Bcc/Rensselaer Region Iii

56th ANNUAL BCC/RENSSELAER REGION III SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR

March 4, 2017

STUDENT HANDBOOK

(Required Reading for Student Participants and Sponsoring Teachers and Qualified Scientists)

Hosted by: Bristol Community College at: Commonwealth College Center 777 Elsbree Street Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 PROCEDURES FOR ENTERING

ENTRY FORMS AND FEES

Each exhibit must be entered on an official Exhibit Entry Form located on this website http://massregion3.org. Each Exhibit Entry Form must be endorsed by a science teacher and the principal of the school at which the student is enrolled.

Exhibit Entry Forms and all SRC Forms from ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL and HIGH SCHOOL exhibitors must be received by Friday, February 3, 2017. Any project that is missing required forms or required signatures on those forms will not be able to participate in the Regional Fair.

Each Junior Division school may send a maximum of ten (10) individual student participants. Each Senior Division school may send a maximum of eighteen (18) individual student participants. All projects should be experimental in nature.

School coordinators are urged to send all entries together in the same envelope. A non-refundable $8.00 fee per student participant is required to help offset the prohibitive costs of operating the Fair.

Checks should be made out to: REGION III SCIENCE FAIR.

Mail Region III Exhibit Entry Forms and Entry Fee to:

Attention: Colleen Vickery REGION III SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR Bristol Community College 777 Elsbree Street - L-Building Fall River, MA 02720

Note: Entries will not be processed until entry fee is received.

LIABILITY FOR EXHIBITS

All equipment and materials exhibited at the Massachusetts Region III Science & Engineering Fair are entered at the risk of the exhibitor. Neither the sponsors of the Fair nor the administrators of the place of exhibition assume any responsibility for the theft of or damage to equipment, materials or personal property.

STANDARDS FOR JUDGING INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS

1. Scientific Approach (0-30 points) Define objective and matching conclusions Systematic plan of work Accuracy of data and observations 2. Original Notebook and Research Paper (0-10 points) Dated records (data book) Organization of data American Psychological Association (APA) form, reference list and parenthetical - references (research paper) 3. Thoroughness (0-15 points) Well-rounded research Are conclusions supported by data, charts, graphs? Was original plan carried to conclusion? Observation of safety regulations 4. Ingenuity and Creativity (0-20 points) Originality Does equipment actually work? Have experiments been carried out by the exhibitor? Ingenuity in use of everyday materials 5. Advancement in Science (0-25 points) Application and understanding of scientific method Comprehension of subject area researched Amount of original research vs. straight demonstration - quantitative data - qualitative data

ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR JUDGING TEAM PROJECTS

1. Teams may have two or three members. All team members must be present for judging. Teams may not acquire new members and may not reduce to less than two. A team project cannot be converted to an individual project. Each member of the team must be involved with the research process and be able to respond to any questions about the research. The final work should reflect the efforts of all the members. 2. Team projects will be evaluated using the same rules and judging criteria as individual projects with one additional overall criterion, teamwork. The focus to be used by judges in evaluating team projects follows in Item # 3. 3. Team members shall be required to provide evidence of shared participation as follows: . Each team member has prepared an individual notebook and show evidence of collaboration on a research paper. . Each team member has responsibility for specific tasks as detailed in the research plan. . Each team member demonstrates a thorough understanding of the project. 4. Scoring: Awards are given on a total point basis, with a maximum possible score of 100. 5. Each individual team member will prepare themselves for judging. Judges will expect that each team member will have prepared a talk. A well prepared team will ensure that all team members have the opportunity to speak and to answer questions posed by the judges. Remember that each member of the team will be judged on scientific approach, notebooks, thoroughness, ingenuity and creativity and students’ advancement. 6. A composite score (based on a possible 100) will be assigned by each judge to the team.

REGION III SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR RULES

GENERAL INFORMATION

All exhibits must conform to the following rules if they are to be selected for exhibition at the Fair. The rules should be followed throughout the development of the science project. Project supervisors should oversee and insure compliance with all rules before exhibition at local and/or Regional Fairs. The Region III Science & Engineering Fair Committee cannot be held responsible for errors in interpretation or failure to comply with the following rules:

1. Projects: The project must be the work of a single student or a member of a team and must concern itself with a single subject.

2. Middle school and high school students with multiple-year projects must re-submit all prior SRC forms for each previous year(s). Judging will involve only research completed since the last Region III Science & Engineering Fair. The new project design and research plan must evidence substantial expansion of experimentation. Research done in the current year must be the primary focus on the project boards. Each page of prior work must be clearly labeled in the upper right corner with the years (e.g. 2015-2016.)

3. The project must be based on work carried out in compliance with all local, state and federal health, safety and environmental regulations and standards.

4. Students must keep a dated, step-by-step, day-by-day notebook recording development of the project including all references, procedures, original data, and other relevant material. Only original bound notebooks are acceptable. DO NOT REWRITE THE NOTEBOOK.

5. A research paper using APA reference form must accompany the project. The paper must contain: a title page, abstract, a 5-7 page exposition of the topic, appendix and reference list with APA form parenthetical references. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

6. No changes in the project will be allowed after the project has been approved, for compliance with the rules, unless all new SRC FORMS are submitted and approved prior to deadline.

7. Exhibits shall be accepted for display upon the express condition that neither the Region III Science & Engineering Fair, Bristol Community College, nor any other Fair sponsor shall be held responsible for the loss and/or theft of, or any damage to exhibits, or exhibitor’s personal property.

8. Students must participate fully in the Fair activities and the Awards Ceremony. During judging and exhibition times, the exhibitors must remain with the project. If an emergency occurs during the Fair, an exhibitor must notify a Region III Science & Engineering Fair designated committee member at the Registration Table.

9. Failure to comply with all rules and regulations will lead to disqualification.

10. Parent(s) nor other chaperone(s) may not stay with student during judging. RESEARCH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS

Please see www.massscifair.com for updates to rules.

Middle School Science Fair projects may NOT involve any of the following: Blood products Highly toxic chemicals Carcinogenic or mutagenic chemicals Lasers Compressed gas Ionizing radiation x-rays or nuclear energy Controlled substances* Nonhuman vertebrate animals Explosive chemicals Pathogenic agents** Hazardous substances or devices Radioactive Materials High voltage equipment Recombinant DNA

*Controlled Substances Controlled substances are not allowed. These include DEA-classed substances, prescription drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

**Pathogenic Agents Pathogenic agents are disease causing, or potential disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses, viroids, prions, rickettsia, fungi, and others. Organisms collected, isolated and/or cultured from any environment (e.g., air, soil) are considered potentially pathogenic and experiments using these procedures will not be allowed. Baker and brewer’s yeast are not considered pathogens. Raw or partially processed human/animal waste is considered to contain potentially pathogenic agents.

 Purchased microorganisms must be identified and certified as non-pathogenic from the supply house with full name of microorganism, source of purchase and catalog number. Culturing microorganisms from the environment is not allowed.  A qualified teacher or scientist MUST supervise all projects with non-pathogenic microorganisms.  All human research projects must have an informed consent form.  All human research projects (including surveys, professional tests, questionnaires, and studies in which the researcher is the subject of his/her own research) need a Regional Safety Review Committee approval. Copies of standardized and student prepared tests, surveys, etc. must be attached to the Research Plan. Informed Consent Form must be obtained from all participants involved in human research projects. If a participant is under 18 years old, the parent/guardian signature is required.  Projects in which subjects are required to ingest substances are not allowed.  Individual projects must be entirely the work of the individual student and team projects must be entirely the work of the team.  Students are expected to keep a bound logbook with original, hand-written, and dated entries that record each step taken in the development for the project.  During judging and exhibition times, students must remain with their projects. Parents, advisors, mentors, teachers and guests must wait outside the fair exhibit area until public display begins.  Only new research done in the current year will be eligible for judging.

RESEARCH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS

CONDUCTING SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVELS

Please see www.massscifair.com for updates to rules.

Students engaging in scientific research and participating in a Science Fair must be aware that all research must be carried out safely and in compliance with health, safety, and environmental laws, regulations and standards at the local, state, national, and occasionally international level. Students are responsible for presenting supporting evidence for the safety, design, and production of scientific, non-subjective results. The project must include repeatable, quantitative results. The Regional Fair requires that all scientific research exhibited at the Fair has been conducted in compliance with accepted laws, regulations, and standards.

Students and teacher/supervisors are responsible for obtaining copies of all forms and accompanying rules governing the type of research undertaken. In addition, students and teacher/supervisors are responsible for checking with the respective city/town boards to find any established local rules that must be considered in the proposed research plan (particularly important in the area of recombinant DNA). Disposal of chemicals and biohazardous materials must be done according to local/state/federal regulations. Students, teacher/supervisors, mentors and qualified scientists must carefully scrutinize and adhere to all rules and regulations for safe research and display.

All high school and middle school students must submit an individual Student Checklist Form (1A), Research Plan, Approval Form (1B), and Teacher/Adult Sponsor Checklist (1) with the appropriate signatures prior to the start of the project. All students must meet with their teacher/supervisor to complete these forms before experimentation begins. In the fall of the academic year prior to the Fair, each school principal/science department chairperson in Region III should receive a letter or email announcing the Fair website for information and approval forms. Additional forms may be needed due to a project’s topic, special equipment, special chemicals, etc.

If students attending summer institutes or summer science training programs plan to submit their research to a Science Fair, they must have the qualified scientist and the Region III Scientific Review Committee (SRC) approve the research plan before the actual training at the institute or program begins.

If there are any proposed changes in the research plan, the form must be rewritten and submitted for approval before experimentation resumes. If the project is a continued study, all prior Research Plan and consent forms (for each previous year) must be submitted to the Scientific Review Committee. The current project design and research plan must indicate significant progress and propose a new problem. Any continuing research must document substantial expansion of experimentation. RESEARCH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW COMMITTEE

The Scientific Review Committee (SRC) reviews ALL projects before a student may enter the Fair. The SRC or School IRB also reviews all research involving human subjects, non-human vertebrate animals, pathogenic agents, controlled substances, human or animal tissue, and recombinant DNA techniques BEFORE experimentation begins and again prior to entrance into the Fair.

THE DECISION OF THE REGION III SCIENTIFIC REVIEW COMMITTEE IS FINAL.

The SRC uses the following criteria in evaluating the research plan, the certifications, the research and the exhibit:  the completed research plan  evidence of literature search  type and amount of supervision  use of accepted techniques and demonstrated skill in such techniques  compliance with all certifications required

Explosive, highly toxic, radioactive, carcinogenic or mutagenic chemicals are of special concern. Knowledge of proper safety standards for each chemical, including toxicity data, is needed. Proper handling techniques and disposal methods must be followed by all students. For detailed safety data refer to Safety in the High School that can be obtained from the American Chemical Society, Career Publications, 1155 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. Telephone: (202) 872-6168.

Additional forms are required if students are interested in conducting research involving any of the following:  special topics: human subjects, non-human vertebrate animals, pathogenic agents, controlled substances, human or animal tissue, recombinant DNA techniques  special chemicals: carcinogenic or mutagenic, radioactive, explosive, highly toxic, hazardous substances  special equipment: high voltage, welding, lasers, hazardous devices  special radiation: unshielded ionizing radiation, x-ray or nuclear radiation  work with a qualified scientist  work with a designated supervisor

New Rules for Middle Schools: Prior approval is now only required for projects that require a Form C or Form D (due by January 3). All other projects attending the regional fair must submit their paperwork by February 3.

All students requiring SRC approval should submit legible COPIES of completed forms before the end of the month prior to the planned start of experimentation. No project will be reviewed by the SRC unless it is submitted on the proper forms.

The deadline for forms requiring prior approval is January 3. Forms and questions regarding research should be directed to Ann Strong at 401-481-5555 or [email protected].

PLANNED SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

 Outstanding Projects in Engineering & Computer Science UMass Dartmouth Physics Alumni Council for the UMD Physics Dept. . Trophy & $30  Outstanding Category Winner United States Air Force . Certificate of Achievement/Gift Bag  Outstanding Division Exhibits United States Navy/Marine Corps. . $50 Gift Certificate, ONR Medallion & Naval Science Award Cert.  BCC/Rensselaer Region III 2017 Science Achievement Award . Plaque  Best dental project Dr. Dionne Award . Plaque  Project of most interest to the public Dr. Levine Award . Trophy Police Officer Raymond Curry Memorial Merit Award . Trophy Naval Commander Arthur Randall Memorial Merit Award . Trophy Pamela & Wayne Anctil Merit Award . Trophy The Stephen J. Gould Memorial Merit Award (For humor in science) . Trophy  Excellence in Science BCC/Rensselaer Region III Science & Engineering Fair Committee Award . $100  Highest scoring junior project in hematology or related field Mark Hoyle Memorial Award . $50 & Plaque  Best project on cancer or related field Carol Desroches, RN Memorial Award . $50 & Plaque  Project which exhibits the qualities of clarity, appropriate organization, and structure in the writing of a document in science The Eileen T. Farley Science Writing Award . $50 & Plaque  Projects exhibiting most original ideas Bad Dog Tools Originality Award/Environmental Award . $50  A Taunton project exemplifying outstanding research methods Kenneth J. Perry Memorial Award . $50 & Plaque  Projects which best exemplify women in engineering Society of Women Engineers, Boston Section . $100/$50  Outstanding microbiology project New England Section of the American Society of Microbiology . $100  Best bio-physics related project Biophysical Society . $100  Projects which best exemplify Earth Day environmental concerns Earth Day Award . $100/$50  Exhibit exemplifying the most in-depth micro-molecular biological research David R. Vito Award in Micro-Molecular Biology . $100  Project showing outstanding ingenuity and creativity Bristol Community College Foundation Award . $100  Outstanding energy related & health/nutrition related Citizens for Citizens, Inc. . $100  Best food related project Institute of Food Technologists/New England Chapter . $200/$200  Excellence in science New England Section of the Optical Society of America . $100/$50  Outstanding biotechnology or life science project Genzyme Corporation . $250/$125  Outstanding biotechnology project Cambridge Biomedical . $100  Project that best demonstrates scientific ingenuity Rensselaer Scholarship Award . $20,000 scholarship to a junior in high school  An outstanding project of the Fair in each division James William Pelletier Award . Trophy and $200/Trophy and $150  Highest scoring project in both Junior and Senior Divisions Tom Cahill Award . Plaque and $250/Plaque and $150  Two International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Competition Awards

Outstanding projects will be invited to compete at the 2017 Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair. Certificates will be distributed for all 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention placement in the Regional competition.

PAST PRESIDENTS Harry Levine, M.D. James Haskins James W. Pelletier, Ed.D. James Lamb Sister Anita Pauline, O.P. Charles Brown Jim Sullivan, D.D.S. Alphonse "Skip" Mailloux Robert Matteson David Vito Lincoln Demoura Diane Giordano

REGION III - Fall River

BCC/Rensselaer Region III Science & Engineering Fair

Contact: James W. Pelletier, Ed.D, President Bristol Community College 777 Elsbree Street Fall River, MA 02720 (508) 678-2811 ext. 2200

Acushnet Fall River Norfolk Seekonk Attleboro Foxboro North Attleboro Somerset Berkley Franklin Norton Swansea Dartmouth Lakeville Plainville Taunton Dighton Mansfield Raynham Westport Fairhaven New Bedford Rehoboth Wrentham

REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS

Apponequet Dighton-Rehoboth Greater New Bedford Bristol-Plymouth Diman Regional King Philip