How an eighth grader won his science fair by showing how to make hearing aid batteries last longer

An assignment in eighth grade to create a science fair project inspired Ethan Manuell to conduct experiments with hearing aid batteries to see how to make them last longer. He has worn hearing aids since he was four, so he knew how much getting more life out of a battery improves the lives of hearing aid users. Now he’s a junior at the University of Iowa pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering.

This illustrates that a good way to come up with your own science fair project is to write down questions from your own life that have a single variable you can measure to see how different tests change it. If you don’t know how to do the measurement, talk to your advisor.