Science fairs began in the United States with the Science Talent Search, established by Science Service and Westinghouse, in 1942. It was a scholarship competition devoted to high school seniors looking to pursue degrees in the sciences.

Since then, science fairs have exploded onto the scene in every state in the United States and most countries throughout the world. They now allow participants ranging in ages from elementary school students through high school students.

The following resources are a good place to start when researching potential science fair projects. These items cover elementary school-level projects, middle school-level projects, and high school-level projects. They cover both chemistry and physics topics that are suitable for student science fair projects.

Each title links to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. While these titles are held by the Library, many of them will also be available through your local public or academic library.