Science Fair Projects
Standard Rules and Guidelines for Science Fair Projects Using Vertebrate Animals
Science fair projects involving vertebrate animals require careful planning to protect animal welfare and meet applicable rules. Before beginning your research, review the sections below and confirm the requirements with your specific science fair.
For ISEF Fairs, research involving live vertebrate animals typically must be reviewed and approved before experimentation begins by:
- a Scientific Review Committee (SRC),
- or an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC),
- or an equivalent review body.
Projects started before approval may be disqualified.
A Scientific Review Committee (SRC) is an independent group of qualified adults that reviews student research projects to ensure they comply with science fair rules, ethical standards, and safety requirements before the research is conducted.
In the ISEF framework, the SRC serves as a safeguard for projects involving human participants, vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents, and other regulated research areas.
Purpose of an SRC
The SRC evaluates whether a proposed project:
- Protects the welfare of vertebrate animals.
- Protects the rights and safety of human participants.
- Complies with local, state, federal, and international regulations.
- Meets science fair ethical standards.
- Minimizes risk to researchers, participants, and animals.
Typical SRC Membership
An SRC generally consists of at least three members, including:
- A biomedical scientist or researcher.
- An educator.
- A person knowledgeable about risk assessment and ethics.
For projects involving animals or specialized research, the committee may consult:
- veterinarians,
- physicians,
- psychologists,
- biosafety experts,
- other qualified professionals.
What the SRC Reviews
For vertebrate animal projects, the SRC examines:
- The research plan.
- The number and species of animals used.
- Housing and care conditions.
- Potential pain, stress, or discomfort.
- Experimental procedures.
- Qualifications of supervising adults.
The SRC determines whether the project poses more than minimal risk and whether additional oversight is required.
Example
Suppose a student wants to study: “Does playing classical music affect the behavior of pet guinea pigs?”
The SRC would review:
- how the animals will be housed,
- the volume and duration of music exposure,
- whether the study could stress the animals,
- whether the procedures are non-invasive.
If the project is deemed safe and humane, the SRC may approve it.
An Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
For research conducted at a university, hospital, or research institution, an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) often provide the primary animal review. The science fair SRC then verifies that the institutional approval meets fair requirements.
An Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) may be used instead of a Science Fair Scientific Review Committee (SRC) when the vertebrate animal research is conducted at a regulated research institution such as a university, medical school, research center, or government laboratory.
A concise definition suitable for science fair paperwork is:
An Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is a federally mandated committee that reviews and approves research involving live vertebrate animals at research institutions. The IACUC evaluates animal welfare, housing, care, and experimental procedures to ensure compliance with federal regulations and ethical standards. For science fair projects conducted at a regulated research institution, IACUC approval may serve in place of SRC review for vertebrate animal research.
When an IACUC Is Used Instead of an SRC
An IACUC generally replaces SRC review when:
- The project is conducted at a university, hospital, government laboratory, or other regulated research institution.
- The institution has an established IACUC.
- The research falls under the institution’s animal-use protocols.
- The student works under the supervision of a qualified scientist and within an approved animal care program.
Example
If a student conducts a zebrafish behavioral study in a university biology laboratory:
- The university’s IACUC reviews and approves the protocol.
- The student includes documentation of IACUC approval in the science fair paperwork.
- The fair’s SRC typically verifies the approval rather than conducting a separate full animal review.
Key Difference
| SRC | IACUC |
| Science fair review committee | Institutional animal welfare committee |
| Reviews projects for science fair compliance | Reviews animal research for legal and ethical compliance |
| Used for school/home-based projects | Used at universities and research institutions |
| May review many project types | Focuses specifically on vertebrate animal research |
In ISEF terminology, IACUC approval is generally considered the higher level of oversight, so when a project is conducted at a regulated institution under an approved IACUC protocol, that approval can satisfy the vertebrate-animal review requirement that would otherwise be handled by an SRC.
To be eligible for the Ron Orta Excellence in Biomedical Research Award you must use an IACUC instead of an SRC.
The Ron Orta Excellence in Biomedical Research Award is presented by the California Society for Biomedical Research to raise public awareness of Institutional Care and Use Committee (IACUC) procedures/protocols needed to perform biomedical research.
It recognizes exemplary ISEF Science Fair Projects at a Regional Science Fairs in California and Nevada that demonstrates the appropriate use of biomedical models to improve the health or quality of life of humans and/or animals and that show complete and appropriate review and approval by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Projects that involve observational studies of animals designed to improve the health or quality of life of humans and/or animals will also be eligible for this award.
The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is the cornerstone of federal laws and regulations regarding animals in medical research. It plays an important role in decision making regarding the use of vertebrate laboratory animals because it establishes ethical, practice, and care standards for researchers and their institutions. The use of laboratory animals in research, teaching, testing, and production is also governed or affected by various federal and local laws, regulations, and standards. Together, the practical effect of these laws, regulations, and policies is to establish a system of self-regulation and governmental regulatory oversight that binds researchers and institutions using animals. Both researchers and institutions have affirmative duties of humane care and use that are supported by practical, ethical, and scientific principles. Reviewing and utilizing the standards set forth in the Guide is important as you plan and conduct your project.
The Animal Welfare Act is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Many questions of medical and biological significance can be addressed using cell cultures or isolated tissue preparations, existing data, or computer simulations. Animals should only be used after a literature search for alternatives indicates that animals are necessary. Another approach is to do a literature search related to a specific scientific issue and draw new conclusions by performing and writing a “critical review.”
If animals are being considered for a study, a useful concept is the “3 Rs”; Reduction, Refinement, and Replacement. All medical researchers in the United States subscribe to the “3 Rs”.
Reduction means that the number of animals used should not be more (or less) than that required to obtain statistically significant results. This is achieved by having a good statistical design. This usually requires consulting an applied statistician. Refinement involves care in designing the study and including means for monitoring and for treating pain and distress. Refinement is based on prior knowledge, and is important for making sure that the results will be of scientific value, as well as humane. Replacement involves the substitution of lower-level subjects (e.g., rodents) for higher-level animals (e.g., dogs, pigs, sheep, non-human primates, etc.) whenever possible. Replacement can also refer to the substitution of in-vitro (e.g., cell cultures) systems or computer models. Reviewers of projects and judges at science fairs value the 3 Rs and take them into account when evaluating animal research projects.
Students must ensure:
- humane treatment,
- proper housing and care,
- minimal stress, discomfort, and pain,
- use of the fewest animals necessary.
Experiments causing unnecessary suffering are prohibited.
Many science fairs prohibit student projects involving:
- induced death as an experimental endpoint,
- toxic substances at harmful levels,
- predator-prey interactions causing injury,
- procedures causing significant pain or distress,
- surgery (except under strict institutional supervision),
- studies involving euthanasia solely for the project.
These are often allowed with fewer restrictions if they:
- do not alter normal behavior significantly,
- do not cause stress or harm,
- involve observation in natural settings or normal home environments.
Projects involving:
- Livestock
- Horses
- Dogs
- Cats
- Aquarium Fish
- Household Pets
are often permitted if they involve routine care or non-invasive observation and comply with welfare requirements.
Although the person in charge of the study is held responsible for the ethical conduct of all aspects of the project, every person who is involved in the study procedures and care of the animals is also responsible for their own actions. Any institution that approved the study and its IACUC is also responsible for overseeing the research, documenting its approval, monitoring, correcting problems, and reporting serious problems to authorities and any funding agency. Animal studies are almost always performed in institutional laboratories, under IACUC approval and veterinary supervision.
Students usually must submit:
- a research plan,
- vertebrate animal forms,
- approval documentation,
- veterinarian or qualified scientist information (if required).
Animal research is currently necessary for advancing the treatment of diseases, relieving pain and distress, promoting healthy lifestyles, and advancing basic scientific knowledge. Because animals can feel pain and experience distress it is important to treat them kindly and provide for their needs, especially when they participate in research projects. The ethical principles for animal research subjects are similar to those for human research subjects.
Animals differ from us because they can’t voluntarily leave a study and they are often totally dependent on the investigators for their food, housing, care, enrichment and protection from harm. The main ethics related principles for a study using vertebrate animal subjects that are given treatments with the potential for harm are:
- The study must address an important problem or need;
- The study must be designed to obtain the needed information with the minimum level of pain and distress to the subjects;
- The care and handling of the animals and experimental procedures must be supervised by a veterinarian or other qualified animal expert;
- The data analysis must be appropriate to the study so that the results are valid;
- The study must be based on prior knowledge in order to understand the potential for pain and distress, and to achieve the desired results of the study;
- If during the study unexpected harm or distress occurs, the study must be terminated and the animals given proper treatments and care;
- The animals must be observed and examined for pain, distress and well-being at least daily; and
- The study design should be reviewed and approved by an independent expert committee that also monitors progress during the study.
However, students may do studies without formal committee approval and monitoring when the study does not alter the animal’s normal life in any way (i.e., when there are no risks).
Examples of Generally Acceptable Projects
- Does music affect dog activity levels?
- Do different foods influence fish feeding behavior?
- How does light exposure affect hamster activity?
Examples of Usually Unacceptable Projects
- Testing a drug on animals without approval.
- Deliberately infecting animals with disease.
- Exposing animals to harmful chemicals.
- Causing food or water deprivation beyond approved protocols.
In our times, animal research is seen as a tool that develops scientific information that is valuable for relieving pain and distress in people and other animals. Therefore, there is an ethical requirement to conduct it. But ethical responsibilities involved in animal research are important, because the animals can feel pain and distress. The researchers are in control of the animal’s quality of life, and therefore have important responsibilities. These include good study design, proper care and treatment of the animals before, during, and after the study. Good studies usually add their findings to the scientific literature, or apply the results to solving a defined issue or an important problem.
The results of ethically conducted animal studies have been important for treating disease and improving the quality of life for humans, pets, domestic and wild animals. The rules for conducting such studies vary depending on the level of pain and distress involved. Science fairs, schools, biomedical companies, and research laboratories will have their rules for student research using animals. The highest level of approval is that granted by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (the IACUC). Such approved studies are usually only permitted to be conducted at the institution that gave the approval. The reason for this is that the institution is responsible for oversight. In general, the only student research with animals that does not require approval and performance in an approved institution, are projects that do not interfere with the life of the animal, or have no possibility of causing pain, death, distress, or any other harm to the subjects.
An internet search on “animals, science fair rules,” will return many websites, videos, etc. The rules vary considerably depending on the grade level of the student, and the source of the information, so students should contact the organizers of their specific science fair before starting a project that uses animals.
Some informative representative general references on vertebrate animal projects and requirements are: