Eligibility Rules

1. Student

To be eligible to participate in the RIT National Science Fair, each applicant must be a deaf or hard-of-hearing student in an educational institution (public, private, residential, mainstream, day programs, charter programs or home school) and enrolled in grades 6-12 at the time of qualification. Students in grades 6-8 participate in the Middle School Division, while students in grades 9-12 participate in the High School Division.

2. Single Entry

Each student may enter only one project in the fair. Each project may have a maximum of three students. Team projects will be placed in competition with individual projects, though judging panels will have a higher level of expectation for team projects commensurate with the number of students on the team. All work must be done by the student(s) named as author(s). Projects entered into the fair under an individual's name but discovered by the judging panel to have been prepared by a team of more than one student will be disqualified.

3. Project Application

The RIT National Science Fair reserves the right to disqualify any project due to poor quality, incompleteness, or inappropriateness of project content.

4. Supervision

Students not accompanied by their own parent(s) must be under authorized supervision of an adult escort, teacher, or administrator. Each student must have appropriate signed permission form(s) as required by his/her own school district. The RIT National Science Fair is not responsible for the supervision of any participant.

5. Final Fair Product

Each student or team must submit a (maximum) 250-word, one page abstract that summarizes the current year’s work. The abstract must describe the investigation conducted by the student, not by adult supervisors. Each student should display a project data book and journal. All projects must adhere to local, state, U.S. Federal laws and regulations. Introduction or disposal of foreign or non-native substances or species, toxic chemicals or pathogenic substances into the environment is prohibited.

The following eleven categories, along with their definitions apply to the 2009 RIT National Science Fair.

Science Categories

1. Chemistry: Study of nature and composition of matter and laws governing it – physical chemistry, organic chemistry (other than biochemistry), inorganic chemistry, materials, plastics, fuels, pesticides, metallurgy, soil chemistry, etc.
   
2. Earth Science: Studies in geology, mineralogy, physiography, meteorology, seismology, geography, engineering geology, atmospheric physics, weather, physical oceanography, marine geology, coastal processes, and comparative planetology. Studies of the effects of human activity on naturally occurring physical phenomena.
   
3. Electricity & Electronics: Experimental or theoretical studies with electrical circuits, computer design, electro-optics, electromagnetic applications, antennas and propagation, and power production.
   
4. Engineering: Technology projects that directly apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses – civil, mechanical, aeronautical, chemical, electrical, photographic, sound, automotive, marine, heating and refrigerating, transportation, environmental engineering, etc.
   
5. Zoology: Study of animal—animal genetics, ornithology, ichthyology, herpetology, entomology, animal ecology, paleontology, cellular physiology, circadian rhythms, animal husbandry, cytology, histology, animal physiology, invertebrate, neurophysiology; studies of invertebrates, etc.
   
6. Mathematics & Computer Software: Development of formal logical systems or various numerical and algebraic computations, and the application of these principles – calculus, geometry, abstract algebra, topology, real and complex analysis, number theory, statistics, probability, algorithm analysis and optimization, artificial intelligence, computability, computer graphics, modeling and simulation, programming environments and languages. A study of computer construction, programming, languages, techniques, and general operations.
   
7. Medicine and Health: Study of diseases and health of human and animals – denistry, pharmacology, pathology, ophthalmology, nutrition, sanitation, dermatology, allergies, speech and hearing, etc.
   
8. Physics & Astronomy: Studies of the physical properties of matter, light, acoustics, thermal properties and insulation, solar physics, astrophysics, orbital mechanics, observational astronomy, and astronomical surveys. Astronomy, planetary science, etc.
   
9. Botany: Study of plant life – agriculture, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant pathology, plant genetics, hydroponics, etc.
   
10. Social Sciences: Experimental or observational (e.g. survey/questionnaire) studies of attitudes, behaviors, or values of a society or groups within a society, and of the influences of society or a group on behavior, attitudes, and/or opinions. Includes anthropology, archaeology, and sociology.
    
11. Environmental Science: Study of pollution (air, water, and land) sources and their control; ecology.