Course Description

Science Research Program – Grades 9, 10, 11, 12


Full Year – Level H: Incoming freshman and sophomore students must apply for admission to this program in January of the prior academic year. Acceptance into the program will be based on a science teacher recommendation, a written essay, and excellent academic grades.


This is an ongoing program that is taken in conjunction with the student’s regular science course. There are several tiers to the program. During Year 1 students learn the components of scientific research including the scientific method and apply these concepts in various settings including designing and conducting an authentic science research project and communicating results by participation in at least one local science fair. Students also explore various applications of science topics through field trips, guest speakers and class projects. Advanced students (Years 2-4) select their science research topic, locate an out-of-school mentor (either in industry or at a local university) and compete in a variety of science fairs including the CT State Science Fair, Southern CT Invitational Science and Engineering Fair (SCSEF) and the CT Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (CT JSHS). Advanced students pursue their selected research in depth, perform statistical analysis and compete at a number of local and/or national science fairs and competitions. In Years 2, 3, and 4 students are grouped together in a non-traditional classroom setting and are required to meet individually outside of class with their Science Research Instructor biweekly to review individual goals and assess progress. All students participate in the culminating annual activity, Amity’s Science Symposium.


Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Recipe Projects

First Year Students:

Post your current Recipe Project Proposal in 250 words or less. Include an introductory statement, research question, hypothesis, independent and dependent variables as well as procedure.

24 comments:

  1. Peter Satonick
    Recipe Project
    Proposal

    Pumpkin pie is a traditional treat around the holidays, but will changing apple butter to regular butter increase the rise of the pie? In this study, the researcher will be testing how different types of butter can affect the rise of a pumpkin pie. It is hypothesized that the apple butter and the regular butter will make the pie the same height. To test this, the researcher will make one pumpkin pie and use apple butter in the recipe. Then, the researcher will stick toothpicks into the four corners of the pie and one in the center of the pie. Next, the researcher will measure the height of the toothpick to the top of the pie crust. Then the researcher will record the data in centimeters. After recording the data, the researcher will make another pumpkin pie, however this time; the researcher will bake the pie using regular butter instead of apple butter. Then, the researcher will put toothpicks in the four corners of the new pie and one in the center. Again, the researcher will measure the height of the toothpicks and record in centimeters. The pie with the higher measurements will help the researcher determine if baking a pie with regular butter instead of apple butter will affect the height of the pie.

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  2. Crumblin’ Chocolate

    Zhang Liu

    The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect of the number of eggs in brownies on the brownies’ crumbliness. A predetermined brownie recipe will be used to make a batch of brownies. Then two more batches will be made, one with additional eggs, and one with fewer eggs. To measure a brownie’s crumbliness, it will be placed into a water-tight Ziploc bag, and dropped into a sink of water from a set height. The mass of the brownie pieces that fall off will be weighed by triple beam balance. It is hypothesized that the more eggs there are in brownies, the less crumbly they are, so the batch with fewer eggs will be most crumbly, the batch with the normal amount of eggs will not be as crumbly, and the batch with more eggs will be least crumbly. The independent variable is the amount of eggs in the recipe and the independent variable is the crumbliness of the brownie.

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  3. Recipe Project
    Proposal
    Chocolate Chip Meringues
    Meringues are widely considered to be the sweetest, most sugary cookie there is. However, a less popular factor of a meringue is its height. This experiment will measure if the amount of vanilla extract used in a batch of meringues will affect the meringues’ average height. The researcher hypothesizes that if the amount of vanilla extract in a meringue is increased, then the average height of a meringue will increase very slightly. The independent variable in this experiment is the amount of vanilla extract used, and the dependent variable is the height of the meringues. To test this, the researcher will make a batch of 30 meringues using the normal recipe for meringues: 3 egg whites, 2/3 cup of sugar, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar. He will then measure the height of each meringue in millimeters, and average the heights. Then, the researcher will make another batch of thirty meringues. However, this time he will quadruple the amount of vanilla extract used from ½ teaspoon to 2 teaspoons. The heights of these meringues will also be averaged, and the averages heights of the two batches will be compared to determine how much the amount of vanilla extract used affects the heights of meringues.

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  4. The Effect of Baking Soda on Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Proposal
    Dan Grober


    Chocolate Chip Cookies are a classic cookie. For my experiment I would like to know what is the differnce of making Chocolate Chip Cookies with different amounts of Baking Soda? The IV in this experiment will be the amount of Baking Soda, and the DV is the thickness of the cookie. Baking Soda reacts with acids in the Cookie Dough to make the cookie rise, thus if there is more Baking Soda the cookie will be thicker, and if there is less baking soda the cookies will be thinner. Proving this hypothesis is easy to do with a simple Chocolate Chip Recipe. This recipe can be found at the following site: http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateChipCookies.html. The Recipe calls for 1 tbs. of Baking Soda. The plan for this experiment is to change that amount to 2 tbs. and 0 tbs. Thus, this experiment calls for 3 different batches of cookies, and measuring the thickness of each. This is easily done with by sticking a toothpick in the center of 6 cookies from the batch, taking note of how far it goes in, and then measure how far it went in.

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  5. Jared Loewenthal
    Oatmeal Cookie Size with Different Amounts of Flour
    Proposal
    Changing a recipe can affect the result of a food’s size. The research question is how different amounts of flour will affect the length of oatmeal cookies. The hypothesis is that if there is more amount of flour in the recipe, then the oatmeal cookies will be longer. The independent variable is the amount of flour used in the recipe. The dependent variable is the average length of a dozen oatmeal cookies. The first step is to make the recipe the way it is written for a control group. The next step is to change the amount of flour in the recipe, increasing half a cup, and then make another dozen oatmeal cookies. The researcher will record the average length for the dozen sets of the oatmeal cookies.

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  6. Madeline Lovejoy
    The Effect of Flour in Sugar Cookies
    Proposal
    What is the effect of baking sugar cookies with an original recipe that requires 1-1/2 cups of flour and instead using 1 cup of flour? Will the cookie dough become runny, and after baked will cookies be thinner? It is hypothesized that if 1 cup of flour is used in the recipe then after the cookies are baked they will be thinner the original ones and the dough will be runny. The independent variable is the amount of flour used in the cookie dough. The dependent variable is how runny the dough is, and the other dependent variable is how thin the cookie is after baked. Everything else in the experiment will stay constant. The recipe requires 1/2 cup soft margarine, 1 cup white sugar, 1 medium egg, 1 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder.

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  7. Many chefs agree that how much a cheesecake rises and its texture are important factors when judging quality. Does the amount of whipping cream used in the recipe of a cheesecake affect how much a cheesecake rises? It is hypothesized that if there is more whipping cream used in making brownie cheesecake, then the cheesecake will rise more than if the amount of whipping cream specified by the recipe is used. The constants in this experiment will be baking time, cooling time and all other directions and ingredients specified by the recipe. The control in this experiment is making the brownie cheesecake completely (no extra whipping cream will be added). To do this experiment, all directions as defined by the recipe will be followed except for the amount of whipping cream to use. At this point, 50% more whipping cream will be added (in this case, 4.5 tablespoons). Baking time will remain constant as well as cooling time. When the cheesecake has sufficiently cooled, five toothpicks will be put into the cheesecake at different locations. The toothpicks will then be taken out and measured. The same procedure will be followed for the control.

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  8. How does using egg whites instead of whole eggs affect the height of a cupcake?

    Egg whites are lighter and do not contain as much fat and cholesterol as whole eggs. Using this supplement is better for the body and is healthier. So, if one was to replace eggs with egg whites will it affect the height of the cupcake? The hypothesis that goes along with the research question is: If egg whites are used in place of whole eggs, then the height of the cupcake will increase? One reason that one can understand this being true is because egg whites are fluffier and lighter than whole eggs. The independent variable is the portion of the egg used (yolk or without yolk.) The dependent variable is the height of the cupcake made. A scientist will prepare the Funfetti cake mix as directed on the box.

    Satish Bhat

    ReplyDelete
  9. How does using egg whites instead of whole eggs affect the height of a cupcake?

    Egg whites are lighter and do not contain as much fat and cholesterol as whole eggs. Using this supplement is better for the body and is healthier. So, if one was to replace eggs with egg whites will it affect the height of the cupcake? The hypothesis that goes along with the research question is: If egg whites are used in place of whole eggs, then the height of the cupcake will increase? One reason that one can understand this being true is because egg whites are fluffier and lighter than whole eggs. The independent variable is the portion of the egg used (yolk or without yolk.) The dependent variable is the height of the cupcake made. A scientist will prepare the Funfetti cake mix as directed on the box.

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  10. Ruth Wakefield was baking cookies when she found herself without a needed ingredient, baker’s chocolate. She substituted semi-sweet chocolate bar cut into bits in lieu of baker’s chocolate. The chocolate did not melt, but the chopped up chocolate bar did not melt completely, the small pieces only softened, thus the chocolate chip cookie was invented. The cookie is now an American classic and many people have tried to modify the original recipe. The recipe I used is for chewy and thick chocolate chip cookies. The recipe uses bread flour instead of regular flour and a higher brown sugar to white sugar ratio which is different from the original chocolate chip cookie recipe. The cookies will be baked in my kitchen. The ingredients will be combined and baked in a 15x10 jelly roll pan at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. When the cookies are cool they will be measured. A toothpick will be inserted in the upper right, lower right, upper left, lower left, and middle of the cookie. The measurements will be in centimeters. The results will be averaged. The second time the bread flower will be replaced with regular flour. All the other ingredients are the same and the procedure is to be repeated. Then the height of the regular cookies and the modified cookies will be compared to see if bread flour or regular flour has an effect on the height of the cookie.

    Melissa Viezel

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  11. Proposal for recipe project
    Jacob Laser
    Butter cream is a high viscosity frosting used in whoopie pies. People argue that butter cream is too high in hydrogenated fat and the frosting could have the same viscosity with half the butter. If the frosting has less butter the will it become too runny? Without the large amount of butter the frosting will just run down the ramp.The independent variable will be the amount of butter in the butter cream. The dependant variable will be the viscosity of the butter cream. Two batches of the cream will be made, and but on an inclined plane. One batch will have the recommended amount of butter; one will have half that. I will measure how far each one runs over a period of 2 minutes.

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  12. Lemon Cupcakes
    Evan Fox
    Proposal:

    There are a variety of ways to prepare cupcakes. But, what would make a cupcake have the largest height capacity? This experiment will try to find what will allow a cupcake have the maximum capacity for its height. It is hypothesized that brown sugar will make the cupcake taller than white sugar. The independent variable is the type of sugar used, and the dependent variable is the average height of the cupcakes. This experiment will be carried out in a kitchen. There will be an internet recipe printed out for lemon cupcakes. All of the ingredients will be gathered and the cupcakes will be cooked exactly as the recipe says. Then, a second batch will be made but, instead of using white sugar, change it with the exact same amount of brown sugar. When they are all baked, the average heights in the center of the cupcake will be calculated by sticking a toothpick into the cupcake and measure how far up the cupcake goes on the toothpick.

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  13. Poppy Seeds are enjoyed in almost all countries and have been cooked with for century’s. I will be changing the temperature of the cooking time and see if that effects the width of the bread. I will cook the bread for 50 minutes at 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I will change it to 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. I will measure the length of the bread both times and see if there is a difference. I believe that the higher temperature will effect its length.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ruth Wakefield was baking cookies when she found herself without a needed ingredient, baker’s chocolate. She substituted semi-sweet chocolate bar cut into bits in lieu of baker’s chocolate. The chocolate did not melt, but the chopped up chocolate bar did not melt completely, the small pieces only softened, thus the chocolate chip cookie was invented. The cookie is now an American classic and many people have tried to modify the original recipe. The recipe I used is for chewy and thick chocolate chip cookies. The recipe uses bread flour instead of regular flour and a higher brown sugar to white sugar ratio which is different from the original chocolate chip cookie recipe. The cookies will be baked in my kitchen. The ingredients will be combined and baked in a 15x10 jelly roll pan at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. When the cookies are cool they will be measured. A toothpick will be inserted in the upper right, lower right, upper left, lower left, and middle of the cookie. The measurements will be in centimeters. The results will be averaged. The second time the bread flower will be replaced with regular flour. All the other ingredients are the same and the procedure is to be repeated. Then the height of the regular cookies and the modified cookies will be compared to see if bread flour or regular flour has an effect on the height of the cookie.

    ReplyDelete
  15. How Does changing baking temperature change the average height of a chocolate chip muffin

    Muffins are a breakfast treat that is enjoyed around the world. In this experiment the baking temperature will be changed to see if it results in a change of the average height of the muffin. It is hypothesized that lowering the baking temperature will result in a shorter, denser muffin; while the opposite is hypothesized if the temperature is raised. The purpose of this experiment is to find a temperature that will create the most appealing muffin. The way that this will be tested is through creating three batches of muffins. The first batch will be the control, and the temperature of baking will be 400 degrees Fahrenheit as is directed in the recipe. The second batch will be baked at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, 25 degrees cooler than the recommended temperature and the final batch will be baked at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, 25 degrees warmer than the control. The variables that I will control are: the amount of ingredients in the recipe, the way the recipe is combined, the amount of batter used per muffin, and the amount of time the muffin is cooked.

    Tanay Lathia

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  16. Do eggwhites affect the hieght and color of lemon cupcakes?

    Everybody loves lemon cupcakes fresh right out of the oven. The original recipe calls for three whole eggs. If I put three egg whites instead of three whole eggs, then the cupcakes will not be as tall and fluffy. The independent variable in this experiment is the type of egg used. The dependent variable would be the height of the cupcake when I put in the egg whites. The rest of the ingredients of the cupcake recipe will stay constant. I used the Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix for the batter.
    Shahryar Ahmed

    ReplyDelete
  17. Everybody loves a delicious bundt cake. They can come in many different flavors too; vanilla, chocolate, and even lemon. Some Bundt cakes even have fillings, or are made with pudding to make the more moist. What is the height difference between a Bundt cake with pudding in it and a Bundt cake without pudding? It is hypothesized that a Bundt cake with pudding added in will be slightly taller than a Bundt cake without. The independent variable of my experiment is the pudding or no pudding and the dependent variable is the height of the Bundt cake. To do this experiment, one will need to bake a Bundt cake with pudding. After it has cooled down from the oven, it will be measured. After that, another Bundt cake will be baked without pudding. After that has cooled, it will be measured too. The heights of the Bundt cakes will then be compared.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Do eggwhite affect teh hieght and color of lemon cupcakes?
    Everybody loves lemon cupcakes fresh right out of the oven. The original recipe calls for three whole eggs. If I put three egg whites instead of three whole eggs, then the cupcakes will not be as tall and fluffy. The independent variable in this experiment is the type of egg used. The dependent variable would be the height of the cupcake when I put in the egg whites. The rest of the ingredients of the cupcake recipe will stay constant. I used the Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix for the batter.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Weison Lin
    Proposal
    More Water, More Juice?
    In the preparation of fried rice, the cook adds water when cooking the vegetables in the fried rice. It was questioned why this was done. It was proposed that if the cook removes water from the recipe, then the vegetables in the fried rice will have more juice than if no water was added. In this experiment, the independent variable is water, while the dependent variable is the juiciness of the bell peppers in the recipe measured in millimeters. All materials will be gathered and cooked in the same area. Make the fried rice with the water added to the vegetables. Then make the fried rice without the water. After the rice is cooked, take 3 pieces of bell peppers each from the fried rice with the water and the fried rice without. Squeeze all the juice out of them into a graduated cylinder. The initiator will compare the amount of juice from each sample.

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  20. Super Schnitzel Breading Experiment

    The purpose of this experiment is to discover how the amount of flower in the schnitzel affects the schnitzels breading. The experimenter is going to make a batch of five schintzels with the required normal recipe amounts of flour. Then all of the breading that falls off by itself will be collected and put into a measuring cup where it will be measured and recorded in cups. Then the process will be completed a second time with half of the flour than the recipe requires. Then the same experiment will be repeated to the half flour schnitzel as it was to the normal schnitzel. The independent variables are the amounts of flour in the schnitzel and the dependent variables are the amounts of breading that fell off. My hypothesis is that more breading will fall off in the recipe with half of the flour that than in the recipe with all of the required flour.

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  21. Jordan Henck
    Being short is cool, or is it?
    Comparing amounts yeast in bread.
    Bread has been around for along time. Although, back then they did not know what yeast was. Today we use yeast to make our bread rise, but does yeast the effects the height of bread. It is predicted that as the amount of yeast increases so will the height of bread. The researcher will change the amount of yeast in the bread and will measure the difference in height. The researcher will start with measuring the water and then the temperature of the water to make it exactly 30 degrees Celsius then you will put the water in the machine and then add sugar, salt, flower, and the amount of yeast for that experiment. The researcher will measure the lowest and highest point of the bread and average it. The researcher will record the data in centimeters. After recording the data , the researcher will make another loaf of bread, however this time, the researcher will bake it using a different amount of yeast.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thomas M.
    Butters Effect on chocolate Chip Cookies
    Proposal

    This experiment will test how the butters temperature will affect the cookies when they are mixed. The research question is “how will butter being melted affect the thickness of the cookie.” The hypothesis is that the melted butter would make the cookie thin and runny. The independent variable is the temperature of the butter. The dependant variable is the thickness of the cookie. The procedure would probably be something like this: one batch of cookies would be made the normal way using solid butter, the other with melted butter. Then each batch of about 60 would have ten cookies selected randomly from each batch to be measured. They would be measured in thickness by inserting a toothpick at the highest point (not including chocolate chips) , then marking that point to be measured by a ruler. The height of each batch would then be averaged.

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  23. Molly C
    What will be the effect of making vanilla cupcakes with different amounts of baking powder? Cupcakes made with less baking powder or no baking powder will probably be smaller than those made with higher amounts of baking powder. In order to find out the stated hypothesis is correct and to look at the effects first hand, an experiment can easily carried out using a cupcake recipe. The variable being changed during the experiment will be the amount of baking powder in the recipe. One batch will be made with no baking powder, one with 1 tsp, and one with 3. When the cupcakes are done baking, the heights and circumferences can be measured so that the measurements for each batch can be averaged and then compared to one another.

    ReplyDelete