Junior Projects (6th–8th grade)
EISEF doesn't require you to use the forms described on this page, except for the EISEF on-line Student Entry Form. However you still must perform your experiment in a safe and ethical manner, using the ISEF rules as guidelines. There's a box on your Entry Signature page for you and your adult sponsor to sign to certify that you have done this.
Senior Projects (9th–12th grade)
The Eastern Iowa Science & Engineering Fair (EISEF) Senior age group is an affiliate of the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF). Senior projects must follow all of ISEF's rules. You must complete and sign the required ISEF forms at the required time, before your begin your experiment for some forms, after for others. The purpose of the forms is to ensure that you perform your experiment in a safe and ethical manner. Follow the instructions below to determine which forms you must fill out.
The ISEF forms document what you will do (or did) in the course of your research project. They are designed to provide the information that people need to review your project and ensure that you will comply with ISEF's rules and with any laws and regulations that apply to it. You should fill out most of the forms and get them signed before you start your research; only Forms 1C, 7, the Abstract, and the EISEF Student Entry Form are done after the research. The dates of the signatures reflect when the approval or consent is given.
We encourage you to use the Intel ISEF Rules Wizard to be sure you are on the right track. This "wizard" asks a series of questions about your planned project, then gives you a list of the forms you'll need to complete.
If you have questions about which forms are required for your project then check the Intel ISEF Rules and Guidelines and Student Science Fair Checklist for additional guidance.
If you need help on how to do an Experiment and the resulting Exhibit then visit the Students & Teachers page.
Forms Table
The table below lists all the forms that EISEF requires, describes each one, and tells when you have to fill it out and get it signed. The background colors show groups of related forms:
| (yellow) | Required for all junior and senior projects |
| (blue) | Required for all senior projects |
| (green) | Required for certain senior projects |
| (pink) | Register SRC/IRB members |
You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print the PDF items (all of them except the EISEF Student Entry Form). It's available for free download from Adobe.
Most of ISEF's PDF forms are designed so that you can fill them out in the Acrobat Reader. For example, if you click on a checkbox, it will alternate between checked and unchecked; if you click on a text field, a cursor appears and you can type there. (You have to fill out the date and signature lines by hand.) Please do this, instead of filling them out by hand, because it will make your paperwork easier for us to read. New for 2009: Now you can save the filled-out forms (most of them) to disk. You'll still have to print them out, sign them, and mail them to EISEF by March 1, 2009.
This table is adapted from the ISEF
Overview
of Forms and Dates page and
the Central Savannah River Area Regional Science
& Engineering Fair Science Fair Forms page.
| Form title and link | Description and directions | When to fill out | ||||||||||||
| EISEF Student Entry Form—Required for all projects, both Senior and Junior | Follow this link to the on-line entry form. The form collects summary data about the student(s), the adult sponsor, and the experiment/exhibit. We need this data to make arrangements for the Fair. | After experiment is complete | ||||||||||||
| Abstract—This ISEF form is required only for those selected to go on to the ISEF. Any format is acceptable at EISEF. | All Senior projects must write an abstract, which summarizes your project and is written after you finish your experiment. ISEF finalists must use ISEF's on-line system. EISEF Senior exhibitors may use the ISEF PDF form or any other suitable format. It can be as brief as a paragraph or two. The date signed is the date the student researcher certifies that the statements are correct. | After experiment is complete | ||||||||||||
| Checklist for Adult Sponsor (Form 1)—Required for all Senior projects | You fill out the checklist so that your adult sponsor can review what information (and therefore which forms) you must provide. The date signed is the date that your sponsor first reviews the project plan. | Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
| Student Checklist (Form 1A)— Required for all Senior projects (see separate sheets for individual or team) |
On this page, the student outlines what the project is about.
Use the team Form 1A when there is more than one experimenter. The team form has space for the name of each team member. A team may have no more than 3 members. You need to make the following Items especially clear: Line 5: Any project conducted in a similar area of research as previous projects should be considered a continuation. If the project is a continuation, explain on Form 7 as completely as possible how the project will differ from previous experimentation because only a new and different research project is allowed. (If based on previous research, the current year project must demonstrate significant progress.) Line 6: Explain when the actual experimental procedure (not the background literature review) will begin and end because only a 12-month project that occurred within the last 18 months before this ISEF (May 1, 2009) is allowed. Line 7: Explain where the experimental research will be done: home, university, field. Pathogens may not be cultured at home. Research animals must be housed in school or institutional settings only. Universities, research facilities, and industrial settings will require the additional documentation of Form 1C to explain what was done at each facility. Line 8: If any of these areas are to be part of the research, additional documentation and additional approvals are required to explain how the research will be done, and the plan must be approved before experimentation can begin. Line 9: Attach a research plan (use the Research Plan Attachment page included in this form). RESEARCH PLAN ATTACHMENT |
Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
| Approval Form (Form 1B)—Required for all Senior projects |
These statements attest that each of these people (or committees) approves or consents to this project. The dates should be signed as described below:
|
Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
|
Regulated
Research Institution (Form 1C) |
This form explains what the student researcher actually did and is signed after the project is completed. This form is only needed if the research was done at a research institution (university lab, for example) or in an industrial setting. | After experiment is complete | ||||||||||||
|
Qualified
Scientist (Form 2) |
On this page, the scientist explains what will be done to oversee this project. The date signed indicates the date that they approve this project (before experimentation takes place). | Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
|
Risk
Assessment Form (Form 3) |
Required for projects using hazardous chemicals, activities or devices or regulated substances. Must be completed prior to student experimentation. | Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
|
Human Subject and Informed Consent (Form 4) |
This page is filled out by the student researcher to explain to the IRB
how the safety and well being of the test subjects will be ensured. The
IRB reviews the project, checks the risk level and each member signs with
the date they approve this project. This review and the date signed must
be before any experimentation takes place. Copies of this form are used (for informed consent) to explain very completely to the research subject and their parent (guardian) exactly what will happen to the subject in the project. Questionnaires, sample tests, and so on must be given to the IRB and to the parent/guardian. If they approve, they sign with the date that they approve. (Before the experiment begins). If a photo is to be displayed, the participant signs and dates it when they give permission. |
Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
|
Vertebrate
Animal (Form 5) |
This form is filled out by the student researcher and describes the housing and care for the animals. The bottom of the form is filled out by the supervisor or scientist and is signed and dated when they approve this project with these housing conditions. (Before experimentation begins.) | Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
|
Potentially
Hazardous Biological Agents (Form 6A) |
This form is filled out by the student researcher and is required for all research involving microorganisms, DNA and fresh tissue, blood and body fluids. SRC/IACUC/IBC/RAC approval is required before experimentation. There is a section to be completed by the designated supervisor and others to be completed by the fair's SRC. | Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
|
Human
& Vertebrate Animal Tissue (Form 6B) |
This form is filled out by the student researcher and explains the source of the tissue. The tissue provider signs in the appropriate boxes to certify the safety, acquisition, etc. The SRC must sign to show they approve the use of this tissue and the date (before experimentation) that they approve. If an established cell line is used or other exempt tissue (as described in the rules), the researcher may explain that on this page, but no signatures are needed in this case. | Before experiment begins | ||||||||||||
|
Continuation
Projects (Form 7) |
Any project conducted in a similar area of research as previous projects should be considered a continuation. If the project is a continuation, explain on Form 7 as completely as possible how the project will differ from previous experimentation because only a new and different research project is allowed. (It can be based on previous research, but must be new and different research.) Date signed is the date the student researcher is certifying that this information is correct. | After experiment is complete | ||||||||||||
| Local SRC/IRB members | This form lists the members of your local (school) Scientific Review Committee (SRC) and/or Institutional Review Board (IRB), with their qualifications and contact information. Submit this form each year if a Local SRC/IRB is formed and the Local SRC/IRB Chair signs any student forms. Only one copy is needed per school per year. EISEF needs this information to make sure that the SRC/IRB includes enough members with the right qualifications for the student's research. | When the local SRC/IRB is formed |