DEEP Project Topics Physical Science
1. Often diving accidents occur because the diver failed to get the proper training. An uneducated diver might hold his or her breath innocently wanting to conserve air. Proper diving training includes instruction in Boyle's Law, which explains that holding your breath on scuba can result in bursting your lungs! Research and explain the work of Robert Boyle. Design and perform an experiment that demonstrates Boyle's Law in action. Show how Boyle's Law relates to scuba diving.
2. A diver giggles as he removes his mouthpiece and offers it to a passing fish. There are several such stories of divers who begin to act dangerously strange as they dive deeper. The divers act drunk, although they have not been drinking. The problem is called nitrogen narcosis. Dalton's Law explains how the extreme pressure of deep diving forces more nitrogen into the blood causing nitrogen narcosis. Research and explain the work of John Dalton. Design and perform an experiment that demonstrates Dalton's Law in action. Show how Dalton's Law relates to scuba diving. (Warning: This is an advanced topic requiring strong science skills.)
3. When you open a bottle of 7-Up and see the bubbles form, and hear the fizzing, you are witnessing Henry's Law in action. If divers surface too quickly, bubbles can form in their blood just like in the 7-Up. This dangerous and painful condition is known as the bends. Research and explain the work of William Henry. Design and perform an experiment that demonstrates Henry's Law in action. Show how Henry's Law relates to scuba diving.
4. Charles' Law describes the connection between the temperature of a gas and the pressure exerted on the gas. Scuba divers breathe from a tank of air in a pressurized environment, so Charles' Law is important for all divers. Research and explain the work of Jaques Charles and Joseph Gay-Lussac. Design and perform an experiment that demonstrates Charles' Law in action. Show how Charles' Law relates to scuba diving.
5. Proper buoyancy control is very important to safe diving. Without proper buoyancy control divers would sink and bounce along the bottom, or be stuck floating on the surface. When buoyancy is adjusted perfectly divers gain the sensation of flight, gliding effortlessly over reefs and canyons that drop to the depths. Explain the science of buoyancy and describe the specialized equipment that divers use to control their buoyancy. Design and perform an experiment relating to buoyancy. DEEP Project Topics HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
1. The effects of scuba diving on body temperature:
• What is hypothermia? How do wet suits and dry suits work to maintain warmth? How large is the difference in body temperature with and without a wet suit? Why is being wet present a higher risk of hypothermia? What body organs work to regulate body temperature?
• How do colder or warmer temperatures affect “warm-blooded” vs “cold-blooded” animals? Crickets vs humans? Fish vs humans? Daphnia? Does it affect their respiration rate?
2. The effects of scuba diving on senses:
• Explain the physiology of hearing. How does being under water effect hearing? Are certain sounds (low or higher pitch) changed more by being under water?
• Explain the physiology of vision. How is vision changed under water? Compare vision under water with and without a mask. Is color vision changed by being under water?
• How did vision evolve underwater? Can you create and test different versions of “eyes”?
• Can pressure affect vision underwater?
3. The effects of scuba diving on the circulatory system:
• How does scuba diving affect heart rate and blood pressure? What accounts for these changes? Can we measure changes due to each of several causes? How quickly does the body return to normal? What influences this?
• What is the “mammalian diving reflex”? Does it exist in humans?
• How does circulation/heart rate change in guppies depending on water temperature?
4. The effects of scuba diving on the respiratory system:
• How does diving change breathing rate? What factors cause this change or the amount of change? Does this vary from one individual to another? Explain the physiology behind changes in breathing rate.
• What are the bends? What causes the bends and how can this be avoided? Explain the body's response to the bends.
• What is nitrogen narcosis? What causes nitrogen narcosis and how does it affect the body?
• Explore scuba tank air usage. Why do some people use more air? Does it depend on lung capacity? Mass? Fitness? Experience? DEEP Project Topics ECOLOGY TOPICS
1. What is ocean acidification? What is the affect of ocean acidification on coral reefs? Explore how climate change will change our oceans. Explore differences between calcium carbonate coral and aragonite coral.
2. How do various factors in the water affect the rate of decomposition of plant and/or animal materials or remains? What would overfeeding of fish or an “algal bloom” do to the dissolved oxygen in the water? What about pH, ammonia, nitrates and nitrites?
3. What is the relationship between dissolved oxygen and temperature in fresh and salt water environments?
4. Does pressure affect the rate of photosynthesis or cellular respiration? Is BTB an adequate way to measure this?
5. How do various pollutants affect the primary productivity and dissolved oxygen in ecosystems? How does a dark environment effect primary productivity? (Vernier)
6. What is the relationship between dissolved oxygen and pH? How does the pH of the water differ if plants or animals are living in it? What’s the role of sunlight? (Vernier)
7. What specific adaptations do local tidepool plants and animals have in order to survive in their environment? Compare and contrast these adaptations to those of organisms in other water environments.
ENGINEERING TOPICS
Engineering projects involve the design and construction of some kind of working object or machine. Often the machines are motorized. Examples include ROVs (remotely operated underwater vehicles), underwater habitats, remote controlled boats, underwater gliders, and more. The engineering projects are often very popular, but they are also very challenging for both the students and the DEEP faculty. For this reason we must limit the number of engineering projects. Students who demonstrate that they will be able to complete an engineering project, without taking up too much faculty time and intervention. Students who take on engineering projects understand that extra time and money will be required to complete the DEEP project.
NEW TOPIC IDEAS
You may have an idea for a project that is not listed above. We love new ideas! As long as the project relates to scuba, oceans, water, and science, you are welcome to give it a try. Talk with your DEEP advisors about your idea as early as possible for coaching on how to make your idea work in DEEP.