Search past science fair projects

Beware of the Bezoar

Chemistry

Objectives/Goals The objective was to see how much did a seven year old boy eat to be able to form a bezoar. This project was also a test to see what would be a safe amount of gelatin a huma…

Beyond the Perceptron: A Computational Geometric Approach to Machine Learning

This project develops a new machine learning algorithm based on computational geometry. The algorithm is able to sort and classify multi-valued inputs, and return a determination of whether…

Bias, Suggestibility, and the Creation of False Memories

Biomedical and Health Sciences

Hypothesis: Post-event suggestion will create a higher rate of false memories than bias. Methods: 185 subjects were randomly assigned to 2 groups, either bias or suggestibility. The bias gro…

B.I.K.E. Helmet: Bicycle Intersection 'Kollision' Eliminator

In 2013, over 48,000 people on bicycles were injured and 743 killed in accidents involving cars in the United States. A significant proportion of these accidents occur at intersections. How…

Bioaerosol Boss: Desquamative and Other Bioaerosols Deactivation Ultra-Violet C Light Irradiation Prototype

Operating rooms flooded with UVC light during surgery in clinical studies conclude UVC light reduces surgical infection rates. Instead of flooding an entire operating room with UVC light—cre…

Biochemical Characterization and Imaging of Arc: Insights into Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s Development

Alzheimer’s Disease is is characterized by loss of synapses in the cerebral cortex and accumulation of extracellular Beta-Amyloid Peptides (neuritic plaques). Assemblies of Beta-Amyloid are…

Biodetoxification Spectrum of the Cigarette Beetle Endosymbiont, Symbiotaphrina kochii, on Carcinogens Found in Cigarette Smoke

Symbiotaphrina kochii (S. kochii) is a species of endosymbiotic yeast present in the gut microbiome of the Cigarette Beetle (Lasioderma serricorne). Despite consuming tobacco both pre and po…

Biodiesel: Fuel for the Future

Environmental Engineering Third Award

Objectives/Goals The goal of this project is to find out which source produces the best quality biodiesel. These sources include, fish tank algae, chlorella algae, scenedesmus algae, duckwee…

Biodiesel: The Future Generation Fuel

Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology Fourth Award

Objectives/Goals There is a constant production of trash in the world and there isn#t enough space to accommodate the amount. The objective was to find which type of organic waste produces t…

Bio-Engineered Concrete: A Sustainable Self-Healing Material

Environmental pollution occurs as landscape mutilation, carbon dioxide emission, and energy consumption due to mass-scale concrete production. Cracked concrete has a reduced strength, reduce…

Bioengineering Functional Kidney Tissue from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: A Promising New Treatment for Kidney Disease

First Award

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant global health problem that affects 10% of the world’s population and costs over $200 billion to treat every year. A new treatment for CKD is des…

Bioengineering of Bone Fragments in Calcium Alginate Using Canine Adipose Derived Stem Cells Exposed to BMP-7

Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology

Objectives/Goals The aim of this experiment was to reveal whether adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells can form bone fragments in a three dimensional matrix and in the presence of osteogen…

Bio-Inspired Wind Power: Can a Whale Help Us Design Better Wind Turbines?

Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics (Junior Division Only) Second Award

Objectives/Goals The objective of this task was to determine if the power output of a three blade horizontal axis wind turbine could be improved by incorporating simple whale tubercles into…

Biological Phenomena of Neural Stem Cell Differentiation

Recognizing an insufficiency in therapeutic strategies for repair and regeneration in regard to neurodegenerative diseases, we focus on decreasing current controversial animal model testing…

Biomass to Biofuel: Production Enzymes

The purpose of this experiment was to indicate which enzymes and blends of enzymes extracted the most glucose from switch grass in ethanol production. Results were recorded on a spreadsheet…

Biomass to Biofuel: Using Mushrooms for the Production of Cellulosic Ethanol

Studies have shown that fungi can be very beneficial in the production of biofuels directly from agricultural waste. The purpose of this experiment is to determine if mushrooms can be used t…

Biomimetic Vortex Dredger

Third Award

Introduction: Dredging has stopped in the European Union as of result of the water framework directive (2000), global climate change is on the rise and floods are hitting communities very ha…

Biopsy-Implantable Chemical Sensor for Monitoring and Adjusting Cancer Treatments

In the battle against cancer (which kills nearly 8 million people worldwide each year) doctors use powerful weapons from their arsenal myriads, including various forms of Chemotherapy and Ra…

Bioremediation: The Effect of Oil-Eating Bacteria on the Oxygen Production of Elodea canadensis

Environmental Engineering

Objectives/Goals Objective: To determine the effects of oil-eating bacteria on the bioremediation process of oil spills on Elodea canadensis#s ability to produce oxygen. Methods/Materials I…

Biosand Filter: Which Model Works Best?

Environmental Engineering

Objectives/Goals In my experiment, I am testing the effectiveness of adding charcoal (activated carbon) layers into the traditional biosand filter build and discovering whether the addition…

Bisphenol A Transfer from Receipts: Detection Using TOF-SIMS

Chemistry

Objectives/Goals The objective of this experiment is to see whether Bisphenol A (BPA) from receipts will transfer onto surfaces such as your hand. Another objective is to see if BPA levels i…

Black Bear Damage to Conifers in Redwood Forests

Environmental Science

Objectives/Goals Black bears strip the bark off conifers and eat the cambium as a food source. I wanted to determine if a redwood forest regenerating from a clear cut would create favored co…

Black Ice Warning System through Optical Visualization of Road Condition for Unmanned Vehicle

‘Black Ice’ is a road condition that the frozen road surface looks normal. It is very hard to identify the road condition during night driving, which can lead to numerous traffic accidents.…

Black Silicon Inflatable Hybrid Solar Power, a 3rd Year Study

The purpose of this experiment was to create a solar power apparatus with improved efficiency by pairing black silicon solar submerged in circulating water with an inflatable solar concentra…

Blink! A Study of Blink Rates while Using Computer Devices with Different Screen Sizes

Mammalian Biology

Objectives/Goals The objective of this study is to compare human blink rates with the use of different computer device types to help people with dry eyes. Previous studies have shown a reduc…

BliPC: A Low Cost Computer for the Blind Using a Raspberry Pi and Cloud Technologies

Mathematics & Computer Science

Objectives/Goals Create and program a computer for the blind community at a low price using inexpensive modern technologies. The computer should be able to allow the blind to 1) View and Edi…

Blowing Smoke: Differential Effects on Oral Bacteria between Vaping and Cigarette Usage

Electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigarettes” are touted by cardiologists as an alternative to help traditional smokers quit smoking. In particular, e-cigarettes are marketed toward a young audie…

Blown Away: A Study of the Flight Characteristics of Conventional and Canard Wing Configurations

The wing configuration of an airplane affects the airplane’s flight characteristics. The purpose of the experiment was to compare the lift, drag, efficiency, and stall characteristics of a c…

Boiling Cold: Lowering the Boiling Point of Water

Physics & Astronomy Honorable_mention Award

Objectives/Goals I wanted to explore the phenomena of lowering the boiling point of water through decreasing air pressure or adding solutes into the water. Methods/Materials Using a vacuum p…

Boosting MFC Biocatalyst Performance: A Novel Gene Identification and Consortia Engineering Approach

First Award

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that use bacteria to catalyze the conversion of waste into electricity. Although MFCs are a promising technology for sustainable energy production, fu…