Junior Science Research

Overview

• The first goal of this class is for students to develop an evidence-based research project of their own. Projects are researched and described in the fall semester and executed and analyzed in the spring semester. Students are encouraged to look for mentors with advanced content knowledge to help guide them through the research process, but this is not mandatory.
• The second goal of this class is to help students acquire the skills needed to be successful in the scientific competitions that occur in senior year. Students will be given assignments that align with the requirements of the Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS), Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), Terra NYC STEM Fair, St. Joseph's University High School Poster Session, Afro-Academic Cultural Scientific Technological Olympiad (ACT-SO), Brooklyn College Science Day, and others.
• Grades are based partly on how much you do (the more things you try, the better your grade will be) and partly how well you do them (the better your work is, the better your grade will be). Important dates are in red. 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. There will be many opportunities for extra credit.

Spring Meetings for Juniors

Check the big 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.

2. February
   1. First meeting before break
      • January lab log
      • Status check
   2. Second meeting after break
      • Status check
3. March
   1. First meeting
      • February lab log
   2. Second meeting
      • Status check
4. April
   1. First meeting, only meeting
      • March lab log
      • Status check
5. May
   1. First meeting
      • April lab log
      • Status check
   2. Second meeting
      • Status check
      • Application for Change to Weighted Research Course (1.05)
• Midwood High School Science Fair Thursday, May 23, 2024
6. June
   1. Exit meeting, only meeting
      • Research report, draft 0
      • May lab log
      • Expectations for summer

Assignment 5: Research Report

Update your research plan (where you wrote about what you planned to do) into a research report (where you will write about what you did do). Students who are part of a team will submit one report that will be contributed to equally by all team members working on the project.

You are not expected to write a complete research report in one shot. You will submit draft 0 at the end of junior year (Wednesday, May 29, 2024) and draft 1 at the beginning of senior year (probablyMonday, September 9, 2024. You will keep submitting drafts in senior year until you are more than 90% finished with each part or a few days before the deadline for the Terra NYC STEM Fair (probablyFriday, December 13, 2024) whichever comes first. Research reports that are completed by the end of October can also be entered into the Regeneron Science Talent Search. (Individual projects only. Sorry, no teams.)

A research report consists of the following parts:

0. Abstract

The purpose of an abstract in a scientific journal is to allow the reader to judge whether they should read the entire report. Competitions for high school students also use abstracts as quick summaries for judges who are not assigned to read papers in their entirety. A good abstract is typically 100–200 words long and would fit comfortably on a single piece of paper when double spaced. An abstract should address these themes in basically this order…

• The motivation for doing the project
• The methods used to execute the project
• The data collected
• The techniques used to analyze the data
• The key findings
• The significance of those findings

Although the abstract is the first part of a research report, it is always written last. It may appear on the title page or on a page by itself. No abstracts should be written for draft 0.

1. Introduction

   The introduction defines the subject of the report. It must give the reader sufficient background information (with frequent citations) to understand the rest of the report. A good introduction will answer several questions, including…

   • What was the motivation behind performing this project?
   • What relevant knowledge already exists about the topic that this project is a part of?
   • What is the specific purpose of your project? This can be stated as a hypothesis, question, or goal.

   In the research plan, this part was called the rationale. Do not call it a rationale for this assignment.

   All images, diagrams, renderings, drawings, flowcharts, photographs, etc. should be original. If you absolutely need to use an image produced by someone else, you must cite your source.

2. Materials and Methods

   Describe your experimental design including all procedures for gathering data. If your procedure was influenced by any previously performed projects, you must cite your sources. This part may include…

   • Photographs or drawings of equipment used
   • Flowcharts showing procedures that might be hard to follow in writing
   • Screenshots of online experiments or surveys
   • Snippets of computer code

   In the research plan, this part was called the procedure. If you prefer that name, you can use it for this assignment as well.

   All images, diagrams, renderings, drawings, flowcharts, photographs, etc. should be original. If you absolutely need to use an image produced by someone else, you must cite your source.

3. Results and Analysis

   Summarize the data collected from the experiment(s) you performed. Describe the analytical methods used to test your hypothesis, answer your research question, or decide if you have reached your engineering goal.

   All material in this section must be original.

   This part may include…

   • Photographs of experimental outcomes (gels, petri dishes, plants grown, soils collected, etc.)
   • Data tables (but data shown in a graph should not be duplicated in a table)
   • Equations used to compute quantities (typically physical equations, but never statistical equations).
   • Graphical representations of data (scatter plots, bar charts, pie charts, heat maps, GIS maps, etc.)
   • Results of statistical tests (mean, median, standard deviation, uncertainty, linear regression, t test, ANOVA, correlation table, etc.)

   All figures and tables should have descriptive titles and should include a figure caption explaining any symbols, or abbreviations. Figures and tables should be numbered consecutively and referred to in text by number (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.).

   Figures and tables should be self explanatory; that is, the reader should be able to understand them without having to read any body text. All columns and rows in tables and axes in figures should be labeled.

4. Conclusion and Discussion

   Summarize your results and provide interpretation for the reader. Explain the logic that allows you to accept or reject your original hypotheses. Explain what the data show through analysis and how it relates to what is already known. Describe limitations in the techniques or experimental design of your project. Suggest future experiments that might clarify or extend your project. Speculate on the importance of your results to the larger worlds of science or culture.

5. References

   Follow A.P.A. formatting. Include DOIs or URLs (but never both) as applicable. Be sure that URLs do not include tracking code. This part should be single spaced with hanging indents (also known as outdents) and a blank space between entries. Entries should be sorted alphabetically by author. All entries must have an author (human or "corporate"). This part should start on a new page.

Adapted from the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) rules and guidelines and Writing Lab Reports and Scientific Papers by Warren D. Dolphin, Iowa State University.

Midwood High School Science Fair

Thursday, May 23, 2024

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

Spring Lab Logs

• Junior lab logs are due on the first business day after the end of each month. They are worth points toward your grade and are necessary to qualify for Honors Science Research. All juniors are required to keep a lab log starting in January.
• Senior lab logs are due on the first business day after the end of each month but are only used to qualify for Honors Research. Only a few seniors are typically eligible for Honors in the spring semester.

Honors Science Research

Honors credit is available for juniors and seniors who work on their project under the supervision of a mentor (PhD, MD, other qualified professional) affiliated with a regulated research institution (university, hospital, government agency, etc.). Eligible students will have their class grade weighted by 1.05 when their transcript average is computed. (AP classes are weighted by 1.1, in comparison.)

In order to qualify, students need to…

• Juniors
  • Fall semester: Be accepted into a regulated research institution by a mentor before the end of December. Have your mentor email us saying that you will be an intern, volunteer, etc. or that they will be supervising, mentoring, or advising you with your project. (Let them decide on the language.)
  • Spring semester: Keep a lab log of the work you do for this class in February, March, April, and May. Meet the goal for the number of hours each month (typically 16 hours). If you do not have a mentor at the beginning of the semester, you need one by the end of May.
• Seniors
  • Fall semester: Keep a lab log of the work you do for this class in September, October, November, and December. Meet the goal for the number of hours each month (typically 16 hours). Have your mentor fill out and sign a Qualified Scientist Form for the Terra NYC STEM Fair before the deadline in December.
  • Spring semester: Have your mentor contact us saying that you will continue to work with them or other people in their lab as an intern, volunteer, etc. Keep a lab log of the work you do for them (and for the class in general) in February, March, April, and May. Meet the goal for the number of hours each month (typically 16 hours).

Extra Credit

STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Math