Eligibility

Any student in grades 6-12 enrolled in a public, private, parochial, military, or home school within the following counties is eligible to try for entry into the CTSEF: Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Navarro and Robertson. A student must first enter, participate in, and be judged in a local fair. However, this does not guarantee that a student will enter the CTSEF.

Participation in a local fair, and placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in one of the 18 categories, will make a student eligible to enter the Regional Fair in Junior Division (6-8 Grade) or Senior Division (9-12 grades). Schools may enter only the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place team winners as well. Your local schools may enter only the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place winner regardless of grade, in one of the 18 categories (team included). [Example: A school may enter only the top 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place per fair, per category, per school.] Not accepted for entry: 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place winners per grade.

All projects must be approved for entry by the CTSEF prior to the local school fair. Winning at the local level guarantees only that a student is eligible to apply for entry in the CTSEF. Only current year CTSEF forms and applications are used to determine participation and eligibility of a student researcher.

The project submitted to the CTSEF must be the student's own work. It is the student's responsibility to check with the CTSEF for any additional restrictions or requirements.

CTSEF may certify the top three entries from each category of the junior division and senior division to enter state competition. Junior Division projects can qualify for the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge offered by ISEF.

Two Senior Division Individual Finalists and one Team Project Finalist may be certified for international competition. Students must meet all ISEF rules and guidelines and not be over 21 years of age by May 1 of the fair year.

The CTSEF is under contract with Society for Science and the Public, and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) to conduct the regional fair according to the rules and guidelines that ISEF has set. All CTSEF participants must observe all the rules in the handbook. Ignorance of these rules will not excuse anyone from meeting the entry requirements. The purpose of these rules is to provide basic guidance and to protect students, teachers, and parents, as well as human and animal subjects.

Ethics Statement

Scientific fraud and misconduct are not condoned at any level or research or competition. Plagiarism, use or presentation of other researcher's work as one's own, and fabrication or falsification of data will not be tolerated. Fraudulent projects will fail to qualify for competition in affiliated fairs or the ISEF. All projects must adhere to the Ethics Statement.

Important Dates and Deadlines

  • Regional Science Fair (CTSEF): February 28-29, 2012
  • State Science Fair (TSSEF): March 29 - April 1, 2012
  • International Science Fair (ISEF): May 13-18, 2012

Deadlines

Pre-Approval:
All paperwork must be received by 5:00 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. The last deadline to submit any new project for initial review is December 7, 2010.
NO EXCEPTIONS.
* September 6 * September 20 * October 4 * October 18 * November 1
* November 15 * December 7 (no new projects allowed after this date) * December 21 (last review)

Final Corrections: Friday, December 30, 2011
Entry Forms: Monday, February 3, 2012
Bryce C. Brown Award Application: Friday, February 3, 2012
BU Scholarship Award Application: Friday, February 3, 2012

IRB Interviews

Regional IRB meetings may be required and will be conducted each month only if the IRB committee assigns an interview time. Students must contract the CTSEF office for date and time. Location and starting times listed above. Additional review dates may be scheduled for the months of December and January. The following is the schedule and location of regional IRB interviews:

  • September - Beginning 6:00 p.m. Baylor University Rogers Engineering Building - Room 207 - 2nd floor
  • October - Beginning 6:00 p.m. Baylor University Rogers Engineering Building - Room 207 - 2nd floor
  • November - Beginning 6:00 p.m. Baylor University Rogers Engineering Building - Room 207 - 2nd floor
  • December - Beginning 6:00 p.m. Baylor University Rogers Engineering Building - Room 207 - 2nd floor

*  Note the building locations for the IRB Interviews.

Fees

  • Filing Fee for Pre-Approval/Review:
    $5.00 per student
  • Regional SRC interview (optional):
    $10.00 per project
  • Entry Fee:
    $7.00 per student

Each student submitting his/her paperwork for CTSEF approval before experimentation must pay a $5 filing fee per student. This covers any number of needed SRC reviews up to final submittal date.

Student(s) electing to meet with the SRC one-on-one must pay a total of $10 fee for this service.

Each student(s) entering the CTSEF must pay a $7 entry fee. There will be no refunds for any of these fees.

Rules For All Participants

  1. Students must participate in a local (school) fair and meet all the criteria.
  2. All CTSEF and ISEF rules and guidelines must be read, understood, and followed.
  3. To compete in the CTSEF, every student must complete the Waiver and Release of Liability Form, Student Checklist (1A), Research Plan, and Approval Form (1B), and review with his/her teacher or Adult Sponsor as teacher/sponsor completes the Checklist for Adult Sponsor (1).
  4. Projects must adhere to all Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.
  5. Students should retain all original forms. Only copies of forms should be submitted for CTSEF approval. These forms will always include at least the Checklist for Adult Sponsor (1), Student Checklist (1A), Research Plan, and Approval Form (1B).
  6. Certain projects require additional forms and/or specific reviews.
    1. All projects involving human subjects required special procedures.
      1. An Institutional Review Board (IRB) must review project and approve BEFORE experimentation begins.
      2. Human Subjects Form (4) is required for all subjects of projects involving more than minimal risk and is recommended for all projects involving human subjects.
      3. A copy of any test, survey, or questionnaire must be provided for parental review for subjects less than 18 years of age.
      4. If a school chooses to have a local Institutional Review Board (IRB) the student must have an interview with that board.
      5. After the local IRB review board has approved the students' project the student must submit the project to the CTSEF for approval.
      6. The CTSEF IRB will review all Human Subject projects and will schedule an interview date.
      7. The CTSEF IRB will return the project with a pink deficiency form along with the student's scheduled interview date and time.
      8. If the pink deficiency form states that changes need to be addressed, they must be made and returned to the CTSEF office by the next deadline time prior to your interview (return a clean corrected copy).
      9. Make sure to attend your schedule interview and bring a clean corrected copy of the research plan and all forms.
      10. If additional corrects are needed you will receive a pink deficiency from listing changes to be make per your interview with the IRB review board. All correction MUST be rewritten. There will be no other interview.
      11. If the project corrections, listed on your pink deficiency form, are not made there will be no opportunity for corrections.
    2. Experiments that involve nonhuman vertebrate animals, pathogenic agents, controlled substances, rDNA, or human/animal tissue require approval from a Scientific Review Committee (SRC) before experimentation begins [see Research Plan instruction sheet].
    3. All other projects require a review by the CTSEF Project Review Team (PRT).
  7. All studies involving nonhuman vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents, controlled substances, nonexempt recombinant DNA, certain tissue studies, and all studies involving more than a minimal risk in human subjects must have a Designated Supervisor or Qualified Scientist, depending on risk assessment.
  8. Projects that are continuations of previous years' work and that require IRB/SRC approval must be re-approved prior to experimentation for the current year. Any continuing project must document new or more advanced research.
  9. Human and Vertebrate Animal Tissue Form (6B), if applicable, must be submitted for SRC review and approval before student begins experimentation.
  10. The use of alcohol, acid rain, insecticides, herbicides, and heavy metals in toxicity or behavioral studies on live vertebrates is prohibited.
  11. Studies involving any pathogenic or potentially pathogenic agents are prohibited in a home environment, but specimens may be collected at home.
  12. Non-invasive (behavioral) studies involving pets and livestock may be done at home.
  13. A project with a death rate of 30 percent (LD-30) or greater in any group or subgroup of vertebrates is prohibited and will fail to qualify for competition.
  14. Any proposed changes in the Research Plan by the student after initial IRB/SRC approval must have subsequent IRB/SRC approval before experimentation begins/resumes.
  15. If work was conducted in an institutional or industrial setting any time during the current project year, Regulated Research Institutional/Industrial Setting Form (1C) must be completed.
  16. Use of models alone or demonstrations is not creative and is not allowed.
  17. Collections should only be used to support an investigation or help to answer a question. Fossils will be permitted on display.
  18. Display or poster exhibits showing only library research are not acceptable. Projects must present the results of experimental investigation or field studies.
  19. Each student may enter only one project that covers research done over a maximum continuous 12 month period between January of previous fair year and current year fair.
  20. All exhibits must adhere to CTSEF/ISEF safety and size requirements.
  21. It is important that students retain all original signed forms. The only exception is the waiver that is sent with your first review and it must be the original signed form.
  22. It is the student's responsibility to check with the CTSEF for any additional restrictions or requirements.