Book Reviews

Book Reviews

• Science Projects: How To Collect, Analyze, and Present Your Data

• Science Projects: Book 1. Project Ideas in the Life Sciences

• Science Projects: Book 2. Project Ideas in Chemistry and Biochemistry

• Science Projects: Book 3. Project Ideas in Physics and Engineering

James W. Jetter
J. Chem. Educ., 2010, 87 (9), pp 908–911 DOI: 10.1021/ed100653p
Publication Date (Web): July 20, 2010 Copyright © 2010 The American Chemical Society and Divison of Chemical Education, Inc.

Richard Neuhaus has written four excellent textbooks that young science investigators and their teachers can use to get started on a science fair project. The intended audience is primarily high school students (grades 9−12), although the books could also be useful for advanced middle school students.

The first book in this series is titled Science Projects: How To Collect, Analyze, and Present Your Data. This book helps students answer the question, “How do I get started on a proposed investigation?” In addition, the author points out (and I agree) that reading this book is useful to students who have already started or even completed their investigation. Another question the book asks, “What do you hope to prove?” The author develops his answer by discussing how the student can generate a hypothesis and what can be predicted from it. The text goes on to describe how the student should collect, organize, and present rough data in the form of tables and graphs. The author goes into great detail about the advantages and disadvantages of each method of presenting rough data.

Throughout the book, certain points are reemphasized with the aid of the “Guidance Department Owl” and a big box that highlights the key points. For added clarification, flowcharts with timelines show the ideal progress of a generic project. Another useful aid that strengthens key points for the reader is the use of testimonials in various examples. There are additional short chapters on statistics, calculators, and computer packages that do statistical analysis. All in all, this book is a must for secondary school teachers who want a well-written and organized source to aid their students in starting, organizing, and presenting a science project.

There are three other books in the Science Projects series, dealing, respectively, with the sciences of life and biology, chemistry and biochemistry, and physics and engineering. Each of these books contains useful appendices summarizing the material on data gathering and presentation presented in Science Projects: How To Collect, Analyze, and Present Your Data.

Science Projects: Book 1. Project Ideas in the Life Sciences describes project ideas in the life and biological sciences. This book is divided into four life-science content areas: Bacteria, Plants, Animals, and Environmental Science. In each area, the author focuses on the basics of specific projects. The 65 project topics presented are intended to help students get started and expand upon the basic experiments. Helpful references are included for each experiment or project. Some sample topics in the four areas include:

• Bacteria: Investigating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on Vegetables; Testing for “Salt-Loving” Bacteria; and Testing for Normal Bacteria on the Surface of Plants

• Plants: How Does the Order of Exposure to Different Colors of Light Affect Germination?; Cloning African Violets and Carrots; and Hybridization: Creating Varieties of Indoor Fibrous Begonia by Cross-Pollination

• Animals: Electrocardiogram of a Water Flea; Measuring the Respiration of the Milkweed Bug between Molting Stages; and The Effect of Thyroid Hormone on the Development of Tadpoles

• Environmental: Sampling and Measuring Carbon Dioxide in Air Samples; Locating Sources of Well-Water Contamination; and The Effect of Ground-Up Plastics and Papers on Plant Growth

This book also uses the Guidance Department Owl for key tips. For example, on page 68, the book suggests that the young investigator ask science fair judges about restrictions on projects that use animals and humans. Additionally, Appendix A provides some useful rules for research involving live vertebrate animals.

Science Projects: Book 2. Project Ideas in Chemistry and Biochemistry describes projects in chemistry and biochemistry that have varying levels of difficulty. The format is similar to that of Book 1, with 36 chemistry project topics and 40 project topics in biochemistry. Here is a sample of project topics:

• Chemistry: Separating Food Dyes from Candy; Investigating Variables That Affect Copper Plating on Different Surfaces; Chemical Analysis of Soil and Sampling Strategies; and Building Your Own Gel Electrophoresis Apparatus

• Biochemistry: Enzymes in “Veggies”: How Fast Do They Act?; Separation of Eye Pigments of Fruit Flies; Extracting DNA and RNA from Plant Tissue; DNA Testing and Genealogy; Investigating the Chemical Process of Photosynthesis; Biological Fuel Cell; and Transformation of Bioluminescence Genes

Additionally, Appendix A covers some basic laboratory safety practices; Appendix B discusses basic chemical solution preparation.

Science Projects: Book 3. Project Ideas in Physics and Engineering describes various physics and engineering projects. Continuing in the same format as the previous books, there are nine physics project topics and four project topics in engineering. Listed below is a sample of the projects in each content area

• Physics: Opposites Attract; Mechanical Things; Things That Spin; Fluids at Rest or in Motion; Electrical Things; Hot Stuff; The Sound of Fury; Let There Be Light; and Invisible Ligh

• Engineering: General Engineering and Technology; Agricultural Engineering; and Technology Applied to Ideas in Books 1 and 2

Appendix B describes how to measure rotational motion and energy.

In addition to the full-length textbooks, Gormley Publishing (http://www.gormleypublishing.com; accessed Jul 2010) provides short “Neuhaus Science Project Guides”. Each guide costs less than $4 and contains a brief yet detailed summary on the following topics

• Writing the Science Project Report, 34 pp. This booklet guides the secondary school science student through the process of writing a thorough report for a science fair project. The material this guide covers can be found in the three textbooks listed above

• Preparing for the Science Fair, 20 pp. This booklet guides the secondary school science student through the science fair experience. It offers insight as to what the student can expect on the day of the science fair

• Methods of Chromatography, 67 pp. This booklet explains basic methods, materials, and techniques for the beginning chromatographer

• How To Use a Spectrophotometer, 45 pp. This booklet explains the theory and the application of the use of a spectrophotometer in a science project. The information is geared toward the secondary school science student

• How To Use a Multimeter, 43 pp. This booklet explains the operation of a multimeter that measures volts, ohms, and amps for use in a science project. The information is geared toward the secondary school science student.

Richard Neuhaus’s Science Project series would make a great addition to any science library collection. The author has done a wonderful job helping secondary students and their mentors get started on answer the crucial questions such as “What do I hope to prove?”, “How do I get started?”, and “How do I organize, write up, and present my science project?” If you are a teacher who wants to improve your skills and the skills of your students planning to present at local science fairs, then Richard Neuhaus’s Science Project series is a great starting point.