Science Fair Project Ideas
Specific Projects:
- Soils and Earthquakes
- Designing Structures to Perform Well During an Earthquake
- Ideas from the Exploratorium
- Build Your Own Seismometer
- Make a Shake Table
- Make a Brick and Sandpaper Earthquake Model
- Create Your Own Tsunami
Project Ideas:
1) Earthquake prediction
Investigate and find out if anyone has a consistent successful way to predict earthquakes. If not, why were they not successful. Come up with your own idea for predicting earthquakes, and test it. Explain why it did or did not work.
2) Earthquake myths
Examine earthquake myths and interview people about these myths to find out what they think. What would be the best way to get rid of myths? Is there any group of people who tend to believe myths more? Older people? Younger people? Other groups?
3) Seismic waves
What types of seismic waves are there? What do they look like on a seismogram (recording)? What effects do different kinds of waves have on different kinds of buildings?
4) World-wide earthquake hazards
Which areas around the world are most vulnerable to earthquakes and why? What are the major problems dealing with earthquakes in different areas?
5) Earthquake preparedness
Find the most effective ways to prepare for an earthquake. Test the effectiveness of different types of earthquake brackets and straps, etc. Determine the safest places to be inside the house, outside, in car, etc. Prepare on earthquake plan for your family, class, school.
6) Earthquake risks
Investigate the current earthquake risks in your area. If there are none currently, have there ever been earthquakes there in the past? Why, and why aren't there any now?
7) Plate tectonic model
Build a model that simulates plate motions and their effects.
8) Tsunamis
Demonstrate how a tsunami is created.
9) Plate tectonics
Cut a world map along the plate boundaries, and try to fit the pieces back together like they were millions of years ago. Observe how each piece has moved to its current position.
10) Fault models
Make models of different kinds of faults and investigate the tectonic setting of each (where are these types of faults generally found?).
11) Earthquake-proof buildings
Try to design a building that can withstand an earthquake. What works? What doesn't work? Why?
12) Seismograph
Make a seismograph.
13) Monitoring earthquakes
Monitor earthquakes locally, regionally, or globally, and plot them on a map.
14) Locating an earthquake
Show how earthquakes are located. Create a fictional story about an earthquake and write a news story with a map showing the epicenter.
15) Stress & strain
Make a model to show how stress and strain affect different materials (wood, silly putty, etc.)
16) Earthquakes & volcanoes
Investigate how earthquakes and volcanoes are related.
17) Magnitude & intensity
Show the difference between magnitude and intensity. What controls the magnitude of an earthquake? What affects the shaking intensity?
18) Earthquakes on other planets
Do earthquakes occur on other planets? Which ones? Why or why not?
19) San Andreas Fault
Learn about the different segments of the San Andreas Fault. Demonstrate how each segment behaves differently and why.
20) Other ideas to brainstorm
Interior of the earth, earthquakes & roads, earthquakes & buildings, earthquakes and the Eastern US, "Ring of Fire".
See also:
Science Buddies
Successful Science Fair Projects
The Ultimate Science Fair Resource
California State Science Fair
Science Fair Project on the Web
All Science Fair Projects
