Honors Chemistry Project Information

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Annie Swinton

Honors Chemistry Project

Introduction

One of the best learning experiences a student can undertake is a science project. In addition to learning and applying the scientific method, students learn how to organize information, collect appropriate data and develop effective communication skills. This project is not designed to be more busy work, but rather allow students to be creative with science and gain an experience they can take beyond their schooling.

The Honors Chemistry Science Project consists of three main parts.

  • Topic Selection & Hypothesis
  • Experimental Design & Procedure
  • Conclusion & Presentation

Topic Selection & Hypothesis

The first stage of a Science Project is choosing an appropriate topic to research. This is often the most difficult as the number of ideas are endless and the only limitation is that the topic must be within the realm of chemistry (biochemistry, analytical, physical, etc). The key to success is to select a topic that interests you.

Next, choose a problem relating to that topic that you would like to explore. You may elect to go online and search for experiments. As a high school student you must choose a topic that is appropriate for your age and education. A winning science fair project does not have to be complex; however, you must fully understand your project and have completely investigated all of the scientific components of your experiment.

You will begin your process by brainstorming topics, then performing research on your topic to come up with a question and hypothesis. Once you have a hypothesis, you can then begin designing an experiment.

Topics 

Your topic can come from one of the following areas of chemistry:  

  • Biochemistry—the study of the chemical processes in living organisms.  
  • Geochemistry—the study of the chemical composition of rocks and minerals.  
  • Environmental Chemistry—the study of the chemical and biochemical processes that occur in natural places.  
  • Physical Chemistry— concerned with the application of the techniques and theories of physics to the study of chemical systems  
  • Analytical Chemistry—the study of the separation and identification of chemical components of matter.  
  • Organic Chemistry—the study of compounds made from carbon aside from salts.  
  • Inorganic Chemistry—the study of compounds that do not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds(salts & metals)

Restrictions:  

  • Biological hazards: No human subjects, living vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents and DNA, human tissue  
  • Chemical hazards: No DEA-controlled substances, prescription drugs, alcohol and tobacco, firearms and explosives, non-ionizing and ionization radiation, toxic chemicals, lasers, or other hazardous laboratory devices

Experimental Design and Procedure

As chemistry is the focus of your topic, you must be able to make measurements and record data. Your experiment must have STEM components: Scientific Method, Technology (computers, internet, computer programs, measuring devices), Engineering (testing device or procedure you had to construct), and Mathematics (calculations). Your experiment must also be repeated at least 5 times in order to get valid data.

A good experiment has a well-written procedure with clear and concise instructions. Appropriate observations must be recorded. For example– if you are measuring the amount of gas given off from a chemical reaction, you will want some way to measure that volume. Your experiment must be more than qualitative observations– you must have measurements of some sort.

All experiments must also be completed in a safe manner. Consider the safety of all reagents and equipment used in your experiment. Most experiments can be performed at home if they are relatively safe.

Conclusion & Presentation

In addition to performing experiments, scientists also practice effective communication. You will have to analyze the data from your experiment and process it– this means converting it into graphs, charts, diagrams, etc. Your conclusion should explain the results of your experiment in detail. You will want to answer the following questions:  

  • Did your experiment prove or disprove your hypothesis? If it didn’t, how would you refine your hypothesis for a future experiment?  
  • What changes could you make to the experiment to get better results?  
  • What are the benefits for having obtained this knowledge? This can be from your own perspective or from a human perspective.

In addition to a lab report, you are required to make a presentation to display your project and share with your classmates. This will summarize your experiment, including your reasoning for exploring the subject, the experimental design, and any conclusions you’ve made from the experiment. Presentation must be eye-catching but also organized and professional. The format of this presentation is up to you.

Student Responsibilities

Students are required to turn in weekly assignments for a grade. Each weekly assignment will help complete an additional piece of the final project.

Lab Report Requirements

The format for a lab write-up needs to include the following sections. Each section be labeled with a subheading. These subheadings need to be in the same format. That can be bold or underlined. You should also include page numbers on all pages starting after the cover page.

Cover Page: This includes the title of your project, your name, your teacher’s name and the name of your class. This information will be centered in the center of your page both horizontally and vertically. This will be its own page.

Introduction: Otherwise known as an abstract. This is a one paragraph summary of your report and includes the objectives of your experiment, a description of the investigation to be conducted, methods, the hypothesis and the reason for the hypothesis you have made.

Discussion: This is a discussion on the chemistry of your project. The questions you should be answering in this section is; what mechanisms are going on in the experiment? How is it tied to chemistry? You must cite your sources, and if Wikipedia is used you must include another source.

Hypothesis: The hypothesis is what you think will happen during the investigation. It differs from a guess in that it is based upon prior knowledge or evidence. It should be supported by previously developed evidence and/or concepts. Note: The hypothesis should be the statement that drives your laboratory investigation and represents your best prediction of the results based on prior experience with the problem.

Materials: A list of the materials and equipment used in the lab. Be very specific and include quantities.

Procedure: A step-by-step process for performing the lab. Be specific. Use pictures and/or diagrams of your setup and label the equipment (draw pictures). State any hazards that may be encountered while doing the lab. You must include the independent and dependent variables and the control(s) in the experiment. The procedure does not need to describe every trial if they are identical.

Data/Results: The data you recorded. Includes tables, observations and measurements. Show any calculations you needed to perform to obtain specific data (only one calculation per formula is necessary). Do not hide or eliminate any suspected faulty data but present it. Later, in your conclusion, you may explain why you have decided not to use suspected errors in your analysis.

Analysis: The analysis should be in two parts: A visual representation of your data and a written explanation of your data. This is where you arrange your data into graphs and charts. Graphs and charts should be labeled (title, axes, labels, key, scale). The written portion of your analysis should summarize any important patterns or pieces of data. You can include calculations derived from your data, including averages, highs and lows, percent error, percent yield, etc.) The analysis will be very important to display on your presentation.

Conclusion/Discussion: Summarize the important result(s) of the lab. The conclusion should clearly tie the results of the experiment to the hypothesis and there should be a detailed discussion of why the hypothesis should be accepted or rejected. This section should also include information about how this experiment could be changed to improve the results.

References: This will be on its own page. Any media or websites you used while studying/creating this procedure. This includes books, website URLs or other sources.

Presentation Requirements 

The presentation should be your experiment on display. You should include your title, an introduction to your experiment, the problem, hypothesis, materials list, a simplified version of your procedure, any charts or graphs you created in the experiment, and your conclusion. This is your chance to be very creative and eye-catching. Pictures of your experiment in progress are a good addition.

Timeline

  • Week 1 - read project information and begin considering topics
  • Week 2 - brainstorm project ideas (brainstorm doc)
  • Week 3 - select a topic and submit a project proposal (proposal doc)
  • Week 4 - find sources related to your topic (sources doc)
  • Week 5 - submit experimental planning sheet (planning doc)
  • Week 6 - plan material and procedure
  • Week 7 - conduct experiment
  • Week 8 - data and results analysis
  • Week 9 - complete conclusions and discussion
  • Week 10 - submit first draft of lab report
  • Week 11 - submit revised draft of lab report
  • Week 12 - submit presentation draft
  • Week 13 - submit final lab report and presentation
  • Week 14 - discuss classmates’ presentations

Scoring Rubric

This scoring rubric will be used to assign a grade to your final project, which is worth 100 points. Individual grades will be earned on each weekly assignment.

Originality / Creativity (30 points)

  1. The problem is original or a unique approach to an old problem.
  2. Experimental design shows creativity.
  3. Resources, materials, equipment are appropriate to experiment.
  4. Application and interpretation of data demonstrate original thinking.
  5. Student shows understanding of unanswered questions.
  6. Project goes beyond textbook information.

Scientific thought and understanding (30 points)

  1. The hypothesis is well stated and based on reading, study and/or observation.
  2. Project demonstrates depth of study.
  3. Student demonstrates depth of knowledge regarding scientific principles involved.
  4. The experiment design is effective in testing the hypothesis.
  5. Results and conclusions are clearly and honestly stated and are logical, relevant, and related to the hypothesis.
  6. Implications of the experimental results are discussed and one or more hypotheses and experiments are suggested.
  7. Student can extrapolate what was learned from the project to the subject in general or related subjects.

Organization and completeness (15 points)

  1. The project has a well-defined goal / objective.
  2. Experimental procedures are well-organized and executed.
  3. The scientific literature has been searched.
  4. Experimental data is recorded in a careful and orderly manner.
  5. Experiments have been repeated as needed.
  6. Implications of the project are fully addressed.
  7. The presentation is well-organized.

Effort and motivation (15 points)

  1. Amount of time spent on project.
  2. Amount of time conducting background reading and studying.
  3. Extent to which depth of background reading and study was reflected.
  4. The student learned a considerable amount about the subject.
  5. The presentation was informative and attractive. 

Clarity (10 points)

  1. The purpose, hypothesis, procedures, results and conclusions are clearly stated.
  2. The project title accurately portrays the actual project.
  3. The abstract is clear and well-written
  4. The presentation is clear and reflects knowledge of the problem and the basic science underlying it.
  5. All audio and visuals in the presentation are clear and relevant to the project.


Adapted from Wayne County Schools

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