Below are ideas to get you started developing a project of your own. Choose something that sounds interesting, then start doing research and build your project's hypothesis from there!

All high school projects require a high level of original thought and development. To participate in upper-level competition, a project should be relevant to current science and technology, and should present a benefit to society. Start brainstorming by looking at the ISEF categories; it’s a good idea to check the ISEF guidelines, also, before you choose a topic.

Life Science

• Compare the effect of antibiotics on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. (Grow your own cultures with agar & petri dishes. For a sample procedure and more project ideas, see our bacteria science project guide.)
• Run a bioassay to test for toxicity in water or soil.
• Test the effect of ultraviolet radiation on bacteria growth.
• Experiment with plant genetics (plant hybrids, cross-breeding).
• Test factors like smoke or pollution that might affect transpiration rates for plants.
• Investigate the effects of increased oxygen or carbon dioxide concentration on plant germination.
• Find out the differences in properties and effects of organic vs. chemical fertilizers.

Earth Science

• Explore methods of erosion prevention, test effects of different soil composition on erosion (e.g. how does more clay compare to more sand?).
• Experiment with methods of flood management and containment.
• Investigate the effects of sunspots on weather patterns.
• Work with methods for forecasting weather.
• Test the concentration and effect of minerals and pH in soil and water samples. (Use water test strips and a soil analyzer.)
• Determine chemical makeup of rain in your area; test possible hazardous effects.

Physical Science

• Study acoustic models and methods of noise control. (A sound measurement kit might be helpful.)
• Experiment with the effect of storage temperatures on batteries.
• Develop improvements in battery chargers; try methods of using solar cells to recharge batteries.
• Compare the bending strength and durability of different building materials.
• Experiment with building materials that are fire-preventative.
• Design industrial uses of magnets; test the effects of magnetic and electromagnetic fields on living organisms such as brine shrimp.
• Design a project in advanced robotic programming.

Chemistry

• Test the effects of the pH level of a solution on the corrosion of iron and copper; explore different methods of corrosion prevention.
• Experiment with types, effectiveness, and the impact on nutritional value of preservatives in food.
• Compare the properties and effects of artificial sweetener vs. sugar or other natural sweeteners. (For this and the following tests, you might consider the Chemistry of Food kit.)
• Test the chemical properties and physiological impact of saturated, unsaturated, and trans fats.
• Use indophenol to test the effect of different cooking methods on the depletion of vitamin C in food.
• Investigate the role of enzymes and yeast in the fermentation or cheese-making process.
• Experiment with different methods of water filtration/purification (such as solar distillation).
• Analyze the by-products of gasoline; compare efficiency of various octane levels.

Environmental Science