Updates to SSEF/ISEF Rules

Updates to ISEF Rules and Regulations (1)

1a. Cephalopods are to be treated as vertebrate animals.

1b. Students are prohibited from fishing with barbed hooks, live bait, or from performing electrofishing.

1c. A project is not considered a vertebrate animal study if tissue is obtained from an animal that was euthanized for a purpose other than the student’s project. (See Tissue & Body Fluid Rules)

Significance of Update 1

Impact on whether a project is considered a vertebrate animal study or Potentially Hazardous Biological Agent study and the forms required (Forms 5, 6)

Updates to ISEF Rules and Regulations (2)

2a. Students are prohibited from disclosing results or data from their study to the human participants.

2b. All human participant studies involving minors (students under 18 years of age) must receive assent from the student participant and written parental permission from a legal guardian.

2c. When working with a facility where participants live or attend programming (e.g. retirement home, daycare, prison, etc.) written approval from the facility must be obtained as well as informed consents for the individual participants.

Significance of Update 2

• Assent from both participant and parents are required for human participant studies.

• Disclosure of study data would need to adhere to the updated rule above.

Updates to ISEF Rules and Regulations (3)

3a. All studies involving the use of prions or prion-like proteins are prohibited. This includes studies working with amyloid-b (Ab), tau, a-synuclein, transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa, and amyloid fibrils.

3b. Projects involving water samples collected from active Harmful Algal Blooms are considered BSL- 2 studies.

3c. Insect and arthropod vector-borne pathogens such as Malaria, Lyme, etc. are considered BSL-2 studies.

Significance of Update 3

• Projects that involve the use of or interaction with the above biological substances will (listed in 3a above) be considered ineligible for SSEF.

• Projects involving harmful algal blooms and insect/arthropod vector-borne pathogens (listed in 3b and 3c above) will be specified as BSL-2 studies.