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The 2003 Science, Math & Engineering Fair Rules contain several changes so it is important that every student and teacher becomes thoroughly familiar with the Rules that apply to their research project. All project MUST have the RULES as a reference, appropriate pages must be reviewed and guidelines followed. ALL REFERENCES INCLUDING THE RULES MUST BE ON RESEARCH ATTACHMENT FORM (Form 1A)- (the form that includes your problem statement, hypotheses, description of materials and method, and bibliography). References that must be cited are listed in the RULES handout available on the web (www.sciserv.org) on the ISEF page and on the FFFS website (www.fffs.ucf.edu). Evaluation of all projects by the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) will be very strict. Please make sure your paperwork includes the RULES citation in your bibliography! If you fail to do this, you could be disqualified from participating at the Regional or State Science, Math and Engineering Fairs!

RULES FOR ALL SCHOOL, REGIONAL, STATE, AND INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS CAN BE FOUND AT THE SCIENCE SERVICE WEBSITE (www.sciserv.org)ON THE ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) PAGE. Click on Documentation to take you to the Rules and Student Handbook (Adobe Acrobat format).

2003 ISEF Rules

ABSTRACT AND PLACEMENT ON DISPLAY BOARD
Student researchers MUST use the FSSEF Abstract From. This form is available from your teacher or on the FFFS Website (www.fffs.ucf.edu). It is in Adobe Acrobat format, so save the file to your hard drive and then fill in the blanks using your computer. The abstract must be NO MORE than 250 words and in a MINIMUM of 10 font. Please use either Times New Roman or Arial font. The abstract MUST be placed on the lower left corner of the board at table height.
OTHER IMPORTANT RULE CHANGES!
1. A Mortality Report MUST be completed and submitted to SRC with forms PRIOR to competition - this form is available at www.fffs.ucf.edu.


2. For students with projects using microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi (molds, yeasts)...Projects may NOT be done at home! They must be done at a registered research institutions, a hospital lab, or in a school classroom that is equipped to deal with microorganisms and the teacher MUST be certified by the Regional SRC or a Qualified Scientist as trained in dealing with microorganisms. No longer can you simply state that microorganisms will be "red-bagged" or dealt with by someone else. You MUST present a letter testifying to the fact that the cultures were autoclaved. Incineration will NOT be accepted as a substitute. All cultures MUST BE AUTOCLAVED for 30 minutes at or above 121 C. It is your responsibility to check with a Registered Research Institution to see if the 30 minutes at 121 C is sufficient to destroy the organism you are working with. Biosafety in Microbiology MUST be reviewed, cited, and listed in your bibliography.


3. Any project using antibiotics or organisms resistant to antibiotics MUST BE CONDUCTED AT A REGISTERED RESEARCH INSTITUTION - most hospitals are NOT registered research institutions. SRC will be very strict about this Rule. Noncompliance will result in disqualification of the project.


4. All projects involving Hazardous Substances or Devices MUST be reviewed by SRC PRIOR to experimentation. Appropriate references MUST be cited in your bibliography.


5. If your project involves ANY chemicals (including sugar and salt), you MUST include the MSDS sheets on that chemical, the project MUST be reviewed by SRC prior to experimentation, and you MUST include the appropriate Rules in your bibliography in your attachment form (1A).


6. Recombinant DNA experiments should note if the bacteria or plasmid used confers antibiotic resistance. If the bacteria are resistant to one or more antibiotics, you MUST do all research at a REGISTERED RESEARCH INSTITUTION. Hospital labs and high school classrooms are NOT registered research institutions. You MUST include references to all RULES in your bibliography section.

Science Service Offers Rules Wizard!
Don't want to try to figure out what rules apply to you and what forms to complete? The Science Service has a RULES WIZARD that lets you type in what your project entails and the Wizard tells you what rules apply to you and what forms you will need to complete. Go to the website: www.sciserv.org and click on the ISEF page. This will lead you to the RULES WIZARD form.