School Sponsor Support Information

Scientific Research for Eligibility at

Regional and State Fairs*

All students and sponsoring teachers who are interested in conducting scientific research and qualifying for regional or statewide science and engineering fairs must follow the International Rules for Pre-College Science Research. Proper protocol and prior approvals will be required for all students to be eligible to compete at affiliated regional fairs across the state and GSEF. All students, sponsors, and parents are required to observe the DRSEF Overview Module and complete the DRSEF Verification sign-off.

It is the responsibility of the student and the Adult Sponsor to evaluate the study to determine if the research will require forms and/or approval prior to experimentation, especially projects using human participants, vertebrate animals, or potentially hazardous biological agents. Students are encouraged to consult with the local SRC/IRB to ensure they have followed all rules and completed all required forms. Failure to adhere to ISEF Rules & Guidelines may result in disqualification at any stage of the GSEF competition, including revocation of awards and honors.

The following required forms and guidelines help students ensure that the research they are planning is safe, ethical, and approved by a parent, a teacher, and field experts. Students and Adult Sponsors are strongly encouraged to use the ISEF Rules Wizard tool to help determine what forms are required for the project (https://ruleswizard.societyforscience.org).

Safety Overview Module for Sponsors, Parents, and Students

The overview video is required for all sponsors, students, and parents PRIOR TO beginning projects. This video outlines guidelines in accordance with the ISEF Rules and Guidelines along with the DeKalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair Safety Requirements. Upon completion of the video, each viewer must complete the electronic sign-off. An excel spreadsheet of this sign-off will be shared from the school sponsor to the DRSEF Committee for review upon entry of projects.

DeKalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair Safety Acknowledgment Form

DUPLICATE FORM LINK MS OFFICE

DUPLICATE FORM LINK GOOGLE FORMS

Directions:

Duplicate the form link for your individual school.
Distribute the link to students and parents to sign-off after completing the safety overview module.
Save an EXCEL file with all participants from your school.
You will submit this with your projects by the December 10, 2025 deadline.

The Adult Sponsor

Qualifications:

An Adult Sponsor may be a teacher, parent, professor, and/or other professional scientist
Should be knowledgeable in the area of student research, be familiar with the regulations around procedures and materials that apply to the student project, particularly when involving human participants, vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents or hazardous chemicals, devices or activities.
Should have close contact with the student throughout the timeline of the project.

The Adult Sponsor is responsible for:

Working with the student to evaluate any possible risks involved in order to ensure the health and safety of the student conducting the research and the humans and/or animals involved in the study.
Reviewing the student’s Student Checklist (1A) and Research Plan/Project Summary to ensure that:
experimentation follows local, state, and Federal laws and ISEF rules
forms are completed by other required adults
any required Qualified Scientist meets the criteria as set forth in the DRSEF Rules and Guidelines
the student’s research is eligible for entry in DRSEF

Required Forms for Novice Division Projects

Grades 3-5

Click here to access the required forms for each project.

DRSEF Waivers and Agreement Form

Required for every student.

Novice Application

Required for every project.

Research Plan/Project Summary

The Research Plan is a free-typed document written before experimentation to explain rationale, research question, methodology, and risk assessment.

Required for every project.

Abstract

Required for every project.

Form 3 Risk Assessment Form MANDATORY

Required for research involving hazardous chemicals, activities or devices, or DEA-controlled substances, some human participants projects, and some PHBAs, including protists, composting, coliform test kits, decomposition of vertebrate organisms, and microbial fuel cells. Recommended for student-designed inventions/prototypes. MUST BE COMPLETED BY QS/DS BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION .

Novice Judging Criteria

The DeKalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair judging process places special emphasis on the student’s ability to discuss the project effectively during the interview, as well as the project’s demonstration of originality, creativity, imagination, discovery, and inventiveness. Exhibits should serve two functions: 1) to present the research clearly when the student is not present, and 2) to guide the interview toward an in-depth discussion. Judges may examine the research paper as well.

Novice Division Scoring Rubric.pdf

Novice Project Categories

Novice projects will be compete in the following categories:

1) Earth Sciences

2) Life Sciences

3) Physical Sciences

4) Engineering

Categories will be determined by school sponsors prior to entry into the DeKalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Required Forms for Junior and Senior Division Projects Grades 6-12

Click here to access the required forms for each project.

All projects must have Forms 1, 1A, 1B, Abstract and Research Plan. Projects using human participants, vertebrate animals, or potentially hazardous biological agents require additional forms and MUST BE APPROVED BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION BEGINS.

This guide can help determine what approvals are required but does not account for all situations and is not an exhaustive list of requirements. Additional forms are also required for projects that expand on student’s past work, use a Qualified Scientist, are conducted at a RRI*, or involve hazardous chemicals, activities, or devices.

*Projects conducted at a Regulated Research Institution (RRI) have different requirements than those conducted at home, school, or in the field. RRIs include laboratories (government, college/university, commercial), medical facilities, hospitals, and industrial settings such as manufacturing facilities. Review the ISEF Rules & Guidelines before beginning research:
- - - - www.societyforscience.org/isef/international-rules See rules for clarification of terms, including Qualified Scientist,
        Regulated Research Institution (RRI),
        Scientific Review Committee (SRC),
        Institutional Review Board (IRB),
        Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC),
        and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).

DRSEF Waivers and Agreement Form

Required for every student.

Junior Application

Required for every project.

Senior Application

Required for every project.

GSEF Checklist

Required for every project and includes all required forms. Download the corresponding forms embedded in this document.

Form 1 Checklist for Adult Sponsor

Adult Sponsor reviews what forms and approvals are required to ensure project’s compliance with ISEF rules, as well as local, state, and Federal laws. MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION.

Form 1A: Student Checklist

Student provides basic details, including when and where experimentation took place.

Form 1B: Approval Form

Student, parent/guardian, and SRC consent to and approve the project. Must be signed by student and parent/guardian BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION. Must be signed by SRC in (2a) BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION if research involves human participants, vertebrate animals, or PHBAs and was not conducted at a RRI. One form per student not per project

Form 3 Risk Assessment Form MANDATORY

Research Plan/Project Summary*

The Research Plan is a free-typed document written before experimentation to explain rationale, research question, methodology, and risk assessment.

Click here to access additional forms required for specific types of research: Some types of research require approval prior to experimentation. See ISEF Rules Wizard and following page for guidance.

Form 1C: Regulated Research Institution

Required for research conducted at a college/university, medical facility, industrial setting, or other lab/research setting other than home, school or field. Completed by supervising adult at RRI after experimentation.

Form 2: Qualified Scientist

Required for research with human participants, vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents, or DEA-controlled substances. Completed by QS/DS BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION.

Form 4: Human Participants

Sample Human Consent Form

Required for research involving human participants. Includes surveys, testing/providing feedback on invention/prototype/application, and cases where the researcher is the subject of the research. MUST BE APPROVED BY FULL IRB (ALL THREE SIGNATURES) BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION. IRB

Form 5A Vertebrate Animal

Required for research involving vertebrate animals. 5A is for research conducted at home/school/field, which MUST BE APPROVED BY SRC BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION. SRC determines level of supervision required (DS, QS, and/or veterinarian). 5B is for research conducted at a RRI, which

Form 5B: Vertebrate Animal

Form 6A Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (PHBAs)

Required for research involving microorganisms, rDNA, fresh/frozen tissue (including primary cell lines, human and other primate established cell lines and tissue cultures), blood, blood products, or body fluids. QS/DS selects box describing research setting and required approvals. MUST BE APPROVED BY SRC/IACUC/IBC BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION. SRC indicates agreement/approval

Form 6B: Human/Animal Tissue

Required in addition to 6A for research involving fresh/frozen tissue (including primary cell lines, human and other primate established cell lines and tissue cultures), blood, blood products, or body

Form 7: Continuation/Research Progression Project Form

Required for projects that continue or expand upon a previous year’s work. Must be accompanied by Abstract and Research Plan from previous year(s).

Project Categories for Junior and Senior Division

Projects exhibiting at the DeKalb Regional Science & Engineering Fair must be entered in ONE of the 21 categories, selected by the exhibitor during DRSEF registration. School sponsors and the school-based committee are the first point of contact when determining the appropriate category for the projects.

1) Life Sciences Categories

2) Medicine & Health Categories

3) Math, Computing & Engineering Categories

4) Earth, Energy & Environment Categories

5) Physical Sciences Categories

gsef-2025-project-categories.pdf

Junior and Senior Division Judging Criteria

The DeKalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair judging process places special emphasis on the student’s ability to discuss the project effectively during the interview, as well as the project’s demonstration of originality, creativity, imagination, discovery, and inventiveness. Exhibits should serve two functions: 1) to present the research clearly when the student is not present, and 2) to guide the interview toward an in-depth discussion. Judges may examine the research paper as well.

gsef-2025-judging-criteria.pdf

Submitting Projects and Forms to DRSEF

2025-2026 DUE DECEMBER 12, 2025

SCHOOL SPONSORS ONLY:

Please follow the instructions to submit forms for the 2025-2026

DeKalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair

DRSEF Submission Process.pdf

TIPS FROM SUCCESSFULL SCHOOL SPONSORS

Tips

Encourage students to find a topic that fits their passion
Students that have a passion for science participate
Review Safety Guidelines and requirements with students
Create a school timeline for students to follow
Weekly meetings to discuss progress
Encourage the students to maintain logbook

Credit: Ms. Begum, Chamblee Charter High School

Tips

If possible, use ELT for Science Fair.
Use Google Classroom to share and retrieve documents – for students and parents
Create a resource folder in Google Classroom to access all Science Fair Resources
Portions of the project can be broken into chunks as assignments
Experts can be added as teachers to Google Classroom to review student projects and provide feedback
Use Google Meets to check in with parents and students (15-30 min)

Credit: Ms. K. Cochran, Druid Hills Middle School

Tips

Sample School -based Science Fair Participation Flyer

Sample School-based science and engineering fair timeline

- Send Science Fair overview letter, timeline and Science Fair Topic Approval Form for students and parents
- Have students keep a logbook so that sponsors can provide feedback (Logbook checks)
- Work with Media Specialist to help students with research.
- Share requirements as the students complete each requirement on the timeline
Use cafeteria for science fair
Judges include teachers of other grades, community members and are provided with dates extremely early.
After school science fair, review the paperwork for each project moving on.
Set up meeting with parents on Teams to discuss what paperwork and signatures required.

Credit: Ms. Masood, Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers

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