Part of what makes creating an NHD project so enjoyable is the ability to incorporate your personal interests such as art, cinema, or sports. For many students, this interest lies within a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field. With rich history available and special award opportunities galore, incorporating STEM into your NHD project is rewarding and worthwhile. With this, however, there comes a slew of additional challenges. Here are my top three tips to navigate STEM NHD projects as a former participant!
“Tighten” Your Thesis
When incorporating multiple topics into an NHD entry, especially one that deals with STEM, it is easy for your thesis to spiral out of control. Remember that NHD has a strict word limit, and you will not be able to effectively defend an overly complex thesis within such a limit. Here are some ways to narrow your thesis:
- Focus on discoveries during specific dates. When was your topic initially discovered? When was it most relevant? Narrowing the dates of your research helps to determine what aspect of the discovery is now serving a modern impact. (What discoveries are being expanded upon today?)
- Focus on a handful of discoveries. If your topic is broad, such as a specific technology and its impacts, try to pick 2-3 main discoveries or outcomes from your topic.
Balance Your Bibliography
With the added complexity of a STEM topic, it is important to prevent giving one side of your argument too much weight. Remember to balance not only the number and type of primary and secondary sources but also the number of historical and STEM sources. Try to keep the number of sources fairly even.
Historical Sources: Sources related to the life and legacy of those who made a discovery. These include diaries, biographies, and newspaper articles.
STEM Sources: Sources that explain the technicality of your STEM subject. These include research publications, journals, and modern research discoveries to display impact.
Make it Digestible
Although it is easy to go on a technical tangent on your rich passion for your topic, it is important to remember that your audience likely does not have the background knowledge you possess. Remember to break down the more technical parts of your project for the general public to understand, and emphasize the importance of any technicalities.
It is also important to be prepared to explain technicalities in depth or word them differently during judging so that different audiences can understand the importance of your topic.
Doing historical research with a STEM aspect can present some additional challenges, but it is also incredibly rewarding. I hope that these tips can provide some guidance to polish your project and avoid some common mistakes that accompany multi-faceted research such as this.
-Ashlynn York
Ashlynn York participated in Tennessee History Day and regularly competing at the national level. In 2024 she won an honorable mention and Outstanding Affiliate Entry, Senior Division for her senior individual exhibit, “From Bombs to the Big Bang: How the Use of Radar in World War II Shook the Universe.” Ashlynn is a freshman at UCLA and is studying physics.
