Project Approval Prior to Experimentation

It is expected that any projects dealing with vertebrate animals, human subjects, hazardous chemicals, or bio-hazards will be approved by an Internal Review Board (IRB) at the school level prior to beginning experimentation to ensure student researcher safety, animal and human subject safety, as well as compliance with all state and federal laws in regards to scientific research. Should there be any question regarding the experimentation process that a school level IRB can not answer the teacher should reach out to our fair director for help from our Scientific Review Committee (SRC) in determining if the project should move forward.

Use of Petri Dishes

Using petri dishes or cell culture dishes can be dangerous and harmful to participants and those around them if not handled in the correct manner or supervised by a qualified individual. Projects that involve the use of petri dishes should be approved within the school before experimentation to make sure proper handling is observed. If teachers don't feel they have the proper training and/or experience to oversee the project it should be overseen by a medical doctor, or another adult with a PhD in the sciences.