LOS ANGELES COUNTY SCIENCE
FAIR
REGULATIONS FOR EXPERIMENTS WITH ANIMALS AND HUMAN SUBJECTS
CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CODE REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPERIMENTS WITH ANIMALS
Any
student research involving animals must comply with the requirements of the State
of California Education Code Title 2. Division 2. Part 28, Chapter 4., Article 5, 51540:
In
the public elementary, middle, and high school sponsored activities and classes
held elsewhere than on school premises, live vertebrate
animals shall not, as part of a scientific experiment or any purpose whatever:
(a) Be experimentally medicated or drugged in a
manner to cause painful reactions or induce painful or lethal pathological
conditions.
(b)
Be injured through any other treatments, including but not limited to, anesthetization or electric shock.
Live animals on the premises
of a public elementary or high school shall be housed and cared for in a humane
and safe manner.
The
provisions of this section are not intended to prohibit or constrain vocational
instructions in the normal practices of animal husbandry.
INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR REGULATIONS FOR EXPERIMENTS WITH ANIMALS
In
addition to the applicable Education Code sections, all student research
projects involving animals must comply with the following International Science Fair regulations as modified by the Los
Angeles County Science Fair Executive Committee:
1. The basic aims of experiments involving animals
are to achieve an understanding of life processes and to further knowledge They do not include the development of new or
refinement of existing surgical techniques or experiments in toxicological studies. Experiments involving
animals (live or preserved, vertebrate or invertebrate, excluding Homo
sapiens}, vertebrate embryos and fetuses and embryos of fowl within three days of hatching,
must have clearly defined objectives
requiring the use of animals to demonstrate
a biological principle or answer scientific propositions. Such experiments must
be conducted with a respect for life and an
appreciation of humane considerations.
2. The use of
protista and other invertebrates is to be encouraged for most research
involving animals. Their wide variety and
the feasibility
of using larger numbers than is usually possible with vertebrates makes them
especially suitable.
3. To provide for humane treatment of animals, an
animal care supervisor knowledgeable in the proper care and handling o' experimental animals must assume primary
responsibility for the conditions under which the animals are maintained. I' the school faculty includes no one with adequate
training in this area, the services of a qualified consultant must be obtained
4. All live or preserved animals or animal parts
must be lawfully acquired from an approved
source, and their care and us< must be in
compliance with local, state, and Federal laws.
5. The comfort
of the animals shall be a prime concern. No research using live vertebrate animals shall be attempted unless
the animals are obtained from a reliable source
and the following conditions can be assured: appropriate, comfortable quarters
adequate food and water; humane treatment and gentle handling. Care must be
provided at all times, including weekend;
and vacation periods.
6. No experiment involving anesthetics, drugs,
thermal procedures, physical stress, organisms pathogenic to humans or other vertebrates, ionizing radiation, carcinogens,
or surgical procedures, may be undertaken except under the direct supervision of an experienced and qualified
biomedical scientist or designated adult
supervisor.
Experiments
involving any procedures listed in paragraph 6 which are not in violation of
the "painful reaction" or "injured" restrictions of the California Education Code are permitted if
certified by a qualified biomedical scientist, prior to the beginning of the investigation.
It is permissible for the
student and designated adult supervisor to
consult with a biomedical scientist to obtain detailed
instruction and guidance in the techniques to be used by the student under the
direct continuous supervision of the designated adult supervise (for research not conducted in the biomedical
scientist's laboratory). In this instance
the designated adult supervisor will be require to certify in writing jointly
with the biomedical scientist.
Either the biomedical
scientist or adult supervisor must provide continuing supervision to assure
compliance with the protocol. Major deviations
from the approved protocol may be implemented only with the written approval of
the biomedical scientist.
The biomedical scientist or
adult supervisor must be in the same locality
as the student for the duration of the experimental work except for short trips. This means that a project started in one city
may not be continued in another unless an alternate designate adult supervisor,
approved by the biomedical scientist prior to the continuation of the
experimental work, agrees to supervise the project
A biomedical scientist is
defined as one who possesses an earned doctoral degree in science or medicine
and who has current working knowledge of the
techniques to be used in the research under consideration. A designated adult
supervisor is defined as a individual who has been properly trained in the
techniques and procedures to be used in the investigation. The biomedical scientist
must certify that the designated adult
supervisor has been so trained.
Students planning research
involving live vertebrate animals or animal
parts must, BEFORE acquiring them for experimentation (and in the
case of pets or livestock, BEFORE starting experiments) do all of the following:
1. Become familiar
with the laws and regulations relating to experiments involving live vertebrate
animals.
2. Obtain a Certification of Humane Treatment of Live Vertebrate Animals
form (Form No. 601-066) from the school project advisor, complete the
"Research Plan" section and return
it to the advisor for review and signature.
3. Bring the Certification of Humane
Treatment of Live Vertebrate Animals form to the animal care supervisor for a
review o the regulations and the research plan and for completion of the
"Certification by Animal Care Supervisor."
4. If the experiment involves procedures
described in paragraph 6 of the International Science Fair (ISF Regulations for Experiments with Animals
which do not cause "painful reactions" or "injury" to the
animal as prohibited by the California Education Code, bring the Certification of Humane
Treatment of Live Vertebrate Animals form to the biomedical scientist who will supervise the research. The biomedical scientist must
become familiar with the research plan BEFORE completing
the "Certification by Biomedical Scientist."
Form No. 601 -068 Page 1 of 2 Rev. 03-06-98
Page 2
REGULATIONS
FOR EXPERIMENTS WITH ANIMALS AND HUMAN SUBJECTS Part
II REGULATIONS FOR EXPERIMENTS
WITH HUMAN SUBJECTS
Because local, state and
federal regulations
have become increasingly more rigid,
students must plan carefully before undertaking research that involves the use of human subjects in either
behavioral or biomedical studies. This will
protect subjects from unnecessary exposure to physical or psychological risks
and experimenters and schools from legal complications.
1.
A
human subject is legally defined as a person about whom an investigator
(professional or student) conducting scientific research obtains:
a. data through intervention or interactions with the person or
b. identifiable private information.
2. A subject at risk is legally defined as any individual who may be exposed to the possibility of injury, including physical, psychological or social injury, as a consequence of participation as a subject in any research.
3.
Students using human subjects must comply with all regulations that reflect the
will of society and plan proper methodology
for the protection of those subjects. It is essential that they be alert to
humane concerns at all times.
The following steps must be
taken BEFORE any student begins research involving human
subjects:
1. The student completes the "Research Plan" section of the Certification of Compliance of Research Involving Human Subjects (Form No. 601-067) and submits it to the sponsoring teacher.
2. The sponsoring teacher reviews the "Research Plan" and determines if any potential physical, psychological or social risk is involved.
a.
If
none is apparent, the teacher signs the certification. (No additional
certification is necessary.)
b.
b.
If any question exists, the student must redesign the experimental study or
plan a different study.
NOTE: Any project involving human subjects
that is developed with the advice and assistance of personnel at a medical/scientific
organization must comply with any regulations of
that organization requiring approval of its Institutional Review Board ant Informed Consent Certification.
All projects involving human
subjects must be accompanied by a signed Certification of Compliance of
Research Involving Human Subjects at the
time of registration for the Los Angeles County Science Fair. Projects without
proper certification will not be
accepted.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
LA County Science Fair
Coordinator
Los Angeles County Office of
Education
9300 Imperial Highway
Downey, CA
90242-2890
(562) 401 - 5486
Form No. 601-068 Page 2 of 2 Rev 03-06-97