Student Eligibility | Deadlines | Important Project Pre-Approval Information
Creating Your Own SRC | Using Our SRC | Project Categories
Tips for Teachers and Parents | Teacher/Parent Registration

Welcome to the Greater Syracuse Scholastic Science Fair! In this section is information on how to get started and, hopefully, make it through the science fair process. Please encourage your students and their families to read the For Students section so they have all the necessary information to participate in the GSSSF.

Student Eligibility - back to top
In order to participate in the GSSSF, a student must be able to say “yes” to all of the following:

1. Are you in grades 5-12?
2. Do you live and go to school in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga or Oswego county?

Important Project Pre-Approval Information - back to top
There are certain procedures that students are expected to follow. The project must have a research plan and a set of procedures BEFORE the student may start experimenting. The International Science & Engineering Fair guidelines established for students are nearly identical to those used by professional scientists and engineers. In order to make certain that students have followed appropriate (and ethical) procedures, a number of forms have been developed that must be completed. Any projects that require pre-approval and do not have it will not be allowed to enter the GSSSF.

All Junior Level (grades 5-8) students must submit the following paperwork:

• Registration Form
• Checklist for Adult Sponsor, complete with adult signatures

All Senior Level (grades 9-12) students must submit the following paperwork:

• Registration Form
• Form 1: Checklist for Adult Sponsor/Safety Assessment Form
• Form 1A: Student Checklist
• Form 1B: Approval Form
• Research Plan

If the project involves any of the following, the student must have approval by a Scientific Review Committee BEFORE starting the experiment and additional paperwork is required:

• Human subjects, including surveys
• Non-human vertebrate animals
• Pathogens, controlled substances, recombinant DNA
• Human and/or animal tissue
• Hazardous substances

Additional Paperwork for Junior Level students:

• Project Plan (experimental procedure)
• Surveys, if applicable
• Written parental permission of any human subjects under age 18

Additional Paperwork for Senior Level Students:

• Human Subjects—Form 2 or Form 4
• Non-human Vertebrate Animals—Form 2 PLUS Form 5A or Form 5B
• Pathogens, Controlled Substances, Recombinant DNA—Forms 2, 3, 6A
• Human and/or Animal Tissue—Form 2 PLUS Form 6A or Form 6B
• Work in an Industrial/Institutional Setting—Form 1C
• Continuing Project—Form 7

Certain areas of human research are exempt from review. Research of subjects under age 18 does not require additional paperwork for the following:

• Research is conducted in established settings (1) involving normal education practices and (2) research on individual or group behavior where the researcher does not manipulate behavior and the research does not involve stress to the subjects;
• Research involving OBSERVATION of legal public behavior;
• Research involving the collection or study of existing publicly available data.

Creating Your Own Scientific Review Committee (SRC) - back to top
The easiest way to handle projects that require pre-approval is for your school to create its own SRC. The SRC MUST include:

• A science teacher;
• A school administrator;

And at least one of the following:

• A medical doctor;
• A physician’s assistant;
• A registered nurse;
• A psychiatrist;
• A licensed psychologist; or
• A licensed social worker.
• It is recommended that a SRC also includes someone familiar with proper animal care procedures (such as a veterinarian) when animal research is involved.

Your SRC must review projects BEFORE the student begins experimentation. The SRC is responsible for determining that safe and proper procedures are in place for the experiment and must sign where necessary on the student’s forms that approval was granted.

Using the GSSSF’s Scientific Review Committee (SRC) - back to top
If your school cannot form its own SRC, you must make use of the GSSSF’s SRC. Students must submit completed paperwork before the deadline and cannot begin experimentation until approval is granted. Completed forms can be digitally sent to gsssf@most.org or mailed to GSSSF/MOST, 500 S. Franklin St., Syracuse, NY 13202.

Project Categories - back to top
All projects must fall into one of the categories below. Students should know what category their project is in before completing the registration form.

• Animal Sciences (includes human development)
• Behavior & Social Sciences
• Biochemistry
• Cellular & Molecular Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer & Mathematical Sciences
• Earth Sciences (includes planetary science)
• Engineering
• Energy & Transportation
• Environmental Sciences (includes analysis and management)
• Medicine & Health Sciences
• Microbiology
• Physics & Astronomy
• Plant Sciences

Tips for Teachers and Parents - back to top
Teachers and parents play an important role in the science fair process. As you guide and support a student’s project, you show that scientific experiments and problem solving are an important part of everyday life. While you may assist your young scientist or engineer, remember that a student’s project is his/her own and the student should do most of the work! In the end, a project should be something that students are proud of for doing themselves!

In preparing a science fair project, students go through several steps. Help your students to plan ahead and set deadlines for each step. The project is more manageable, and less frustrating, if the student breaks it down into smaller steps.

Doing the Research

Selecting a Topic: Try to keep it simple. Ask the student what question he or she would like to answer. Students can find a topic by looking to favorite hobbies, sports, books, toys or family life for inspiration. Resist assigning the student a topic. Students put more time and energy into projects that are interesting to them.

Purpose and Hypothesis: The purpose is a description of what the student plans to do. The hypothesis is an explanation of what he or she thinks will happen.

Research: Let your student find out about his or her topic by asking professionals in the field, consulting reference books, materials and magazines in a library's children's section, and accessing the Internet. Make suggestions and help your student locate resources.

Experiment: The student should have a plan of exactly what he or she will do. The student needs to record everything that does or does not happen as the experiment progresses. The student should vary only one part of the experiment at a time and should do the experiment more than once to verify the results.

Creating the Project

Written Report: This can be one or many pages and it can contain charts, illustrations and photographs. There are three main elements:

• the topic's name, why it was chosen and what the student hoped to find out
• how the student did the experiment and the information that was collected; and
• the conclusion that was reached.

It should also contain a bibliography of the research information.
 
Exhibit: The exhibit is how the student’s research is communicated visually. A free-standing display board can be purchased inexpensively at most office supply stores. The students can use drawings, photographs, charts or anything else that describes their project visually. The graphic below illustrates what the display should show.


Courtesy of Science Buddies

Oral Presentation: Have the student practice a three-to-four minute presentation about his or her project, including why the topic was chosen, what the experiment entailed and what was learned. It is a good idea for the student to think of what questions judges may ask. This may help the student be more comfortable during the question phase of judging.
 
Judging: Judges want to know how the project was done and what you learned from it. Even if you learned that your idea didn't work, the judges realize that learning from something that didn't work is just as important as learning from something that did.

Awards: Just a reminder that the GSSSF is a competition and not all students will receive awards. The success of a science fair project is judged by a number of standards but should not be measured by the awards a student receives. The goal of taking part in a science fair is the satisfaction of investigating and discovering new things—even if it’s only new to the student. All participants receive a Certificate of Participation given to them by their judges at the end of the judging period.

Chances are, it will be hectic getting students through this process. Remember to let the students have fun and feel the pride that comes from working through the process themselves.

Teacher/Parent Registration - back to top
The sponsoring adult (teacher, parent, mentor) must register before the student can register. If you have completed this form in the past, you do not need to re-register unless your information has changed. As you register, you are assigned an ID. Please keep this number for your records. If you do not have your ID, contact the GSSSF at gsssf@most.org and it will be e-mailed to you. You are able to edit your students’ registrations once they are submitted. To access this information, you need your ID, email, and school.

Parent/Teacher Registration Form