Overview

Students in grades 4–5 may advance research projects from their school or homeschool fair to the Northeast Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair (NEIRSEF). Projects may be submitted by an individual or a team of up to three students.

All Grade 4–5 projects are eligible for Fair Awards and Special Awards. One Grade 4 project and one Grade 5 project will be selected to advance to the Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair (HSEF).

How Projects Are Judged

Grade 4–5 projects are judged by grade level, rather than by project category. Special Award judges may use project categories when determining which projects to interview.

See ISEF Project Categories for information about the types of research projects that may be entered at NEIRSEF.

Safety & Research Rules

Your research project must follow the safety requirements established for the Indiana Junior Division.

Students in grades 4–8 do not submit the full ISEF paperwork. Your teacher or homeschool instructor is responsible for helping you determine whether your project follows the applicable safety rules.

Bacteria and Fungi

Grade 4–5 projects involving bacteria or fungi are not eligible for entry at an Indiana Regional Science Fair. There are no exceptions.

Prohibited Research

The following are prohibited for Grade 4–5 projects:

• Animal tissue, including human tissue
• Radioactive substances
• Hazardous chemicals or reagents
• Biological agent experiments conducted at home
• Vertebrate animal research involving pain or withholding food or water
• Class IV lasers

For complete safety requirements, see the Indiana Junior Division Science Research Rules on the Forms page.

Human Subjects

If your Grade 4–5 project involves human subjects and you want to be eligible for advancement to HSEF, your project must receive school-level Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval before experimentation begins.

Informed consent documentation must explain the purpose of the project, what participants will be asked to do, and who they can contact with questions. Participants and, when applicable, their parent or guardian must provide the required signatures.

Projects involving human subjects that do not receive the required school-level IRB review before research begins may still be eligible for NEIRSEF and Local or Special Awards, but they will not be eligible to advance to HSEF.

See the Forms page for complete requirements and forms.

Registration

Students do not register for NEIRSEF independently. Projects must first be advanced by the student's school or homeschool group.

After your school-level fair, your teacher or school representative will create your student account and provide instructions for completing your registration.

See the Registration page for details about what information you will need to provide and how the registration process works.

Research Plan

As part of registration, Grade 4–5 students will provide a Research Plan that includes:

• Research question
• Hypothesis or Engineering Goal
• Experimental Design
• Bibliography/References

An abstract is optional for Grade 4–5 students competing at NEIRSEF. If you advance to HSEF, you will need to prepare an abstract for that competition.

Display Requirements

All NEIRSEF exhibitors must follow the fair's display and safety requirements, regardless of the rules used at their school-level fair.

Fair personnel will inspect displays before or during the fair. Items that do not meet the requirements may need to be removed.

See the Forms page for current display and safety requirements.

Helpful Resources

The following resources may help you develop your research project:

• Science Buddies – Science fair project guides and resources
• Super Science Fair Projects – Project ideas, kits, and student guides

Remember that project ideas and experiment kits should be used as a starting point. Your project should reflect your own research question, investigation, and work. Be sure to cite any resources you use in your references.