美國學生如何系統地準備英特爾國際科學工程大賽

作者介紹

Barnas Monteith

Barnas Monteith 馬薩諸塞州科學與工程節（MSSEF) 主席。該機構是美國最早的科技教育組織，也是美國麻州最早的基于探究學習的科學教育非營利組織，由麻省理工學院和美國科學與藝術學會（美國中科院）創辦，迄今已有70年歷史。早在高中時，他就在MIT學習人工智能，他的研究在MIT多媒體實驗室獲得了MIT 50k及哈佛商學院的商業計劃學術活動等多個最高獎項。此外，Barnas 13次獲得各類國際科學工程大賽冠軍，其中包括2次獲得國際科學工程大賽( ISEF) 一等獎特等獎， 歐洲青年科學交流獎、Nynex 科技獎、愛迪生獎、海軍科學研究獎等等…… 他還是 MSSEF 歷史上最成功的科學節參加者，其中4次斬獲 MSSEF 第1名，4次獲得區域勝利第1名……

除了擔任馬薩諸塞州科學與工程節主席之外，他還

• 幫助麻州州長成立麻州科技教育委員會，并擔任首任主席
• 主持參與編寫麻州科技教育大綱，此大綱是NGSS基礎
• 創辦了新英格蘭地區各州科學節會議
• 推出了科學探究教育標準
• 在國際科學工程節（ISEF）上持續多年舉辦國際教育學院
• 創立Tumblehome Learning出版社，在過去十多年多次獲得美國科學教師協會（NSTA）推薦大獎，出版發行很多科普讀物和科技教程教具
• 此外，他還是幾家半導體企業的創始人

他和他的團隊率先推出了科技教師培訓項目 Curious Mind，他們的教程在各個學區包括大學推行，并在美國科學藝術協會支持下舉辦專項工作室，培訓老師及學生，以及波士頓科學博物館、圖書館相關人員。

什么是科學大賽?

What is science fair?

A?science fair?experiment is generally a competition where contestants present their?science project, results in the form of a report,?display board, and/or models that they have created. In USA, science fairs allow students in elementary, middle and high schools to compete in science and technology activities.?The main motive of a science fair is for students to answer a question or task, not from a textbook but found out themselves by conducting a range of experiments and ongoing research in the short amount of time allocated to them.

科學大賽通常是一種學術活動，參賽者可以通過報告，展示板和/或他們創建的模型來展示他們的科學項目。在美國，科學大賽允許小學，初中和高中的學生參加科學技術活動。舉辦科學大賽的主要目的是讓學生自己通過在短時間內進行一系列實驗和持續研究來回答一個問題或完成一個任務，而不是從教科書中學到這些。

寫在最前

I recently gave a talk at the Massachusetts STEM Summit, held at the Foxboro MA Patriots stadium, focused on STEM and innovation/entrepreneurship.One of the key focuses of the talk was the upcoming Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), following the US-wide adoption of the Common Core Math and English standards. ?26 of the 50 states have agreed to be part in the drafting and adoption of these standards, and more are expected to participate as well.

我最近在麻州Foxboro Patriots體育場舉行的馬薩諸塞州STEM峰會上發表了演講，重點關注STEM教育、創新與創業。在美國范圍采用了共同核心數學和英語標準之后，下一個重點是下一代科學標準（NGSS）。50個州中有26個同意參與這些標準的起草和通過，估計有更多的州將會參與進來。

So, in the coming years, science departments across the US will be looking to find new ways to align their curriculum with these new standards, which include more rigorous and deep science content as well as logic processes/methods. ?One such method we all know very well in the science fair community is the scientific method.

因此，在未來的幾年里，美國各地的科學部門將尋求新的方法來使他們的課程與這些新標準保持一致，其中包括更嚴格和更深入的科學內容以及邏輯過程/方法。我們科學界公認的一種方法就是“科學方法”。

However, the term “scientific method” appears to have been replaced by the term “practices”, which encompass the very same processes promoted widely by science fairs for the past nearly 70 years. ?However, by incorporating the “practices” more concretely into a national set of science standards, we may soon begin to see science fairs institutionalized in the American educational landscape. ?Half a century ago, science fairs were ingrained in the US formal school culture, but due to a variety of factors (decreased funding in education across the board, more focus on a smaller subset of frameworks to improve standardized testing scores nationally, fewer school hours and less lab time, etc…) science fairs have become less of a national priority, despite the best efforts of the current administration to highlight the very best STEM students in the US.

然而，“科學方法”一詞似乎已經被“實踐”一詞所取代，“實踐”涵蓋了過去近70年來科學大賽廣泛推廣的相同過程。然而，通過將“實踐”更具體地納入國家科學標準，我們可能很快就會開始看到科學大賽在美國教育領域制度化。半個世紀以前，科學大賽在美國正規學校文化中根深蒂固，但由于各種因素（全面教育資金減少，更多關注大綱局部細節以提高全國標準化考試成績，減少上學時間和實驗投入），雖然現任政府盡最大努力突出美國最優秀的STEM學生，但科學大賽已不再是國家的優先事項。

Currently, it is thought that less than a quarter of all US students participate in a science fair of one kind or another — however, thanks to NGSS, this number may soon be on the rise as science departments grapple with a way to fulfill the practice standard requirements.The science fair, was once seen as an innovative way to offer real world experiences to students in the sciences, and perhaps inspire them to become scientists or engineers. ?Now, the science fair has re-emerged as an innovative way to educate.

目前，據估計不到四分之一的美國學生參加了這樣或那樣的科學大賽 — 但是，由于NGSS，隨著科學部門努力實現“實踐”這一目標，這個數字可能會很快上升。科學大賽曾被視為向喜歡科學的學生提供現實世界體驗的創新途徑，也許可以激勵他們成為科學家或工程師。現在，科學大賽已經重新成為一種創新科學教育方式。

Looks like for US science teachers and public school students alike, the next few years will be the time to pick up their old science fair curriculum resources and practice, practice, practice!

對于美國科學教師和公立學校學生來說，未來幾年將是他們拿起舊的科學大賽課程和資源并且實踐，實踐，再實踐的時候了！

如何開始

Getting Started

Here’s the first tip:? Start early.

By starting your project early (maybe even during the summer), you will have time to really examine your topic and know your information?Inside & Out.? By starting early, you will have time to decide whether or not your topic is too broad or too narrow and adjust your topic accordingly.? By starting early, you will have time to recover from mistakes, adjust your procedure, if necessary, or get advice from a mentor or additional equipment, if needed.? So start early.? Do a little each day. If you start early, time is on your side.

第一個提示：盡早開始。通過盡早開始你的項目（甚至可能在前一年夏季開始），你將有時間真正檢查你的主題并了解你所關注的信息。通過提前開始，你將有時間決定你的主題是否過于寬泛或過于狹窄，并相應地調整你的主題。通過提前開始，你將有時間發現并糾正錯誤，必要時調整你的程序，或者可以從導師或其他設備中獲得建議。所以盡早開始。每天做一點。如果你早點開始，時間就站在對你有利的這邊。

I will provide you with lots of information about “Getting Started.”Step 1:?Pick a topic: this is always the most difficult.

Step 2: Figure out if your science project will use the “Scientific Method” or the “Engineering Method.” Unless you’re in elementary school and have specifically been assigned to do a demonstration project, you won’t bring home a prize if you do a demonstration project. Learn the difference below.

Step 3: Time to start to do?research. Whether you’re doing an experiment or creating a design, you need to research your topic to find out more about it and other experiments that may have been done on the subject.

在這里，我再就關于“如何開始”多說一些。第1步：選擇一個主題：這一直是最困難的一步。

第2步：弄清楚你的科學項目將使用“科學方法”還是“工程方法”。除非你現在還在小學，并且專門被指定做一個演示項目，否則你不會因為一個演示項目而獲獎。在下面我會介紹他們的不同之處。

第3步：訂下開始研究的時間。無論你是在進行實驗還是設計創作，你都需要研究你的主題，以了解有關它的更多信息，以及可能已針對該主題進行的其他實驗。

The second tip: Pick a topic that interests you.Unless your teacher insists that you do a science fair project about a particular topic or subject matter, you’re going to have more fun, do a better job and get a better grade if you select a topic that interests you.

第二個提示：挑選一個讓你感興趣的話題。除非你的老師堅持要你做一個關于特定主題的科學大賽項目，因為如果你選擇了一個你感興趣的主題，你將會有更多的樂趣，做得更好，并獲得更好的成績。

Let’s say you’re interested in the space program and the Curiosity Rover that’s on Mars. This topic can involve many subjects including Astronomy, Physics, Math, Geology and Earth Science, Engineering, Chemistry and more.

假設你對太空計劃和火星上的好奇號感興趣，這個主題可以涉及許多科目，包括天文學，物理學，數學，地質學和地球科學，工程學，化學等。

If you’re interested in the ocean, ponds or lakes you can do a project about Botany which is the study of plant life or about Marine Biology and learn about the animals and fish that live in various bodies of water. If you’re interested in hockey, you can do a Physics or Materials Science experiment about the various materials and construction of a hockey puck which might affect a player’s ability to control it.

如果你對海洋，池塘或湖泊感興趣，你可以做一個關于植物學的項目，這是植物生命或海洋生物學的研究，并了解生活在各種水體中的動物和魚類。如果你對冰球感興趣，你可以進行物理或材料科學實驗，了解冰球的各種材料和構造，這可能會影響球員控制它的能力。

There are three types of science projects: Demonstration, Science Fair, and Engineering.

有三種類型的科學項目：演示項目，科學項目和工程項目。

Demonstration Project:?Students in the lower elementary grades are the only ones who are usually allowed do a demonstration project. ?They’re typically not allowed at middle school or high school science fairs.? While they’re fun, you don’t learn about “real science” by doing a demonstration. For instance, you can demonstrate how a volcano works, or can build your own planetarium. Or, you can explain static electricity through several activities such as making an aluminum foil ball.

演示項目：小學低年級的學生是通常唯一被允許做演示項目的學生。這些項目通常不允許進入中學或高中科學大賽的范疇。雖然它們很有趣，但你不會通過演示來了解“真正的科學”。例如，你可以展示火山是如何工作的，或者可以建造自己的天文館。或者，你可以通過多種活動來解釋靜電，例如制作鋁箔球。

Science Fair Project:?This is a traditional project in which you describe a problem or come up with a question just like a real scientist, and then design research and perform an experiment using The Scientific Method to answer the question or to solve the problem in an organized way. There are endless possibilities in Biology, Chemistry, Medicine & Health, Microbiology, Bio-Chemistry and other subjects. Do you sing in a chorus? You could do a science fair project to determine if cold water or warm water has a better affect on your voice and ability to reach high notes or low notes. If your parents enjoy drinking tea, you can do an experiment to determine how the brewing time of tea affects the strength of the tea using a device that measures light absorption; is tea that’s brewed for four minutes twice as strong as tea that’s brewed for 2 minutes?

科學大賽項目：這是一個傳統項目，你可以在其中描述問題或像真正的科學家一樣提出問題，然后使用科學方法設計研究并進行實驗，最終回答或解決問題。生物學，化學，醫學與健康，微生物學，生物化學和其他學科都有無限的可能性。你是合唱隊的一員嗎？你可以做一個科學大賽的項目來確定冷水或溫水對你的聲音達到高音或低音的能力有何影響。如果你的父母喜歡喝茶，你可以使用測量光吸收的裝置進行實驗，以確定茶的泡制時間如何影響茶的濃度; ?煮了4分鐘的茶比煮2分鐘的茶要濃兩倍嗎？

Engineering Project:?The objective of an engineering project is to apply The Engineering Method with science and math to identify a need and to determine how you will solve that need by producing useful devices for people. You’re still trying to solve a problem, but you do it by building and testing prototypes and by working on various design processes. For instance, if you’re in a band, you could do an engineering project on the effects of dry wall thickness or various sound-absorption materials on sound transmission in your basement or garage so your neighbors won’t complain about the noise when you practice. Or, if you run track, you can build a working model of a body temperature monitor to see how much your temperature increases after running for 20, 30 or 40 minutes, or at various speeds.

工程項目：工程項目的目標是將工程方法與科學和數學結合起來以確定需求，并通過為人們生產有用的設備來確定如何解決這一需求。你同樣在嘗試解決問題，但你可以通過構建和測試原型以及處理各種設計流程來達成目標。例如，如果你是某樂隊的成員，你可以做一個關于干壁厚度或各種吸音材料對地下室或車庫聲音傳播的影響的工程項目，這樣你的鄰居就不會在你們樂隊練習的時候抱怨你們的噪音了。或者，如果你在跑道上跑步，你可以構建體溫監測器的工作模型，以查看你在跑20分鐘，30分鐘，40分鐘或以不同速度跑步時體溫的升高幅度。

So, what’s your topic going to be? One way to figure it out is to make a list of ten activities or topics that most interest you. Then, write up a question about each of these that you’ve always wondered about, and narrow the list down to the top two or three that seem the most interesting. Then you might want to talk the list over with your parents or a teacher to have them help you make your final choice based on material needs and costs, and the length of time it might take you to complete your project.

那么，你的主題是什么？一種方法是列出你最感興趣的十個活動或主題。然后，就每個主題寫一個你一直想知道的問題，將列表縮小到最有趣的前兩個或三個。然后，你可能希望與你的父母或老師討論，讓他們根據材料需求和成本以及完成項目所需的時間幫你做出最終選擇。

研究和實驗/設計

Research and Experimentation/Design

With this step in the science fair project process, it really doesn’t matter whether you’re doing a science project and are applying the?Scientific Method?with an experiment, or an engineering project and are applying the?Engineering Method?to create a design, you still have to start with research.

談到科學大賽項目流程中的這一步驟，無論你是在將科學方法應用于實驗進行科學項目，還是用工程方法設計一個東西進行工程項目，你都要從研究開始。

Research?is all about finding out more about your topic. To conduct research, you need to go to the library and read books and magazines, browse the internet, visit locations that might have background material like a zoo or museum or lab, and talk with your teachers, scientists and/or professionals. The more you learn about your topic, the better your project will come out and the better prepared you’ll be to answer the questions by the judges.

研究就是要了解更多有關你的主題的信息。要進行研究，你需要去圖書館閱讀書籍和雜志，瀏覽互聯網，訪問可能有背景材料的地點，如動物園、博物館或實驗室等，并與你的老師、科學家或專業人士交談。你對自己的主題了解得越多，你做出來的項目就會越好，并且你將更好地準備回答評委提出的問題。

Let’s see what happens when you put the following phrase into an internet search engine: “compare natural sponges and synthetic sponges.”? Here are some of the results:

讓我們看看當你將以下短語放入互聯網搜索引擎時會出現什么：“比較天然海綿和合成海綿。”以下是一些結果：

• Natural sea sponges versus synthetic sponges for skin cleaning
• Real or artificial sponges – which is better for the environment
• Oracle “Think Quest” – Synthetic vs Natural
• Difference Between Natural & Artificial sponges
• Wikipedia – sponge material
• Why buy a natural sea sponge
• The Soap Café: Natural VS Synthetic sponges
• The American Window Cleaner magazine – natural vs synthetic sponges

With just a little bit of research you realize that there are different types of uses for sponges. Were you surprised to see that window cleaners really care about this topic?

只需進行一點研究，你就會發現海綿有不同類型的用途。你是否驚訝地發現窗戶清潔工真的非常關心這個話題？

So, this means you would need to narrow down your search – will you do your project on using different types of sponges for cleaning the house, or for cleaning your body? Make sure you use your?science journal?to record your background research and any books or internet sites you have visited. You may end up realizing that you can use the information in your report or on your display board.

因此，這意味著你需要縮小搜索范圍 – 你做這個項目是為了使用不同類型的海綿清潔房屋還是清潔身體？確保使用科學筆記本記錄你的背景研究，以及你訪問過的任何書籍或網站。你可能最終意識到你可以使用它們做為報告或展示板上的信息。

Can you think of other people who might think sponge absorption is an important topic? How about restaurants or hotels? Maybe you can talk with window cleaners, or restaurant owners or hotel managers in your neighborhood about this subject. Maybe after a few conversations or more research, you might decide to alter the project to determine which types of sponges hold more germs or less germs.

你能想到其他可能認為海綿吸收是一個重要話題的人嗎？餐館或酒店怎么樣呢？也許你可以與附近的窗戶清潔工、餐館老板或酒店經理討論此主題。也許經過幾次對話或更多的研究后，你可能會決定改變項目，改成確定哪種類型的海綿可以容納更多的細菌或更少的細菌。

After researching your topic, you should now be ready to come up with your?Hypothesis. The hypothesis is an “educated guess” about the question you’re trying to answer. The hypothesis is presented as a statement – it’s not a question. To prove or disprove your hypothesis, you conduct an?Experiment. There are many ways to test your hypothesis, there is no one right way to do this. Your hypothesis for the sponge test might read, “If I test artificial and natural sponges, I believe natural sponges will hold more water.”

在研究了你的主題之后，你現在應該準備好提出你的假設了。假設是一個關于你想要回答的問題“根據經驗所做的猜測”。假設是作為陳述的形式呈現而不是一個問題。為證明或反駁你的假設，你需要進行實驗。有很多方法可以檢驗你的假設，沒有一種正確的方法可以做到這一點。你對海綿試驗的假設可能是：“如果我測試人造和天然海綿，我相信天然海綿會吸收更多的水。”

Now it’s time to plan your procedures and conduct your Experiment. What are you going to do to test your hypothesis? What materials are needed, and is the cost of buying materials a factor in your decision? What exactly is being tested? What parts of your experiment will stay the same? What data are you going to collect?

現在是時候規劃你的實驗步驟并進行實驗了。你打算怎么做來檢驗你的假設？需要哪些材料，購買材料的成本是決定因素之一嗎？實驗到底在測試什么？你的實驗的哪些部分將保持不變？你需要收集哪些數據？

There are two parts to an experiment: the controls and the variables. A control is the part of the experiment that stays constant so your experiment can be repeated with the same results.? If your experiment involves testing sponges, a control would be to always use the same bowl. Also make sure the same amount of water is used in each trial.

實驗分為兩部分：控制和變量。控制是實驗中保持不變的部分，因此可以使用相同的結果重復實驗。如果你的實驗涉及測試海綿，其中一個控制可以是始終使用相同的碗。還要確保每次試驗中使用相同量的水。

Variables are the parts of the experiment you change to test specific conditions.? Using the same sponge example, a variable may be to use three types of synthetic and three types of natural sponges to see which holds the largest amount of water.

變量是你為了測試特定條件而更改的實驗部分。以相同的海綿實驗為例，變量可以是使用三種類型的合成海綿和三種類型的天然海綿來看哪些海綿能吸收最多的水。

In the experiment with the sponge, here are some?materials?you might need：

• Different types of synthetic and natural sponges,
• A bowl or large measuring cup of water, ensuring that you’ll always start with the same amount of water, and
• A way to determine how much water each sponge holds, such as a beaker or measuring cup

在海綿實驗中，你可能需要以下材料：

• 不同類型的合成海綿和天然海綿
• 一碗或一大杯（有刻度）水，確保你始終以相同的水量開始
• 一種可以確定每種海綿吸收多少水的方法，例如燒杯或量杯

The experiment itself should be simple and repeatable.? It’s very important that the experiment be repeatable.? Also, remember that judges like lots and lots of data and charts and graphs, so design your experiment with lots of repetitions.? You can’t run an experiment once and use that data; run a simple experiment 10-15 times and take an average (the sum of the experimental data divided by the number of trials).

實驗本身應該簡單且可重復。重復實驗是非常重要的。另外，請記住評委喜歡看到大量的數據和圖表，因此請設計大量重復的實驗。你不能只進行一次實驗并使用那個數據；一個簡單的實驗一般要進行10-15次并取平均值（實驗數據的總和除以實驗次數）。

Experiments should always have at least three trials. It’s important to conduct your experiment several times because if you get different results on one of the three times, maybe it’s because an error was made. Or, if you’re doing a plant experiment and are using seeds to grow something, maybe one of the seeds was bad.

實驗應始終至少進行三次。多次進行實驗很重要，因為如果你在三次實驗中的一次得到不同的結果，也許是因為發生了錯誤。或者，如果你正在進行植物實驗并使用種子來種植某些東西，那么其中一顆種子可能很糟糕。

Make observations frequently and consistently. If your cat knocks over the original bowl of water, make sure you note this and that as a result you had to start over. In your science journal, make sure you not only record the details of your procedure, but also your observations.

要經常并持續地做觀察。如果你的貓撞倒了原來的一碗水，請確保你注意到了這一點，那么你必須重新開始。在你的科學筆記中，請確保不僅要記錄實驗步驟的詳細信息，還要記錄觀察結果。

When you?present your science fair project to judges, they might ask you about other applications for your research. They’ll also ask you what you’ve done in your experiment that’s different from other similar experiments, so you should plan to refer to the results of other experiments you’ve learned or read about.

當你向裁判展示你的科學大賽項目時，他們可能會詢問你研究項目其他方面的應用。他們還會問你在實驗中所做的與其他類似實驗有什么不同，所以你應該想好如何參考你已經學過或讀過的其他類似實驗的結果。