Student Info

Important Dates and Details

2024 Schedule

Friday, Feb 2, Grades 1-5: Elementary Fair

  • 5:30 PM              Phillips 66 Research Center doors open. Parents may use the circle driveway by the flagpoles to allow students to drop off projects. Check in at the welcome table at the bottom of the stairs. Proceed to safety review; more information for safety guidelines can be found here.

  • 5:30 PM              Pizza is provided for all students.

  • 5:30 PM              Judge check in to RF Lecture Hall

  • 6:00 PM              Judging begins! All family members and supporters are asked to leave the judging areas.

  • ~8:00 PM            Judging concludes. Please take project boards with you at the end of the night.

  • ~8:30 PM            Results are compiled as rapidly as possible. We target an 8:30 PM start to the awards ceremony. All students are invited to the awards ceremony, but students will be notified if they are receiving an award to allow families of younger students to get to bed if the student will not be recognized in the ceremony.

 

Saturday, Feb 3, Grades 6-12: Jr/Sr Fair

  • 7:30 AM              Phillips 66 Research Center doors open. Check in at the welcome table at the bottom of the stairs. Proceed to safety review.

  • 7:30 AM              Registration for the Engineering Challenge opens! Students pick a partner and sign up for limited spots to participate in the engineering challenge to be revealed on Fair Day!

  • 7:45 AM              Judge check in to RF Lecture Hall

  • 8:15 AM              Judging begins! All family members and supporters are asked to leave the judging area.

  • Noon                   Judging concludes.

  • Noon                  Pizza available for all students

  • Noon-1 PM        Public viewing. Supporters are invited to stroll through poster displays.

  • 1 PM            Engineering challenge begins

  • ~3:00 PM            Awards Ceremony begins

Rules for all Projects

The Bartlesville District Science Fair is an affiliated International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which means that we must comply with the ISEF rules. These rules are suggested for grades 1 – 5, and mandatory for grades 6 - 12 at the BDSF. We encourage all students, teachers, and parents to be familiar with the rules, as they provide excellent guidance to assure student safety.

Rules for Secondary Junior and Senior Division Projects

ISEF rules for pre-college science research are published annually to support students conducting independent research projects safely, ethically and according to all federal regulations.  Full compliance of the ISEF rules is expected of all participants of an affiliated fair, such as the Bartlesville District Science Fair.  Failure to comply may cause students to be disqualified from competition at the district, state and international fair.

Students registering to compete in the Secondary Junior or Senior Divisions of the BDSF must submit a copy of the appropriate ISEF forms before they are eligible to compete. ISEF forms must be uploaded to the registration website during registration. Original forms should be retained by the student and will need to be provided if the student advances to state competition.

The complete ISEF handbook is available at the following website:

https://student.societyforscience.org/international-rules-pre-college-science-research

Tips regarding successful completion of ISEF forms:

  • ISEF has produced a helpful Rules Wizard that may be utilized to quickly determine what paperwork will be needed for a project.

  • Some of the strictest ISEF rules pertain to experiments involving human subjects, animals, and microorganisms.

    • All 6-12th grade projects require a minimum of forms 1, 1A, Research Plan Attachment, and 1B, filled out and approved, before experimentation begins.

    • There is an EZ form that can be used for 6th-8th grade projects.

    • Projects involving human subjects must receive prior approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) before starting experimentation. Students should consult with their teachers if they believe they need IRB approval.

    • Projects involving vertebrate animals and microorganisms require prior approval from our Scientific Review Committee (SRC); for these projects the student needs to prepare their research plan and submit it to the SRC prior to experimentation (see contact, below).

    • Approval from an IRB or the SRC is required before any experimental work is begins.

If you have any questions or need guidance in determining the necessary ISEF forms for a science fair project, please contact the BDSF SRC Chair, Elizabeth Hine, at Eashine123@gmail.com.

Communicating with the Fair

Please reach out to Science Fair Director (see footer) with any questions!