The discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA would make a great project for a health science fair.
Because the health sciences affect everyone, they make a great focus for a school science fair. Each class could be assigned a different subtopic to investigate, such as lifestyle choices, public health, diseases and treatments, nutrition, ethnobotany, toxicology, and environmental health. The health science fair can then feature clusters of subtopics featuring student projects and displays.
Vital Information Area
Though most people know the term "blood pressure," many don't understand precisely what the numbers mean.
One option you can give students is to put together a booth or area where visitors to the health science fair can learn about basic health markers like weight, blood pressure, white blood cell count and cholesterol--what the markers represent, normal ranges of numbers for people of different ages and sizes, and potential health consequences of unhealthy levels.
This booth should also feature strategies and tips for improving those health markers, focusing on low-cost and non-pharmaceutical interventions.
Nutrition Area
A student could put together a display about what makes spinach (and other vegetables) a so-called "superfood."
Everyone needs to eat, and what you eat affects your health, so nutrition is relevant to everyone. Create a nutrition area at your health science fair. Student projects should survey the field of nutrition--answering basic questions such as what a calorie is and the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats--and delve into interesting subtopics, like "superfoods" and traditional eating patterns around the world.
Environmental Health Area
Green chemistry is being used to formulate chemicals that are nontoxic and do not persist in the environment.
Another important topic for a booth or area is environmental health. Environmental health is the study of how environmental factors affect peoples' health, factors such as air pollution, contaminated water, exposure to heavy metals like lead and mercury, and exposure to synthetic hormone-disrupting chemicals. Such an area educates visitors to the health science fair about what environmental health is, potential health effects of different chemicals, ways to avoid exposure and regulatory issues around chemicals.
Individual projects could cover topics like the history of DDT (which went from miracle pesticide to banned substance whose metabolite, DDE, is nevertheless present in the bodies of many Americans), the field of toxicology (explore what toxicologists do and why their work is important), and the emerging field of green chemistry.
Public Health Area
Mosquito nets are a simple public health measure that help control the spread of malaria.
This area of the health science fair shares the history of public health and related disciplines, including epidemiology (the study and control of the spread of disease). Individual projects could cover topics such as malaria, the eradication of polio, the fascinating field of tropical medicine, and the discovery and refinement of vaccination.
Tags: science fair, health science, health science fair, about what, blood pressure, booth area, control spread
