Scientific Review

Q. – Who needs to fill out SRC paperwork?

A. – Students who are participating in the Science Fair AND those whose project will include one of the following:
    • Human subjects
    • Non-human vertebrate animals
    • Pathogens, controlled substances, recombinant DNA agents
    • Human and / or animal tissues and body fluids
    • Hazardous substances / agents
    • Work in an industrial or institutional setting
    • Agents or issues which may adversely impact EHS
    • The use of the above “EHS Impacts” are NOT recommended, however, if they are involved the school must establish a Scientific Review Committee (SRC) to carefully assess the environment and health and safety (EHS) aspects of the project.

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Q. Who is the CVRSF SRC?

A. – An established committee made to review the safety of the student projects and to ensure the safety of all presentations at the Science Fair.

Q. Does each school need to develop their own Scientific Review Committee (SRC)?
A. – Yes; each school’s SRC must include a science teacher; a school administrator; and one more member who could be a physician, registered nurse, psychologist, or psychiatrist. In the case of human behavioral research, the body must become an Institutional Review Board (IRB); the third member MUST be a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Remember- Poster Projects do not need to be reviewed.

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Q. What projects need to be reviewed by the CVRSF SRC?

A. – All research projects should submit their SRC paperwork to the CVRSF.

REMEMBER: IF YOUR PROJECT IS NOT REVIEWED BY AN SRC AT YOUR SCHOOL OR SPONSORING INSTITUTION, EXPERIMENTATION CAN NOT BEGIN UNTIL THE CVRSF SRC NOTIFIES THE STUDENT OF PROJECT APPROVAL.

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Q. What information is to be included in the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) paperwork?

A. – For applicable projects, a summary report on the “EHS Impacts” of student projects must describe the following information:
    1. Project Title and Description
    2. Need for “EHS Impacts”
    3. Hazardous Agents Used by the Project
    4. Potential Exposures to Students, People and the Environment
    5. Relative Risks Posed by the Project
    6. Controls and Precautions for the Project Risks
    7. Responsible People

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Q. What materials are students not allowed to bring as part of their at the Champlain Valley Regional Science Fair presentation?

A. In an attempt to make the Fair as safe as possible and to eliminate safety and health concerns the following are not allowed as part of the student presentations:
    • Living organisms
    • Chemicals
    • any apparatus that could pose electrical, physical or other hazards

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The Science Fair Project Display should be more concerned with relaying the work of the student, and not be made up actual materials involved.

Please contact the CVRSF SRC, if you need further guidance on EHS issues relating to student projects.