Hi Students,

We look forward to seeing your projects at the 2024 Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair!  The deadline to complete the Research Plan and Files & Forms milestones is just over a month away, on February 13.  February 13 is also the deadline for obtaining SRC/IRB pre-approval (if needed):

2024 MCSF Dates & Deadlines:

• Feb 13 at 9pm: “Research Plan” and “Files & Forms” milestones due
• Feb 13 at 9pm: deadline for SRC or IRB pre-approval
• Feb 27 at 9pm: deadline to complete any corrections to your Research Plan and Files & Forms
• Feb 27 at 9pm: “Additional Information” milestone due
• March 4 at 9pm: “Abstract” milestone due
• March 7: Fair Day!  

Here are some important reminders about Research Plans & Forms:

• Project registration is done by completing a series of “milestones” in the your STEM Wizard account.   Milestones will turn green with a checkmark once you have entered the requested information and it has been approved.
• You need to include enough steps and details in your Research Plan for the SRC and IRB to understand your experiment.  Number the steps in your procedure.
• Middle school students should state that they will be calculating averages and graphing their data in the “data analysis” section of the Research Plan.  High schoolers should also include statistics.
• While there are a few exceptions, projects involving human subjects (including surveys and testing on yourself), animals, and bacteria require project approval from the SRC or IRB BEFORE experimentation can begin. Please be mindful that our SRC and IRB reviewers are volunteering their time, and understand that it may take 7-10 days for them to complete review of your project.  See https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/students/src-irb/ for more details about projects with human subjects, vertebrates, pathogens, and hazardous substances.  Including all the requested information in your research plan will speed up the review process!
• Bacteria projects cannot be completed at home.  If your project studies bacteria, we suggest ordering the K-12 strain of E. coli from Carolina Biological Supply. This strain is exempt from pre-approval, but you must state that you are using the K-12 strain of E. coli in your procedure and purchase from Carolina.
• The SRC reviewers will send you a message if you need to make Research Plan or Forms corrections. Please make these corrections promptly so your project can be approved.
• If your project doesn’t require SRC/IRB pre-approval, you can begin experimentation as soon as your adult sponsor has approved your research plan.
• Please check that all your forms are complete and have signatures and dates before you upload thiem.  See https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/students/src-irb/#general for details about the forms required for all projects. 
• If you edit your research plan in STEM Wizard after it has been approved, the milestone will switch back to “Not Approved”.

Good luck with your project! Please let us know if you have any questions:

registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org for questions about registering in STEM Wizard
src@midcolumbiasciencefair.org for questions about SRC approval
irb@midcolumbiasciencefair.org for questions about projects with human subjects
director@midcolumbiasciencefair.org for overall fair questions