The CREST method for finding a Topic
CREativity in Science & Technology (CREST) provides support for teachers and students to undertake open-ended science and technology investigations.
This CREST quiz will help you uncover ideas for topics that interest you.
Many students choose to investigate a problem to do with a hobby or sport. Your personal experiences, sports and hobbies can often lead to a question or problem that you would like to solve.
What sports do you do in your leisure time?
| Swimming | Surfing |
| Tennis | Sailing |
| Cricket | Cycling |
| Soccer | Skateboarding |
| Football | Fishing |
| Hockey | Golf |
| Basketball | Netball |
What hobbies/activities do you do in your leisure time?
| Photography | Painting |
| Sport | Dancing |
| Gardening | Cooking |
| Music | Computers |
| Camping | Pets |
Is there a product that you believe could be improved by changing its design or materials?
or
Does someone you know have a special problem or a need you could help them with?
Can you see an opportunity to develop a new product or redesign an existing product to make it better?
Yes? See what other students have chosen to do in this area:
- Interchangeable hockey stick heads
- More efficient shin pads
- Speed steering and stability of boats
- What fabric makes the most resilient ballet tights?
- A dancer's dream - the ideal toe pad
- Injury support cushion
- Finding the best heatproof chocolate wrapper
- An organised makeup case
- The best kebab packaging
- Cry no more baby rocker
- How many fins for a surfboard?
- The best position for a leg rope anchor on a surfboard
- The most efficient wet suit
- Foot mouse for the computer
Often you can find inspiration for a project from an issue or problem that exists in the following:
Home, School, Local or Global Environment
Examples:
- How can I easily remove pet hair from my clothing?
- What is the best natural ant deterrent?Į
- What is the best lunch box?
- Designing a new school diary.
- What is the best design for charity storage bins ?
- What is the best alternative to the plastic shopping bag?
- Is "grey water" damaging to pot plants?
Is there an environmental issue you want to work on?
Yes? See what other students have chosen to do in this area.
- Blue green algae treatment
- Effectiveness of wetlands in water purification
- Effects of acid rain on plants
- Is rain a cause of harbour pollution?
- The effect of rainfall on pollution in spring gully creek
- Termite destruction and wood type
- Does the runoff from a rubbish tip affect the soil and water in the local area?
- Raining rubbish - garbage in stormwater drains
- Does the smell of vitamin B repel birds?
- Permeability Vs organic matter
- Is recycling washing water on plants worth it?
- What effect do food scraps have on the soil?
- Water retention of various mulches
- How weeds affect crops
- Effects of ground litter on soil temperature and moisture
- The rain mower - a mower that works on soggy, wet ground
- Solar powered scarecrow
- Batteries from household acids
- Companion planting
- Removal of oil from feathers
- Are filters efficient at reducing bacteria?
- Which type of soil holds the most water?
- Wind speed and soil type - how much erosion?
- Comparison of windmill designs
- Does humidity affect the amount of dust in the air?
Do you have a burning question that you would like to investigate?
Example: Your mum saying you must wash your hands after you touch the cat - WHY?
Yes? See what other students have chosen to do in this area.
- Does participation in extra curricular activities really affect academic performance?
- Does keeping food in a pyramid shape make them last longer?
- Which is the most resistant hair gel when wearing a hat?
- Does microwaving kill bacteria in milk?
- How clean is our cash?
- Do McDonalds meat patties last longer compared to other meat patties?
- Do soap companies that advertise having either low pH or neutral live up to their claims?
- How corrosive are soft drinks to baby teeth?
- How is the shelf life of white bread affected by changing storage conditions?
- Why do we need to wash our hands after handling a cat? (a microorganism study)
- Do warm-ups really effect the amount of netball goals?
- Who has faster reactions? Males or females?
- Does opening eyes under water damage them?
- Egg storage. Which method is best?
- How can we tell if an animal has come into our camp site? (camp alarm)
- What's the best way to preserve bananas?
- Do sports drinks minimize amount of an athletes sweat?
Is there something you've done at school that you'd like to follow up on? If so, in which field of science or technology was it?
Chemical Science
- Environmental improvement - water pollution, recycling
- Effectiveness of chemicals in sunscreens, cleaners, disinfectants, gel, fertilizers, stain removal, pest control
- Health & nutrition - Vitamin C content of fruit and vegetables
- Alternatives fuels
- Chemical reactions
Earth and Space Sciences
- Time
- Geology
- Astronomy
- Tides
- Climate & change
- Weather
Biological Science
- Botany - growth, pests, propagation
- Physiology - fitness
- Zoology - habitat survey, conservation
- Pollution/conservation
Physical Science
- Energy
- Light & sound
- Electricity
- Mechanical systems
- Forces
- Heat
- Friction
- Conductors/insulators
Technology
- Students have investigated how they can improve an existing product or design to make it more functional, safe, cost effective, aesthetic or environmentally friendly
- Products to assist people with disabilities
- Products to assist people with hobbies, music & sports
- Products around the home/the farm
- Products to assist consumers/packaging containers
- Products to make your pet's life more comfortable
- Products to make your life more comfortable
Are you still finding it difficult to think of a topic you would like to undertake?
Then have you tried:
(a) brainstorming with your friends or family to identify possible topics?
(b) drawing concept maps? These can often help organize your thoughts and provide possible related topics?
(c) looking at other resources? There are several texts and web sites available that include examples of open ended projects.
You need to pick a topic that you already have prior knowledge of and/or find interesting and enjoyable.
Make sure your topic is one where:
- You can actually experiment and collect data. Black holes are exciting but can obviously get no data.
- You will have access to all resources and supplies you will need while doing your project
- You can measure some aspect of the topic.
For example, the topic “Does your mood vary according to the day of the week?”, how could you measure mood? In investigating how some factor affects the freezing rate of water, how would you measure time since it is a gradual process?
Is Your Topic Acceptable?
Use this checklist to see if your topic is a good one for a science project.
If your project is satisfactory, you should be able to answer YES to all of the following:
- Does the topic sound interesting to you?
- Can you get measurements or some kind of numbers for data?
- Can you measure a change in the variable studied (dependent variable)?
- Can you change the other variable (independent variable)?
- Can you keep other factors from influencing your results (constants)?
- Can you find at least 3 sources of written information on the subject?
- Can you collect a lot of data (20 or more numbers)?
- Do you have all the materials you need, or will you be able to get all the materials quickly?
- Do you have time to do the experiment twice?
- If the project involves human subjects, are you willing to get permission from every human adult and parent permission for every student tested?
- Is the topic interesting enough for you to read about it before you start?
You should answer NO to all of these:
- Could a younger student do the same project?
- Is it going to be expensive to do this project?
- Could anyone or anything be even slightly hurt by this project?
- Could any of your data cause any embarrassment to anyone?