Science & Research
Research opportunities and support exist for RISE students in middle and high school. All research courses facilitate the production of student projects for science competitions.
What is Research?
Our classes all have a research focus. We love to help students learn how to analyze a problem and find a way to research and come to a plausible solution. Want to get started on research? Here is how!
Problem Finding: The most important part of a strong research project is the “problem finding”. You must begin with an excellent question.
Developing a Testable Question: Begin by narrowing your focus from a broad concept to a testable question.
Doing a Research Project?
Here are some helpful sources we found for you to explore!
Science News for Students: Designed for student researchers ages 9-14 and published by the Society for Science & the Public.
Science News: A bit more advanced than Science News for Students.
ISEF Project Abstracts: Search here for International Science and Engineering Fair abstracts in categories you find interesting. This will help you understand what sort of projects make it to International competition for high school students.
Science Daily: Articles chunked by category. When you choose and article, you’ll also get a list of related articles that are very helpful for further research.
Biodiversity Heritage Project: Have you ever heard the phrase, “they just don’t make them like they used to?” Well, this is a great database to search for such papers, the science journal oldies-but-goodies.
EurekAlert: Breaking news and article archive by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
CEPT: Center for Pre-Collegiate Education and Training at UF. This organization also hosts the Junior Science, Engineering, and Humanities Symposium (JSEHS) each January.
Young Naturalist Awards: Take a look at these winning essays which are presented in an engaging way. It’s a good source of inspiration.
Understand a Scientific Paper: This is a helpful article on understanding scientific writing. Science and engineering writing can appear like a foreign language, but often has a very predictable organization to help you pick out the most important ideas with ease.
Interested in a class?
AP Seminar and AP Research are offered through LCS with a distinctive science focus. In some ways, the expectations of students who enroll in these courses go beyond the requirements of the College Board, because the classes include participation in active research and competition. There is no better incubator in which to grow science or engineering acumen than through one-to-one research assistance when accompanied by scrutiny through external review.
Interested in a class?
In Experimental Science, high school and middle school students utilize an enrichment-learning model enabling them to develop a unique research program that is an outgrowth of their own curiosity, interests, and gifts. Learning in Experimental Science is centered on advancing students’ research and communication skills through advanced project-based work with many different objectives or outcomes.
2020 Science and Engineering Fair
At the Polk Regional Science and Engineering Fair awards ceremony, LCS had some extraordinary success. Please join us in congratulating the students for their exceptional work. Every student who earned a place award, received a first in their category. Earning her spot in the International Science Fair, Kylah Blough won Best in Fair at the state level. This is the second year in a row that LCS earned the distinction of sending a student to the International Science Fair.
Jonas Streets-1st – Designing a Remote-controlled Multi-terrain Military Surveillance Robot. Jonas Streets was the only winner in the entire fair who won a cash award (it was from the MIT Lemelson Foundation).
Emily Branham and Emma Robinson-1st – Combatting Reduced Serotonin in Dead-walking Fruit Flies
Emily Branham and Emma Robinson-1st – Combatting Reduced Serotonin in Dead-walking Fruit Flies
Kylah Blough’s Best in Fair award earned her a trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair in California. This is the second year in a row that we have sent a student to the International Science Fair.
Emily Branham, Emma Robinson, and Kylah Blough
Noah Pericciny-1st – Computer-assisted Analysis of Late-season Herbivory on Foliage of Invasive Air Potato
Emily Branham and Emma Robinson-1st – Combatting Reduced Serotonin in Dead-walking Fruit Flies
Kylah Blough-1st, Best in Fair and bid to the International Science and Engineering Fair – Zebra Longwing Caterpillar Response to Three Potential Semiochemicals Supplemented in Frass
Noah Pericciny-1st – Computer-assisted Analysis of Late-season Herbivory on Foliage of Invasive Air Potato
Connor McLoughlin and Ashley Logan received honorable mention, earning Connor a spot at the American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS) in Seattle, Washington. This is an held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the AAAS, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the largest general scientific meeting in the world.
2019 Science and Engineering Fair Photos
Projects in RISE present students with real-world challenges and opportunities for growth. Awarded research projects undertaken for 2019 are featured below, starting with the Polk Regional Science and Engineering Fair, and including the Florida Junior Academy of Science (FJAS), as well as the State Science and Engineering Fair. Freshman Lauren Nonnenmocher competed as a finalist in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, AZ.
Wenjo Lai: Junior Division—Chemistry—1st Place—Broadcom MASTERS Entry—FJAS—4th Place—State Science & Engineering Fair—2nd Place Basic Cocoa: Investigating the Effects of Strong Bases on the Extraction of Caffeine and Theobromine From Cocoa Powder
Connor McLoughlin: Junior Division—Cellular/Molecular & Biochemistry—1st Place, Best-in-Fair—Broadcom MASTERS Entry—FJAS—3rd Place—State Science & Engineering Fair—4th Place—Innovation special award by @freshfromFL Doping Dodder With Auxin Agar: Growth Changes in a Parasitic Plant by Venous Connection to Host Tomato
Allan Stewart: Junior Division—Cellular/Molecular & Biochemistry—1st Place, Best-in-Fair—Broadcom MASTERS Entry—FJAS—3rd Place—State Science & Engineering Fair—4th Place—Innovation special award by @freshfromFL Doping Dodder With Auxin Agar: Growth Changes in a Parasitic Plant by Venous Connection to Host Tomato
Katherine Miller: Senior Division—Engineering—Honorable Mention Harvesting Condensation: Creating a Source of Fresh Water for Plants—Year 3
Kelsey Winters: Senior Division—Plant Science—1st Place—State Science & Engineering Fair Entry Investigating Allicin’s Antifungal Properties on Palmer Amaranth
Hannah Aplin: Senior Division—Behavioral Science—1st Place—Special Award recipient from the American Psychological Association Fidget Toy Effects on Adolescent ADHD Measured Using the Fraser Spiral Concentration Test
Lauren Nonnenmocher: Senior Division—Animal Science—1st Place, Best-in-Fair—International Science & Engineering Fair Finalist—State Science & Engineering Fair—4th Place Reef Relief: Investigating the Allelopathic Effects of Soft Corals on the Health of Large and Small Polyp Stony Corals
Emilie Morin: Junior Division—Plant Science—2nd Place Effects of Spectrally Filtered QLED Lights on Wisconsin Fast Plant Heights
Kylah Blough: Junior Division—Animal Science—2nd Place—Winner @OceanOptics Spectroscopy Stars Contest—3rd Place—See her Feature Video Wing Reflectance Variation in the Territorial White Peacock Butterfly
Lauren Jones: Junior Division—Microbiology—1st Place—Broadcom MASTERS Entry—State Science & Engineering Fair—Honorable Mention Cu Later, Aerobic Bacteria?
Neil Dave: Junior Division—Environmental Engineering—1st Place—Broadcom MASTERS Entry—FJAS—1st Place—State Science & Engineering Fair—Honorable Mention Solvents and Smoke, Feat. Invertebrate Indicators: Year II