoration Center and learn about the cleanup of Onondaga lake from Sue Potrikus as well as projects to continue to clean and maintain the valuable water site. In the afternoon students toured the Brewerton Water Pollution Control Plant and learned about powerful smells and how microorganisms and oxygen are used to clean water. Tours were provided by Steve and David Wede.

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