SRC Information
What is the SRC?
The term SRC is actually used in two ways. The acronym SRC stands for Scientific Review Committee. One meaning refers to the group of people who form a committee that reviews each project application to ensure that all safety and legal requirements will be met and that the appropriate forms have been completed. The committee also reviews the completed project displays during check-in at the Synopsys Championship. SVSEF’s Scientific Review is composed of people with expertise/credentials in various subjects who work
together to review each of the project applications.
SRC also refers to the process of a project being reviewed. You may ask if a project “requires SRC approval” or if it has “met SRC requirements.” Projects involving humans or animals as test subjects and those utilizing hazardous materials and/or procedures ALWAYS require SRC.
Questions regarding SRC
What are the SRC guidelines and rules?
SVSEF follows the rules of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) with three changes: (1) the pre-approval of ALL projects in the Hazardous Agents, Activities, and Devices category, (2) NO model rockets projects, and (3) NO human participation projects (i.e., behavioral science). If projects in the Hazardous Agents, Activities, and Devices category, you MUST submit a Form 3 with your application to both SVSEF and the Synopsys Championship.
Note: If a project involves the testing of a student-designed invention, prototype, or concept by a human, you MUST submit your project through the Synopsys Championship, which has an Institutional Review Board (IRB). IRB review and approval may be required prior to experimentation. This ensures the project will not present an excessive amount of risk to the human subjects involved in the study. An IRB is composed of at least three people: a science teacher, a school administrator, and a psychologist, a doctor (M.D.), or a nurse (R.N.).
Forms may be downloaded from https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-isef-forms , the Forms page on the ISEF website.
Where can I get the additional forms required for SRC/IRB projects?
The Intel ISEF forms are here https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-isef-forms.