Rules & guidelines for The Kenya Science and Engineering Fair

Eligibility

Participants must be school going students from registered Kenyan schools
Each student participating must be less than 20 years by the time National Science Fair is held
At National and Regional Fairs participants must only register in one project.
Participants can either be an individual or a team of two students
Team entries will not substitute members in a given year or change to individual participation. Likewise, individual entry cannot be changed to team entry
The same project cannot be submitted twice in different years without any progress since its first presentation. Any modification/progress must be pointed out in the new application.
Participants at the National level must have participated in all the other levels

Guidelines/Requirements & Rules

Researchers must avoid any scientific misconduct or fraud, such as falsifying data or records, and piracy or plagiarism (presenting the work of another researcher as one’s own)
Each participant must sign a plagiarism form.
All competitors and mentors must communicate in English only
Before presentations, the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) must review and approve all projects.
KSEF encourages the development of entrepreneurial projects, which may lead to the marketing of these products. Participants are advised to obtain legal advice about patent applications before entering their work at any KSEF. Once a design or product has been on public display, it can NOT be patented. However, if a project is displayed for judges only, no patent rights should be lost.
The final application requires you to submit a double-spaced research paper typed using font 12, with a maximum of 20 pages that include:

• An abstract (less than 250 words).
• An Introduction/ background information (with a summary of literature)
• A section stating the objective of the project.
• A section on methods used to achieve the objective
• A results and discussion section
• A conclusion and
• References

Any research or experiment on potentially hazardous biological agents, animal or human subjects must be done under the supervision of a qualified scientist/mentor. Unless with a signed letter from the qualified a scientist/mentor, the following are NOT allowed in KSEF

• Living organisms including animals, fish, insects and plants
• Agar plates and other growth mediums for microbiology studies
• Human or animal parts including tissues and body fluids (for example blood, urine, hooves, skins etc)
• Flammable substances
• Dangerous chemicals: Poisons, drugs, medications, controlled substances, hazardous substances and devices (for example firearms, weapons, ammunition, reloading devices, knives and any other sharp instruments)
• Photographs or other visual presentation depicting humans or vertebrate animals in surgical techniques, dissections, necropsies or other lab procedures or who belittle people in any way or show animals being harmed in any way
• Brand names or any other branded products
• Food substances that are not in completely sealed containers (plastic wrap is not acceptable as it can easily be removed).
• Water except if in sealed apparatus
• Any apparatus deemed unsafe by the KSEF organizers.

Students must keep a research book as they conduct their research and the same should be brought to KSEF competitions.
Students are advised to bring multiple copies of their final abstract to be distributed to curious scientists.
Students MUST have display boards / booths at the National and Regional fairs.
Students should come with pre-printed materials to prepare their posters.
No cell phones are allowed to students. The judges should not make or receive phones judging
The dress code for students:
No miniskirts are allowed
Formal (school uniform) must be worn always

DISPLAY REGULATIONS


The following regulations must be adhered to when participants exhibit their project
Maximum Size of Display

Depth (from front to back) = 30 in or 76 cm

Width (from side to side) = 48 in or 122 cm

Height (from floor to top) = 108 in or 274 cm

Fair provided tables will not exceed 36 in or 91 cm

Maximum project size includes all project materials and supports. If you are using a table, it becomes part of the project.

What the Display Board Contains

PROJECT CATEGORIES

S/No.	Category	Details
1	Mathematical Science	Algebra, Analysis, Applied mathematics, Geometry, Probability and Statistics, Others
2	Physics	Astronomy, Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Instrumentation and Electronics, Magnetics and Electromagnetism, Particle physics, Optics, Lasers, Theoretical physics.
3	Computer Science	Algorithms, Data Bases, Artificial intelligence, Networking and communications, Computational science, Graphics, Computer systems, OS, Programming, Software engineering.
4	Chemistry	Analytical chemistry, General chemistry, Inorganic chemistry, Organic chemistry & Physical chemistry.
5	Biology and Biotechnology	Cellular Biology, Molecular genetics, Immunology, Antibiotics, Antimicrobials, Bacteriology, Virology, Medicine and health sciences.
6	Energy and transportation	Aerospace and, Alternative fuels, Fossil fuel energy, Renewable energies.
7	Environmental science and management	Bioremediation, Ecosystems management, Environmental engineering, Land resource management, Recycling, Waste management, Pollution.
8	Agriculture	Agriculture / Agronomy Development, Photosynthesis, plant physiology, plant systematic, plant evolution, Animal Sciences (Animal Husbandry).
9	Food technology and Home Economics	Development of food products, Design of processes, Food engineering, Food microbiology, Food packing, Food preservation, Food safety.
10	Engineering	Design, building, use of engines, machines and structures, apparatus, manufacturing processes, Aeronautical Engineering, Vehicle development.
11	Technology and applied technology	Appropriate technology, innovations in science, industry, Knowledge economy & research development.
12	Robotics
13	Behavioral science	Stress management,

You may also want to read Overview Of The Kenya Science and Engineering Fair

You may also want to read Nyamira kenya science and engineering fair workshop 2019