SCIENCE FAIR

WHAT IS SCIENCE FAIR?

Science Fair is a competition run by the Cooper School Science Department every term.

Science Fair is a project based science challenge for all students in Years 7, Year 8 and Year 9, with each fair having a general brief or focus (e.g. global warming, food science, public health etc...)

It's an optional project for you to complete at home or in school in your own time (it is not a compulsory activity).

Science Fair can be done just for fun at home, OR you can enter your projects into the competition (see the entry form below).

Projects and ideas entered in the competition are brought into school and presented in the last week of each term. Anyone can come and see the amazing work on show and our Headteacher Dr Whannel will judge all entries and present prizes to the best projects.

Questions? Email Miss Brown!

EBrown@thecooperschool.co.uk

Prizes and Awards

All projects entered in Science Fair will receive a certificate and a badge.

Winning projects will also receive gift vouchers, trophies and other amazing prizes!

TERM 1 PROJECT

"How will we power the homes of the future?"

Deadline for Term 1 entries

Wednesday 13th October 2021

Term 1 Science Fair

Wednesday 20th October 2021

Scientists are now looking at how we can replace these fossil fuels with more renewable and sustainable alternatives.

But how can we stop using fossil fuels and still be able to meet all our energy needs?

FACT: We people use a lot of energy, especially in our homes.

We always want to have warm homes, good lighting, hot water, hot meals and be able to power all our electrical devices like phones and TVs every day.

However, the Earth is facing an energy crisis!

Using fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas to supply our heat and electricity produce lots of greenhouse gas emissions, which leads to global warming.

YOUR CHALLENGE

Find a way in which we might be able to power our homes in the future, or reduce how much energy our homes need.

You can research and use technology that already exists in your idea, or design and invent new technology to use.

Some questions to get you thinking...

How will people in the future:

Light their homes? Will they use normal light bulbs, strip lighting, LEDs? Natural lighting? Chemical lights? Where will we put these lights?
Cook their food? Can gas or electric cookers be powered another way? Can we make them more efficient and less wasteful?
Heat their water? Do we have to use a gas or electric boiler? Can we get hot water from another source? How can we get people to use less water?
Reduce heat loss from their house? Houses have insulation in walls and ceilings to help keep heat in, but windows still let out a lot of heat. Can we find a new type/structure/shape of insulation that's better? Can we stop heat escaping from glass?
Reduce how much electricity is used for lighting, heating and devices?

Other things to think about in your project:

Will your solution vary depending on where people live? What about people living in the desert? the arctic? tropical islands?
Will your solution be cheap and accessible to everyone? Solar panels are expensive and not everyone can afford 20 for their roof. So, could you take a piece of energy producing/saving technology more easily or cheaply?
Will we have to build new houses, or can we change our current ones? Can we adapt our houses by adding things to them instead of knocking them down and starting again? Put things on the roofs? drainpipes? gardens? driveways? windows?

Could you find a way for a home to use one or more sources of renewable energy? (E.g. solar power, wind power, or hydroelectric power?)

Got some amazing ideas? Brilliant! Can you try and test your ideas in some way to see how well they work?

HOW CAN I PRESENT MY IDEA?

MAKE A PRESENTATION BOARD

Presentation boards are fantastic for displaying your work to maximum effect. Show off your research, diagrams, or ideas so loads of people can easily see it.

You can make them colourful and artistic too to grab attention (but remember that what you're writing about is the most important thing!)

MAKE A MODEL

Physical models are a great way to demonstrate your idea works in the real world (like the water turbine picture on the right).

You can make models out of almost anything. Remember to try and make models to scale if possible, and include labels showing what the different parts are.

CREATE SOMETHING IN A COMPUTER

Some good free computer modelling software can be found here.

(REMEMBER: always ask your parent's permission before downloading software to your computer)

You could also even use SIMS or Minecraft to make a model if you fancy being creative!

WHAT DOES MY PROJECT HAVE TO HAVE IN IT?

There's not a lot of things your project NEEDS to have in it.

Your project should contain:

Some sort of drawing, model, diagram of your ideas (the more detailed the better!)
A written explanation of what your idea is and how it will work

Good projects usually also include:

Some research you've done from books or the internet that link to your project
A weigh up of possible pros and cons of your idea. What are it's benefits and possible problems or drawbacks?

The rest is up to you!

HOW DO I ENTER?

To enter the Science Fair, you will need to click this button and complete the attached Google Form

If you don't complete the Google Form before the deadline, your project might not be able to take part in Science Fair.

IMPORTANT!

You don't have to have finished or even started your project yet to enter!

Deadline for Term 1 entries

Wednesday 13th October 2021

Term 1 Science Fair

Wednesday 20th October 2021

Any questions or problems, please email Miss Brown - EBrown@thecooperschool.co.uk

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