Biology Science Project

Here is all the information you need to get started on your science project. Please keep in mind that these are the general instructions for the biology project for all of you. Your particular teacher might have more specific instructions and/or more details that they will be providing in class. Make sure you listen to your biology teacher when it comes time to talk about these projects in class!

Here are your options:

Option #1 - Write a paper on a biology topic

• You can either write a paper on a topic of your choice (provided it is approved by your teacher) or you can choose one of the options here
• Paper must be a minimum of five pages long, have at least five sources, and fit MLA standards. 

Option #2 – Powerpoint presentation

• Students will choose one of the individuals or projects listed below and discuss their contribution to biology (or you may pick a topic not on this list provided it is approved by your teacher): 
• William Henry
• Robert Hooke
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek
• Carolus Linnaeus
• Jan Ingenhousz 
• Edward Jenner
• Georges Cuvier
• Matthias Schleiden & Theodor Schwann
• Charles Darwin
• Louis Pasteur
• Gregor Mendel
• August Weismann
• Alexander Fleming
• Hans Krebs
• Theodosius Dobzhansky
• Oswald Avery
• Alfred Hershey & Martha Chase
• Melvin Calvin
• Barbara McClintock
• James Watson & Francis Crick
• Marshall Nirenberg
• Robert Weinberg
• Karl Ernst von Baer
• George Beadle
• Rosalind Franklin
• Maurice Wilkins
• Raymond Dart
• Stephen Jay Gould
• Louis & Mary Leakey
• Jane Goodall 
• Robert Jarvik
• Thomas Hunt Morgan
• The Human Genome Project
• Small pox eradication program
• Students will present a Powerpoint presentation that is a minimum of 10 slides and five minutes long to the class and be available to answer questions afterward. 
• NOTE: A works cited page with at least five sources that conforms to MLA standards will also be submitted by students who chose this option 

Option #3 – Standard science fair type project 

• Students must present a topic for approval by the teacher.
• Projects will be evaluated paying special attention to use of the scientific method and untracked variables. 

Option #4 – Science Olympiad

• Your participation in a Science Olympiad event will count as your science project

MLA Standards

You will need to follow MLA standards for your science project research paper (if you chose that option) and part of your PowerPoint presentation (if you chose that option).

If you're writing the paper, there's a clear and concise summary of the general format for an MLA paper that you should follow here.

If you're doing the paper or the PowerPoint presentation, you'll need to do a works cited page. You can find instructions on how to do that here for the basic format and here, here, here, and here for more specific sources.  .

Remember, if you have any questions, ask your biology teacher!

FYI

Check out five iconic science images...and why they're wrong here.

The Cell

While the static diagrams you have in your text are great and all, go here for a tutorial on the different organelles in a cell and here for a tutorial on cell membranes. Both tutorials go in to cells in a bit more detail than you're responsible for, but they're still pretty good. You won't be disappointed!

Organic Molecules

If you're having trouble visualizing the organic molecules we talked about in chapter 3, it might help you to visit this website. It has 3D molecular models that you can manipulate.

Importance of Good Science

In chapter 1, we discussed the importance of adhering to the scientific method when conducting scientific research. This is particularly important if you are in a position where millions of people will hear your results. Enter Dr. Oz. Recently, Dr. Oz reported on his show that apple juice is tainted with arsenic. This would be bad. If it were true. News agencies, bloggers, and the FDA jumped all over Dr. Oz for his reporting of misleading results and failure to retract his statements. There's a great commentary here at Genomics, Evolution, and Pseudoscience that gives a concise report of what Dr. Oz did in his "experiment" and what he should have done. Great reading!

Polar molecules

There's a bit more chemistry in this video then you'll need for biology, but this video might help those of you who are having trouble visualizing polar molecules.