This book covers everything you need to know about registering for the Mercer Science and Engineering Fair. You can access the main science fair page (presented when you log in) using Home / Online Registration from the main menu on each page.
The book is divided into a number of sections. You do not need to read all the sections since many are designed for forms that are only used for some projects. If you start at the beginning then you can check out the basics and move onto other details as necessary.
First some key points:
The details associated with these points and other registration details are covered in the rest of this book. There are also links from the online registration forms into this book so you do not check out these pages if you are not using those forms
The online registration system is designed to streamline entering the Mercer Science and Engineering Fair. The general process for working on a project for the fair goes like this:
You need an account on this website before you can create an application using the online registration system. You can get an account at any time then start the application process.
Note:
You will need an account on this site to create a science fair application. One account can be used to create more than one application. You can view information on this site without an account but you cannot create a science fair application without one.
If you have problems creating or logging into a new account them check out the next section on account access issues.
Teachers will need an account if they want to manage their student applications or create the applications for the students. In the former case, students will have to create an account and then create an application that the teacher will then be able to view and edit. In the latter case, the teacher will have to provide access to the student or enter all the necessary information. This is often the approach used by teachers with students entering the Elementary division. It is possible for each student to enter their own information but the teacher must provide their account information. Alternatively, this could be done at school under the teacher's supervision in which case the teacher could sign in and select the student's application and then allow the student to make the appropriate changes.
You tried to sign up for an account but you can't log in. First, don't panic. If all else fails please contact us and we will make sure you can get access to your account.
The following information assumes that you have tried to sign up for a new account. You should have received an acknowledgement email.
Try logging in using the username or email address that you signed up with along with the password entered at the same time. If the displayed page indicates an incorrect username or password then the account may not have been setup properly and you should contact us directly. Double check the username and password though because they are case sensitive.
If the login succeeds then there should be a Logout option on the menu and the online registration page should be displayed. You should see a link to manage and create science fair applicactions. If not then it is likely that your web browser is not accepting the cookie from this site to track your login session.
This website uses cookies to track user logins. Cookies are the typical approach used by websites but antivirus/firewall and web browser settings can limit the use of cookies. This is often the case if the security options on the web browser are set high. If this is the case with your system then our website (mercersec.org) needs to be added to the exception list.
Unfortunately, how to add an exception depends upon the web browser and possibly the antivirus software you have installed on your system. We cannot provide support for all configurations but we outline the process for the two most popular browsers in use on Windows PCs: Internet Explorer and Firefox. There are actually different interfaces with these depending upon the version in use so look for similar menu items if yours does not match what is presented here. First check the online help for your web browser if you have problems.
Try logging in again after adding the exception. If adding the website as an exception does not fix the problem then you may need to check other aspects of your Internet connection including your antivirus software.
If you are accessing the site from a school or work you may need to check with your IT department to see if they are blocking cookies as well.
Ok. You tried signing up for an account but you did not receive the acknowledgement email immediately. There are a couple of reasons this might occur including:
Students participate in a particular division based on their grade. These include:
The application process and forms are different for each division. The Elementary division application is the shortest and can be filled out after a project has been completed. It does not include any Intel ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) forms.
The Junior and Senior division applications are essentially the same. These include ISEF forms. The only difference is the category that a project falls under. The Junior division has only Biological and Physical while the Senior division has all the ISEF categories available for selection. Also, there are restrictions on allowable projects in each division.
The next sections describe each division in more detail including any project restrictions. Please read the appropriate section.
The Elementary division has the least amount of paperwork and the most restrictions on the kinds of projects a student can do. Also, a project must fall into one of the following categories selected by the student as part of the registration process.
Projects in this division can be registered after they are completed. In fact, some elementary schools hold their own science fair and send the winners to the Mercers Science and Engineering Fair (MSEF). Check with your school for details. If your school does not have a science fair then you may participate in MSEF without entering any prior science fair competition. Teachers may register their students online and provide the students with the printed applications that they will bring to the fair. Students or parents that register online will print out their own applications and bring them to the fair.
Project restrictions
Elementary division projects may not include any of the following:
Elementary division projects may include any of the following:
Please contact us if you have any questions.
The Junior division is the same as the Senior division so please check out the next section that covers the Senior division. The main differences are project restrictions and a project must fall into one of the following categories selected by the student as part of the registration process.
Projects in this division can be registered after they are completed. Precertification is recommended for any project that may be restricted or that meet the precertification requirement. This includes projects that address humans, animals, deal with hazardous materials or biological materials or cultures.
Junior division projects must have all required ISEF forms completed and signed. All ISEF forms should be brought (not mailed) with you to the fair where they will be handed in. Please keep a COPY of these forms.
We recommend that a student start the application process before they start their project but this is not a requirement. Online applications must be completed by the posted deadline. This includes a detailed research plan and an abstract. The research plan should be completed before the project starts and the abstract should be completed after the project is finished.
Project restrictions
Junior division projects may not include any of the following:
Elementary division projects may include any of the following:
Please contact us if you have any questions.
The Senior division applicants must complete the online registration process and mail in the original ISEF forms by the posted deadline. Keep a COPY of any forms you send us.
We recommend that a student start the application process before they start their project but this is not a requirement. On the other hand, some projects may require precertification. Projects that have not been precertified may be disqualified if they fail to meet the ISEF requirements and restrictions. For example, if a project deals with animals it may require approvals and signatures from a veterinarian. If these are required and not obtained the project will be disqualified. The precertification process helps avoid these problems.
Precertification
The online application for projects requiring precertification must be filled in with sufficient detail prior to the precertification deadline to obtain speedy approval. Applications that are rejected can be resubmitted at any time after suitable changes are made. Experimentation should not start until approval has been given.
Projects that have the proper ISEF paperwork that have not gone through the precertification process can be submitted to the fair. Keep in mind that it is possible that the project will be disqualified if the paperwork is not in order or the project deals with restricted topics. Projects that are done in this fashion should be registered as soon as possible so we can evaluate and approve the project for the fair.
Online applications must be completed by the posted deadline. This includes a detailed research plan and an abstract. The research plan should be completed before the project starts and the abstract should be completed after the project is finished.
Project restrictions
Senior division projects may not include any of the following:
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Precertification is the process of approving a project prior to the start of experimentation. It may be required for some Junior and Senior division projects based on the type of project and experiments involved. Precertification is not required for any Elementary division project but project topics are restricted to those that would not require precertification.
Precertification is required if any forms other than the basic set (Form 1, 1A, 1B and the Research Plan) are needed. You can use the ISEF Rules Wizard to determine what forms are required. Elementary division students that use the wizard and need to use ISEF forms should contact us directly.
Why Precertification?
Precertification is designed to prevent the disqualification of projects due to improper experiments, paperwork or other related procedures. Precertification does not guarantee that a project will be accepted for the fair especially if the project deviates from its state goals and procedures. Still, disqualification of precertified projects is rare.
Precertification essentially requires the student to post all relavent information online for approval by the MSEF Safety Review Committee (SRC). This information and associated signed forms must be obtained before experimentation occurs regardless of whether precertication is attained. Projects without the proper ISEF paperwork will be disqualified under any circumstance.
The MSEF SRC will provide approval or rejection of a project presented for precertification within one week of posting although normally approval or rejection will be given as quickly as possible. This will usually be within a day or two assuming precertification is requested prior to the precertification due date.
Projects that are rejected can be resubmitted at any time for subsequent approval. Projects that are rejected and are not altered as requested will be disqualified.
Projects that may have been completed that should have been precertified should submit their application as soon as possible. Improper paperwork or restricted projects may be disqualified forcing the student to redo the project after sufficient changes have been made if they wish to participate in the fair.
The bottom line is: register online as soon as possible and get precertification approval if necessary.
The online application consists of multiple pages denoted by the tabs on the left. Each tab has a title. Most have a checkbox to the left. The current page is denoted by a tab that has a different color. Each page has one or more fields that can be filled in and a Save button at the bottom. There are two ways to save any changes you make:
The checkboxes are set based on the contents of each page. The letter in the checkbox indicates a form's current status:
Applications that require precertification must have all P's or X's in every box before the application can be precertified.
An application is complete when all boxes contain an X.
A colored asterisk is shown after the title of each field that is required. Fields not required for precertification are noted in the description under the field. These are fields that must be filled out after experimentation is completed.
Changes to the online application can be made at any time up to the close of registration. Students are encouraged to start their application early and add or change information as a project progresses.
All applications have a Status page. The Status page provides an overview of your online application. If your project requires precertification then it will be noted here. Likewise, the state of the application is presented so you know whether an application is incomplete or not.
The page also allows an application to be withdrawn. By default, a new application will be set so the Applicant field is set to Will participate in the fair.
The page has a Save button on it. It should be used if the Applicant status is change. This same button appears on all page forms for the online application. After clicking on the button the next page in the sequence will be displayed. The Status page will be displayed after the last page is saved.
The Status page is one of the few pages in the online application that do not have a corresponding printed form associated with it.
The following sections cover details for the respective forms. In general, all students will fill in a Mercer Science and Engineering Fair (MSEF) form. All Junior and Senior Division students will need to fill in a number of ISEF forms including and abstract. Elementary division students are encouraged to include an abstract and the ISEF abstract form is recommended.
The MSEF (Mercer Science and Engineering Fair) Forms are filled in by all students.
This information is used when printing the MSEF printed application. There is a version of this printed application for each division (Elementary, Junior and Senior). The main difference is the list of project categories. For example, Elementary and Junior division only have Biological and Physical categories.
The Student Info page provides the general information about a student including their grade. This information can easily be supplied before a project is started and even before a topic is chosen.
The student's name will be repeated on all subsequent pages. Any changes will be reflected on all pages. This allows the online pages to more closely match the ISEF forms. The name should be capitalized as desired, i.e. John Middle Doe, as this will be used on the acceptance certificate and any awards. Do not capialize then entire name or make it all lower case.
The grade determines what division the project will compete in. The contact information is required in case we need to contact you about the application. It is also required for some awards.
The tabs and associated pages may change when you change the grade field. Only necessary application pages will be presented. For Junior and Senior division applications, additional form pages will be displayed when selections are made from Form 1. Elementary division applications will not show these options.
The U.S. Citizen check box is also required since some awards are available only to U.S. Citizens.
The Project Info page includes the project title, category and the hypothesis. These can be changed at any time until registration closes. This means you can provide a working title and select a working category but change them once you have completed the project.
The hypothesis is optional but it can help in precertification approval for Junior and Senior division projects since it provides additional insight into the desired area of research.
Intel ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) forms are required for Junior and Senior division projects.
Blank ISEF forms can be found at the www.societyforscience.org/isef/document/. These can be printed and filled in. It is also possible to enter this information in an online application and then print the forms with this information.
The following sections detail the contents of the forms and their online application fields. In general, these map one-to-one although the terminology may be slightly different.
The Research Plan outlines what will be done in a project including why the project is being done, how experiments will be done, what safety precautions will be taken, etc. The form allows you to paste in your research plan but it can accept only text, no images.
If you need to provide this level of detail you will need to email us a PDF file. You can obtain a free printer driver for Windows to create a PDF file at PDF Creator.
Junior and Senior division students may submit a more detailed version of their research plan with their printed paperwork. Projects that require precertification must supply a research plan that has sufficient detail for approval. This is typically where projects are rejected and require resubmission so include as much relevant information as possible.
Notes:
The Informed Consent Form may be required based upon the approval noted on Form 4. If the form is required then a COPY will be presented to all parties involved in an experiment for their signatures.
Not all projects that deal with human subjects will require this form. Additional information may be supplied as required by an IRB but this form must be the basis of any consent.
See the ISEF Rules on Human Subjects and the ISEF Risk Assessment Guide for more details.
Form 1: Adult And Student Checklist is required for all Junior and Senior division projects.
This form specifies any additional ISEF forms that may be required for project approval. Some ISEF forms, such as Form 1, 1A and 1B, are required with all projects. These cannot be unchecked. Likewise, if a project is requires additional forms then these must be explicitly checked. This will cause the related tabs to be added to the left making those forms available.
Use the Intel ISEF Rules Wizard to determine which forms are required. Other than Form 7 (Continuation), selection of any but the default forms will cause the application to require precertification.
The form includes checkboxes to indicate whether particular types of items will be involved in the project. These normally require additional approvals and forms.
All information on this form and all other ISEF forms will be saved even if they related checkbox is unchecked and the form is hidden. You should be submitting any forms that are selected in the online registration process.
As on the other ISEF forms, names, dates and signatures are required. The online registration only requires that you enter the names and dates. The signatures will be checked when the printed applications are received. For Junior division applications, this will be at the fair. For Senior division applications, these will be mailed in by the posted due date.
Form 1A: Student Checklist contains the following information:
(1) done before the project starts
(2) done after the project ends
Form 1B: Project Approval is filled in before a project starts and indicates the approvals required for the project. This includes SRC or IRB approval information if these are required. In general, projects that require precertification will need these fields filled in before precertification approval is given.
Form 1C: Regulated Research is filled in AFTER the project is completed. The information supplied by the supervising adult should be copied to this form.
This form is required if you perform any of your experiments at a regulated research institution.
Form 2: Qualified Scientist is required for a number of different kinds of projects. The information must be supplied before experimentation begins.
A qualified scientist is an experienced adult whole will oversee your project.
Form 3: Risk Assessment is required for projects using hazardous chemicals, activities or devices. It must be completed before experimentation.
The risk assessment outlines the risks and precautions to be taken during experimentation so the project can be completed safetly.
See the ISEF Rules for hazardous materials and the ISEF Risk Assessment Guide for more details.
Form 4: Human Subjects is required if a project involves humans. This will indicate whether additional oversight is required and whether the Consent Form is required.
See the ISEF Rules on Human Subjects and the ISEF Risk Assessment Guide for more details.
Form 5A: Vertebrate Animal Form is required for all research involving vertebrate animals that is conducted in a Non-Regulated Research Site. SRC approval is required before experimentation.
See the ISEF Rules for Vertabrate Animals for more details.
Form 5B: Vertebrate Animal Form is required for all research involving vertebrate animals that is conducted in a Regulated Research Site. IACUC approval is required before experimentation.
See the ISEF Rules for Vertabrate Animals for more details.
Form 6A: Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents Risk Assessment Form is required for research involving microorganisms, rDNA, fresh/frozen tissue, blood and body fluids. SRC/IACUC/IBC approval is required before experimentation.
See ISEF Rules about Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents for more details.
Form 6b: Human and Vertebrate Animal Tissue Form is required for projects using fresh/frozen tissue, primary cell cultures, blood, blood products and body fluids. If the research involves living organisms, please ensure that the proper human or animal forms are completed.
All projects using any tissue listed above, must also complete Form 6A.
See ISEF Rules about Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents for more details.
Form 7: Continuation Projects Form is used for projects that are a continuation in the same field of study as a previous project. This form must be accompanied by the previous year’s abstract and Research Plan when the application is submitted. Only the summary information is posted in the online application.
Continuations allow students to refer to prior year's work. It does not affect how the current project is judged and it does not add or detract from the project.
The Notes page includes fields where notes can be posted by students, teachers, etc. They are not used to generate any printed forms.
These are normally used to exchange details about precerticiation approval or to track a project when a teacher is tracking the progress of a project using the online registration system.
The Intel ISEF Abstract form (PDF) must be posted on or in front of all Junior and Senior division projects. It is optional for Elementary division projects.
The abstract should be written AFTER the project is completed and the data is analyzed. It should summarize the hypothesis, procedure, data and results. It should be short and concise.
It is used by judges to get a feel for a project so it is important to write a good abstract.
Teachers can create applications using the process outlined in this book. Teachers should check out the scenarios in the Teacher Online Registration book for alternatives to how science fair applications should be created. Students do not have to be concerned about the teacher scenarios.