Regional Science & Engineering Fair

Select Here: Winners of 2011 Regional Science & Engineering Fair

2012 Regional Science & Engineering Fair
February 2012 Date to Be Determined
Friday Onsite Setup (6:30 pm) Cone University Center
Saturday, Science Fair,
Cone University Center
UNC Charlotte Cone University Center

Click here for UNC Charlotte Regional Science & Engineering Fair Requirements
Registration and Form(s) Submittal Deadline: January 2012

Bacteria (Are you thinking of using/growing bacteria? Click Here) Because of the risks and safety rules associated with culturing bacteria, these projects are restricted to junior and senior divisions ONLY
Does you school qualify as BSL2 for certain bacterial studies? (BSL2 Self Assessment Form)

Please Use the ISEF Rules Wizard at http://apps.societyforscience.org/isef/students/wizard/index.asp to learn of your requirements for participation in the UNC Charlotte regional Science & Engineering Fair.

Announcements for High School Teachers and Students
All the ISEF Forms and Research Plan must be submitted to the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) and approved before experimentation. All ISEF forms and Research Plan may be sent to Alisa Wickliff at abwickli@uncc.edu. You will be notified of SRC approval within 2 weeks. We recommend all high school students request SRC approval before January 2011.

  • High School students are required to register and to submit all ISEF Forms, the Research Plan (approved by the SRC before January 2011), and the ISEF Abstract by January 28, 2011 for participating in the Regional Science Fair.

Strictly Prohibited List
(Note: Some research that is permissible for professionals in research institutions is not appropriate for pre-college students.)

  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval is needed for all students research projects. The projects should be conducted under the supervision of the principal and should be reviewed by the local SRC to make certain that the project complies with the ISEF Rules. The SRC should review the project the experimentation starts.
  • Proper euthanasia for tissue removal and/or pathological analysis is permitted at the end of the experimentation. But, the euthanasia should be performed by Qualified Scientist or an institutional representative and not by the student. The process followed for euthanasia should adhere to the current AVMA Guidelines.
  • Project causing more than momentary pain or suffering to the vertebrate animals are prohibited. The table below presents the USDA Pain Categories along with the permissibility of studies for science fair projects.
USDA Pain Categories Definition ISEF Guidelines
Category A Live animals will receive non-painful manipulation. Animals may be euthanized to obtain tissues, cells, etc. Permitted
Category B Live animals will receive momentary pain or stressful stimulus without anesthesia, which results in a short-term response. Examples include but are not limited to: injections, field trapping/tagging, blood sampling and standard agricultural husbandry practices. Permitted
Category C Live animals will have significant manipulations, surgery, etc., performed while anesthetized. The animals will be euthanized at the termination of the procedure without regaining consciousness. Permitted only with proper training and certification
Category D Live animals will have manipulations performed while anesthetized and are allowed to recover and/or animals will develop discernable clinical signs indicating pain, distress, or significant physiological changes spontaneously or as a result of specific experimental procedures. Examples include, but are not limited to: Survival surgical procedures of any type and some studies which would include tumor development. ALL SUCH STUDIES MUST INCLUDE TREATMENT TO ALLEVIATE PAIN OR DISTRESS. Limited Category D procedures are permitted with proper training and certification. The project must adhere to all ISEF rules. Most Category D projects would be deemed inappropriate for high school students.
Category E Live animals will experience significant/severe pain or distress, without benefit of anesthetics, tranquilizers or analgesics. PROHIBITED
  • Research for nutritional deficiency, ingestion, inoculation or exposure to unknown or potentially hazardous material or drugs can be conducted only to the point of the first sign of deficiency or effect. After the signs or the effects get detected appropriate measures should be taken to rectify the deficiency or the drug effect, if the action is feasible, if not, then the animal (s) must be euthanized.

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