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To insure the safety of student researchers and the ethical treatment of animals in scientific research, many fairs require pre-approval of projects involving vertebrate animals. "Vertebrate animals" means live, nonhuman mammalian embryos or fetuses, bird and reptile eggs within three days of hatching and all other nonhuman vertebrates at hatching or birth. (Science Service, 2006)

If you are participating in a fair that follows the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) rules, your project involving vertebrate animals must be reviewed by officials from your fair before you start. These officials are called a Scientific Review Committee (SRC). Often school science fairs and fairs for the primary grades or middle school rely on the teacher's judgment to insure safety, so their rules might be different. For complete information, consult the rules for your local fair, or the ISEF Rules and Guidelines.

Projects That Can Be Performed at Home or School

For studies involving vertebrate animals ISEF has specific rules about the type of studies that may be conducted at a non-regulated research site (home, school, farm, ranch, in the field, etc.) including (Science Service, 2006):

• Studies involving animals in their natural environment
• Studies involving animals in zoological parks
• Studies involving livestock that use standard agricultural practices.

You can conduct your vertebrate animal study at home or school (etc.) ONLY if each of the following applies (Science Service, 2006):

• The research involves behavioral, observational or supplemental nutritional studies on animals, and
• The research involves only non-invasive and non-intrusive methods that do not negatively affect an animal's health or well-being.

Projects That Must Be Performed in a Research Institution

All other experiments involving vertebrate animals, including any experiment that involves euthanizing the animals after the experiment to obtain tissues for study, or momentary pain or stress must be conducted at a regulated research institution (a professional research institution that is regularly inspected by the USDA and is licensed to use animals covered under the Animal Welfare Act).

Prohibited Projects

"The following types of experiments on vertebrate animals are prohibited" (Science Service, 2006):

1. All induced toxicity studies such as those using alcohol, acid rain, insecticide, herbicide, heavy metals, etc.
2. Behavioral experiments involving operant conditioning with aversive stimuli, mother/infant separation or induced helplessness.
3. Studies of pain
4. Predator/vertebrate experiments

Reference List

Science Service. (2006). ISEF rules: Vertebrate animals. Retrieved October 30, 2006, from Science Service: http://www.societyforscience.org/Page.aspx?pid=318