The experiments in the SEED Science Lab may be developed into larger projects suitable for publication in the SEED Journal. Here are some suggestions:

Engineering Challenge

Each of these engineering challenges can be elaborated and devepoped into a project.

SEED Journal

These published projects, created by other young people can give you ideas for projects of your own on similar topics.

Absorbency of Rock

This experiment shows that rock is not so solid. It contains pores that may be filled with air, water, or other fluids. You could develop a project in which you test many different kinds of rocks. Are some kinds of rock more porous than others? Are density and porosity related?

Building the Hele-Shaw Cell

In Hernan Makse's Science Watch article Stratification and Segregation he uses a device called a quasi two dimensional Hele-Shaw cell to see how mixtures of different grains may arrange themselves in layers or in separate areas. You can build this apparatus and test many different mixtures of grains to see which ones segregate and which ones stratify. Can you produce patterns that Hernan did not find and explain how they occurr?

Build an Electrical Logging Tool

This experiment provides the starting point for an engineering project. The tool measures the electrical resistance of the ground. The model we built has many defects. It is not very sturdy. It cannot go very far into the ground. Decide what aspects of the tool you want to improve upon and built a better logging tool.

The Brazil Nut Effect

In this experiment we present challenges around the idea of separating mixtures of various substances. For example if you mix together salt and sand, can you get them apart again? One extension of this activity is to come up with more challenges. Which mixtures can be unmixed and which cannot? Are there some general rules that you can develop by examining these specific cases? Another extension is to engineer a more perfect unmixing process for a particular mixture. For example, if you mixed together 100 grams of sand and 100 grams of salt and then separated them by some process, would you regain exactly 100 grams of each? Would they be fully separated or would there remain some salt in the sand and sand in the salt? How can you improve your process?

Ketchup: Thick or Thin?
Cornstarch and Water: Is it Liquid Or Solid?

A mixture of cornstarch and water is a non-Newtonian liquid. So is ketchup. In both cases the viscosity of the liquid changes when it is agitated. Can you find other non-Newtonian liquids among everyday substances? The Digging Deeper section that accompies this experiment discusses some possible explanations for the odd behavior of these liquids. This might give you ideas about where to look for similar substances and help you formulate some general rules about why they behave as they do.

Energy Efficiency

This experiment illustrates the point made by Tony Crossley in Swords into Plowshares that his underground home maintains a fairly constant temperature in spite of large fluctuations outside. We showed how sand retains heat. You could test a variety of substances to see which ones have the best heat retention. For an engineering project, you could design a house that takes advantage of the ability of a large mass to retain heat and use that to warm or cool the house, even if the building itself is above ground.

Other Web Sites

There are many web sites with suggested projects and activities that are suitable for the SEED Journal. We list only two here, but these both have very extensive links to many other sites.

The Science Club
The Kentucky Network