SAFETY AND ETHICS
It is very important that you read and understand the Fair Rules , Safety Regulations and Human Subject and Animal Use Guidelines before beginning your project. These rules are in place to protect you, protect visitors to the fair, and to protect the rights of human or animal subjects used in science fair experiments. Scientists must follow similar rules when they do their own research. Read these guidelines carefully and have your parents or teacher explain any parts that you don’t understand.
Participants are permitted to work with potentially hazardous materials provided the research is done following the appropriate regulations and with adequate supervision. Potentially hazardous materials, however, must not be exhibited at the Science Fair. This includes chemicals, flammable materials, firearms, animals, animal and human tissues or bodily fluids, and microbial cultures. If you work with these materials, you may wish to document your results with photographs or simulate your experimental set-up for display purposes using safe look-alike substances (for example, you might substitute water for ethanol if you wish to demonstrate a technique for a judge).
Projects which do not meet our safety or ethics guidelines will be disqualified at the Fair. It is your responsibility to ensure that your project meets our guidelines and that, if required, you have applied for project approval before beginning your research. If you are uncertain as to whether your project requires preapproval or meets our exhibit regulations, please contact us.
Our safety and ethics guidelines are modeled after guidelines developed by Youth Science Canada and other national and international science fair organizations. If you are concerned that your project may not meet the guidelines of the Canada-Wide Science Fair, please consult the links below:
Use of Human Subjects
Use of Animals
Application to Perform Research with DNA Biological Agents or Animals
Use of Firearms and Hazardous Equipment
Recombinant DNA and Biotechnological Safety
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair