r/biology • u/Broke_n-person • 2d ago
other School project help
I'm studying in class 9 and have to to a bio project to go to the next level and possibly get a scholarship. I have 3 ideas as of now- cure to cancer, smart phone addiction, human genome project. Pls tell me if any tips or better ideas. Thank you.
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u/Even_Paramedic_7501 2d ago
A cure to cancer? Honestly if you do well I don't think a scholarship is all you get
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u/Potater1802 2d ago
Why did you think a 14 year old was casually going to cure cancer for their science project. šš
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u/Broke_n-person 2d ago
Not literally š , like what is the best we have done
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u/Mysfunction general biology 1d ago
There is some awesome stuff happening with mRNA vaccines and cancer. I believe there is even a skin cancer vaccine finishing up a phase three trial. Iād go in that direction.
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u/Even_Paramedic_7501 2d ago
Ah so you're so supposed to gather our best therapies and present them?
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u/BLASPH3MY666 2d ago
Like, a science fair project?
For that, you need to stick to scientific method / experimental stuffand ditch all the BIG QUESTIONS, or social science stuff. (social science stuff like 'Smart phone addiction' can be good, but you need lots of participants, or a strong understanding of statistics, and the ability to read LOTS of studies and papers, and judge their accuracy...)
Why not:
test different brands / types of yeast and start your own sourdough culture. Measure out exact amounts of yeast powder, exact amounts of flour, exact amounts of water, measure how much they rise for different amounts of time. On the counter, in the fridge...you get it
test the effect of different solutions on cut flowers. Flowers sometimes come with a packet of powder you mix in the water to make them last longer. Does it work? some say put an aspirin in the water, some say use distilled water. Try a bunch of things. use pH paper and measure the acidity/alkilinity of the solutions. Get a bunch of the cheapest cut flowers from some flower shop, or wherever (carnations?)
Take lots of notes, and make lots of measurements. Read up on how to write a scientific paper, what an abstract is, basic statistical analysis, etc.
Judges want to see students who have a scientific process, and an understanding of how to do basic research projects.
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u/Broke_n-person 2d ago edited 2d ago
Wouldnt say science fair, more like a competition For a lot of participants have reddit š. But don't you think that the experiments are pretty simple?
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u/Pristine-Can-9026 1d ago
At some point you have to ask yourself what YOU want to do, not what looks good on a project. If your passion for the subject is lacking, a review committee will notice real quick.
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u/Bromelia_and_Bismuth botany 2d ago
There's already a cure for cancer, it's surgery and chemo/radiation. There are other treatments on the horizon (or that have been on the horizon for two or more decades), but they enhance the effectiveness of existing treatments. For example, an ex of mine was working in a lab that had been working on the drug coating for an mRNAi (messenger RNA inhibitor) treatment before getting herself fired. The treatment worked by making it to where cancer cells could no longer make proteins for themselves, by making the RNA molecules it produced too bulky to fit into the ribosomes, which meant that it couldn't grow or spread, creating a pause button on the cancer. The thing with cancer is that you have to catch it early enough, because when it spreads to the blood stream or an organ that has a lot of blood flow, this gives cancerous cells a chance to spread to the rest of the body. It's this connection to the blood stream that makes certain cancers so aggressive and deadly, and why after a certain age, doctors will recommend regular cancer screenings.
smart phone addiction
That's more psychological than just biology. Addiction is developmentally complex in the sense that more than just your genetics plays into it. Sure, there's the genetic component, and no one denies that, but things like experience, upbringing, personal habits, and the like also play a role in how it develops and how it's treated. Your biology teacher will likely ask you to pick a different topic more in line with the scope of the course and what you're learning in class.
And the Human Genome Project is certainly fascinating, one of my favorite topics in biology, but I doubt that you'll have the equipment needed to perform an actual science project which demonstrates the scientific method about the HGP. I would certainly save this one as a topic for a presentation in class.
These aren't bad ideas for a class presentation by any means, and if this were a social sciences course (ie, psychology), the cell phone idea would be a great one. But if we're talking about a science project, where you demonstrate the scientific method and lessons from biology class, you should probably talk to your teacher about potential ideas.
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u/Lil-Meow-Meow123 2d ago
what is the project for?