Teachers

So your young scientist wants to participate in a science fair? The best way to help is through encouragement and support. Encourage the young scientist to perform rigorous research, to persevere through the difficulties, and to know that all great discoveries started from meagre beginnings. Support him or her by providing the time and resources that are needed to see the project through to completion. Many young scientists have difficulty recognizing their limitations, so gently help them to realize when they are venturing too far out of reach, and help them to pursue their goals when they have found a genuine way of accomplishing them.

You may wish to direct interested students to our page with resources to support young scientists. Many of the websites have sections that give teachers and parents ideas and tools to help their young scientists to develop their investigations.

If you are mentoring a student, we strongly suggest that you take the time to read over the rules and regulations. This outlines and contains links to key safety and ethics considerations that students must meet in order to participate in the fair. You should also ensure that you are familiar with the important dates and deadlines.

Due to the popularity of the science fair, we are required to limit the number of projects that can be submitted per school. Schools may submit no more than 5 projects to the fair. It may be necessary for you to have some means of selecting representatives from all students at your school who have decided to perform an investigation (perhaps by holding a small fair of your own).

In the interest of safety, participating students do need the signature of an adult (18yrs+) to complete their fair registration. This could be you as their teacher, or any other adult who knows the student and is aware of the research being conducted. If you choose to act as the designated adult, you will be required to complete a form that will be provided to you by the student and you will be the contact if there are any concerns with the students registration that cannot be resolved by emailing the student alone.

Specific details about participation in the fair can be found in the student manuals: