The Bartlesville District Science Fair Committee invites students to participate in the 2021 VIRTUAL Bartlesville District Science Fair (BDSF). While this year will look a little different, they are proud to celebrate their 69th anniversary of providing this competitive science and engineering opportunity to area students.
Elementary Fair
This year, the Elementary Fair, for grades 1-6, will have optional virtual interviews held Saturday, February 20, 2021, in time slots to be assigned starting at 8 a.m. The selection will be indicated during registration. Elementary students without access to internet over that weekend may be judged based solely upon images of an uploaded science fair poster or electronic slide in PDF format containing similar summary information. The Virtual Awards Ceremony will be available online Sunday, February 28 at 7 p.m. for the Elementary fair, and it will remain available for students to watch at their convenience.
Junior/Senior Fair
The Junior/Senior Fair will be held Wednesday and Thursday, February 24-25, 2021, from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. If necessary, additional Junior/Senior judging will be held on Friday, February 26. The Virtual Awards Ceremony will be available online Sunday, February 28 at 8 p.m. for the junior and senior fair, and it will remain available for students to watch at their convenience. Junior and senior division students must upload a PDF of the completed template. Participation in a school science fair is not required for students to participate in the BDSF.
Registration
The registration system is open now and will remain open for new registrants until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, February 6.
TEACHERS
Create an account at https://ok-bdsf.zfairs.com/. You will be given the option to indicate that you are a teacher as you complete registration. If you do not see your school in the drop down, please reach out to me to have it added.
STUDENTS
- Register at https://ok-bdsf.zfairs.com/ and select Student during registration.
- Students should receive a confirmation email upon completion of registration.
- Students in grades 1-6 may disregard all questions related to ISEF forms during registration.
- Students registering for the junior/senior fair will also need to upload their International Science and Engineering (ISEF) forms during the registration window.
- For teams in the junior/senior division, the ISEF forms need to include a separate 1B (Approval Form) for each team member.
- At the end of their registration, students will be able to self-nominate for special awards in order to help assist the virtual judges. Please have students read the descriptions carefully to identify awards relevant to their grade and project topic.
- Students who are unable to register online may request assistance by contacting Director Gabriella Farnham by email at gabriella.j.farnham@p66.com or by phone at 918-977-5489.
There is no fee for participating in the elementary fair. Due to the virtual status of the 2021 BDSF we will also NOT charge a registration fee for the junior/senior fair this year.
This year’s registration deadline is February 6. All electronic registrations must be received before 11:59 p.m. After that time, new applications will no longer be accepted. ISEF forms must be uploaded by February 6. Students who fail to meet this deadline will not be allowed to compete. Any exceptions to this rule will require a written appeal and approval by the BDSF committee. Issues with the website that impede registration should be documented (screenshot) and reported to the Board before the registration period closes. Junior and senior division students will have until February 19 to upload their presentation file including a summary slide. Elementary division students will have until February 19 to upload images of their science fair poster board OR a similar electronic slide in PDF format.
State and International Fairs
In addition to the awards presented at the District Science Fair, approximately 30 student projects in the district fair will be selected for subsequent competition at the virtual Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair (OSSEF). OSSEF will be held March 25-27, 2021. Three projects will be chosen to compete at the virtual International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in May.
The Rules
The Bartlesville District Science Fair is an affiliated International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which means that we must comply with the ISEF rules for grades 7 and above. We encourage all students, teachers, and parents to be familiar with the rules, as they provide excellent guidance to assure student safety. The full ISEF Rules and Guidelines are in the online handbook:
Please note that students registering to compete in the junior or senior divisions of the BDSF must also submit a copy of the appropriate, complete, and accurate ISEF forms before they are eligible to compete*. The forms must be uploaded to the registration website no later than February 6. These forms help keep students safe and are required for our ISEF affiliation. Students that fail to submit ISEF forms will not be allowed to compete in the BDSF.
Some of the strictest ISEF rules pertain to experiments involving human subjects, animals, and microorganisms. Projects involving human subjects must receive prior approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) before starting experimentation. Students should consult with their teachers if they believe they need IRB approval. Projects involving vertebrate animals and microorganisms require prior approval from our Scientific Review Committee (SRC); for these projects the student needs to prepare their research plan and submit it to the SRC, which is chaired by Carlos Cruz (cruzca@cpchem.com). Remember, approvals through an IRB or the SRC are required before any experimental work is started. The registration process will guide students through what paperwork is required. Please remember: all 7-12th grade projects require a minimum of forms 1, 1A, Research Plan Attachment, and 1B, filled out and approved, before experimentation begins. The fair organizers also strongly recommend form 3, the risk assessment form.
Teams can participate at the BDSF and OSSEF and will be considered for ISEF. A team must consist of no more than 3 students, and they are not allowed to also compete individually.
Once again, applications to the Bartlesville District Science Fair are due February 6 and electronic slides in pdf format must be uploaded by February 19; students who fail to meet these deadlines will not be allowed to compete.
Questions
If there are any questions regarding the Bartlesville District Science Fair, please do not hesitate to contact Director Gabriella Farnham. The fair organizers thank everyone in advance for your patience as they pivot to a virtual platform. They will utilize their Facebook page, Bartlesville District Science Fair, for real-time updates, so please encourage your science fair students and parents to “like” and share it. There is also a district fair website.
Gabriella Farnham, Director
Bartlesville District Science Fair
(918) 977-5489
*If the end date of experimentation is not known at the time of registration or the student plans to continue experimentation after the BDSF the OSSEF dates (March 25) may be used for end of experiment. Please do not leave this blank.