
I don't know why all my teachers simultaneously think it's a good idea to cram everything into the last week before break. But all my big testing is done now.

In my Science Research class, we've recently been assigned to conduct a middle school level science experiment. Since I care about the environment a lot, I researched environmental science projects, and came across the interesting topic of testing lead levels in soil. It immediately reminded me of Flint Michigan and how water is being found to be contaminated with lead all across the United States, so I got pretty excited about the idea of testing lead levels in water in my school district.
The problem is, my school has actually recently been discovered to contain lead in some water sources, like in the art room, so it's probably unlikely I'd actually get any new/relevant/any data from my school. The other schools in my district and general area have likely been tested as well. So this project doesn't necessarily guarantee me data, which is a problem.
Additionally, it doesn't really follow the format of "Effect of _________(independent variable)________ on _____________(dependent variable)________. The model we're supposed to use is testing the effect of something on something else, but this just tests to see if there is lead in the school water supplies.
I considered testing the effect of poverty on lead levels in school water supplies, and going to collect water samples from areas with more poverty. But according to my teacher, they've likely been tested recently as well, and it might be a challenge to get permission (theoretically, I could just take their water and they'd never know, but that's probably not a good idea

However, she said that, while she prefers the more experimental effect format, that it doesn't necessarily have to follow that.
So I'm kind of stuck and not really sure what to do. I'd really like to do something with lead testing to make sure the schools are safe, but I'm not sure how to incorporate it into a project that works.
I've also been considering going with the original experiment of testing the soil, and maybe it could be like "Effect of gas stations on lead levels in soil" or something, and I could test gas station soil vs soil in other areas. Or something like that. But I'm not sure if that'd give me data or if it's as helpful.
What do you guys think?
Thanks!
