SEFMD Frequently Asked Questions (revised 2/20/2022)
As questions are asked, they are added to this list. Hopefully, this page will answer most of the questions in the future
Virtual Science Fair and Uploading of Forms
Q. Why do we need to upload all the
forms and photographs?
A. Due to COVID-19, we need to be prepared for running a totally virtual
Science Fair. The information is needed so the judges can fairly evaluate
the projects should there not be a 'physical presence' at TCF Center.
There are size limitations on each of the PDF files and photos due to the sheer
number of students..
Q. I have my Name, School Name, and grade on
my PDF Presentation. Why was it rejected?
A. The PDF presentation is not permitted to have personal
information such as student name, school name, grade, etc. Refer to the
resources tab to see other items that can disqualify a project or a document.
Q. My optional photo is a collection of
several other photos all on the same document. Is this acceptable?
A. Yes - the rule is only three optional photos but that refers to
uploaded photo documents. Each photo document may contain any number of
images.
Q. Why does everyone need to
upload a you-tube presentaton of their project?
A. One or two photographs are usually not sufficient to fairly evaluate a
project. Although Junior division projects had always been judged blind in the past (with
the exception of the team projects), the judges were able to closely look at the
display board and evaluate it. Without seeing the board 'up front and and
close', we felt the only fair way would be to have everyone do a you tube/video
presentation of their project..
Q. What should be on the You Tube video
presentation?
A. The video presentation should be of what you did. You may
be in the video if desired. The video replaces the interview - it is your
opportunity of telling the judges what you did. If may be of the board with you
explaining certain aspects of the project, or something totally unrelated to the
PDF presentation... If you have a project that
exceeds the normal size limitations, it may include a segment of the entire
model. The video You Tube segment can not exceed 2:00 minutes in
length.
Q. I uploaded a number of photos of my board
but they have apparently been deleted. Why?
A. All material uploaded to the web site is reviewed by volunteers and
staff before it is made available to the judges. For example, if a photo
of your board includes your name, school name, acknowledgements, objectionable
material, or other items, it will be deleted by the Display and Safety
committee. Generally, you will be sent an email if anything is removed
(however, please remember that emails to students in elementary or junior
division students are generally blocked by the schools).
Q. Why are all SRC forms being handled online
this year?
A. In the past, hard copy forms had to be delivered by December 1 for SRC
pre-approval. This year, again due to COVID-19, we are minimizing the
possible carriers of the virus and requiring ALL forms to be uploaded
electronically. Forms that are mailed or hand delivered will be discarded
and not opened..
Q. The entry process indicates that SRC forms
1, 1A, and 1B are required of all senior division students. When are these
due and why?
A. ISEF required that all senior division students complete forms 1, 1A,
and 1B. We have not enforced this rule in the
past. Since we are now handling all SRC forms electronically, we are
reviewing these forms. All SRC Forms (with the exception of form 1C) MUST be
uploaded prior to the entry form deadline date. If the entry is entered
without uploading of these forms, the project will be disqualified. Form
1C may be uploaded up until 10 days prior to the Science Fair. HOWEVER, for
2021, Forms 1, 1A, and 1B were NOT required (the RELEASE form satisfied the
requirements of 1, 1A, and 1B). For 2022, Forms 1, 1A, and 1B ARE required
IF any other forms are required (eg, Form 2, Form 3, Form 4, 5A, 6A, or Form 7)
School Affiliation
Q. Why does a school need to affiliate
with the Science Fair and why is there a charge associated with it?
A. The affiliation agreement provides us with the contact information for
the school and provides us with various options that a school may use while
accepting entry forms for the Science Fair. The affiliation fee is $50.00
(reduced to $25.00 if the information is received by December 1) and is to offset the cost of mailings to
the school and to keep the cost of the actual entry form processing low
($20/project for Senior Division projects, $15/project for Elementary and Junior
Division Projects). School affiliation forms that are
received AFTER December 1 will need to pay the full amount.
Q. The school affiliation form asks for names
of the Institutional Review Board. What happens if those names are not
supplied?
A. If a student enters a project that would have required a school IRB to
review the project, the project will be disqualified and not permitted to
compete.
Q. We have a home school with several
students. How do we affiliate?
A. You would follow the normal 'school affiliation procedure', except that
the form must be submitted manually (via fax or regular mail). The cost
for a home school affiliation is $75.00
Q. I am an individual student that wants to
enter the Science Fair (and live within the seven county area), but my school does
not want to 'affiliate'. Can I still participate?
A. Please contact us to work with you to convince the school to affiliate
with the Science Fair. If the school still refuses to affiliate, YES, you
can enter directly into the Science Fair. The school and teacher would
forfeit any and all awards that it may receive because of your achievements.
The cost of individual affiliation is $75.00 (plus the entry fee of $20 for a
Senior Division Project or $15.00 for a Junior Division Project). It would actually be
CHEAPER to have the school affiliate!
Project Display Board Layout/Setup
Q. What is the maximum size of the display
board? NOTE: This does not apply to the virtual fair
A. For Elementary and Junior Division (3rd-8th grade), the maximum size is: 36"
wide (side to side), 24" deep (front to back), 108" high (floor to top)
For Senior Division (9th-12th grade), the maximum size is: 48" wide (side
to side), 30" deep (front to back), 108" high (floor to top).
If the project is resting on a table, the height of the table is 36", so the
maximum height would be 108" - 36" or 72"
Q. What is the order of information that
should be on the display board? Where do we put our conclusions?
A. There is no defined layout for the display board. It
is totally up to the student to design a display board that best articulates
information about the project.
Award and Project Pickup after the Science Fair
Q. I can not make it to TCF Center during
the scheduled time for project and award pickup due to (any reason).
Can I pick up the project earlier, or after the published project pickup
date/time?
A. The project removal date is published in the official calendar and there are no exceptions.
Our donors have contributed significant dollars with the understanding that all
projects will be displayed during the public viewing hours. The project
pickup date/times are posted. If a project is not picked up during that
time by the student, parent, teacher, or a friend, it will be discarded.
Q. I was not able to retrieve my project
during the time period specified and understand that it was discarded. Can
I obtain copies of the awards that I received.
A. We can mail you the certificate and/or
professional awards that you received THAT WE STILL HAVE for a small fee
according to the following. Frequently, professional award organizations
place their awards directly on or by the projects. We do not retrieve
these awards after the fair. Payment should be sent to the Science
Fair office (PO Box 158, Farmington, MI 48332-0158) with your written
request.
Certificate -
$10.00
Professional
Awards (various) - $10.00
Q. I received my awards but lost them (the dog
ate them, or any other reason)
A. See question above. Duplicate awards are available (if we
still have them) for the same small fee.
Q. There is a spelling error on my
certificate. How do I get a replacement certificate.
A. Spelling errors that are identified during (or before)
project checkout will be corrected and sent out at no charge. Spelling
errors and corrections that are identified after the project checkout will be
charged a small fee of $10.00.
Entering on-line and payment processing
Q. My student received a rejection
code of 'V'. What does that mean?
A. A rejection code of 'V' means the abstract
is too verbose! It should not be a detailed procedure of the project, it
should just be a summary of about 500 words.
Q. Why would a person receive a 'REJ-Z' if they entered on-line?
A. If the project involves the use of humans
(taste tests, behavioral tests, etc) and the school does not have a functioning
IRB (Institutional Review Board) as established with the affiliation agreement,
the project is rejected. Each school must have a functioning IRB and
complete the appropriate forms (Junior and Senior division) for any projects
involving the use of human subjects.
Q. When a student submits an entry form
on-line, the confirmation page gives a status. What are the various status
codes and how are they determined?
A. The status will be 'I' (Incomplete or
In-Process) until the student 'finalizes' his/her entry. Once the form is
'finalized', it is then considered a valid entry and changes are not permitted.
If the school elects to review all the projects, the status then becomes 'P' for
Pending (teacher review). If the school elects to 'automatically process'
entries as they are accepted, the status may be 'A' (Accepted), 'S' (SRC
review/hold-manual decision required), 'R' (rejected)
Q. Why would a student receive a status code
of 'S' (SRC review/hold) during the on-line process?
A. If any of the SRC boxes are checked
that require a prior SRC review OR the abstract contains any suspect words, the
project must be reviewed manually.
Q. As a teacher, I have noticed that several
students have entered on-line without my permission and do not recommend the
projects for competition at TCF Center. How do I make sure that these students
are not considered for competition?
A. The contact person of the school (or
their designee) may use the teacher modify/delete module to review the status of
all entries from the school and change the project status of each project.
This module is used to move a student's project status from 'P' (pending) and to
actually delete a project. It is selected from the main menu,,Entry Form
Info --> On-Line Entry --> and then selecting Teacher Approve/Delete entries.
Q. Can I pay for the entry fees with a
credit card? How do I determine how much the school owes?
A. YES - We WILL accept credit cards
(Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express) for payment this year. To determine the amount that
is owed (and actually make a credit card payment), use the main menu and select:
Entry Form Info --> On-Line Entry --> and then select the option to 'Review and
Pay Affiliation/Entry Fees'
Judging Conflicts
Q. I am a senior division student (or
junior division team student) and can not
make the interview portion of judging for the Science Fair (for the Live Fair). Should I still compete?
A. YES - Your project will be judged 'in the blind' without an interview.
You will not do as well because the interview plays a key part of the
evaluation, however, your project will still be considered for professional and
category awards. You will not be eligible to compete in the afternoon
session of judging, however, where the ISEF finalists are determined.
Q. There are three of us doing a team project.
However, one (or two) of the other team members can not be present for judging.
Am I permitted to still exhibit as a team project?
A. YES - You will be the spokesperson for the team. The judges like
to talk to each of the members of the team but will accept the fact that other
conflicts can occur. Be prepared to answer the questions on what the other
members did on the project and why they could not be present for judging.
A 'proxy' person (parent, teacher, another student), is NOT permitted to stand
in for the absent member.