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STUDENTS STARTING THEIR 2027 PROJECT DURING SUMMER

(*NEW THIS YEAR) All students whose project involves any one or more of the following items require LACSEF pre-approval BEFORE starting experimentation for their project.

Human Participants
Vertebrates and Higher Functioning Invertebrates
Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (includes microbes, tissue/cell lines, organs, organ parts, blood products, rDNA, phages)
Hazardous Chemicals, Activities or Devices (HCAD)

While the LACSEF online portal for pre-approval will be available in August for students who are experimenting during the school year, if you plan to start your project before August, you MUST obtain LACSEF SRC pre-approval BEFORE you begin your experimentation. Students can do this by completing the appropriate LACSEF template(s) and send via email topre-approval@lascifair.org. You will be contacted if you need to make changes and when your pre-approval request has been approved.

*PLEASE NOTE: Although LACSEF has made a few exceptions in the past, going forward, all projects requiring LACSEF pre-approval will need to have received such approval BEFORE experimentation begins. NO EXCEPTIONS. Experimentation completed before pre-approval has been obtained will be ineligible for the 2027 LACSEF Fair.

Please complete the appropriate LACSEF pre-approval template(s). Discuss with your supervisors that all details of your project (procedure, safety, disposal etc.) meet their approval. Please be sure to include the email addresses of all adults that need to VERIFY your proposal (Site Coordinator, Adult Supervisor, Biomedical Scientist etc. as applicable). We will reach out to them for verification. Save as a PDF, and email to pre-approval@lascifair.org as soon as possible. Once the portal opens in August, you can easily copy/paste your pre-approved project information into the online system.

LACSEF templates can be found here. You do not need to complete this in one sitting. You can save and complete it at a later date.

If you have any questions about which LACSEF templates to complete, please reach out to us via email at pre-approval@lascifair.org

STEPS TO OBTAIN PRE-APPROVAL DURING SUMMER:

1. Complete the appropriate LACSEF template.

2. Confirm with your supervisor(s) that the project details meets their approval.

3. Save as PDF (include your full name and form name in the file name – example: JohnDoeVertebrate, JaneSmithHCAD).

4. Email to LACSEF.

5. LACSEF will email your supervisor and site coordinator for verifications.

6. Wait for us to review.

7. Make corrections as instructed (if applicable).

8. Receive approval.

9. Begin Project.

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NEW and REVISED categories are HERE!!!

LACSEF has revised its categories for the 2026 fair, adding new areas such as Applied Computational Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Robotics. Please click here for the complete list.

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