CURRICULUM | SCIENCE | TECHNOLOGY | ENGINEERING | MATH
“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of, who do the things no one can imagine.” - Alan Turing
PENNSYLVANIA JUNIOR
ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PJAS
PJAS is a statewide science fair competition meant for students in grades 7-12.
You are in Region 3 with Mrs. Karen Iobst as your region director.
Your sponsor for PJAS will be Mr. Amen.
Registration for PJAS 2019 regional event closes at MIDNIGHT on WEDNESDAY JANUARY 10.
STEP 1: DETERMINE YOUR PROJECT
13 SCIENTIFIC CATEGORIES
Behavioral Psychology
Biology
Biochemistry
Botany
Chemistry
Computer Science
Earth and Space
Ecology
Engineering
Mathematics
Microbiology
Physics
Zoology
2. COMPLETE REQUIRED FORMS
Depending on your project, you will need to fill out specific forms. For an example, if you are using chemicals, animals, etc., you will need to fill out some forms.
If you are unsure on which forms you must fill out, click the button below to take a survey on your project and after it will give you a better idea of which forms to fill out.
3. MAKE YOUR RESEARCH PLAN
HERE IS A TEMPLATE YOU CAN FOLLOW TO CONSTRUCT YOUR RESEARCH PLAN
Research Plan
Hemani Patel
I. Rationale
A. Brief Synopsis
In your stomach, there are acids and enzymes that are used to break down and digest food. Digestive enzyme glands are made up of hydrochloric acid, mucus, and bicarbonate. The acid that helps with digestion is called gastric acid and it is made up of hydrochloric acid (HCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and sodium chloride (NaCl). I will be creating this acid, testing it on different types of food, and comparing the results.
B. Importance
This research highlights the importance of the role of stomach acid in the digestive system.
II. Expected Outcomes
A. Research Questions
Does gastric acid digest proteins, carbohydrates, or fats first?
What is the reason for this outcome?
B. Hypothesis
If I place carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into gastric acid, I think that the carbohydrates will “digest” faster.
III. Detailed Descriptions
A. Procedure
- First, I will measure a petri dish on a triple-beam balance. Then put a reasonable amount of a food bite and measure it again. That will determine the official amount of how much food will be put into gastric acid.
- Next, I will make the gastric acid by using hydrochloric acid, potassium chloride, and table salt.
- After making the acid, I will pour it equally into the six petri dishes.
- Now, I will time the amount of minutes/days it will take to “digest” the food.
- I will record my results and analyze them by making charts for each food item to display how much time it took to “digest.”
B. Risk and Safety
During this experiment, a safety precaution I have to take is that I must wear gloves when dealing with the acids since they are flammable and can do severe damage to any body part.
C. Data Analysis
I will analyze the results by making three charts representing carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The charts will show the two foods and their results on a bar graph.
IV. Bibliography
A. Websites
1. http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20551987,00.html#berries-11
2. http://www.foodenzymeinstitute.com/articles/digestion-in-the-stomach.aspx?list=bydate
3. https://sciencing.com/simulated-stomach-acid-4856282.html
4. START YOUR EXPERIMENT
MAKE SURE TO TAKE NOTES THROUGHOUT YOUR EXPERIMENT BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED TO INCLUDE YOUR OBSERVATIONS IN YOUR DATA ANALYSIS SLIDE.
5. START CREATING YOUR PRESENTATION
BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE SLIDESHOW YOU SHOULD INCLUDE IN YOUR PRESENTATION. THERE MAY BE MULTIPLE SLIDES PER TOPIC.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FEES:
THERE IS A FEE TO PARTICIPATE. WE CAN FUNDRAISE.
REGIONALS- $10
STATES- $180
BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOME SLIDES FROM AN ACTUAL PRESENTATION.
UPLOAD YOUR PRESENTATION ON TIME
ON THE WEBSITE WHERE YOU REGISTERED YOU MUST UPLOAD YOUR PRESENTATION ON THE DATE THAT'S SHOWN. YOU CAN DO IT BEFOREHAND ALSO. IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE SOMETHING AND YOU'VE ALREADY UPLOADED YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU MAY UPLOAD AGAIN WITH THE CORRECT PRESENTATION. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR PRESENTATION ON YOUR FLASHDRIVE AS WELL. YOU MOST LIKELY ARE GOING TO USE THE FLASHDRIVE TO PRESENT AT REGIONALS.
MAKE SURE YOU PRACTICE YOUR SPEECH!!
PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. THE MORE YOU MEMORIZE YOUR SPEECH, THE MORE THE JUDGES KNOW THAT YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR STUFF. YOU DO NOT NEED TO SAY EVERYTHING THAT'S ON THE SLIDESHOW, THE JUDGES/PARTICIPANTS CAN READ IT. I SUGGEST TO KEEP THINGS PRETTY SPECIFIC ON THE SLIDESHOW BUT YOU CAN KEEP IT SIMPLE IN YOUR SPEECH. AT THE END THE JUDGES WILL ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS NO MATTER WHAT. IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER JUST SAY SOMETHING RELATED TO IT AND SOUND CONFIDENT. GOOD LUCK!
DAY OF THE PRESENTATION
DATE:
On the day of the presentation, you can carpool or meet up at Northampton Community College. You probably have already received a schedule of the whole day. Dress professionally....girls- dress or fancy shirt and dress pants....guys- shirt and tie. The rooms are categorized by the scientific category you chose. Most likely all the people in your room have the same category as you. At that specific time, make sure you get to the room you are assigned to, if you are late, you will not be able to present. 7th and 8th grade students present in the morning...you actually are lucky because you can get over with it first. You must stay in the room until everyone is done presenting. After that, you may leave, but you can also get some lunch before you go at the cafeteria. You will not recieve your scores immediately after you finished. Mr. Amen will most likely email you the results. Those of you who got 1rst place will move on to the State competition.
STATE COMPETITION
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE OR REDO YOUR EXPERIMENT FOR STATES, BUT YOU MAY (SHOULD) ADD OR DELETE THINGS.
FORMS
NOT AS MANY FORMS AS LAST TIME...DON'T WORRY!
YOU MUST FILL OUT:
3 Copies of medical form with original signatures
Student Behavior Form
TECHNICIANS
THIS PERSON MUST BE SOMEONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN PJAS IN REGIONALS AND DIDN'T GET 1RST PLACE.
YOUR JOB:
Pull up presentations for all presenters in your room.
Hold up signs saying 5, 3, 1 minute left during presentations
Time the speech.
Bring extra flashdrive, index cards, and stopwatch.
Make sure to attend the meeting on the arrival day...You will get all information there.
SCORING
YOU WILL FIND OUT YOUR PLACE IN THE COMPETITION IN THE MEETING AT THE END OF THE DAY.
You will be scored by a number 1-5
There will be a maximum of 3 judges in your room.
At the end, all the judges will average your score.
WHAT TO PACK
1 Pair of Professional Clothing
1 Pair of Casual Clothing
Pajamas
Blanket
Pillow (Optional)
Other Toiletries Needed
DAYS ON PSU CAMPUS
MAY 20, 21, 22
MAY 20, 2019
ARRIVAL DAY
You will meet up at Parkland HS in the parking lot to wait for the bus to ride to PSU. The buses will be numbered, make sure you get on the right one. Your sponsor will be there to help you. When you arrive, you will receive a key and card. Unpack in your room and get to know the campus if you have extra time. Attend your meetings...there are separate ones for technicians and presenters. Make sure to get some sleep for the next day and don't pass curfew.
MAY 21, 2019
PRESENTATIONS DAY
Get up early to get ready! You should dress just as you dressed for regionals. At your presentation time, make sure to get to your buildings to present. There will be a maximum of 3 judges in your room. At the end of the day, just start packing some things so it's easier for you the next day.
MAY 22, 2019
LEAVING DAY
Get up early again to pack everything up. It's the same process as coming to the campus. Wait for your same number bus and I hope you had a great time at PJAS!
MORE ABOUT STATE COMP.
You get to choose who you want to room with.
Girls and boys are separated...girls are not allowed in boys dorms and vice versa.
I suggest bringing a maximum of $50...for food or souveniers.
THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!
THIS PAGE WAS CREATED
BY: HEMANI PATEL
1ST PLACE STATES WINNER