Thank you to all the educators, parents, and community volunteers for your efforts to support Tulsa-area youth in their pursuits of research and innovation. Check back for details on the 2024 event!
The Tulsa Regional Science Fair (TRSF) is open to public, private, and homeschooled students from seventh through twelfth grades who reside in Tulsa and Creek Counties. There are two divisions: Junior Division (Grades 7-9) and Senior Division (Grades 10-12). Registration is “open”, meaning that students wishing to enter do not have to participate in a school science fair first.
Cash prizes will be awarded to outstanding projects from our professional societies and sponsors. Approximately twenty projects will be selected from the Junior/Senior Fair to go to the Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair (OSSEF) in March 2023. Students of the top two projects will receive funding for an expense-paid trip to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in May 2023.
Details
February 9, 2023
9am – 2pm
Reynolds Center at the University of Tulsa
3208 E 8th St, Tulsa, OK 74104
All paperwork must be completed by January 27, 2023
Science fair is an opportunity for students to apply the scientific method to conduct independent research. The results of each student’s research are presented to volunteer judges, where the student’s efforts are displayed and where students are interviewed to determine scientific merit. Students who have been judged to have used the scientific method properly and who have demonstrated thoroughness in their studies and effort are awarded prizes and are advanced to compete in state and international science fairs.
The Tulsa Regional Science Fair is an affiliated International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which means that we must comply with the ISEF rules. Please note that students registering to compete in the fair must also submit a copy of the appropriate, complete, and accurate ISEF forms before they are eligible to compete*. Original forms should be retained by the student and will need to be provided if the student advances to the state competition. 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 TRSF.
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 Dr. Emily Mortimer (emily.mortimer@tulsastem.org). Remember, approvals through an IRB or the SRC are required before any experimental work is started. Now is the time for students to get these approvals started. Please remember: all projects require a minimum of forms 1, 1A, Research Plan Attachment, and 1B, filled out and approved, before experimentation begins. We strongly recommend form 3, the risk assessment form.
If a category has five or fewer submissions it may be merged with a similar category, and we do our best to notify students if their category has been merged.
Resources
Join one of our informal office hour sessions to ask questions about your project, get help with your forms, or speak to someone on the Scientific Review Committee!
The Tulsa Regional Science Fair utilizes STEM Wizard for all registrations.
Students registering for the fair will need to upload their ISEF forms in order to complete their registration. There are various “milestones” in the registration process and the software will notify all registered parties (all team members, educators, and parents) when each milestone is completed. Teams can be comprised of no more than 3 students and should submit a single registration that includes the names of all members. However, each student will have their own account and will need to submit an individual 1B (Approval Form) and Parental Consent Waiver. There is no fee for participating in our fair.
Students who are unable to register online or need assistance should contact info@tulsastem.org or 918-779-4910.
We are seeking judges & volunteers for the 2023 Tulsa Regional Science Fair (TRSF)!
Volunteer opportunities range from set-up the day before to judging the projects themselves. Don’t worry, we’ll provide you will all the necessary training and materials.
Volunteer Roles:
Judges (9:30am-noon) – These volunteers will examine the quality of the student’s work, and how well they understand their project and area of study. You’ll work in small teams to evaluate all the projects in a selected category or subject area, and help determine the winners of special awards. Check out our Judges’ Guide for a review of what to expect and our tips and tricks for project judging.
Support & Logistics (8:30am-2pm) – These volunteers will help with check-in, lunch set up, answering questions, & guiding people.
Panelists (Noon-1pm) – These volunteers will sit on a panel during the lunch hour and speak about how they utilize research in their professions. Questions will be sent in advance of the event.
Reach out to volunteer@tulsastem.org with any questions.
