Junior Division Rules and Regulations

Event Details

Date and Time:

February 20, 2020

10:00am -1:00pm

Location:

South Mountain Environmental Education Center

10409 S Central Ave.

Phoenix, AZ 85042

PHOENIX HOMESCHOOL

SCIENCE FAIR

Junior Division Competition

All students participating in the Junior Division Science Competition (grades 5-8) must adhere to the rules and guidelines established by the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair. Projects that involving human subjects, vertebrate animals, and/or potentially hazardous biological agents MUST be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Scientific Review Committee (SRC) PRIOR TO STARTING THE PROJECT.

Please note: It may be tempting to skip this step, especially if the student is young and the project seems harmless. However, the review requirements are strictly enforced, and no exceptions will be made. If you are not sure whether a project requires review, contact the Homeschool Science Fair Director for assistance.

The IRB/SRC Application should be downloaded and completed by the student. The completed form, including parent signatures, must be returned to src@engagescience.org. Work on the project may not begin until approval has been received.

Participants must also be familiar with and abide by the ISEF ethics statement:

Student researchers, as well as adults who have a role in their projects, are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. These include, but are not limited to:

Integrity. Honesty, objectivity, and avoidance of conflicts of interest are expected during every phase of the research. The project should reflect independent research done by the student(s), and represent only one year’s work.
Legality. Compliance with all federal, country, state and local laws is essential. All projects must be approved by a Scientific Review Committee (SRC), and when necessary must also be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and/or Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
Respect for Confidentiality and Intellectual Property. Confidential communications, as well as patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property must be honored. Unpublished data, methods, or results may not be used without permission, and credit must be given to all contributions to research.
Stewardship of the Environment. It is the responsibility of the researcher(s) and the adults involved to protect the environment and its organisms from harm. All projects involve some amount of risk. Everyone is expected to recognize the hazards, assess the risks, minimize them, and prepare for emergencies.
Animal Care. Proper care and respect must be given to vertebrate animals. The guiding principles for the use of animals in research includes the following “Four R’s”: Replace, Reduce, Refine, Respect.
Human Participant Protection. The highest priority is the health and well-being of the student researcher(s) and human participants.
Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (PHBAs). It is the responsibility of the student and adults involved in the project to conduct and document a risk assessment, and to safely handle and dispose of organisms and materials.

Scientific fraud and misconduct are not condoned at any level of research or competition. This includes plagiarism, forgery, use or presentation of other researcher’s work as one’s own and fabrication of data. Fraudulent projects will fail to qualify for competition in affiliated fairs and ISEF. Society for Science and the Public reserves the right to revoke recognition of a project subsequently found to have been fraudulent.