this forum seems to really hate anyone who is slightly pessimistic / realistic. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying that the likelihood of an 11 yea

this forum seems to really hate anyone who is slightly pessimistic / realistic. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying that the likelihood of an 11 year old organically doing something like this is very low, compared to say, her parents putting some strong wind in her sails. My science fair project was heavily guided by two instructors. I doubt that any significant high school science fair project is done without any outside assistance at all. Getting help from experts in the field should be seen as a good thing, not a reason to dismiss the project. https://student.societyforscience.org/basics https://student.societyforscience.org/basics Creating an independent research project doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help. Parents, teachers, experts and other students may offer to help you on your project. Figuring out what kind of help is fair — and what type of help is not — can be tricky. Below are several stories from Science News for Kids that help offer guidance on that issue. Many students find a mentor to help them refine what questions to ask and how to answer them. Ideally, a mentor should never tell you what to do (even if you ask). Instead, a good mentor will help you find information that will inform your decisions on what to do and how to do it. For example, this story from Science News for Students gives examples of the proper roles played by mentors. This article discusses the advantages of working with a mentor. Meanwhile, we feature in this story the rewarding example of a young student who had the courage to contact an outside expert in the topic he was researching.