For Students and Teachers

2021 Virtual Fair

LRSEF will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2021 as a Virtual Fair for registered students via Zoom from 9am – 6pm EST/ 8am – 5pmCST. Registration opens December 4, 2020 and closes February 17, 2021.

Questions? Access the new Virtual Fair Support Materials for Google Doc versions of commonly used forms, video tutorials and more.

Information for Students
Judging for all 21 Categories at both Middle and High School levels will take place on all day on Saturday, March 6, between 9am and 6pm EST/8am and 5pm CST. Three rounds of interactive judging will take place with students and judges utilizing pre-set Zoom rooms for 15-minute panel interviews. Student Abstracts and Presentation materials will be available for assigned judges to review online, in advance of fair day. A two-minute video is optional, but LRSEF recommends that you do this step, if possible. You will NOT be making a tri-fold poster board this year. 

Special Awards Judging will be done online this year IN ADVANCE of fair day. Judges will review file materials only in the process. Only Special Awards finalists in the “Top Ten” awards will be scheduled for Zoom interviews. These will be held on Thursday March 4, 4 – 8pm EST/3 – 7pm CST.

What is the same? You can still nominate your project for up to 3 Special awards. Also, please fill out the LRSEF Permission Form right away and upload along with ISEF forms 1, 1a and 1b in Forms & Files, then you don’t have to track it down later.  

What is new? After all other milestones are complete, you will prepare for the interactive judging using a special new milestone, only these materials will be shared with the judges. It is the called the Virtual Fair Milestone.

View the Virtual Fair FAQ and Project Materials Guidelines.
Information for Teachers
What is the same? Students can still nominate themselves for up to 3 Special awards. Please have students go through the Rules Wizard questions, fill out the LRSEF Permission Form right away, and upload along with ISEF forms 1, 1a and 1b in Forms & Files, then you don’t have to track it down later. 

What is new? After all other milestones are complete, students will prepare for the interactive judging using a special new milestone — the Virtual Fair Milestone — only these materials will be shared with the judges.

See https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/2021-resources/ for help in preparing the presentation and optional video. 

1)  Judging for all 21 Categories at both Middle and High School levels will take place on Saturday, March 6, 9am – 6pm EST/8am – 5pmCST. Three rounds of interactive judging will take place with students and judges utilizing pre-set Zoom rooms for 15-minute panel interviews. Student Abstracts and Presentation materials will be available for assigned judges to review online, in advance of fair day. 

2) Special Awards Judging will be done online this year IN ADVANCE of fair day. Judges will review file materials only in the process. Only Special Awards finalists in the “Top Ten” awards will be scheduled for Zoom interviews. These will be held on Thursday March 4, 4 – 8pm EST/3 – 7pm CST.

Please follow our website closely in the coming weeks for updates or watch your STEM Wizard mailbox. 
Project Material Guidelines

LRSEF will be using the following Guidelines, adopted from ISEF, for all students for the LRSEF 2021 Virtual Fair. We have edited the original ISEF document to relate to LRSEF to be held online on March 6, 2021. 

All registration materials and fees must be submitted by students to https://lrsef.stemwizard.com by 11:59 pm February 17, 2021. No late materials will be accepted. Teachers and Judges can also register at this link. 

ISEF Background: The staff of Society for Science & the Public have consulted with the Judging Advisory Committee as well as with the SRC and D&S Committees to establish the project materials that will be used during judging at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in 2021. These guidelines have been established to address a judging process that will occur remotely and through a digital medium. The International Rules & Guidelines remain as the guide of what is eligible and allowable; all written materials are to be provided in English. 

Download the Project Materials Guidelines

 Project Material Guidelines 

REQUIRED Items for LRSEF 2021: Upload in the LRSEF Virtual Fair Milestone
  1. Regeneron ISEF Paperwork for LRSEF 
    • This process remains the same and be reviewed by the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) to confirm eligibility for competition. 
    • On display for the judges will be:
      1. Official Abstract (250 words)
      2. Regulated Research Institutional Setting Form 1C (if applicable)
      3. Continuation Form 7 (if applicable) 
  2. Project Presentation for LRSEF 
    • The project presentation replaces the project poster used during in-person fairs. 
    • See Project Presentation Instructions for complete instructions with format requirements and recommendations. 
    • There are three suggested templates based on project type:
      1. Science Projects
      2. Engineering Projects
      3. Mathematics/Computer Science Projects.
    • Project presentations are required to be submitted to LRSEF by February 17, 2021 and will then be locked for Display & Safety inspection prior to competition. 
  3. A Quad Chart for LRSEF 
    • The quad chart summarizes the project in a single page for a quick overview by the judges. 
    • See Project Presentation Instructions for complete instructions with format requirements and recommendations as well as sample templates. 
  4. 2-Minute Project Video (optional, but recommended by LRSEF)
    • This video summarizes the project at a high level and will be used primarily for the online advanced judging of your project for Special Awards and reviewed by Category judges. 
    • While judges will be given access to all materials submitted, their training will emphasize items 1, 2, and 3 above. Judges are NOT required to watch your video. 

LRSEF Additional OPTIONAL Materials 

All judges will have access to these optional materials, just as they would at your physical display on fair day. but be sure all key information is provided in the required materials as outlined above. The items listed below ARE NOT REQUIRED and are considered supplemental. 

  1. Video Demonstration/Simulation/Animation (1 minute maximum) 
    If a project is best explained by showing a demonstration, simulation or animation, you may include a short video. This video must meet all Display & Safety regulations. 
  2. Research Paper 
    LRSEF and Regeneron ISEF do not require any project to include a research paper. However, many finalists have completed such a paper through the research process and would include it at their booth during an in-person fair. If you have prepared such a paper, you may upload it to share with judges, though judges are not required to review it. 
  3. Lab Notebook Image/Excerpt 
    LRSEF and Regeneron ISEF do not require any project to submit a laboratory notebook. However, many finalists have this record of their research timeline and process and typically have it available at their booth. A student may upload a PDF of up to 4 pages of a lab notebook to provide evidence of its use, but it is strongly advised NOT to share the notebook in totality to protect your intellectual property. 

Registration

Registration for students, teachers, and judges will be open December 4, 2020 and close on February 17, 2021.

Documents & Milestones

Student Equity in STEM Fund

Group of young woman stand in the aisle of the science fair.

The Student Equity in STEM Fund is open to every eligible student entering grades 6-12 in the LRSEF region. The Fund provides financial support to Under-Represented Minority (URM) students and low-income students conducting science and engineering research. This fund is sponsored by a generous grant from Amazon Corporation to the Kentucky Science & Engineering Fair (KY-SEF).  

Students from under-represented minorities* or students from low-income households** are eligible for the following:

  • Student research grants of up to $100
  • Fee-waivers to attend LRSEF and KY-SEF
  • To be judged for the Amazon Special Award, a cash award given during LRSEF

If you are eligible and interested in applying for these opportunities, complete the Student Equity in STEM Fund Student Sign Up.

Download the Grant Application

*As defined by the Kentucky Public Postsecondary Education Policy for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Underrepresented Minority (URM) – Students who categorized themselves as 1) Hispanic or Latino, b) American Indian or Alaska Native, c) Black or African American, d) native Hawaiian or Other Pacific islander, or e) Two or more races.
**Low-income is defined as students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch

Resources

Project Categories

You must choose one of the following 21 categories for your project. You can explore the categories here or by clicking on the links below.

Animal Sciences (ANIM)
Behavioral and Social Sciences (BEHA)
Biochemistry (BCHM)
Biomedical and Health Sciences (BMED)
Biomedical Engineering (ENBM)
Cellular and Molecular Biology (CELL)
Chemistry (CHEM)
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBIO)
Earth and Environmental Sciences (EAEV)
Embedded Systems (EBED)
Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design (EGSD)
Engineering Mechanics (ENMC)
Environmental Engineering (ENEV)
Materials Science (MATS)
Mathematics (MATH)
Microbiology (MCRO)
Physics and Astronomy (PHYS)
Plant Sciences (PLNT)
Robotics and Intelligent Machines (ROBO)
Systems Software (SOFT)
Translational Medical Science (TMED)