Senior Thesis in Chemistry: Ideas for High Schoolers

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion revolves around high school seniors in central Florida exploring a capstone program that mimics a college thesis, focusing on a science project in chemistry. The students intend to create separate yet related theses on the physical and biological aspects of chemistry, ultimately tying them together for a state science fair. They initially considered a hypothesis regarding the impact of diets on hormones and behaviors but shifted focus after realizing the complexity and cost involved. Suggestions for feasible and challenging topics that integrate their interests in renewable energy and pharmacology are sought.

PREREQUISITES
  • Basic understanding of chemistry principles, particularly physical and biological chemistry.
  • Familiarity with scientific research methodologies and hypothesis testing.
  • Knowledge of renewable energy concepts and pharmacological principles.
  • Experience with project planning and execution in a scientific context.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the intersection of renewable energy and pharmacology for potential project ideas.
  • Explore the "human battery" concept and its scientific validity as a project topic.
  • Investigate low-cost experimental designs in chemistry that can be conducted at a high school level.
  • Learn about the scientific method and how to effectively formulate and test hypotheses.
USEFUL FOR

High school seniors interested in chemistry, educators guiding capstone projects, and students pursuing careers in pharmacology or renewable energy.

echandler
Messages
21
Reaction score
1
At my high school in central Florida, all seniors are given the chance to take part in a capstone program, a program that mimics a college senior thesis program. My school is a liberal arts school, so most do something on a literary and historical topic, but my friend and I are very much scientifically and mathematically oriented, so we decided to push the bounds and do a science project. Both of us want to do the state science fair too. So we thought we could do separate, but related, theses, and then tie them together for the science fair, you know, kill two birds with one stone. Both of us really like chemistry, so, given our specific interests, we decided that I should take something on the physical side of chemistry and she would take something on the biological side, and then tie them together for the science fair. Our supervisor, when we met with him, led us to something slightly different. He led us to a hypothisis which stated, "The body will process and digest certain foods differently, creating different hormones. Those hormones, based on their various functions, will stimulate different processes in the body, creating different behaviors and moods. Thus, certain diets will induce certain behaviors." We were skeptical, but went with it, even through hearing things from other people like "Statistical nightmare" and "Seniors in college wish they could do something like this," but, after talking to a Vanderbilt endocrinologist, and hearing the words "twelve thousand dollars" we both realized this was crazy. So now we are back to square one, back to the intention of taking the two sides of chemistry, the physical side, and the biological side, and then tying them together for the science fair. Do y'all have any suggestions for a topic that could work like this, that would not be terribly expensive and possible to do for high school seniors, but still a challenge. Both of us like really anything, though she wants to be a pharmacist and I want to go into the renewable energy business, though I don't know how those would be tied together. Thanks
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
Hmmmmm ... renewable energy and pharmacology on a limited budget.

How about a rigorous scientific assessment of the "human battery" concept as depicted in The Matrix?
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
894
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
5K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K