0. General Info
Project Guidelines & Suggestions
1. Does your project follow safety guidelines?
Youth Science Canada Safety in STEM Projects
Students are expected to follow safety guidelines whether they are working on their project at home, school, or some other facility. Do any of the following concerns apply to your project?
Chemical safety — Are you handling chemicals that require the use of personal protective equipment (e.g. lab coat, goggles, gloves, etc.)?
- related Youth Science Canada policies: pesticides
- Fire safety — Are you working with an open flame, flammable materials, or a chemical reaction that produces heat?
- related Youth Science Canada policies: dangerous and explosive materials
- Electrical safety — Are you working with an electrical current, even something from a small battery?
- Structural and mechanical safety — Are you building something with dangerous moving parts or something that is heavy or large enough to hurt someone?
- related Youth Science Canada policies: boilers and pressure vessels
- Biohazards — Are you working with biohazards such as bacteria, tissue samples, blood, or blood products?
- related Youth Science Canada policies: biosafety practices, recombinant DNA and biotechnological safety
- Other
- see Youth Science Canada policies on firearms and projectiles, lasers
Health Canada list of disinfectants with evidence for use against COVID-19
Use a disinfectant approved by Health Canada to wipe down shared equipment. These include products such as Lysol Wipes, Clorox Wipes, or a 1:50 dilution of household bleach.
VDSF safety checklist
Safety guidelines also apply to project displays at VDSF. Your project display must pass an inspection with a safety officer before judging can proceed.
2. Does your project require ethics approval?
Youth Science Canada Ethics in STEM Projects
See the Ethics Approval page.
Be prepared to present your completed ethics forms at any time during VDSF. If your project involves a survey, include your Letter of Information and blank copies of the survey and participant permission form.
3. How is your project evaluated?
The evaluation criteria used by VDSF judges remains the same as in previous years.
Judging rubric (EXPERIMENT) || Judging rubric (INNOVATION) || Judging rubric (STUDY)
What do judges look for when listening to your presentation? Check out this clip:
[Last updated: August 2024]