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ISEF information
Our primary goal in NITARP is to work with the teachers, and we depend
on them to then bring the experience to students. Of course many
students use parts of this experience as a science fair project. Some
of the students have had some uneven reactions to projects coming out
of this work, so here we have collected some wisdom and advice.
In all cases, the best solution is to be pro-active, to NOT wait
until the eleventh hour right before the event and then deal with it
on a crisis basis. Contact all the relevant directors early on. Read
the rules. Make sure all your ducks are in a row from the
beginning.
Some people have had problems with doing archival astronomical
research, e.g., using archival data rather than "new" data. You should
be sure to contact your relevant science fair director early on and
review your research proposal with him or her. If there are still
questions, we will be happy to speak with them directly about how many
astronomical journal articles are based solely on archival data.
Some people have been asked by the ISEF to submit a "Regulated
Research Institutional/Industrial Setting Form (1C)." This form
should not and does not apply to projects conducted as part of NITARP,
because the research is not conducted at Caltech or IPAC or JPL.
Luisa called the ISEF in September 2009 to verify that this was in
fact the case. She was told that: (a) Students should work with their
local ISEF-fair-affiliated director from the beginning. The research
plan needs to be filed in advance, and it should be clear from that
point that this form 1C is not required, as long as you have read and
followed the rules. (b) Students should contact the ISEF Scientific
Review Committee (SRC) proactively (at src - AT - societyforscience
DOT org) and make it clear that this form is not necessary because,
although there was a visit to IPAC involved in the larger program, the
research was not conducted at Caltech or IPAC or JPL, and thus this
form is not required. Again, if there are questions, we would be
happy to speak to ISEF if this issue arises again, but you should be
proactive and deal with this early on, not at the last possible
minute.
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