text: Also, student designed projects would improve the likelihood of students going into more detail. Students want the opportunity to expand their knowledge in topics that interest them. Why not let them teach themselves and you something along the way? Students doing a project on something that doesn't interest them would be a vague and boring version of something that could be chosen by the student. In the science fair people aren't given a topic, they are told to run free with all the ideas they can think of. That's how a summer project should be.