Fifthteenth Annual

North Area Counties of Kentucky Exposition of Science

Rules Governing Regional Fair

1. Exhibits of any of the basic subject areas designated may be entered by any students enrolled in any class from grades 4 through 12 unless noted in the exceptions below. Students in any public, private, or parochial school in the in the following counties are welcome:

1a. Registration Limits:

• 4th grade - Only the top 2 projects from any school or local fair can procede to NACKES.
• Middle School(5th - 8th) - 17 project limit (no more than 2 projects in a category) from any school or local fair.
• Due to space limitations we reserve the right to close registration early. High School registrations will be given priority. Middle School and 4th grade registrations will be handled in order of receipt.

1b. Project Limits: 4th grade and Middle School level projects will not be accepted in the following areas:

• Microbiology
• Human or Vertebrate projects that contain or make use of tissues, fluids, cells, etc.
• Projects pertaining to the use of recombinant DNA

2. A contestant may participate in only one ISEF affiliated science fair in the same year. A student who will have reached age 21 on or before May 1, 2010 is not eligible.

3. A contestant may enter only ONE exhibit.

4. An exhibit cannot be an identical replica of one shown by the same exhibitor or same group at a previous regional science fair unless the project is considerably expanded or developed. This development must be explained in writing.

5. All work on exhibits must be done by the individual or group, any exhibits, which indicate the direct assistance of the teacher, or any outside help will be disqualified by the judges. Teachers or sponsors may advise, but must not construct any part of the exhibit.

6. Exhibits must be confined to a table or floor space of 61 cm front to back by 122 cm side to side, or smaller. Projects must be less than 274 cm high, floor to top.

7. Exhibitors must provide their own display surfaces, as only table space will be provided. Therefore, support should be prepared for all materials that are to stand erect.

8. Record Books outlining the purpose of the project, procedure used, source of data and information, summary and conclusions, etc., must be kept and made available for observation and examination by the judges for all exhibits. Emphasis should be placed on the project report. The report should be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Remember you must be present at the specified time during the judging of the exhibits, and your exhibit and record book must be available to the judges.

9. Construction of exhibits must be durable, and movable parts firmly attached for safety precaution. All switches and cords for 110-volt operation must be of an approved variety. Electrical cords should be at least 10 feet long. (Electrical outlets are provided upon request. Note space on application form.)

10. No live animals (vertebrate or invertebrate), preserved vertebrate animals or parts, including embryos, may be exhibited. Research involving the use of animals may display drawings, charts, or graphs to illustrate the conditions, developments, and results of the investigations. Photographs of surgical techniques depicting vertebrate animals in other than normal conditions may not be displayed on the student's exhibit but may be contained in an accompanying notebook. Any application for a  project involving vertebrate animals, human subjects, recombinant DNA, or tissues must be accompanied by copies of all completed certification forms required by "ISEF Rules for Research" to be eligible for exhibiting space. A copy of the "ISEF Rules for Research" is available at http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/primer/rules_regulations.asp.  Please review the SRC 101 PowerPoint and utilize the Intel ISEF Rules Wizard to determine if your project requires these extra forms and if your project needs to be certified by the Scientific Review Committee (SRC). If the rules apply to your project, you must have your project certified by the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) to be approved for state competition.  Contact Charlie Bowen, NACKES Director, (859) 572-6554, with questions.

11. Anything that could be hazardous in a public display is prohibited. This includes live pathogens, microbial cultures, fungi, any flame or flammable material, and any chemicals including water. Use drawings, charts, or graphs to illustrate conditions. What you did and what you found out are much more important than the materials used.

12. The exhibitor's school affiliation must not be visible until judging is complete.

13. No project will be admitted for exhibition unless (1) it has been rated as of a superior quality through competition in a local science fair, or (2) rated as superior quality by the sponsoring teacher.

14. Paper copies of on-line applications with teacher signatures, verifications of exhibit entries, and entry fees must be returned to the fair director and be postmarked no later than February 17, 2010. This will be strictly enforced. All applications must be accompanied by a research plan. An individual exhibitor's fee is $12. For team exhibitors (senior division only), the fee is $12 for each participant. Make checks payable to NACKES. Fees must accompany each submitted application. Entry fees are not refundable.

16. All exhibits must be placed in and removed from the exhibit hall at the time specified by the regional fair committee.

17. First, second, etc., awards will not necessarily be given in each category. Awards will be given according to minimum standards to be determined by the judges. The decision of the judges is final. Judging scores will be available upon written request of exhibitor or sponsoring teacher.

18. Neither the NACKES Board, the cooperating groups, nor sponsors assume any responsibility for loss or damage to any exhibit or part thereof.

Questions?  Contact Charlie Bowen  at (859) 572-6554  or  bowenc@nku.edu