Congratulations and thank you for your support of the\nPittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair and the students participating\nin the fair! Your role as an Adult\nSponsor is crucial to the success and persistence of the students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The role of an Adult Sponsor <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As stated by the Society for Science and the Public\u2019s\nInternational Rules: Guidelines for Science and Engineering Fairs 2020\u20132021 (https:\/\/www.societyforscience.org\/isef\/international-rules\/<\/a>):<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cQualifications: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 An Adult Sponsor may be a teacher,\nparent, professor, and\/or other professional scientist <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Should be knowledgeable in the area\nof student research, be familiar with the regulations around procedures and\nmaterials that apply to the student project, particularly when involving human\nparticipants, vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents or\nhazardous chemicals, devices or activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Should have close contact with the\nstudent throughout the timeline of the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Responsibilities: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Sponsor is responsible\nfor: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Working with the student to evaluate\nany possible risks involved in order to ensure the health and safety of the\nstudent conducting the research and the humans and\/or animals involved in the\nstudy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Reviewing the student\u2019s Student\nChecklist (1A) and Research Plan\/Project Summary to ensure that: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 experimentation follows local, state,\nand Federal laws and ISEF rules <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 forms are completed by other required\nadults <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 any required Qualified Scientist\nmeets the criteria as set forth in the ISEF Rules and Guidelines <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 the student\u2019s research is eligible\nfor entry in ISEF.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Sponsor\nmay also fill the Qualified Scientist role, the Designated Supervisor role or\nthe Parent\/Guardian role if they meet the qualifications for those roles. See\nthe Society for Science and the Public\u2019s International Rules: Guidelines for\nScience and Engineering Fairs 2020\u20132021 (https:\/\/www.societyforscience.org\/isef\/international-rules\/<\/a>)\nfor clarification about those roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Please note: A Qualified Scientist is a person who has earned a doctoral\/professional degree in a scientific discipline related to student\u2019s area of research and\/or has extensive experience and expertise in the student\u2019s area of research and is thoroughly familiar with the regulations that govern the student\u2019s area of research. A Qualified Scientist is not required for most projects. The Adult Sponsor is rarely a Qualified Scientist as defined by ISEF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Registering yourself and your school for the fair<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Go to www.PittsburghScienceFair.org<\/a>\nand click on Teachers and Students for step by step registration instructions\nwith screen shots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several steps in the registration process. \u00a0All of the steps can be accessed from the \u201cManage Registrations\u201d page. After you log in at https:\/\/www.PRSEF.STEMisphere.org<\/a>, click on \u201cRegistration \/ Forms\u201d on the horizontal menu under the black and white speckled area and then on \u201cManage Registrations\u201d to access the \u201cManage Registrations\u201d page. Use the red arrows at the right side of each menu item to expand that item.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Create your account or Log in:<\/em> If you do not have a https:\/\/www.PRSEF.STEMisphere.org\naccount and cannot log in to get to the \u201cManage Registrations\u201d page, go to https:\/\/www.PRSEF.STEMisphere.org<\/a> and click\non the \u201cRegister for your new teacher account here\u201d button or go directly to https:\/\/STEMisphere.org\/PRSEF\/member-register\/<\/a> to create\nyour teacher account. Follow the link in\nthe registration email to set your password and create your account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have used https:\/\/www.PRSEF.STEMisphere.org<\/a>\nin previous fair years, enter your username and password to log in. If you have\nforgotten your password, click on the \u201cForgot your password\u201d link to have a\npassword reset email sent to the email address you registered with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Register your school(s):<\/em> Type the first several\nletters of your school name into the Search Add School From Database box.\nSelect your school from the list. If your school does not appear in the list or\nyou belong to a homeschool, contact PRSEF@CarnegieScienceCenter.org<\/a>\nto have your school added to the list. Repeat as necessary if you represent\nmore than one school or organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Registration form<\/em>: Check your email for a copy of\nyour registration form to mail to the Carnegie Science Center with a check for\nyour registration fee. If you cannot find the email, click on (registration)\nnext to your school\u2019s name on the \u201cManage\/Register School(s)\u201d page to download\nanother copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Register as an Adult Sponsor<\/em>: If you are a returning\nAdult Sponsor and already have an account in the system, click on (edit) next\nto your name on the \u201cRegister Teacher\u201d page to update your information. Review your information and click on \u201cUpdate\nTeacher\u201d. If you are a new Adult Sponsor\nand just created your account this year, enter your contact information and\nclick on the \u201cTeacher Registration\u201d button. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Multiple teachers at the same school<\/em>: If more than\none Adult Sponsor will represent the same school, enter the first several\nletters of the school name in the \u201cSearch Add School From Database\u201d box. The first\nteacher to register under the school will receive the registration form.\nSubsequent teachers will be immediately directed to the \u201cTeacher Registration\u201d\npage. Select \u201cClick here to update your teacher contact information\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Complete the survey<\/em>: The teacher survey is required\nof all Adult Sponsors (teachers, homeschool parents, club leaders etc.)\nsupervising students who are participating in the Pittsburgh Regional Science\nand Engineering Fair. The purpose of this survey is to gather information\nabout the STEM experiences and opportunities available to students\nparticipating in the fair. The data from these surveys will be used as part of\na longitudinal study of students and their experiences with STEM activities and\neducation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once this survey is completed, you will be able to create\nprojects and register students for the fair. \nYou cannot register students for the fair until the survey has been\nsubmitted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Registering students for the fair<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Create projects:<\/em> The Manage\/Create Project(s) \/\nRegister Students page will allow you to enter data associated with each\nproject and each student who is working on that project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To create a project, you will need to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need to change the project title or category or when\nyou are ready to add an abstract, choose (edit) next to the project title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Register students<\/em>: The Manage\/Create Project(s) \/\nRegister Students page will allow you to enter data associated with each\nproject and each student who is working on that project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To add a student who has previously participated in PRSEF with\nyour school, select \u201cAdd a Returning PRSEF Student to this Project\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To add a student who has never been registered for PRSEF\nbefore, select \u201cAdd a First Time PRSEF Student to this Project\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the student has participated in PRSEF before is attending\nwith your school for the first time, contact PRSEF@CarnegieScienceCenter.org<\/a>\nto have that student added to your school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can add up to three students to a team project, but only\none student to an individual project. To add a student to a project you will\nneed to know their:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The email addresses you supply here will be used as\nusernames for the student and parent accounts and will be where we will send\nimportant project and fair information. It is very<\/strong> important that\nthe email addresses provided are able to receive messages from the fair office.\nIf the email addresses you provide are behind firewalls which block outside\nemail, the student and parent will have difficulty completing their paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Access forms<\/em>: To complete the required paperwork, click on \u201cClick here to view\/edit your students\u201d at the bottom of the page under step 5 Manage Students \/ Forms or on \u201cRegistration \/ Forms\u201d and then \u201cManage Students\/Forms\u201d on the horizontal menu under the black and white speckled area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making changes to registrations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Sponsor has the ability to edit and remove\nprojects and students. From the \u201cManage\nRegistrations\u201d page, click on (edit) next to a project\u2019s title to change the\nproject title or category or to add an abstract. Click on (delete) to remove\nthe project from the system. From the \u201cManage Registrations\u201d page or the\n\u201cManage Students \/ Forms\u201d page, click on (view) or (remove) next to a student\u2019s\nname to change their contact information or to un-register them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Complete Form 1 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Select \u201cClick here to view\/edit your students\u201d at the bottom of the \u201cManage Registrations\u201d page under step \u201c5 Manage Students \/ Forms\u201d or click on \u201cRegistration \/ Forms\u201d and then on \u201cManage Students\/Forms\u201d on the horizontal menu under the black and white speckled area to see a list of your student(s), the forms required for their project(s), and the status of their project(s). <\/p>\n\n\n\n ALL<\/strong> projects require Form 1, Form 1A, Form 1B\nand Form 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To open a form, click on the form number next to the\nstudent\u2019s name and project title. Some of the information on each form is\npre-populated from the registration page. To edit this information, exit the\nform and click on (view) next to the student\u2019s name or go back to the Manage\nRegistrations page and click on (edit) next to the project name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first form which must be completed for each project is\nForm 1. The only user type which can complete this form is the Adult\nSponsor. The responses you record on\nthis form will determine which other forms are required for the project. To ensure accurate responses and a correct\nlist of required forms, work with the student to review their project idea and\nresearch plan before you complete this form and use the form instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Complete Form 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If the project is being completed at school and under the\nsupervision of the Adult Sponsor, you may complete and sign Form 3. Select\nTeacher\/Adult Sponsor as the role of the person who will be signing the form.\nIf the project is being completed at home, select Designated Supervisor as the\nrole of the person who will be signing the form and enter the name and contact\ninformation of the parent or other responsible adult who will be\nsupervising. The Scientific Review\nCommittee will not approve a project which was completed at home, but with the\nsignature of a teacher on Form 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you will be signing Form 3, you will need to complete and\nsave the form and then re-open it to sign the form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assigning other adults to a project and filling multiple\nroles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Any individual whose contact information you provide as a\nQualified Scientist, Designated Supervisor, Parent\/Guardian, Educator, Health\nProfessional, or School Administrator must meet the Society for Science and the\nPublic\u2019s requirements for that role. See the Society for Science and the\nPublic\u2019s International Rules: Guidelines for Science and Engineering Fairs\n2020\u20132021 (https:\/\/www.societyforscience.org\/isef\/international-rules\/<\/a>)\nfor clarification about those roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Sponsor may also fill the Qualified Scientist\nrole, the Designated Supervisor role or the Parent\/Guardian role only<\/strong>\nif they meet the qualifications for those roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are acting as the Qualified Scientist, Designated Supervisor or Parent\/Guardian for the student in addition to filling the Adult Sponsor role, you will need to switch between profiles to access and sign all of the necessary forms. If you are filling more than one role and need to switch between profiles to access and sign forms which are not available from your Adult Sponsor profile, click on “Registrations \/ Forms” and then on “Manage Role Name<\/em> Forms” on the horizontal menu below the black and white speckled area of the screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Supervise Form Completion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Sponsor profile has access to view all of the\nforms associated with a project registered under the Adult Sponsor\nprofile. The Adult Sponsor may also edit\nall forms except for Form 2 and Form 1C which must be completed by the\nQualified Scientist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Sponsor MUST<\/strong> complete Form 1 Adult Sponsor\nChecklist. All other forms should be\ncompleted primarily by the student researcher. The Adult Sponsor and, when\napplicable, the Designated Supervisor or Qualified Scientist may assist the\nstudent in the completion of the forms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Sponsor should supervise the paperwork completion\nprocess to ensure that all students are making progress toward completing the\nforms and meeting the deadlines set by the science fair office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When all forms are in Ready for Review (purple) status, the\nred Submit for Review button will become active. The student or Adult Sponsor must click on\nthat button to submit the project. The review field will then say \u201cUnder\nReview\u201d to indicate that the project has been added to the queue for the\ncommittee to review. You will receive an email indicating that the project\nstatus has been updated once the project review has been completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Problems the Adult Sponsor can help students troubleshoot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The student cannot log in<\/em>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Help the student check the email\naddress which you used to register them for the fair for an email from CSC\nSTEMisphereInfo at STEMisphereInfo@CarnegieScienceCenter.Org<\/a>. This email may be in the junk mail, other or spam\nfolders. If you cannot find the email, go to https:\/\/www.PRSEF.STEMisphere.org<\/a> and use the \u201cForgot your password\u201d tool to generate a new\none. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the email\naddress you used to register the student for the fair is a school email address\nwhich cannot receive messages from outside of the school, use the (view) or (edit)\nfunction next to the student\u2019s name to change the email address to one which\ncan receive email and then use the \u201cForgot your password\u201d function to generate\nan email to that address. It is\npermissible for the student to use the same email address as their supervising\nparent or guardian if that is the only other option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If these strategies\ndo not work, contact the fair director at PRSEF@CarnegieScienceCenter.org<\/a> for assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The student does not understand the\ncolors of the forms<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell the student to check the color\nlegend above the forms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A RED form is\none which is required but which has not yet had any information recorded on it.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n A YELLOW\nform is one which has been started but not yet completed. The most common\nreason a form is still yellow is missing a required signature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A PURPLE\nform is complete and is ready for review by the Scientific Review Committee\n(SRC). All of the forms must be purple before the SRC will review the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A GREEN form is one which has\nbeen completed, reviewed by the SRC and approved. No further work is needed on\nforms which are green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A BLUE form\nis one which has been completed, reviewed by the SRC and NOT approved. Click on\nthe status of the project to read the feedback from the SRC and identify what\nchanges need to be made to the form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The student\u2019s forms are still yellow<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most forms\nwhich are still yellow are missing signatures. To check to see if signatures\nhave been added to a form, click on the form then look for the red Form Status\nbox on the right side of the screen. Click on \u201cView PDF of form\u201d. All signatures which have been added will be\ndisplayed on the PDF form. When you have\nidentified which signatures are missing, have the student contact the person who\nshould add that signature and ask them to log in to complete the form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The student and the parent are\nsharing an email address<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Student\nand Parent profiles will both be available from the same username and password\ncombination. The Parent must complete the parent survey before either the\nStudent or the Parent will be able to view any of the forms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To view the Student profile, the student must click on “Registrations \/ Forms” and then on \u201cManage Forms\u201d on the horizontal menu under the black and white speckled area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To view the Parent profile, the Parent must click on “Registrations \/ Forms” and then on \u201cManage Parent Forms\u201d on the horizontal menu under the black and white speckled area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students and\nParents who are sharing an email address may have trouble with Form 1B. Before\na Student or Parent signs the form, they should check to be sure they are\nviewing the form from the correct profile. The Student should see the word\n\u201cStudent\u201d at the top of the area of the page with the white background. The\nParent should see the word \u201cParent\u201d at the top of the area of the page with the\nwhite background. If the Student and\/or Parent add their signature from the\nwrong profile, it will appear in the wrong place on the PDF copy of the form. The\nuser(s) should open Form 1B and clear the signatures using the (clear\nsignatures) command in the red form status box on the right side of the screen and\nsign again from the correct profile. The (clear signatures) function is\navailable from the Student and the Parent profiles but not from the Adult\nSponsor profile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All of the student\u2019s forms are purple, but the Submit for\nReview button is not active yet<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If the project is a team project, a\nseparate Form 1B is required for each student but only one copy of the\nother forms are required for each project. The first student who was registered to the\nproject (the team leader) will see all of the required forms under their\nprofile. The other members of the team will only see Form 1B under their\nprofiles. All of the students on the\nteam must complete and sign their Form 1B before the Submit for Review button\nwill be active for the project. If all\nof the forms for the team leader are purple, check the Form 1Bs for the other\nmembers of the team to make sure they are also purple. You can sort projects by\nLast Name or by Project Title by clicking on the sort options under the form\nstatus legend in the gray horizontal bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the project is an individual\nproject and all of the forms are purple, but the Submit for Review button is\nnot active, contact the fair director at PRSEF@CarnegieScienceCenter.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The student only has access to Form 1B<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Each team project requires a\nseparate Form 1B for each student but only one copy of each of the other\nforms for each project. The first\nstudent who was registered to the project (the team leader) will see all of the\nrequired forms under their profile. The other members of the team will only see\nForm 1B under their profiles. All of the\nstudents on the team must complete and sign their Form 1B before the Submit for\nReview button will be active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the student attempts to submit the project to the\nScientific Review Committee (SRC), they see an error which states that the\nproject start date must be after the date of all signatures<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The student must have the\napproval of <\/em>all of the adults involved in the project and their\nparent\/guardian before<\/em> they begin their experiment. The Date of\nApproval attached to each signature on every form must be before the tentative\nor actual start date listed on Form 1A. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The student does not, however, need\nto complete the paperwork and gather the signatures before they begin\nexperimentation. It is understood that\nsome students complete their projects over the summer or for science fairs at\ntheir school before they register for PRSEF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The adult signing each form should\nenter the date when the idea for the project was first reviewed with the\nstudent researcher and experimentation was approved by the adult signing the\nform in the \u201cDate of Approval\u201d field. The date entered does not need to be the\ndate the adult signs the form. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Experiments which were completed\nover the summer or for a school science fair will have experimentation dates\nwhich are before the date the forms were completed. The adult signing the form\nshould use the \u201cDate of Approval\u201d field to enter the date the project was\nreviewed and approved by the adult, not the date they sign the form. The Date of Approval must be before the\ntentative start date or actual start date listed by the student on Form 1A. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The student has received feedback from the Scientific\nReview Committee (SRC) and doesn\u2019t know what to do next<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n See the Review Feedback section\nbelow and refer the student to the Accessing Feedback section of the Student\nUser Manual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the feedback from the Scientific\nReview Committee (SRC) indicates that the project is in violation of PRSEF or\nISEF rules, review the relevant sections of the rulebooks which can be found at\nhttps:\/\/www.societyforscience.org\/isef\/international-rules\/<\/a>\nand at http:\/\/carnegiesciencecenter.org\/educators\/stemcenter-science-fair-registration-and-forms\/<\/a>. Brainstorm\neffective ways to answer the research question without violating the rules and\nhelp the student to revise the research plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the problem is with a specific\nform, read the feedback, review the form and help the student to make the\nnecessary changes or additions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Review Feedback<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once a student\u2019s project has been reviewed by the Scientific\nReview Committee (SRC), they will receive an email notification indicating a\nchange in project status. The SRC gives each project a review status of\nApproved, Conditionally Approved, Additional Review Required or Unacceptable.\nIn addition to assigning a new project status, the SRC will update the status\nof each form and provide feedback regarding any changes which need to be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To view the feedback from the Scientific Review Committee\n(SRC), click on (Review Details) in the Status field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the project is in Approved<\/strong>\nstatus, no additional action is needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the project is in Conditionally\nApproved<\/strong> status, no additional action is needed in the registration system.\nThe student may begin experimentation, but must correct the forms according to\nthe feedback given by the SRC and have corrected versions of the forms\navailable for review on the day of the fair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the project is in Additional\nReview Required<\/strong> status, the student must correct the forms according to the\nfeedback given by the SRC and resubmit the project for another review by the\nSRC before the fair. The student may begin experimentation at this time, but\nmay not participate in the fair unless the project is reviewed again and\nchanged to Approved or Conditionally Approved status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the project is in Unacceptable<\/strong>\nstatus, the student must correct the forms according to the feedback given by\nthe SRC and resubmit the project for another review by the SRC before the fair.\nThe student may not begin experimentation at this time and may not participate\nin the fair unless the project is reviewed again and changed to Approved or\nConditionally Approved status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Multiple reviews<\/em>: If the project is in Approved or\nConditionally Approved status, no further work is needed within the\nregistration system. \n\nIf the project is in Additional Review Required\nor Unacceptable status, the student must make the changes and\/or additions\nrequested by the SRC. Once the changes\nhave been made, click on the red Submit for Review button again. The SRC will\nre-review the project.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Congratulations and thank you for your support of the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair and the students participating in the fair! Your role as an Adult Sponsor is crucial to the success and persistence of the students. The role…<\/span><\/p>\n