Eligibility

The competition is open to secondary school students residing in Tanzania. A team comprises of two students from the same school. The competition is open to the Ordinary and Advanced levels.

Visit this page to register/submit your applications

https://portal.youngscientists.co.tz/

What to Do Now

Think of a science-based idea that can be developed into a project, and work on it. The judges want to see your original research, not reams of words taken from some book or downloaded from the web. By all means, use whatever help you can, but put your own individual stamp on whatever you do. The first person you should talk to is your science or technology teacher. He or she will be happy to assist you in any way possible, offering guidance and advice as needed. Remember that universities, institutes of technology, relevant organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), libraries and the Internet may prove useful as you research your project, but please always make contact with institutions or organisations through your teacher.

Planning Process

Deciding on your topic 

Get an idea of what you want to study. Ideas might come from hobbies, or perhaps problems you see that need solutions. Due to limited time and resources, you may want to study only one or two specific subjects. 

Where to get your ideas 

  • A hobby or a skill
  • Your family
  • A newspaper or magazine article
  • A television programme
  • Your friends
  • Recent courses completed
  • Local contacts: Doctor, vet, dentist, engineer, scientist, etc.
  • Professional organizations/NGOs
  • Discussions with your teacher and parents 

Research your idea 

Visit your local library or use the Internet to learn everything you can on your topic. Observe related events. Gather existing information. Look for unexplained or unexpected results. Visit a university or institute of technology. Talk to professionals in the field. Consult your teacher and parents. Write or email companies for specific information. Obtain or construct needed equipment.

Remember: Research, research and research again, until you are an expert on the topic!

Organise 

Organise everything you have learned about your topic. At this point you should narrow your hypothesis by focusing on a particular idea. Your library research should help you.

Make a timetable 

Choose a topic that not only interests you, but also can be done in the amount of time you have available. Leave time to fill out the necessary forms to participate in Young Scientists Tanzania. Certain projects require more time than others; allow plenty of time to experiment and collect data. Simple experiments do not always go as you might expect the first time, or even the second time. Also, leave time to write your report and put together an exhibit. 

Planning your project 

Now, before you go any further, there are a few simple questions you must ask yourself: 

  • What am I trying to find out?
  • How am I going to do this?
  • Where can I get the help I need?
  • What do I expect to learn at the end of my research?
  • Do I have access to the apparatus or equipment to carry out the work? 

Once you are satisfied that you can really get to grips with your project, you will be able to enter the Planning Stage. Remember, only a few scientific discoveries are the result of chance or luck; the majority are the result of many hours of dedicated thought and experimentation. 

Read background material and literature 

The rule here is read, read and then read some more! This will give you real insight into your topic. Background material can be obtained from books and journals and by using the Internet. 

Plan your research design 

Decisions need to be made about the experiments you will conduct, how you will design your apparatus, and, if applicable, how you will collect your data. 

Carry out your research 

Record each and every measurement, experiment or observation. At this stage, your project may fail completely. If so, it is still important to record and report the failure. Remember, a null result is still a scientific finding and an important guide to other scientists. Record all your observations and findings. 

Analyse your results 

After you have completed all of your research, you need to examine and organise your results. Try to focus on how your results relate to your original topic and its objectives. Good results merit good presentation. 

Make your conclusions 

You are now ready to develop a theory to explain your findings. Keep an open mind on the results you get and the conclusions you reach. 

Evaluate your project 

You are now in a position to make recommendations and perhaps contribute through them to scientific knowledge. It is time to ask yourself the following questions:

  • Did I succeed in researching my topic?
  • Do my conclusions support my original hypothesis?
  • Have I added to the body of knowledge through my research?

Research is the answer

Research is the process by which people create new knowledge about the world in which they live, in order to answer a question or solve a problem. When choosing your topic, give careful thought to how your research might enhance the world and its inhabitants.

Questioning is probably the most important part of scientific creativity and is often followed by an “if...then...” statement. Questioning usually leads to observations or experiments.

Good scientists, both young and old, use a process to study what they see in the world. By following the six stages listed below, you should be able to produce a superior scientific project.

  1. Be curious, choose a limited subject, ask a question, identify or originate/define a problem.
  2. Review published materials related to your problem or question.
  3. Evaluate possible solutions and make your educated guess (hypothesis).
  4. Challenge and test your hypothesis through experimentation (data collection) and analysis.
  5. Evaluate the results of your experiment and reach conclusions based on your data.
  6. Prepare your report and exhibit.

As a scientist, you should learn to be skeptical about all research results, especially your own. A good experiment may or may not answer the questions asked – but almost always leads to fresh questions that require new experiments or observations. The final hypothesis is often developed after running a number of preliminary experiments, analysing a body of results, and reaching a tentative conclusion. 

Category Choice

Students can choose to enter a project in one of the following six categories. Please study the definitions carefully and be careful to choose the category that best fits the subject of your project. An incorrect choice may result in a project not being accepted.

Physical, Chemical and Mathematical Sciences

For a project to be accepted into this category, it must be based on chemistry, physics, mathematics, applied mathematics, engineering, computer programming and language, or electronics. Also eligible are projects based on earth and space sciences such as meteorology, geophysics, geology and astronomy.

Technology & Computer Sciences

For a project to be accepted into the Technology category, the core of the project must be the use of technology in new or improved applications, enhanced efficiencies, new innovations, or better ways to do things. The category could include projects related to the Internet, communications, electronic systems, robotics, control technology, applications of technology, biotechnology, innovative developments to existing problems, computing or automation. Students are also expected to understand the basic science behind the technology so that they can get the most from the project.

Agriculture Sciences

For a project to be accepted into this category, it must have a agriculture focus and investigate aspects of science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and raising livestock. Typically, projects deal with the following areas of study: Agriculture, biochemistry, biotechnology, disease, ecology, environmental science, enzymology, food science, forestry, horticulture, medical science, , plant science

Biological Sciences

For a project to be accepted into this category, it must have a biological and/or ecological focus and investigate aspects of animal, human, microbial or plant biology. Typically, projects deal with the following areas of study:, anatomy, animal science, biochemistry, biotechnology, disease, ecology, enzymology, food science, genetics, medical science, metabolism, microbiology, molecular biology, physiology, physiotherapy, or veterinary science.

Social Sciences

For a project to be accepted into this category, it must cover social sciences: Economic, geographical, psychological or sociological studies of human behaviour, attitudes and experience; social analysis of environmental factors, demography, learning and perception; or the study of attitudes and behaviour in relation to health, nutrition, work, leisure and living habits. Also eligible are projects on consumer affairs, effects on society, social anthropology and political science, provided they involve the use of scientific methods.

Climate Change and Environmental Sciences

For a project to be accepted into this category, it must be related to Climate Change and Environmental Sciences. This can include industrialisation , consumption of fossil fuels, changes in weather patterns, projects based on the availability of clean water and waste water treatment, the role of the ocean, change of temperature and food and water-related diseases that are associated with climate change, sustainable development, rural land use, conservation and/or biogeography.

Guidelines on Data Collection

Data can be collected using four broad methods: 

  • Documentary sources
  • Observations
  • Surveys
  • Tests, measurements and experiments 

Documentary sources 

Documents can be used as the basis for an entire study or simply to set an issue in historical context. Personal documents, used judiciously, can be useful in providing information. Try to ensure that the documents you reference are the most current available. Photographs and maps may also be used. 

Observations 

Observation is one of the primary methods of collecting data, but care must always be taken to ensure that data are observed in an unbiased way. The observer’s senses may not be able to record everything. Also, if the observers are watching people, animals or other organisms that may change their behaviour because they are being observed, the results may be invalid. 

Surveys 

Questionnaires, interviews and schedules are some of the techniques used in conducting survey work. If you are conducting a survey, consider the following carefully: 

  • Questionnaire design merits great attention.
  • Good interviewers do not influence the answers given during an interview. Work from prepared questions.
  • Your questions should be clear and concise, and they should be designed to gather relevant information.
  • Test your questionnaire in advance on a small section of the population – this is called a pilot survey. This will identify the questions that need changing, which will lead to a more effective questionnaire.
  • If you are recording any type of behaviour by animals, plants or humans, it is advisable to use a diary or journal to record your observations.
  • It is very important to think through how you are going to analyse the results you will get.

Tests, measurements and experiments

Tests, measurements and experiments should be used only if they are relevant to your research and if you are capable of doing and understanding them yourself. Particular attention should be given to the design of experiments, the requirement for controls, sufficient replication and repeat experiments where appropriate.

Ensure that any testing or experimentation you undertake is not dangerous: That is, be sure it will not put you or others at risk of injury or disease.

Guidelines on Sampling

  • Remember to use a representative sample.
  • A random sample means that every member of a population has an equal chance of being chosen (e.g; pulling numbers from a hat).
  • A systematic sample takes every nth member from a population.
  • Stratified sampling uses the idea of groups or classes within the population being analysed.
  • Any group that shares similar characteristics and has boundaries may be termed a population. (Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to refer to plant populations.)
  • Quota sampling means that if you want to interview, for example, 200 people about shopping, you could go to a particular part of town where you would be likely to meet shoppers. You may have pre-set guidelines, such as age group and numbers of men and women. However, this is not a statistically random sample.
  • When sampling a population, you may also need to use a control group. If, for example, you were testing the effects of a particular experience on a group of people, you would need a control group of the very same type of people, who have everything in common except the particular experience.
  • Case studies, which look at a small number of individuals and a particular context in depth, may be useful in helping to understand how a particular process works. Such case studies can help inspire a better way to formulate a hypothesis for testing with a large sample.

Guidelines of Statistics

What techniques can you use to analyse data? There are three main procedures you might use:

  1. You could summarise your data.
  2. You could try to explain patterns which emerge, using comparison techniques.
  3. You could carry out a significance test; for example, a t-test.

Summarising data

”Summarising” data is just what it sounds like. It is a way of reducing the bulk of data to a more manageable size, as well as a means of seeing the emergence of certain patterns. In summarising, you can put data into groups or classes. You can also measure typical values, such as the mean, mode and median. Some data, of course, will not be accurately described by these statistics. Such situations require a summary technique to measure movement away from the average, called deviation from the mean.

Comparing data

We can compare data in the following ways: Firstly, we could compare the similarities and differences among the data. Secondly, we could use statistical techniques to compare the data. These techniques are widely used to compare variables.

Significance tests

When you have made your comparisons and conclusions, you need to know if they are really significant. Significance tests are used to make sure that results from comparing one data set with another are not the result of chance.

Beware of Potential Problems

The judges have identified the most common weaknesses that affect projects at the initial entry stage. A project with any of these weaknesses may not qualify for inclusion in the Young Scientists Tanzania exhibition in September 2013.

Lack of original primary research

Some studies are little more than a description of what is already known about the topic. Researching the existing body of knowledge is only the first stage of any scientific study.

Unreliable experimental methods

Frequently, projects state a particular method for data collection that simply cannot collect the data required. Suppose the aim of the project was to find out which washing powder was most effective; then certain chemical experiments should be undertaken. However, all too often students say that they will distribute questionnaires to gather this information, but what in fact they are collecting are attitudes and opinions about the most effective washing powder, rather than scientifically reliable data.

Vague or unfocused objectives

A study which aims to find out all about the ozone layer is not a realistic scientific study, as no one could be expected to uncover everything about the ozone layer. Scientific research requires you to be very specific about what you wish to find out, and setting measurable objectives is the only way to present scientific investigation. For example, a project that looks at the effects on wildlife in a particular area as a result of disturbance created by industrial activity would have to focus on a very specific issue, as this topic is so broad. Much thought should be given to focus and scope when developing your project.

Lack of originality

The specific question raised in a project must be one that has not been posed and recorded by any previous scientist. However, this is not to say that 20 projects on the topic of, for example, radon gas or water pollution could not be original, as they will all deal in different ways with various aspects of the topics.

Unsuitability of topic

A topic must be able to be scientifically proven or disproved by research methods available to second level students. A project on whether or not Jupiter is inhabited by living creatures, for example, is not a suitable topic.

Lack of scientific content

Often proposals are submitted that are not scientific projects, but essentially literature reviews. These proposals are information collection exercises and not scientific studies.

Safety issues

Projects which put the students themselves, animals, or others at risk of physical injury or disease will not be accepted for the exhibition.

Ethical issues

Projects which put the students themselves, animals, or others at risk psychologically or emotionally will not be accepted for the exhibition.

Investigation period

Sometimes students propose a project that is weak because the period over which the project is being carried out is too short. Judges need to be convinced that the student/team has enough time to complete the project for the event.

Question yourself

  • Have you clearly defined the aims of your study?
  • Have you been able to access the necessary equipment to conduct your study?
  • Have you been successful with experiments and data collection?
  • Have you obtained meaningful results?
  • Are you confident that you can complete the project by the time of the event in September 2013?
  • Has the project been entered in any other exhibition or competition? If so, be sure to mention this in your project report.
  • Has the project been published previously in part or in full? If so, give details in your project report.
  • Are you using potentially dangerous chemicals, organisms or equipment in your project? If so, please discuss with your teacher to ensure that your project adheres to the correct safety regulations.

Is external help allowed?

It is expected that all or the majority of the work for a project will be conducted in school, the home or an outside environment. Understandably, some projects may involve visiting distant locations. Students may seek advice or information about their project from sources beyond their school, such as on the Internet or from government organisations, universities, institutes of technology or other experts. However, it is recommended that the majority of students’ work be conducted under the supervision of their relevant teachers, with appropriate levels of involvement by parents, guardians or other responsible adults. When experimental/research work is conducted by the students themselves, or on their behalf, in a laboratory that is external to their school (e.g. in a local university, a hospital or an industry), that work should be clearly identified and acknowledged within the project report book and presentation. In addition, it is a requirement that a cover letter from the external facility is included in the project report book that describes the extent of the assistance provided and the work done by the students within that facility or undertaken on behalf of the students.

Intellectual property rights

If your project includes products or processes that possess or contain new functional or technical aspects, you might consider applying for a patent. Please note that it is unwise to make any public disclosure of an invention or to put it into use publicly – at an exhibition, for example – before an application for a patent has been made, as such action may prejudice the obtaining of a valid patent.