Intel ISEF Display and Safety Regulations
Maximum Size of Project at the Intel ISEF
30 inches (76 centimeters) deep
48 inches (122 centimeters) wide
108 inches (274 centimeters) high from floor to top of project
At the Intel ISEF, fair-provided tables will not exceed a height of
36 inches (91 centimeters).
Project must be positioned at the back of the booth and parallel to
the rear of the booth.
Maximum project sizes include all project materials and supports. If
a table is used, it becomes part of the project and may not itself
exceed the allowed dimensions nor may the table plus any part of the
project exceed the allowed dimensions.
At the Intel ISEF, any project with a component that will be
demonstrated by the Finalist may be demonstrated only within the
confines of the Finalist’s booth. When not being demonstrated, the
component plus the project may not exceed allowed dimensions.

Not Allowed at Project or in Booth
1) Living organisms, including plants
2) Taxidermy specimens or parts
3) Preserved vertebrate or invertebrate animals
4) Human or animal food
5) Human/animal parts or body fluids (for example, blood, urine)
7) Laboratory/household chemicals including water (Exceptions: water
integral to an enclosed apparatus or water supplied by the Display
and Safety Committee)
8) Poisons, drugs, controlled substances, hazardous substances or
devices (for example, firearms, weapons, ammunition, reloading
devices)
9) Dry ice or other sublimating solids
10) Sharp items (for example, syringes, needles, pipettes, knives)
11) Flames or highly flammable materials
12) Batteries with open-top cells
13) Awards, medals, business cards, flags, endorsements and/or
acknowledgements (graphic or written) unless the item(s) are an
integral part of the project (Exception: Intel ISEF medal(s) may be
worn at all times.)
14) Photographs or other visual presentations depicting vertebrate
animals in surgical techniques, dissections, necropsies, or other
lab procedures
15) Active Internet or e-mail connections as part of displaying or
operating the project at the Intel ISEF
16) Glass or glass objects unless deemed by the Display and Safety
Committee to be an integral and necessary part of the project
(Exception: glass that is an integral part of a commercial product
such as a computer screen)
17) Any apparatus deemed unsafe by the Scientific Review Committee,
the Display and Safety Committee, or Science Service (for example,
large vacuum tubes or dangerous ray-generating devices, empty tanks
that previously contained combustible liquids or gases, pressurized
tanks, etc.)
Allowed at Project or in Booth, BUT with the Restrictions Indicated

1) Soil or waste samples if permanently encased in a slab of acrylic
2) Postal, Web and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers of
finalist only
3. Photographs and/or visual depictions if:
a) They are not deemed offensive or inappropriate by the Scientific
Review Committee, the Display and Safety Committee, or Science
Service. b) Credit lines of their origins: “Photograph taken by…”
or “Image taken from…” are attached. (If all photographs being
displayed were taken by the Finalist or are from the same source,
one credit line prominently displayed is sufficient.)
c) They are from the Internet, magazines, newspapers, journals,
etc., and credit lines are attached (If all photographs/images are
from the same source, one credit line prominently displayed is
sufficient.)
d) They are photographs or visual depictions of the Finalist.
e) They are photographs of human subjects for which signed consent
forms are at the project or in the booth. (Human Subjects Form 4 or
equivalent photo release signed by the human subject must be
included in the paperwork and properly checked on the Official
Abstract and Certification.)
4) Any apparatus with unshielded belts, pulleys, chains, or moving
parts with tension or pinch points if for display only and not
operated
5) Class II lasers if:
a) Operated only by the Finalist.
b) Operated only during Display and Safety inspection and during
judging
c) Labeled with a sign reading "Laser Radiation: Do Not Look Into
Beam."
d) Enclosed in protective housing that prevents physical and visual
access to beam.
e) Disconnected when not operating.
6) Class III and IV lasers if for display and not operated
7) Any apparatus producing temperatures that will cause physical
burns if adequately insulated.
Electrical Regulations at the Intel ISEF
1) Finalists requiring 120 or 220 Volt A.C. electrical circuits must
provide a UL-listed 3-wire extension cord which is appropriate for
the load and equipment.
2) Electrical power supplied to projects and, therefore, the
maximums allowed for projects is 120 or 220 Volt, A.C., single
phase, 60 cycle. Maximum circuit amperage/wattage available is
determined by the electrical circuit capacities of the exhibit hall
and may be adjusted on-site by the Display and Safety Committee. For
all electrical regulations, "120 Volt A.C." or "220 Volt A.C." is
intended to encompass the corresponding range of voltage as supplied
by the facility in which the Intel ISEF is being held.
3) All electrical work must conform to the National Electrical Code
or exhibit hall regulations. The guidelines presented here are
general ones, and other rules may apply to specific configurations.
The on-site electrician may be requested to review electrical work
on any project.
4) All electrical connectors, wiring, switches, extension cords,
fuses, etc. must be UL-listed and must be appropriate for the load
and equipment. Connections must be soldered or made with UL-listed
connectors. Wiring, switches, and metal parts must have adequate
insulation and overcurrent safety devices (such as fuses) and must
be inaccessible to anyone but the Finalist. Exposed electrical
equipment or metal that is liable to be energized must be grounded
or shielded with a nonconducting material or with a grounded metal
box or cage to prevent accidental contact.
5) Wiring which is not part of a commercially available UL-listed
appliance or piece of equipment must have a fuse or circuit breaker
on the supply side of the power source and prior to any project
equipment.
6) There must be an accessible, clearly visible on/off switch or
other means of disconnect from the 120 or 220 volt power source.
Handouts/Official Abstract and Certification at the Intel ISEF
The Intel ISEF Scientific Review Committee defines the "official
abstract and certification" as an UNALTERED original abstract and
certification as stamped/embossed by the Intel ISEF Scientific
Review Committee. If the Scientific Review Committee requires a
Finalist to make changes to the abstract and certification submitted
with registration papers, the revised version will be
stamped/embossed, will replace the earlier version, and will become
the Finalist’s official abstract and certification.
The only abstract allowed anywhere at a project is the official
abstract. The term "abstract" may not be used as a title or
reference for any information on a Finalist’s display or in a
Finalist’s materials at the project except as part of displaying the
official abstract.
An original stamped/embossed official abstract and certification
must appear on the display board or in a vertical position at the
project.
Handouts to judges and to the public must be limited to UNALTERED
photocopies of the official abstract and certification.
IItems Required to be Visible at the Project at the Intel ISEF
Note: All forms required to be visible must be vertically displayed.
• Original Official Abstract and Certification as approved and
stamped/embossed by the Intel ISEF Scientific Review Committee
• Completed Intel ISEF Project Set-up Approval Form SRC/DS2
(Received on-site at the Fair)
• Registered Research Institutional/Industrial Setting Form
(1C) - if applicable
• Continuation Projects Form (7) - if applicable
Additional Items Required to be at the Project But Not Displayed at
the Intel ISEF
• Human Subject Forms (4) (or equivalent form provided by a
registered research institution) for human subjects of the research,
surveys, photographs, etc. (if applicable) are confidential
information, must not be displayed, but must be available in the
booth in case asked for by a judge or other Intel ISEF official.
Human Subjects Form (4) or an equivalent photograph release signed
by the human subject is required for visual images of humans (other
than the finalist) displayed as part of the project.
• Other forms [including, but not limited to, Checklist for
Adult Sponsor/Safety Assessment Form (1), Research Plan (1A), and
Approval Form (1B)] which are required for the project or for
Scientific Review Committee approval do not have to be displayed as
part of the project but must be available in the booth in case asked
for by a judge or other Intel ISEF official.
General Intel ISEF Information and Requirements
1. No changes, modifications, or additions to projects may be
made after approval by the Display and Safety Committee and the
Scientific Review Committee.
2. A project data book and research paper are not required but
are recommended.
3. The only acceptable informed consent form for use at the
Intel ISEF is the official Human Subjects Form (4) in the
International Rules for Precollege Science Research or an equivalent
form provided by a registered research institution (see Form 1C) or,
in the case of display of photographs only, an equivalent photograph
release signed by the human subject.
4. Prior years’ written material or visual depictions may not
be displayed on the vertical display board, except that the project
title displayed in the Finalist's booth may mention years or which
year the project is (for example, "Year Two of an Ongoing Study").
Continuation projects must have the Continuation Project Form (7)
displayed.
5. Finalists using audio-visual or multi-media presentations
(for example, 35mm slides; videotapes; images, graphics, animations,
etc., displayed on computer monitors; or other non-print
presentation methods) must be prepared to show the entire
presentation to the Display and Safety inspectors before the project
is approved.
6. No photographs or any other visual depictions may be
included in any manner at a project or in the booth if they are
deemed visually offensive or inappropriate by the Scientific Review
Committee, the Display and Safety Committee, or Science Service.
This includes, but is not limited to, visually offensive photographs
or visual depictions of invertebrate or vertebrate animals,
including humans. The decision by any one of the groups mentioned
above is final.
7. If a project fails to qualify and is not removed by the
Finalist, Science Service will remove the project in the safest
manner possible, but is not responsible for damage to the project.
8. Any copies of disks, CD's, printed materials, etc.
(including unofficial abstracts) designed to be distributed to
judges or members of the public which are confiscated by the Display
and Safety Committee will be discarded and will not be returned to
the Finalist.
9. Project sounds, lights, odors or any other display items
must not be distracting.
10. Project must be positioned at the back of the booth and
parallel to the rear of the booth.
11. Finalists must be present at their projects for the Display
and Safety inspection. The inspection is a process that takes place
between the Finalist and inspector; therefore, no other persons
should be present representing the Finalist beyond an interpreter if
necessary.
12. Any project with a component that will be demonstrated by
the Finalist must be demonstrated only within the confines of the
Finalist’s booth. When not being demonstrated, the component plus
the project may not exceed allowed dimensions
13. No food or drinks, except small containers of bottled water
for personal consumption, are allowed in the exhibit hall.

The Scientific Method
The following is a review of the Scientific Method with some key
questions and directions on how to design and conduct an experiment.

Problem/Purpose
• What is your goal?
• What idea are you trying to test?
• What is the scientific question you are trying to answer?

Hypothesis
• Explain how you think your project can demonstrate your
purpose.
• Make a prediction regarding the outcome of your experiment.
• State the results you are predicting in measurable terms.

Procedure
• Give a detailed explanation of how you will conduct the
experiment to test your hypothesis.
• Be clear about the variables (elements of the experiment
that change to test your hypothesis) versus your controls (elements
of the experiment that do not change).
• Be very specific about how you will measure results to prove
or disprove your hypothesis. You should include a regular timetable
for measuring results or observing the projects (for example, every
hour, every day, every week).
• Your procedure should be like a recipe - Another person
should be able to perform your experiment following your procedure.
Test this with a friend or parent to be sure you have not forgotten
anything.

Materials
• List all materials and equipment that were used.
• Your list of materials should include all of the ingredients
of the procedure recipe.

Observations/Data/Results
• Keep a detailed journal of observations, data, and results.
Your journal should contain data measurements and written notes
about what you are sensing (hearing, seeing, or touching) about your
experiment.
• If appropriate, photograph your project results or phases of
the project to help your analysis and possibly to demonstrate your
experiment on your exhibit board.

Analysis
• Explain your observations, data, and results. This is a
summary of what your data has shown you.
• List the main points that you have learned.
• Why did the results occur? What did your experiment prove?
• Was your hypothesis correct? Did your experiment prove or
disprove your hypothesis? This should be explained thoroughly.

Conclusion
• Answer your problem/purpose statement.
• What does it all add up to? What is the value of your
project?
• What further study do you recommend given the results of
your experiment? What would be the next question to ask?
• If you repeated this project, what would you change?
Writing Your Abstract
Each student who completes a science fair project must write an
abstract to be displayed with the project. An abstract gives the
essence of the project in a brief but complete form — it should not
exceed 250 words. Judges and the public should have a fairly
accurate idea of the project after reading the abstract.
The abstract must focus on the current year's research and give only
minimal reference to previous work. Details and discussions should
not be included in the abstract, but may be put in the longer,
written research paper (if required), or given on the project
exhibit board.
Finalists at the Intel ISEF are required to use the on-line system
for submitting their abstract. Regional and local fairs use the
Official Abstract Form (not necessary for most local fairs). It is
also required that the abstract does not include acknowledgements
(such as referencing mentor or university laboratory).

Sample Abstract
Click the color-coded links for explanations of each of the four
sections in the sample abstract:
• Blue (Purpose of the Experiment)
• Green (Procedures used)
• Red (Observations/Data/Results)
• Pink (Conclusions)
Sample Abstract
Effects of Marine Engine Exhaust Water on Algae
Mary E. Jones
Hometown High School, Hometown, PA
________________________________________
This project in its present form is the result of bioassay
experimentation on the effects of two-cycle marine engine exhaust
water on certain green algae. The initial idea was to determine the
toxicity of outboard engine lubricant. Some success with lubricants
eventually led to the formulation of "synthetic" exhaust water
which, in turn, led to the use of actual two-cycle engine exhaust
water as the test substance.
Toxicity was determined by means of the standard bottle or "batch"
bioassay technique. Scenedesmus quadricauda and Ankistrodesmus sp.
were used as the test organisms. Toxicity was measured in terms of a
decrease in the maximum standing crop. The effective concentration -
50% (EC 50) for Scenedesmus quadricauda was found to be 3.75%
exhaust water; for Ankistrodesmus sp. 3.1% exhaust water using the
bottle technique.
Anomalies in growth curves raised the suspicion that evaporation was
affecting the results; therefore, a flow-through system was
improvised utilizing the characteristics of a device called a
Biomonitor. Use of the Biomonitor lessened the influence of
evaporation, and the EC 50 was found to be 1.4% exhaust water using
Ankistrodesmus sp. as the test organism. Mixed populations of
various algae gave an EC 50 of 1.28% exhaust water.
The contributions of this project are twofold. First, the toxicity
of two-cycle marine engine exhaust was found to be considerably
greater than reported in the literature (1.4% vs. 4.2%). Secondly,
the benefits of a flow-through bioassay technique utilizing the
Biomonitor was demonstrated.

Purpose of the Experiment
• An introductory statement of the reason for investigating
the topic of the project.
• A statement of the problem or hypothesis being studied.

Procedures Used
• A summarization of the key points and an overview of how the
investigation was conducted.
• An abstract does not give details about the materials used
unless it greatly influenced the procedure or had to be developed to
do the investigation.
• An abstract should only include procedures done by the
student. Work done by a mentor (such as surgical procedures) or work
done prior to student involvement must not be included.

Observation/Data/Results
• This section should provide key results that lead directly
to the conclusions you have drawn.
• It should not give too many details about the results nor
include tables or graphs.

Conclusions
• Conclusions from the investigation should be described
briefly.
• The summary paragraph should reflect on the process and
possibly state some applications and extensions of the
investigation.
An abstract does not include a bibliography unless specifically
required by your local fair. The Intel ISEF requires the
bibliography as part of the research plan to be provided on Form 1A.

Student Science Fair Checklist
START EARLY!
Many students begin planning their research at the end of the school
year so that they can conduct research during the summer and fall.
1. Find a topic that interests you and research what is already
known about the topic.
2. Narrow the topic to a specific scientific problem and
develop an experiment to solve that problem. (See the attached
Scientific Method sheet to help plan your experiment. )
3. Discuss the project with your parents and teacher and review
with them the ISEF Rules and Regulations
(http://www.sciserv.org/isef/teachers/rules_regulations.asp), noting
the specific rules that might apply to your type of research (i.e.
are you working with human subjects or animals or working with
hazardous substances?).
4. Develop a hypothesis (Scientific Method) and develop a
procedure.
5. Write a detailed research plan about how you will conduct
the research and complete the required Intel ISEF forms (only for
those using live animals at this time). You then must obtain the
appropriate approvals as needed before the start of experimentation
(this only pertains to those using live animals).
6. Once your approvals and forms are in order, begin your
experimentation following your research plan and any revisions that
those supervising or approving your research have recommended.
7. Make observations and collect data in a project journal (all
participants must keep a journal)
8. Interpret the data and observations
9. Draw conclusions
10. Finalize your project for presentation.
11. Write the research paper and abstract (go to the following
link for example abstracts,
http://www.sciserv.org/isef/teachers/abstract.asp).
12. Create the project exhibit board being sure to follow the
Display and Safety Regulations (see attached sheet).
13. Practice your presentation and prepare to answer judges'
questions.
14. Present the project at your school Science Fair, and/or your
regional Intel ISEF-affiliated fair.