I think doing fuel cells would be really interesting. I don't know anything about them, and it would interesting to know more through your blogs. Are you sure you will be able to find enough information, and fully understand it? If you are then I really think you should do ahead a pick fuel cells as long as you think you will be fully interested.
Doing Costa Rica would be good to do, too. When you go there you would fully understand it, and it would be really fun to research it for months. But it might be hard to find research on it, and find a lot of good information.

Liam, Costa Ric would be a great research project for you since you are going there this spring! however, it would be a hard topic to find ongoing research information on it for the next six months. I am not very informed in nanotechnology, but it seems like an excellent topic to use because not only does it tie on every on else's topics, but their topics can be tied into yours as well, such as global warming and alternate resources.

ideas (:

It would be really cool to do this project on Coasta Rica since you'll be going there! It would also constantly be changing. Maybe you could interview the International Club leader or someone who's been there before.

I don't know anything about fuel cells! It sounds like it would be a good topic since it's a problem we're all trying to find a solution to.

Beginning the Selection Process

I am fairly interested in the research of fuel cells because, once they become less expensive, I believe they will be one of best sources of energy. I am also interested at what it would take economically to to make this possible, and how much it will help our environment if we completely replaced greenhouse gas producing oil. I think I could also find interesting pictures and diagrams to help me present this.

There might not be a substantial daily change, but I think over a few weeks, (and definitely over a few months) there will be significant progress. Currently, oil prices are declining and this may cause the demand for fuel cell cars to slow. Because of the potential economic crisis, I am curious as to whether fuel cells will become much less expensive sooner than expected. There may be a lot of information every week from the companies that are developing fuel cells for different purposes. There may be news about their progress, failures, testing, future product releases, stock prices, etc.

I think it will be difficult to find current and changing newspaper articles regarding fuel cells, however, I am sure that there are scientists that post weekly journals. I have already gathered articles explaining that General Motors (GM) and American Honda Motor are giving nearly 300 street-legal, fuel cells cars to individual American drivers. I might be able to find responses from some of the drivers. This would be very useful as the response would come from someone with first-hand experience driving one of these cars. I have already found a journal from the writer of USA Today, James R. Healey, who tested one of these cars. Healey said that, "In the end, the driving personalities of the two test vehicles, with a few exceptions, were close enough to those of ordinary gasoline-powered cars that if buyers ultimately reject fuel-cell machines, it won't be because the cars seem unfamiliar from behind the wheel."

I do think that this a challenging topic because I don't entirely understand fuel cells myself. I am learning about the technical details of fuel cells so I still have a fair amount to learn. I also need to learn how hydrogen fuel might be produced. There are a number of different ways to make hydrogen fuel though researchers aren't sure of the most effcient way yet. In studying fuel cells there is a lot more to learn besides just how they work. An entire system beginning with hydrogen production and then delivery (hydrogen station?) must be considered.