Robert Gardner - Ace Your Ecology and Environmental Science Project

USE SCIENCE TO HELP THE EARTH

How many different organisms can you identify in a square meter of earth? What happens to plants if they don't have sunlight? How does a greenhouse work? Learn the answers to these questions and more with the fun ecology and environmental experiments in this book. Many experiments include ideas you can use for your science fair.

About the Authors

ROBERT GARDNER is a retired high school teacher of physics, chemistry, and physical science, who enjoys writing, biking, and doing volunteer work. PHYLLIS J. PERRY is the author of more than two dozen books for children and teachers. After teaching science for nearly thirty years, SALVATORE TOCCI decided to devote his time to writing chemistry textbooks and science books for young readers.

When you hear the word science, do you think of a person in a white lab coat surrounded by beakers of bubbling liquids, specialized lab equipment, and computers? What exactly is science? Maybe you think science is only a subject you learn in school. Science is much more than this.

Science studies the things that are all around you, every day. No matter where you are or what you are doing, scientific principles are at work. You dont need special materials or equipment, or even a white lab coat, to be a scientist. Materials commonly found in your home, at school, or at a local store will allow you to become a scientist and pursue an area of interest. By making careful observations and asking questions about how things work, you can begin to design experiments to investigate a variety of questions. You can do science. You probably already have but just didnt know it!

Perhaps you are reading this book because you are looking for an idea for a science fair project for school, or maybe you are just hoping to find something fun to do on a rainy day. This book will provide an opportunity to conduct experiments and collect data to explore a particular branch of science called ecology. Ecology is the study of living things and their interactions with each other and their environment.

Many of the experiments in this book may be appropriate for science fair projects. Experiments marked with a symbol () include a section called Science Fair Project Ideas. The ideas in this section can help you develop your own original science fair project. However, judges at such fairs do not reward projects or experiments that are simply copied from a book. For example, a model of a leaf, which is commonly found at these fairs, would probably not impress judges unless it were done in a novel or creative way. On the other hand, a carefully performed experiment to find out how the removal of carbon dioxide from the air affects a plant growing under otherwise normal conditions would be likely to receive careful consideration.

All scientists look at the world and try to understand how things work. They make careful observations and conduct research to answer a question. Different areas of science use a number of different approaches. Depending on the phenomenon being investigated, one method is likely to be more appropriate than another. Designing a new medication for heart disease, studying the spread of an invasive plant species, such as purple loosestrife, and exploring whether there was once water on Mars all require different methods.

Despite the differences, however, all scientists use a similar general approach to do experiments. It is called the scientific method. In most experiments, some or all of the following steps are used: making observations, asking a question, formulating a hypothesis (a best-guess answer to the question), making a prediction (an if-then statement), designing and conducting an experiment, analyzing results and drawing conclusions, and accepting or rejecting the hypothesis. Scientists then share their findings with others by writing articles that are published in journals. Afterand only aftera hypothesis has repeatedly been supported by experiments, can it be considered a theory.

You might be wondering how to get an experiment started. When you observe something in the world, you may become curious and think of a question. Your question may also arise from an earlier experiment or from background reading. Your question can be answered by a well-designed investigation. You should then make a hypothesis, which is a possible answer to the question (what you think will happen). Once you have a hypothesis, it is time to design an experiment. In most cases, it is appropriate to do a controlled experiment. This means you use two groups and treat them exactly the same except for the single factor that you are testing. That factor is often called a variable. For example, if you want to investigate whether green plants need light, two groups should be used. One group is called the control group, and the other is called the experimental group. The two groups of plants should be treated exactly the same: They should receive the same amount and type of soil and water, be kept at the same temperature, and so forth. However, the variablelightwill be different. The control group will be put in the dark while the experimental group will be put in the light. The variable is the only difference between the two groups.

During the experiment, you will collect data. For example, you might measure growth of the plants in centimeters, or count the number of dead leaves. You might note color and condition of the leaves. By comparing the data collected from the control group with the data collected from the experimental group, you will draw conclusions. Since the two groups were treated exactly alike, increased growth of plants in the light would allow you to conclude with confidence that more growth is a result of the one thing that was different: light being available to the plant.

Two other terms that are often used in scientific experiments are dependent and independent variables. One dependent variable in the example is growth, because growth depends upon light availability. Light is the independent variable (it does not depend on anything). After the data is collected, it is analyzed to see whether the hypothesis was supported or not. Often, the results of one experiment will lead you to a related question, or they may send you off in a different direction. Whatever the results, there is something to be learned from all scientific experiments.

Science fair judges tend to reward creative thought and imagination. It helps if you are really interested in your project. Take the time to choose a topic that really appeals to you. Consider, too, your own ability and the cost of materials. Dont pursue a project that you cant afford.

If you use a project found in this book for a science fair, look for ways to modify or extend it. This should not be difficult because you will probably find that as you do these projects new ideas for experiments will come to mind. These new experiments could make excellent science fair projects, particularly because they spring from your own mind and are interesting to you.

If you decide to enter a science fair and have never done so before, you should read some of the books listed in the Further Reading section. The books that deal specifically with science fairs will provide plenty of helpful hints and lots of useful information that will enable you to avoid the pitfalls that sometimes plague first-time entrants. You will learn how to prepare appealing reports that include charts and graphs, how to set up and display your work, how to present your project, and how to relate to judges and visitors.