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1. Any Columbia County resident in grades kindergarten through 8th grade who is homeschooled is eligible for entry in the Science Fair. Organizers reserve the right to limit entrants based on event limitations. 2. Projects must be brought to the Science Fair as a physical display for exhibition and judging. 3. The student’s name or any group affiliations must not appear anywhere on or in your project’s display. Numbers will be assigned to identify participants for judging an d display purposes. a. Acknowledgements are welcome but should be limited to their title (mother, father, teacher, coach, etc.) or their first names only when appropriate to ensure anonymity. b. Stations will be assigned based on project numbers. Check-in will be required upon arrival to the Science Fair in order to assign participants a display station. 4. The goal of the Science Fair is to encourage exploration and discovery in a topic of interest while gaining hands on experience of the scientific method for the students. The project should be chosen, researched, and completed by the student. While parental involvement or support is encouraged it should be limited to general guidance and what is necessary for safety and logistics. a. Project eligibility for awards is at the discretion of the judging panel. Any projects where parental involvement goes beyond age-appropriate support will be subject to closer scrutiny and may be disqualified or deemed ineligible for awards. b. Team projects are not permitted and will be ineligible for awards. 5. Safety first! No glassware, hazardous chemicals, bodily fluids or tissues, dead animals or open flames may be used or displayed during the Science Fair. Any cell, mold or bacterial cultures should be properly contained and sealed. a. Any project involving human subjects, viruses, tissue or blood research, pathogenic agents, controlled substances and/or DNA must be approved by the science fair organizers in advance. b. If in doubt, contact the science fair organizers! Homeschool Science Fair Rules and Guidelines ---PAGE BREAK--- 6.Display boards must be free standing. Additional display items relevant to your project are allowed but must fit within the designated 2ft by 3ft station space. a.Display items taller than 10ft will not be allowed. Display items requiring floor space are discouraged. Any display items requiring floor space must be approved in advance by the science fair organizers. b.Any display pieces with moving parts must be self-contained (i.e. no projectiles). c.Please note that no electric, water, or gas services will be provided or available for use. 7.Experiments must be performed and completed at home. NO experiments are to be conducted during the Science Fair including but not limited to judging. 8.The use of live animals for your display is generally discouraged. Any live animal use must be announced on the registration form and approved by the science fair organizers. Animals must be properly and securely contained during the entirety of the duration of the fair. Animals are defined as any non-plant or fungi multi-celled organism. a.Any experimentation involving animals should lead to a respect for all living things. Humane treatment of study subjects is expected and required. Experiments involving animals should be carried out under direct adult supervision. 9.Vertebrate animals are NOT to be used for projects, with the following exceptions: a.Passive observations of behavior patterns in living wild or domesticated animals. b.Observational projects of chicken embryos or aquatic larva. c.Human studies as approved in advance by the science fair organizers. ---PAGE BREAK--- 10.The science fair organizers reserve the right to ask participants to choose a different idea, topic, or experiment than what was originally submitted on a participant’s registration form. 11.Only projects meeting all criteria are eligible for prizes and awards. 12.All project displays are to be brought and set up during the designated time on the morning of the Science Fair. Public viewing is not permitted at the time of set-up. a.No vehicles (including golf carts) are permitted in the event area, parked or in motion. We recommend bringing a wagon or other type of cart to help transport your display items from your vehicle to your display station. 13.Students must be present at their display during the judging window for their division. Students are encouraged to remain with their displays as much as possible during the fair to teach visitors about their projects. However, the science fair organizers realize that this may be particularly difficult for younger students so visits to other stations are permissible. a.Any students not available at their display during their division’s judging will be ineligible for awards. b.If the student is temporarily away for medical, personal, or other emergency reasons and misses the judging panel please notify the event staff as soon as possible. 14.Project displays are not to be removed from the Science Fair prior to the end of the event at 3:00pm. Any project displays removed before the awards ceremony will be ineligible for awards. 15.Columbia County Homeschool Science Fair and its representatives are not responsible for the loss of or damage to displays. Displays are entered at the participant’s own risk.