Senior Science Research

Overview

• The first goal of this class is to turn the lab work you've done into marketable products. Everyone will produce a research paper, a poster, and a presentation (PowerPoint/Google Presentation/Presi).
• The second goal of this class is to enter as many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics competitions as possible.
• The third goal of this class is to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through service to Midwood High School, New York City, and the world.
• Grades are based on how many events you participate in. The more things you try, the better your grade will be. Important dates are in red. There are many extra credit opportunities. Students who fulfill the nominal class requirements will receive a grade of 85% (G) in the 1st marking period, 90% in the 2nd marking period, and 95% for the semester. See phi.sx/Grades_Seniors_Fall for more info.

Fall Meetings for Seniors

Check the calendar on midwoodscience.org often. Individual, team, or small group meetings are the way business gets done. Large group meetings are rare. Keep your supervising teacher up to date on your progress. Do not hesitate to tell us of problems. Above all, do not miss your appointments. They count significantly toward your grade.

9. September
   1. First meeting: Entrance meeting on the second day of the semester in room A215/A220. Everyone attends.
      • Semester overview
      • Verify/update your contact info
      • Research paper 1st draft
   2. Second meeting
      • Siemens registration & paperwork (optional)
   • Competitions
     • Siemens Competition for Math, Science, and Engineering (optional) Monday, September 18, 2017
10. October
    1. First meeting
       • Research paper 2nd draft
       • Regeneron STS registration & paperwork (optional)
       • Neuroscience registration & paperwork (optional)
    2. Second meeting
       • Research paper 3rd draft
       • Regeneron STS registration & paperwork (optional)
       • JSHS registration & paperwork (optional)
    • Competitions
      • Neuroscience Research Prize (optional) Monday, October 9, 2017
      • Siemens Competition Regionals (if selected) various dates
11. November
    1. First meeting
       • Research paper 4th draft
       • Regeneron STS registration & paperwork (optional)
       • JSHS registration & paperwork (optional)
       • NYCSEF registration & paperwork (mandatory)
    2. Second meeting
       • NYCSEF registration & paperwork (mandatory)
    • Competitions
      • Regeneron Science Talent Search (optional) Tuesday, November 14, 2017
      • Siemens Competition Finals (if selected) first weekend of December
      • New York City Metro Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (optional) Sunday, November 19, 2017
12. December
    1. First meeting
       • NYCSEF registration & paperwork (mandatory)
       • September/October/November Lab Log
       • Application for Change to Weighted Research Course (1.05)
    2. Second meeting
       • PowerPoint 1st draft
    • Competitions
      • New York City Science and Engineering Fair (mandatory) Wednesday, December 13, 2017
1. January
   • PowerPoint presentations for 5–10 days
     • PowerPoint final draft (9:00 AM Tuesday, January 3, 2017)
     • Attend 5 days (Students who completed a Regeneron STS application only attend 1 day)
     • Present on 1 of these days
   1. First meeting: Exit meeting
      • St. Joseph's College High School Poster Session registration (mandatory)
      • NYCSEF status
      • JSHS status
      • Grades
   2. Second meeting (during Regents week)
      • Scientific poster first draft
      • NYCSEF status
      • JSHS status
   • Competitions
     • St. Joseph's College High School Poster Session (mandatory) Saturday, February 4, 2018

Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology

Monday, September 18, 2017 (research paper)

• Eligible students are encouraged to enter this competition for extra credit. Research Reports may be submitted on projects in the fields of mathematics, engineering, biological, and physical sciences. Social and behavioral science research projects are not eligible.
• Register using the Discovery Education website as soon as possible. The competition application is done entirely online. None of the "paperwork" uses actual paper.
• Read and follow the guidelines set by the Siemens Foundation.
• Paperwork is required of all students participating as well as the students' parents, the principal, and a qualified scientist or other mentor. Thankfully, these requirements are easy to complete. Projects involving vertebrate animals require additional paperwork from the student and mentor.
• This competition is centered around a research paper of 18 pages or fewer (not including abstract and references) and an executive summary (a.k.a. layperson's summary). Absolutely no student names or references to gender ("he" or "she"), high schools, school officials, advisors, mentors, affiliated research organizations, acknowledgments, or any other identifying information of the entrants are to appear anywhere in the research paper.
• Have your final application submission witnessed by your supervising teacher on or before Monday, September 18, 2017. Tuesday, September 19, 2017 is also allowed, but not preferred.
• Up to 300 projects are selected as semifinalists. Up to 30 individual students and 30 teams (of 2 or 3 students) are chosen to compete at one of 6 regional competitions in November (MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, UT Austin, Cal Tech). Students' names will be posted on the Siemens Foundation website Tuesday, October 17, 2017 for semifinalists and Wednesday, October 18, 2017 for regional finalists.
• Winners of the regional competitions go on to the national competition in December at George Washington University.

Regeneron Science Talent Search

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 (research paper)

• Students are encouraged to enter this competition for extra credit (and to reduce their obligations in January).
• This competition is a combination of a research paper and something similar to a college application (personal essays, letters of recommendation, transcripts, standardized test scores, and lots of short answer questions).
• Obtain a pdf copy of the rules and instructions from the Society for Science and the Public.
• Register and begin the application process in front of your supervising teacher at Apply Yourself during September or October.
• This application has multiple parts
  • Personal Info
  • Essay Questions – This includes an abstract and layperson's summary (a.k.a. executive summary).
  • Project Recommendation – Your mentor does this part.
  • Teacher Recommendation – Your supervising teacher does this part.
  • Counselor Recommendation (a.k.a. Secondary School Report) – Mr. Elert will notify the College Office on your behalf. This really isn't a "recommendation" in the traditional sense.
  • Official School Transcript – Mr. Elert will take care of this.
  • A research paper.
  • And for those who need it vertebrate animals, human participants, IRB, informed consent, etc.
• The entire process for students is done electronically. There are no paper documents. Save a copy of the final application pdf and submit it to Mr. Elert via sneakernet.
• The deadline for entry is Wednesday, November 15, 2017. You must provide proof to your supervising teacher that you have met this deadline and completed the application process before the end of the school day Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
• The 300 Scholars will be announced on Tuesday, January 9, 2018.
• The 40 Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)

Sunday, November 19, 2017 (research paper)
Sunday, February 4, 2018 (presentation)

• Seniors who have completed a research paper before the application deadline may enter this competition for extra credit. The competition has two parts: a research paper and a PowerPoint presentation.
• Team projects are allowed, but only one member of the team will present. Any other members of the team must attend as observers. Presenters will receive more credit than observers. All team members are responsible for contributing to the research paper equally.
• Deadline to submit applications and upload documents is Sunday, November 19, 2017. Applications are done online and have the following basic components:
  • Name, contact, and other info about the presenter
  • Abstract
  • Research paper
  • Parental consent form
  • Supervising scientist form
  • "Call for papers" form
  • Human subjects form (if applicable)
  • Biography of the presenter
  • Photo of the presenter
• Prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the symposium. Presenters will rehearse in February. The Symposium will be held at York College in Jamaica, Queens Sunday, February 4, 2018 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
• The top students at the NYC Metro JSHS move on to compete in the National JSHS May 2–5, 2018 in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF)

Wednesday, December 13, 2017 (research paper)
Sunday, March 4, 2018 (poster session)

• Students in this class must enter and participate in this event.
• Read the rules and guidelines to ensure your application will be accepted.
• Begin filling out the application forms as soon as possible. Use the Quick Guide tool to help you identify which forms you will need to submit with your application. The "Research Plan" is now called the "Project Summary".
• Register online in November soon after the website goes live.
• Make the necessary paper copies of your application and research paper including one copy for our records. Use one of the high volume photocopiers with a document feeder in room A200 (Biology Office) or A300 (Physical Science Office). If you are including color graphs, illustrations, or photographs you will have to make the necessary copies yourself.
• Materials will be collected for shipping on Tuesday, December 12, 2017. Mr. Elert will deliver them to the College Now offices on the 3rd Floor of 16 Court Street the next day — Wednesday, December 13, 2017.
• This year's Preliminary Round for all students will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018 in Shepard Hall at City College.
• The top 25 percent of student researchers from each subject category will be invited to participate in the Finals Round Tuesday, March 20, 2018 in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Science at the American Museum of Natural History.
• The Awards Ceremony follows on Monday, March 26, 2018 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at Borough of Manhattan Community College.
• 10–20 students will be selected to represent New York City at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania May 13–18, 2018.

Google Science Fair

Fall 2018 (Google Drive Presentation and Slide Show or YouTube video)

• The Google Science Fair is a global online competition for students aged 13 to 18. Participation in this competition is highly recommended for all eligible seniors.
• Register at googlesciencefair.com on your own or in teams of 2 or 3. You will be asked to input your Google account email address and password. If you do not have a Google account registered using your real name, make one.
• Get a parent's permission to enter. You will need to provide Google with your parent's email. If your parent does not have an email address, you can still register while you wait for your parent to get one.
• Submissions are done using a "project site builder" — basically a template that creates a Google Drive Presentation. Work from the original files you used to create the research paper, poster, and/or PowerPoint you entered into previous competitions. Copy, paste, and modify as needed.
• In addition, students need to create a slide show produced using Google Slides or a video uploaded to YouTube. The official rules say that this part is optional, but this part is required for all participating Midwood students. Slide shows must not exceed 20 slides. Videos must be shorter than 2 minutes.
• Set your documents, presentations, and videos to public so the judges can view them.
• Read the official rules [outdated link] carefully. As always, there are restrictions on projects involving people, animals, biological agents, animal tissues, and hazardous chemicals.
  • Human data may only come from pre-existing, publicly available resources; behavioral observations in unrestricted, public settings; or have been recorded in an anonymous/de-identified format.
  • Animal data may only come from pre-existing, publicly available resources; observations of behavior in the natural environment; or observations in a university laboratory.
  • Only data from organisms in Biosafety Level 1 and lower may be used.
  • Only data from established cell and tissue cultures may be used. Meat from a food store, restaurant, or packing house is also allowed.
  • No project may involve usage or handling of hazardous chemicals. Chemicals with a safety level of 2 or above are not permitted. The use of carcinogens of any category is strictly banned. Consult an MSDS database for more info.
• Don't mention any brand names or show any company or product logos.
• All photos, videos, and music must be original. Google will know if you obtained any of these items from "the internet".
• Final submission must be approved and witnessed by Mr. Elert on or before Fall 2018.
• 90 Regional Finalists will be announced unknown date.
• 20 Global Finalists will be announced unknown date.
• Finalist and Event Winners will be announced unknown date.

PowerPoint presentations for seniors

The spring semester is full of events where you are expected to talk about your project to the public. In January, you will practice for this eventuality. All seniors will deliver a PowerPoint presentation to an audience of junior and senior research students and teachers.

A preliminary draft of your presentation slide deck (a .pptx file) is due on the morning of the last Monday before Winter Break ( 9:00 AM Monday, December 18, 2017). The final draft of your deck will be due on the morning of the first school day after Winter Break ( 9:00 AM Tuesday, January 2, 2018). Email your slide decks to elert@midwoodscience.org and put "pptx file" in the subject line. This will ensure that it goes to the correct mailbox. Mr. Elert will keep the official copy of these files, but Ms. Mosley will also need copies from her students.

All presentations will start with a 30 second executive summary. Describe the essence of your project using language that can be understood by people who are generally well-educated but who are not experts in your particular scientific field. The executive summary will not be read off a slide, index card, or any other medium.

The remainder of the presentation should not exceed 8 minutes. Each slide will use text sparingly (except for the reference slide at the end). All images will be the work of the student, a colleague from the lab, or a referenced scientific source. No images "from the Internet" are allowed.

Attend 5 days of the possible 10 days of presentations. Present on one of these 5 days. Students who entered the Regeneron STS need only attend on 1 day — the day they present. You are welcome to attend extra days, but extra credit will not be awarded. Clap politely after every presentation and try to ask each presenter at least one good question. Fill out a scoring sheet after every presentation.

St. Joseph's College High School Poster Session

Saturday, February 4, 2018 (poster session)

• Students in this class must participate in this event.
• Register online during your January meeting with your supervising teacher.
• Students who wish to compete as a team must register individually with the exact same project title.
• This event is open to high school students who have completed research in any scientific area during the past year and can present their findings in a poster.
• The posters will be judged by professors and/or scientific professionals and cash prizes will be awarded for outstanding entries.
• The competition is held at St. Joseph's College - New York in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn at 245 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 on Saturday, February 4, 2018 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
• This event is sponsored by the New York Section of the American Chemical Society.

Lab Log Format

• In general …
  • Use a hardbound notebook — one that would show obvious damage if a page was removed.
  • Number all pages so that missing pages can be spotted.
  • Never remove pages from your lab notebook.
• Place important information on the inside front cover.
  1. Personal information
     • Your name, phone number, email address so that a lost lab log can be returned to you
     • Your ICE name and phone number (ICE means "in case of emergency")
  2. Where you work
     • Name of primary worksite, location (room number), phone number (if applicable)
     • Name of secondary worksite, location (room number), phone number (if applicable)
     • Name of tertiary worksite, location (room number), phone number (if applicable)
  3. Who you work with
     • Principal investigator (PI) name, phone number, email address
     • Other researcher name, phone number, email address
     • Lab manager/technician name, phone number, email address
     • Post-doc name, phone number, email address
     • Graduate/Undergraduate student name, phone number, email address
• Daily entries
  1. Date
  2. Location
  3. Time In/Time Out
  4. Aim/Goal
  5. Notes/Procedures/Results
• Monthly summaries
  • At the end of each month, create a table that summarizes the work you did for that month.

  Name of Month
  Date	Hours	Activity
  		⇐ Total hours for the month

Weighting and Extra Credit Requirements

• In order to receive extra credit for the month (juniors only) or to receive a 1.05 for the semester (juniors and seniors), you are expected to attend lab and/or do lab-related work for at least 4 hours per week (16 hours per month for a month with 4 full weeks).
  • A possible option for this time is analyzing articles that are related to your subject similar to the way you reviewed articles for this class.
  • For all equipment that you use, you should read the manual from your lab and explain the operating principle behind that piece of equipment.
  • For all protocols you should create an extremely simple flow chart of the procedure and identify the final product.

Fall Lab Logs

Lab logs are due at the first meeting of each month.

1. June/July/August lab logs are due in September for seniors and October for juniors.
2. September lab logs are due in October.
3. October lab logs are due in November.
4. November lab logs are due in December.
5. December lab logs are due in January.

Spring Meetings for Seniors

Check the calendar on midwoodscience.org often. Individual, team, or small group meetings are the way business gets done. (Large group meetings are rare.) Keep your supervising teacher up to date on your progress. Do not hesitate to tell us of problems. Above all, do not miss your appointments. They count significantly toward your grade.

1. January
   • Poster meeting (during Regents week)
     • Scientific poster first draft
     • NYCSEF status
     • St Joseph's status
     • JSHS status
2. February
   • Entrance meeting on the second day of the semester in the Research Room. Everyone attends.
     • Expectations for the semester
   • February meeting (after Midwinter Break)
     • Prepare for NYCSEF (mandatory)
     • Prepare for ACT-SO (optional)
     • Service options for March
   • Competitions
     • St. Joseph's College High School Poster Session (mandatory) Saturday, February 4, 2018
     • New York City Metro Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (if selected) Sunday, February 4, 2018
3. March
   • March meeting (before end of marking period)
     • Prepare for NYCSEF finals (if selected)
     • Prepare for ACT-SO (optional)
     • Prepare for Teptu (optional)
     • First marking period service logs
     • Service options for April
   • New York City Science and Engineering Fair
     • NYCSEF Preliminary Round at City College (mandatory) Sunday, March 4, 2018
     • NYCSEF Finals Round at the American Museum of Natural History (if selected) Tuesday, March 20, 2018
     • NYCSEF Awards Ceremony at Tribeca Playhouse (if selected) Monday, March 26, 2018
4. April
   • April meeting (before end of marking period)
     • Prepare for ACT-SO (optional)
     • Prepare for Brooklyn College Science Day (optional)
     • Prepare for JSHS Nationals (if selected)
     • Prepare for ISEF (if selected)
     • Second marking period service logs
   • Competitions
     • New York City ACT-SO (optional) Saturday, April 21, 2018
5. May
   • May meeting (first week of May)
     • Prepare for Brooklyn College Science Day (optional)
     • JSHS Nationals (if selected) May 2–5, 2018
     • Prepare for ISEF (if selected) May 13–18, 2018
     • February/March/April Lab Log
     • Application for Change to Weighted Research Course (1.05)
     • Service options for May and June
   • Competitions
     • Brooklyn College Science Day (optional) Friday, May 4, 2018
     • Midwood High School Science Fair (mandatory) Thursday, May 31, 2018
     • Intel ISEF (if selected) May 13–18, 2018
6. June
   • Exit meeting (last full week of classes)
     • Third marking period service logs
     • Return your drawer keys
     • Other exit topics
7. July
   • Competitions
     • National ACT-SO (if selected) July 12–15, 2018

Senior Service

• Students will be available to assist research teachers during their free periods or before or after their regularly scheduled school day. Each period of work counts as one point toward your final grade. A period of work may require a full 45 minutes or a fraction thereof.
• Seniors should plan to complete 10 periods of service in each marking period. More periods will result in a higher grade — fewer periods, a lower grade.
• Students may perform additional periods of service to substitute for the St. Joseph's College Poster Session or NYCSEF in the event of illness or failure to qualify.
• Examples of acceptable service activities include, but are not limited to …
  • Read resumes and cover letters.
  • Assist sophomore teachers with the set up and take down of labs, experiments, demonstrations.
  • Mentor sophomore students as they prepare for the Midwood Science Fair.
  • Speak to the sophomores about how you found your lab and what you did there.
  • Computer maintenance.
• Seniors will keep service logs. Logs will be checked at monthly meetings and one or two days before the end of each marking period. Totals for each marking period will be recorded by Mr. Elert or Ms. Mosley. Log entries should contain the following information …
  • Date and period of service.
  • Elapsed time.
  • A brief description of what was done.
  • A signature from the supervising teacher (Ms. Mosley, Ms. Goldstein, Ms. Katzoff, Mr. Elert and, rarely, Mr. Rosenfeld or Ms. Kornaker).

St. Joseph's College High School Poster Session

Saturday, February 4, 2018 (poster session)

• Students in this class must participate in this event.
• Register online during your January meeting with your supervising teacher.
• Students who wish to compete as a team must register individually with the exact same project title.
• This event is open to high school students who have completed research in any scientific area during the past year and can present their findings in a poster.
• The posters will be judged by professors and/or scientific professionals and cash prizes will be awarded for outstanding entries.
• The competition is held at St. Joseph's College - New York in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn at 245 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 on Saturday, February 4, 2018 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
• This event is sponsored by the New York Section of the American Chemical Society.

Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)

Sunday, November 19, 2017 (research paper)
Sunday, February 4, 2018 (presentation)

• Seniors who have completed a research paper before the application deadline may enter this competition for extra credit. The competition has two parts: a research paper and a PowerPoint presentation.
• Team projects are allowed, but only one member of the team will present. Any other members of the team must attend as observers. Presenters will receive more credit than observers. All team members are responsible for contributing to the research paper equally.
• Deadline to submit applications and upload documents is Sunday, November 19, 2017. Applications are done online and have the following basic components:
  • Name, contact, and other info about the presenter
  • Abstract
  • Research paper
  • Parental consent form
  • Supervising scientist form
  • "Call for papers" form
  • Human subjects form (if applicable)
  • Biography of the presenter
  • Photo of the presenter
• Prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the symposium. Presenters will rehearse in February. The Symposium will be held at York College in Jamaica, Queens Sunday, February 4, 2018 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
• The top students at the NYC Metro JSHS move on to compete in the National JSHS May 2–5, 2018 in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF)

Wednesday, December 13, 2017 (research paper)
Sunday, March 4, 2018 (poster session)

• Students in this class must enter and participate in this event.
• Read the rules and guidelines to ensure your application will be accepted.
• Begin filling out the application forms as soon as possible. Use the Quick Guide tool to help you identify which forms you will need to submit with your application. The "Research Plan" is now called the "Project Summary".
• Register online in November soon after the website goes live.
• Make the necessary paper copies of your application and research paper including one copy for our records. Use one of the high volume photocopiers with a document feeder in room A200 (Biology Office) or A300 (Physical Science Office). If you are including color graphs, illustrations, or photographs you will have to make the necessary copies yourself.
• Materials will be collected for shipping on Tuesday, December 12, 2017. Mr. Elert will deliver them to the College Now offices on the 3rd Floor of 16 Court Street the next day — Wednesday, December 13, 2017.
• This year's Preliminary Round for all students will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018 in Shepard Hall at City College.
• The top 25 percent of student researchers from each subject category will be invited to participate in the Finals Round Tuesday, March 20, 2018 in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Science at the American Museum of Natural History.
• The Awards Ceremony follows on Monday, March 26, 2018 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at Borough of Manhattan Community College.
• 10–20 students will be selected to represent New York City at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania May 13–18, 2018.

Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO)

Saturday, April 14, 2018 (registration)
Saturday, April 21, 2018(poster session)

• All seniors should seriously consider participating in this event in a science category and may also participate in another category. There are 27 total categories including 8 in the sciences. Students may compete in up to 3 categories. A few students should also serve as recruiters.
• The Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is a non-profit program sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This program has two major components — regularly scheduled enrichment workshops and the "Olympics of the Mind".
• The science competition consists of a research report and poster session (and paperwork of course). Submit 1 notarized, original of your paper and 1 copy at the registration meeting. At the poster session, participants are expected to describe their project in 5 minutes or less.
• Students competing in a science category are only required to attend 1 workshop before the competition. Those competing in other categories need to attend at least 3 workshops. Workshops are held on Saturday mornings in January, February, and March at the NYC ACT-SO Office, 270 West 96 St, between Broadway & West End Ave in Manhattan. (Click here for the workshop schedule.) Final project evaluation and registration will also be held at this location on Saturday, April 14, 2018.
• The Olympics of the Mind will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2018at Edward R. Murrow High School.
• The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 [estimated] at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen St in Brooklyn.
• Gold medal winners move on to the National ACT-SO at the NAACP National Convention July 12–15, 2018in San Antonio, Texas.

Google Science Fair

Fall 2018 (Google Drive Presentation and Slide Show or YouTube video)

• The Google Science Fair is a global online competition for students aged 13 to 18. Participation in this competition is highly recommended for all eligible seniors.
• Register at googlesciencefair.com on your own or in teams of 2 or 3. You will be asked to input your Google account email address and password. If you do not have a Google account registered using your real name, make one.
• Get a parent's permission to enter. You will need to provide Google with your parent's email. If your parent does not have an email address, you can still register while you wait for your parent to get one.
• Submissions are done using a "project site builder" — basically a template that creates a Google Drive Presentation. Work from the original files you used to create the research paper, poster, and/or PowerPoint you entered into previous competitions. Copy, paste, and modify as needed.
• In addition, students need to create a slide show produced using Google Slides or a video uploaded to YouTube. The official rules say that this part is optional, but this part is required for all participating Midwood students. Slide shows must not exceed 20 slides. Videos must be shorter than 2 minutes.
• Set your documents, presentations, and videos to public so the judges can view them.
• Read the official rules [outdated link] carefully. As always, there are restrictions on projects involving people, animals, biological agents, animal tissues, and hazardous chemicals.
  • Human data may only come from pre-existing, publicly available resources; behavioral observations in unrestricted, public settings; or have been recorded in an anonymous/de-identified format.
  • Animal data may only come from pre-existing, publicly available resources; observations of behavior in the natural environment; or observations in a university laboratory.
  • Only data from organisms in Biosafety Level 1 and lower may be used.
  • Only data from established cell and tissue cultures may be used. Meat from a food store, restaurant, or packing house is also allowed.
  • No project may involve usage or handling of hazardous chemicals. Chemicals with a safety level of 2 or above are not permitted. The use of carcinogens of any category is strictly banned. Consult an MSDS database for more info.
• Don't mention any brand names or show any company or product logos.
• All photos, videos, and music must be original. Google will know if you obtained any of these items from "the internet".
• Final submission must be approved and witnessed by Mr. Elert on or before Fall 2018.
• 90 Regional Finalists will be announced unknown date.
• 20 Global Finalists will be announced unknown date.
• Finalist and Event Winners will be announced unknown date.

Brooklyn College Science Day

Friday, April 20, 2018 [estimated] (abstract registration)
Friday, May 4, 2018 (poster session)

• Students who are working at Brooklyn College should participate in this competition — especially if required by their mentors. Other students may be allowed to participate at the discretion of the event organizers.
• Registration instructions will be emailed to participants. Brooklyn College has a minimal webpage for this competition, but it is for public relations purposes only and cannot be used for registration. Complete your application before Friday, April 20, 2018 [estimated].
• The poster session will be held from 9 AM to 2 PM on Friday, May 4, 2018 at the Student Center (a.k.a. SUBO), which is two blocks away from Midwood on Campus Road.

Midwood High School Science Fair

Thursday, May 31, 2018

All Science Research students participate in this event.

• Sophomores
  • Bring something to eat or drink
  • Participate as contestants
  • Feast
• Juniors and Seniors
  • Help set up
  • Participate as judges
  • Feast
  • Help clean up
• Alumni and Teachers
  • Participate as judges
  • Feast

Public Lecture

Attend an approved STEM lecture

• Attend, listen, and take notes.
• Retain your admission ticket, program, or any other handout given at the lecture.
• Have your photo taken at the event by a teacher or other approved attendance taker.
• Complete this assignment while the lecture is still fresh in your mind. (Print the page before you go.)
• Type up your responses to the questions and submit them to your supervising teacher the next business day along with proof of attendance. Be prepared to discuss the lecture at your next meeting.

Possible Lectures

• American Chemical Society New York Section
  • Brooklyn Frontiers in Science Public Lecture, Thursday, May 4, 2017
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
  • Major Trends in Modern Cancer Research, Thursday, November 3, 2016
• The Rockefeller University
  • Talking Science a.k.a. the "Holiday Lecture", Saturday, December 7, 2017

Competitions and Events

Participate in STEM competitions or attend STEM special events.

• Review this list at the begining of the school year.
• Find an event or competition you are interested in.
• Tell your supervising teacher what you intend to do.
• Provide evidence of progress or participation for partial credit (when applicable).
• Manage your time effectively. Anticipate Deadlines.
• Provide evidence of completion for full credit.

Last Updated 5 September 2016.

• American Mathematics Contest 12 (AMC 12)
  • Ask the Math Department at Midwood about this competition
  • Organized by the Mathematical Association of America
• American Association of Physics Teachers
  • High School Physics Photo Contest. See Dr. Riemersma in March
  • PhysicsBowl. See Mr. Spergel in March
• Bay Scallop Bowl
  • For members of the Ocean Science Team
  • See Mr. Stack in room 135 or Ms. Lau in room A212 for more info
• Biology Olympiad
  • Ms. Ross supervises this activity
  • Organized by the Center for Excellence in Education
• Brain Bee
  • For students in AP Psychology (current or former)
  • Organized by The Dana Foundation
• Chemistry Olympiad
  • The AP Chemistry teachers supervise this activity
  • Organized by the American Chemical Society
• Chemagination
  • Run by the New York Section of the American Chemical Society
• Cyber Security Awareness Week
  • Cyber Forensics Challenge
  • Organized by Tandon School of Engineering at New York University
• DNA Day Essay
  • Ms. Ross supervises this activity
  • Organized by the American Society of Human Genetics
• ExploraVision
  • Sponsored by Toshiba, Inc.
• FIRST Tech Challenge
  • For members of the Robotics Team
  • See Mr. Jahn in room A317 or Ms. Mosley in room A200 for more info
• Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams
  • Grants of up to $10,000 for technological solutions to real-world problems
• Maker Faire
  • Two days in September
  • Serve as a volunteer (a "Traveler" in Maker Faire speak)
• March of Dimes Essay Competition for Students (no website)
  • When they contact me, I will contact you.
  • Organized by the New York State Chapter of The March of Dimes
• Mathworks Math Modeling (M3) Challenge, formerly Moody's Mega Math Challenge
  • Ms. Grabowski in the Math Department supervises this activity
  • Sponsored by Mathworks and organized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
• NASA
  • Cassini Scientist for a Day
  • Capillary Effects on Liquids Exploratory Research Experiments (CELERE)
  • Space Settlement Contest
  • NASA's educational opportunities for high school students have been volatile lately. Check the NASA Education homepage for updates.
• Spirit of Innovation Awards
  • Sponsored by the Pete Conrad Foundation
• Saturday Science Seminars (a.k.a. S³)
  • Organized by the Barnard College Office of Pre-College Programs
  • For female students only
• Sleep Story High School Video Contest
  • Organized by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
• Team America Rocketry Challenge
  • Organized by Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry
• Urban Barcode Project
  • Organized by the Dolan DNA Learning Center (a.k.a. the Harlem DNA Lab)
  • Ms. Goldstein supervises this activity
• Young Science Achievers Program
  • Write a research proposal
  • Applicants for this program must be …
    • females of any ethnicity
    • males of African American, Hispanic or Native American descent
    • attending public or private high schools in New Jersey or New York City (grades 9–12).
• World Science Festival
  • Five days in May/June
  • Serve as a volunteer

Lab Log Format

• In general …
  • Use a hardbound notebook — one that would show obvious damage if a page was removed.
  • Number all pages so that missing pages can be spotted.
  • Never remove pages from your lab notebook.
• Place important information on the inside front cover.
  1. Personal information
     • Your name, phone number, email address so that a lost lab log can be returned to you
     • Your ICE name and phone number (ICE means "in case of emergency")
  2. Where you work
     • Name of primary worksite, location (room number), phone number (if applicable)
     • Name of secondary worksite, location (room number), phone number (if applicable)
     • Name of tertiary worksite, location (room number), phone number (if applicable)
  3. Who you work with
     • Principal investigator (PI) name, phone number, email address
     • Other researcher name, phone number, email address
     • Lab manager/technician name, phone number, email address
     • Post-doc name, phone number, email address
     • Graduate/Undergraduate student name, phone number, email address
• Daily entries
  1. Date
  2. Location
  3. Time In/Time Out
  4. Aim/Goal
  5. Notes/Procedures/Results
• Monthly summaries
  • At the end of each month, create a table that summarizes the work you did for that month.

  Name of Month
  Date	Hours	Activity
  		⇐ Total hours for the month

Weighting and Extra Credit Requirements

• In order to receive extra credit for the month (juniors only) or to receive a 1.05 for the semester (juniors and seniors), you are expected to attend lab and/or do lab-related work for at least 4 hours per week (16 hours per month for a month with 4 full weeks).
  • A possible option for this time is analyzing articles that are related to your subject similar to the way you reviewed articles for this class.
  • For all equipment that you use, you should read the manual from your lab and explain the operating principle behind that piece of equipment.
  • For all protocols you should create an extremely simple flow chart of the procedure and identify the final product.

Spring Lab Logs

Lab logs are due at the first meeting of each month.

1. January logs are due in February.
2. February logs are due in March.
3. March lab logs are due in April.
4. April lab logs are due in May.
5. May lab logs are due in June.