Enrichment · STEM Explorations

Screen the project
before the first experiment.

A taste test counts as research with people. A petri dish of mold from the kitchen counts as a biological agent. Under science fair rules, both need approval before you begin, and work done first can disqualify the project. Answer the eight screening questions, list every material with its hazard, and the checklist tells you what each yes requires.

Screen a projectWhat you get

Your projects

The worked example is made up: a yeast and sugar project with a taste test that needs an IRB, hydrogen peroxide that needs a risk assessment and a question about yeast to settle with the teacher. Saved on this device only.

Loading the project form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · STEM ExplorationsFree

What you finish with
A record per project with title, student or team code, where the work happens, the supervising adult and the start date; an eight-area screen; every material with its hazard and protection; six safety-plan steps and the approval date. Flags each yes with what it needs under fair rules, every not-sure area, plan steps not done and a start date with no approval.
Who it is for
Middle and high school students planning science fair and research projects, and the teachers and parents who supervise them.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per project. Prints the screen and plan for a teacher’s signature, every project as a table or a blank checklist; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The STEM Explorations space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Write your procedure first, step by step.
  2. Answer the eight screening questions. When unsure, say so.
  3. List every material and tool; look up each chemical’s Safety Data Sheet.
  4. Get the approvals each yes needs, and enter the date.
  5. Only then start experimenting.

Screen a project

The order of things

Approval comes firstPlanWrite theprocedure andscreen itApproveTeacher, SRC orIRB signs offExperimentOnly now: buy,mix, testPresentApprovals go tothe fair with youthe line you do not cross earlyUnder science fair rules, work done before a required approval can disqualify the whole project.Approval comes firstPlanWrite the procedure and screen itApproveTeacher, SRC or IRB signs offExperimentOnly now: buy, mix, testPresentApprovals go to the fair with youWork done before approval can disqualifythe whole project.
Your fair’s own rule book sets the exact forms and deadlines each year.

The rule book

Most school, regional and state fairs follow the International Rules for Precollege Science Research from Society for Science, which set out when an Institutional Review Board or Scientific Review Committee must approve a project before experimentation. Your fair may add its own forms. Read this year’s version; it changes.

Safety Data Sheets

Every hazardous chemical sold in the United States comes with a Safety Data Sheet under OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard. Sixteen sections in a set order: section 2 lists the hazards, section 4 first aid, section 8 the protection to wear and section 13 disposal. Search the product name and “SDS”.

Sources

  1. Society for Science. International Rules and Guidelines for Science Fairs (societyforscience.org/isef).
  2. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hazard Communication Standard: Safety Data Sheets (osha.gov).
  3. American Chemical Society. Guidelines for Chemical Laboratory Safety in Secondary Schools (acs.org).
  4. National Science Teaching Association. Safety in the Science Classroom, Laboratory, or Field Sites (nsta.org).

The worked example is made up. This checklist helps you prepare; your teacher and your fair’s review committee decide what is allowed. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.