STUDENTS:
MID-COLUMBIA REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR (Mar. 13, 14,15 2008)
WHO CAN ENTER?
A. Any student in grades 6-12 may
participate. Twenty 6th grade exhibits
per school will be accepted.
B. NO Team
Projects will be accepted in grades 6-12
PROJECT CATEGORIES
LIFE SCIENCE PHYSICAL
SCIENCE
Behavioral and Social Science Engineering
Biochemistry Math/Computer
Science
Botany/Zoology Earth
and Space Science
Medicine and Health Chemistry
Microbiology Physics
Environmental Science (L) Environmental Science(P)
The entire project must be
done in a scientific manner and a 250 word abstract must be attached to the
display. The abstract should include
title, hypothesis (objective), procedure, observations, results (data),
conclusion, reflections, applications. A tabletop space of 122 cm.(48")
wide by 76 cm. (30") deep will be provided. Height may be 274 cm.(9'). A written report based on the
scientific method and a log/journal are required. The journal should be handwritten. The checklist, Research Plan, Approval Form
and Signatures of Approval must be signed prior to any experimental research
and submitted with the registration form.
All projects must
comply with the rules of the 58th International Science and Engineering Fair. (http://www.sciserv.org)
You are encouraged to make graphs, drawings, take photographs and display
your project in an attractive and informative manner. Students who are doing any experimentation
with vertebrate animals, humans (including yourself), recombinant DNA, tissue,
or pathogenic agents/controlled substances must have all certifications signed BEFORE
EXPERIMENTATION BEGINS.
EXPERIENCE THE EXCITEMENT of
competition and displaying your work in public.
TALK to informed judges about your project. WIN PRIZES!!
One or two winners from grades 9-12 may receive an all expense paid trip
to the International Fair. Many prizes
will be awarded including cash and savings bonds. All entrants will have an opportunity to
attend the AWARDS CEREMONY. A
certificate of participation will be given to each entrant as well as pins and cash awards to
the major winners.
INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
forms will be available on the website in early FEBRUARY.
Experiment With Me First
It is time to encourage
students to begin their science projects.
The first information for the
year includes:
1. ANNOUNCEMENT POSTER - to be displayed in your
classroom, library, or school bulletin boards.
(To
be mailed)
2. STUDENT
INFORMATION LETTER - Please discuss this with any interested students. This letter contains valuable information regarding rules,
eligibility, categories and awards.
3. DEVELOPMENT OF A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT- Provides details
for the development of a science project, gives helpful hints for
experimenting, judging and project display.
4. CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE INFORMATION (due end of January)
5. CHECKLIST FOR ADULT SPONSOR, RESEARCH PLAN,
APPROVAL FORMS AND SIGNATURES OF
APPROVAL (On website and in ISEF rules and guidelines booklet)
6. ISEF RULES AND
GUIDELINES BOOKLET -
These were sent to schools which have participated recently. Please write or call if you need one.
WAYS IN WHICH THE SCIENCE
FAIR ASSOCIATION CAN ASSIST YOU
1.Web sites for science fair ideas, animal care and
microbiology procedures and possible mentors.
2. Rules
A. Each student
must submit a signed Checklist, Research plan, Approval Form and Signatures of
Approval (signed before experimentation).
B. The Research Plan
must be completed and signed by all appropriate parties prior to the onset
of research involving vertebrate
animals, humans, recombinant DNA, tissue or potentially pathogenic and
pathogenic agents/controlled and hazardous substances.
C. These forms must be signed by either of the
Chairpersons of the Regional Science Scientific Review Committee. If the research involves humans, an IRB must
approve the research also. If the forms
are signed by the local SRC then the Regional SRC must also sign them before
competition. We recommend that Regional
approval occur at the same time as the local SRC approval.
D.
The Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair SRC must approve
local SRC/IRBs.
Please email a copy of your local SRC/IRB to the fair director.
3. Judging
The Science
Fair Association can recommend judges for your local fairs and provide criteria
for your local judging. Please try to
screen projects or have a local fair before sending projects to the regional
fair.
DIRECTOR'S
LETTER
Joyce E. Stark MCRSEF Website: www.mcsf.net
Sunnyside High School
1110 S. 6th Street
(509)837-2601 ext.3371 FAX (509) 837-0494
E-mail jepstark@bentonrea.com (home)
Dear Teachers:
We are continuing to incorporate your suggestions
into improvements. Categorical awards
will be continued and the number of sixth grade entrants will be maintained at twenty. Teams
remain eliminated.
The middle school (6,7,8th
grades) is arranged into Life Science and Physical Science judging. There is an environmental science category
for both life and physical science. There are first, second, third and
honorable mention awards for each of these main groups. The high school
projects will be judged as one group.
Ninth grade is combined with the senior division.
All students in grades 6-12 should be prepared to
present a 3-5 minute summary of their project for the judges. Judging for middle school students begins at 9:00
A.M. and 2:00 P.M. for
All students must have SRC approval
for use of pathogenic or potentially pathogenic organisms BEFORE the research
begins. These organisms cannot be
cultured at home. Methods should include
details about aseptic procedures, clean-up of work area and disposal of
cultures.
The ISEF RULES BOOKLET contains some
revisions from last year (p.4) but it is still user friendly. NEW. Please note the
major changes working with potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (p.
21-24). On the Human Subjects Form(4), the IRB will
make a risk determination. It is
required for all projects involving human subjects. Human and non-human animal tissue form
must be submitted to the SRC before research begins. Any continuing project must document that
the additional research is new and different. Feb. 12 is the last day to submit plans to
SRC.
Sixth grade students may enter without
being associated with a middle school. A
parent or teacher will need to accompany the students if this is not part of
your regular field trip plan. We do not
want to have unchaperoned students at the Columbia
Center Mall for such an extended period of time.
Columbia
Center is still requiring that each school provides parent monitors for the
restrooms. Please remind your students
to clean up after lunch also.
Ninth grade students will be judged within the
senior division category and not just as freshman.
We are not setting any quotas at the
present time for individual projects in grades 7-12, but please continue to
screen projects or have a local fair. If
the number of exhibits become too large, we may have
to reconsider the quota situation this year. Remember we talked about
capacity problems.
Kay Anyan is the SRC chairperson. Please fax copies of the research plans to
her for approval, (509) 575-8775, Telephone: (509) .
Joyce
Stark is the IRB coordinator. Please fax
copies of the research plans to her for approval, (509)837-0494, Telephone:
(509)837-2601 ext 3371.
We will continue electronic registration
this year (name, project title, school, year, etc.) The Research Plan, Checklist and Signatures
of Approval should be mailed separately.
NEW:
Categories have changed for the ISEF. The grand prize winners will have to change their selection of category after the Regional Science Fair in order to complete the paperwork for the ISEF. Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair categories will remain the same.
A risk assessment (form 3) is required for all projects involving Hazardous Chemical Activities or Devices. p. 25, 31.
Research plan guidelines for writing detailed procedures are provided on p. 31 of the Rules. It is very important (especially for SRC/IRB approval) that the procedures be written in detail. The IRB and SRC Committees will follow these guidelines.
WASL Conflict – The high school reading and writing WASL begins March 10 and continues through March 13. The high school division (9-12) judging times have been changed to try to accommodate any high school student involved in the WASL March 13.
Certificate of Insurance
It
seems that modern society is enamored with law suits and it is necessary to
protect one's business. This is commonly
done by insurance. Columbia Center is
requesting liability insurance for the shows held on the mall. We have looked into purchasing a limited
duration insurance policy to meet the needs expressed by Columbia Center
Management. The cost of such an
insurance policy would severely impact our budget. Therefore, we are asking the schools that are
sending students to the Fair to post a "Certificate of
Insurance". Please include the
following as insured:
Mid-Columbia
Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Mid-Columbia
Science Fair Association
Certificate
holder should be:
Columbia Center
1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd, Suite 335
This
certificate tells Columbia Center that the school has insurance which will
cover the students while they are on a school sanctioned event. This
certificate also lets Columbia Center know which insurance company insures the
school and states the limits of liability if a student does something to cause
injury or damage. The company that
covers Columbia Center is liable if the fault clearly resides with Columbia
Center, e.g., someone breaks an arm because the roof leaked water and the
person slipped in the puddle.
These
certifications must be in before we can allow your students to register and set
up at the fair. Therefore we request
that you send the Certificate of Insurance directly to Eva Baroni and NOT
Columbia Center. If these are not sent in, your registrations will not be
accepted and your exhibit area will be reassigned to others. The amounts of liability must be equal to or
greater than those shown in the enclosed sample. Your school business office has this form,
understands what it means, and will contact the insurance company to send a
copy. Please have the Certificate of
Insurance mailed or faxed
to:
Ms.
Eva Baroni
Chairperson-Insurance
Committee
Mid-Columbia
Regional Science and Engineering Fair
2530
Abemarle Court
Richland,
Washington 99352
(509) 375-3712 fax:
(509) 372-6247
If
your school is anticipating sending any students, please take care of this as
soon as possible. We would like to have
an accurate count of the participating schools by January 28.