Colorado State Science Fair, Inc.
Scientific Review Committee
What is the SRC? What is the IRB?
How do I know if I need SRC approval BEFORE I begin my project?
What forms are required for my project?
What are the changes to the forms and rules that I need to know about for this year?
The term SRC is actually used two ways. The acronym SRC stands for Scientific Review Committee, so one meaning refers to the group of people who form a committee that reviews each project application to ensure that all safety and legal requirements will be met and that the appropriate forms have been completed. The committee is composed of at least three people: a biomedical scientist, a science teacher and one other member.
SRC also refers to the process of a project being reviewed. You may ask if a project "requires SRC approval" or if it has "passed SRC." In Colorado, there are three to four levels of SRC review that a student's project may need to pass through for competition purposes.
1st is the local or school SRC - depending upon the type of project the student is working on, the procedures must be approved by the local SRC before a student may begin working on the experimental portion of their project. This group may require a student to refine or change their procedures for safety or ethical reasons.
2nd is the regional SRC - this group of people will review the student's paperwork for compliance with the rules set forth by the International Rules and Guidelines for Pre-College Research and paperwork completion. If this group feels that there was a serious breach of ethical or safety protocols when the student did their project, they can deem the project has failed to qualify and not allow it to compete - even if a local SRC/IRB approved the project.
3rd is the state SRC - this group of people will review the paperwork for the students who have qualified to compete at the state level for compliance with the rules set forth by the International Rules and Guidelines for Pre-College Research and paperwork completion. If this group feels that there was a serious breach of ethical or safety protocols when the student did their project, they can deem the project has failed to qualify and not allow it to compete - even if a regional SRC approved the project.
4th is the international SRC - this group of people will review the paperwork for the students who have qualified to compete at the international level for compliance with the rules set forth by the International Rules and Guidelines for Pre-College Research and paperwork completion. If this group feels that there was a serious breach of ethical or safety protocols when the student did their project, they can deem the project has failed to qualify and not allow it to compete - even if a state SRC approved the project.
In addition to being reviewed by an SRC, an Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews all proposed projects that in any way involve human beings to ensure that the project will not present an excessive amount of risk to the subjects. An IRB is composed of at least three people: a science teacher, a school administrator and a psychologist, doctor (MD) or nurse (RN).
How do I know if I need SRC approval BEFORE I begin my project?
All Colorado Regional Science Fairs and the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair follow the rules of the International Science and Engineering Fair. Science Service, the organization that administers the Intel ISEF, has created the ISEF Rules Wizard to help you determine what forms and approvals you may need for your type of project.
CSEF has also commandeered this handy flow chart that will also aid you in deciding if you need prior SRC approval.
What forms are required for my project?
See the ISEF Paperwork Guidelines web page for complete information on what forms are required for the various types of projects. You can also use the ISEF Rules Wizard to guide you through the process.
What are the changes to the forms and rules that I need to know about for this year?
The Intel ISEF SRC has made very few changes to the forms and guidelines for 2008. The changes include:
- Clarifications of the rules involving producttesting using Human Subjects (page 13, 2B).
- Clarification of the definition of vertebrate animal studies that may be conducted at non-regulated research sites, such as farms and ranches (page 18).
- Naturally-occuring plant pathogens may be studied (not cultured) at home, but may not be introduced into a home/garden environment (page 21, 3).
- Studies involving lactobacillus, bacillus thurgenis, nitrogen-fixing, oil-eating bacteria and algae-eating bacteria introduced into thei NATURAL ENVIRONMENT are exempt from prior SRC review. They are not exempt if cultured in a petri dish environment that could potentially become contaminated (page 21, 11d).
- Production of ethyl alcohol is allowable in the home under the supervision of the parents and must meet the TTB home production regulations (page 25, C1).
- Student Checklist (1A) and Student Checklist (1A) - TEAM have been combined into one form, Student Checklist (1A).
- An additional box has been added to Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents Form (6A) to document required letter from institutions that do not have a review process for this type of study.
The CSEF SRC is made up of a group of adults knowledgeable about regulations concerning experimentation in restricted areas. The CSEF SRC reviews and approves the Checklist for Adult Sponsors (1), the Research Plan (1A), including the Research Plan Attachment, and the Approval Form (1B) in addition to all other required required forms for students who enter the CSEF. They also identify problems regional science fairs may be having and work with fair directors and teachers to resolved them.
If regional fair director, regional SRC member, or teacher has any questions concerning the process, feel free to contact a member of the CSEF SRC for clarification.
Doug Everett - National Jewish Medical and Research Center
Areas of Expertise: Human Subjects Research; Physiology & Medicine; Statistics; Mathematics
Daniel Hurlbut - Environmental Protection Agency
Areas of Expertise: Chemistry
Steve Iona - Horizon High School
Areas of Expertise: Physics; Mathematics; Statistics; Chemistry
Charles Johnson - Chappelle Small Animal Hospital
A. Bill Kieger - Colorado Medical Society Education Foundation - retired
Penny Propst - Merino Jr/Sr High School - retired
Rodney Simpson - Colorado State University PhD candidate in Ecology
Areas of Expertise: Microbiology; Ecology
Doug Steward - SRC Chair; Monte Vista High School
Areas of Expertise: Biological Sciences; Agriculture Science; Aquaculture; Ecology
James Stevens - University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Amber Wolf - Colorado State University PhD candidate in Biomedical Sciences
Areas of Expertise: Chemistry; Biology; Physiology
| Double check all dates and signatures. |
| Before you start your project, determine whether you may need a qualified scientist and/or designated supervisor. |
| When using animals, microbes, or possibly toxic or caustic substances in your research, be certain that the laboratory setting is adequate. You should not be doing these type of experiments at home! |
| Get consent forms from all human subjects used in your research PRIOR to experimentation. |
| Make sure all forms are included with your registration packet that is sent on to CSEF. See the flow charts on the ISEF Paperwork Guidelines page. |
| Be sure that your adult sponsor and/or qualified scientist is not signing off as an IRB or SRC member. |
It is important that students retain all original signed forms. Even though copies may have been sent with registration papers, students should bring original signed forms to the CSEF in case an SRC interview is necessary. Do not send original forms to CSEF.
You may wish to review prior years' SRC reports to avoid the mistakes of past participants.
2006 CSEF SRC Report
2005 CSEF SRC Report
2004 CSEF SRC Report
2003 CSEF SRC Report
2002 CSEF SRC Report
2001 CSEF SRC Report
What if I need to make a change in my project procedures after I have received SRC approval to begin?
Have your adult sponsor contact your local SRC and explain what you need to change and why.
Do NOT proceed with your project until you have received further approval from the SRC.
- Student safety.
- Compliance with federal and state laws.
- Compliance with the Intel ISEF rules. Winners at the CSEF may also compete in:
- Intel ISEF (grades 9 - 12)
- Discovery Young Scientist Challenge (Grades 6 - 8)
- Avoidance of legal/litigation issues.
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State Science Fair, Inc. All rights reserved.
Last modified 10/4/06