Scientific Research Projects

Goals

• Choose a topic of interest related to garden• Design a scientific experiment• Gather data• Present your findings to your peers

Time-line

• List of Topics due Tuesday, November 5th, 2013• Draft research proposal due November 20th• Final Research proposal due December 4th

• Experiment set-up by Friday, January 10th

Due Tuesday November 5th

A major grade• A list of 3 topics of interest to research• Include a driving question for each• Explain why you want to research the topic

and what you hope to learn• For you favorite, include a half-page of

information that you researched on the topic written in your own words

Terms to Know

• Horticulture- the cultivation of flowers, fruits or vegetables

• Botany-the science of plants• Agronomy- the science of soil management

and field crops• Aquaponics-the cultivation of plants in

solution (instead of soil)

Suggestions of Topics

• Irrigation with rainwater vs. municipal water• Water conservation study (soil amendment)• Organic fertilizers vs. conventional fertilizers• Home-made vs. commercial compost• Improving how many seeds germinate• Nitrogen production by legumes• Aquaponics techniques

Sources of Inspiration

• http://www.sciencebuddies.org/• FFA (Future Farmers of America) • Agriscience Fair project topics• 4H

By Wednesday, September 19th

• Submit a list of 5 possible topics of interest for scientific study

• Each topic needs to include a guiding question

• Example• Topic---Preferences for bottled or tap water• Question– do students at WHS prefer the taste

of bottled water or tap water?