Martin County Regional Secondary STEM Fair
2025 - 2026
The MCRSEF is a competition for students in grades 6-12. The Senior Division is for students in grades nine through twelve (9-12). The Junior Division is for students in grades six through eight (6-8). The participant must be enrolled as a student in grades 6-12 in a public, private, or home school located in Martin County. The students present current projects describing and illustrating their independent research. Exhibits on an approved scientific subject prepared by students may be entered in the Martin County Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
Thank you to the Education Foundation of Martin County for sponsoring our event!
MCRSEF Coordinators
TBA
Would you like to donate? Martin County Science and Engineering Fair Donation Form
Important Dates:
Date(s) | Details |
|---|---|
September 24th, 2025 | Martin County Regional Science & Engineering Fair Family Informational Teams Meeting from 6 PM - 7 PM. Join at https://bit.ly/mcsdscifair2025 |
October 10th, 2025 | Submission of SRC/IRB paperwork for projects involving people, animals, dangerous chemicals or activities. Your project must be approved BEFORE you start! If you are not sure if this applies to you, please contact gullics@martinschools.org. |
January 5th, 2026 | Deadline for School Site STEAM Activities Coordinators to register students advancing to the Regional Martin County Science and Engineering Fair (MCRSEF) All Student forms due for students advancing to MCRSEF. Registration form to be emailed to School Site STEM Activities Coordinator directly |
January 8th, 2026 | Project display board, abstract & log books Certification (School Site STEM Activities Coordinator set appointment for drop off) |
January 10th, 2026 | Martin County Regional Science & Engineering Fair Judging: 9 AM - 12 PM Open to the Public: 12 PM - 1 PM Location TBA |
January 14th, 2026 | Awards Ceremony Time: 6:00 PM Location TBA State Science Fair Participants will meet immediately following the Awards Ceremony. |
March 31st - April 2nd, 2026 | State Science and Engineering Fair at the RP Funding Center, Lakeland, FL |
May 9th - 15th, 2026 | ISEF (International Science & Engineering Fair) in Phoenix, AZ |
Rules
Student Researchers are responsible for reading and following the rules, which are there to guide you in safely completing your project. Most projects CAN be completed within the rules!
The Martin County Regional Science & Engineering Fair is affiliated with the International Science and Engineering Fair and the State Science & Engineering Fair. All projects must follow the ISEF rules. Affiliated fairs are permitted to enact rules which are MORE strict that ISEF. Therefore, it is important to also read the State Fair supplement, which outlines additional rules from the State of Florida. The MCRSEF also publishes a handbook which clearly explains where our fair is more strict than SSEF or ISEF.
Parents, teachers, and students often become frustrated with the paperwork process. It's important to remember that the purpose of the forms is to document that all safety precautions will be taken to protect the student researcher, human or vertebrate subjects, and the environment. When paperwork is reviewed, it is ONLY to ensure rules were followed, not to judge a project. The quality of the project is determined on judging day between the judge and the student researcher.
Project Categories
Please visit the SSEF Website for detailed category descriptions. https://ssefflorida.com/categories/
Category | Code |
|---|---|
Animal Sciences | ANIM |
Behavioral & Social Sciences | BEHA |
Biomedical & Health Sciences | BMED |
Cellular/Molecular Biology & Biochemistry | CMBI |
Chemistry | CHEM |
Earth & Environmental Sciences | EAEV |
Engineering | ENMS |
Environmental Engineering | ENEV |
Intelligent Machines, Robotics, and Systems Software | IMRS |
Mathematics & Computational Sciences | MACO |
Microbiology | MICR |
Physics & Astronomy | PHYS |
Plant Sciences | PLNT |
Adult Roles
STEM Activities Coordinator: Person at the School site that is responsible for all communication to STEM Fair participants and the school School Site STEM Fair. They are the liason from the school to the MCRSEF Team. Please see the list below for you school contact.
Parental Involvement: Of course you should be involved! However, the level of your participation in your child's project will vary depending on age, ability, your comfort level, and the type of project. It is NOT required that your child complete the project without your assistance. Some activities may require only adult supervision, while some you may need to do for your child. The rulebook and your school coordinator will guide you. Student researchers should not fear that a judge may penalize them for having adult assistance.
Adult Sponsor (AS): Any adult who is keeping an eye on the student and checking in on their progress periodically. Minimal supervision. Required for every project.
Designated Supervisor (DS): the adult who is actually watching the student do the project. Required IF the project involves HCADS. (Hazardous Chemicals, Activities or Devices). This is subjective, and determined by the school fair coordinator and the SRC/IRB. When doubt, err on the side of caution.
Qualified Scientist (QS) - a person with an advanced DEGREE (PhD, MD, DVM) OR significant documented experience/expertise in the field of study who has reviewed the procedures and agrees with the plan. This person may also be the DS, but not always as sometimes they are not local. They may designate someone else (the DS) to watch the student do the project and ensure the agreed upon plan is followed.
These can be three different people, or one person can be all three.