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Teachers must first login into an existing account through “Teacher Login” or they must request a new account through “Teacher Registration”.

• If you do not have an existing account, begin with step one.
• If you have an existing account, begin with step two.

1. Requesting a Teacher Account

• Go to
• Choose “Teacher Registration”
• Select the Central region on the map
• Next a page will open allowing you to choose your school from the drop-down menu. Be sure to complete all required boxes indicated with an asterisk and follow all prompts before leaving this page.
• To complete your request of a teacher account, your account must be approved by a representative of CIRSEF in order for your login to officially work. (Requests are approved only once or twice a week so do not delay!)

2. Adding Students for Application

• Go to and choose “Teacher Login” to log in to your existing account
• Once logged in, there will be a menu bar running horizontally near the top of the page
• Choose Instructions to get full registration instructions from SEFI
• Choose Add Students to add students o In the Student Signup box: Type in students names in the format Lastname, Firstname Enter one student per line; hit enter/return after each student Click on Submit to enter the students the SEFI registration system. Note: you can add more students later.

3.  Acquiring Student Login Information

• Choose Your Students from the menu bar at the top of page
• To get students login information:
  • Look the student up on this page
  • Or choose Click Here For a Printable List of Student Login Information

4. Provide to students their login information and the overview of instructions for the website.

5. After students have completed their application submissions, you must mark or flag each entry as YES attending the regional fair. Otherwise, applications will not progress to the SRC review phase.

6. Continue to monitor the overview tab of your account for correspondence from the SRC. If a project is denied, students will need to make changes and then must be marked or flagged YES once again.

Students must apply under a teacher or sponsoring adult.

1. Retrieve your login information from your teacher or sponsoring adult.

2. Visit and log in under “Student Login”.

3. Answer all questions regarding yourself and your project.

4. Fill out the following required digital fields:

• Project Abstract
• Research Question
• Hypothesis
• Experimental Method
  • Information can be typed into the appropriate digital fields OR
  • Information can be typed into a word doc, saved as a plain text file (.txt or .rtf), and then can be copied and pasted from directly into the appropriate digital field  OR
  • Information can be copied from your already prepared documents and pasted into a word doc, saved as a plain text file (.txt or .rtf), and then copied and pasted from directly into the appropriate digital field 
  • [NOTE: Do NOT copy from a Word or Google doc file as information will be lost in the program coding and formatting.]

5. Upload all required forms in the Forms section

 [NOTE: ANY student doing a Human Subjects project must complete the regardless of the grade level AND MUST receive prior approval to conduct the project. All elementary and middle school projects using human participants are expected to have a review and approval of a school level administrator and/or the school nurse (signature on form).

• Those in grades 4 through 8 will compete in the Junior Division and thus must complete and submit the (1) at a minimum. [NOTE: Most middle schools do not qualify under BSL-1 rules for approval and thus are not permitted.]
• Those in grades 9 through 12 will compete in the Senior Division and thus must complete and submit Senior Division Forms including but not limited to the (1) Student Checklist – Form 1A, (2) a Research Plan and Approval Form – Form 1B, and (3) review the project with the Adult Sponsor in coordination with completion by the Adult Sponsor of the Checklist for Adult Sponsor – Form 1. Not sure what additional documents/forms are required? -  Use the to aide in this.
• All Forms must be submitted as PDF files

6. Continue to monitor the overview tab of your account for correspondence from the SRC. If a project is denied, students will need to make changes and then must be marked or flagged YES once again. See SRC Review for more information.

[NOTE: Some projects may need SRC signature before experimentation begins.]

• After a student has applied and their teacher/sponsoring adult has marked that student YES for regionals, an SRC evaluator will thoroughly review the student’s project application and submitted materials.
• When the SRC evaluation is complete, two notifications will be added to the SEFI website:

1. When logged into the site, teachers will find an SRC approval status update for their students listed under the "Your Students" tab. NOTE: Teachers also receive an email indicating there is new SRC activity on one of their student projects and they should check the SEFI site.
2. When logged into the site, students will receive a message in their message inbox.
3. If a project is not approved, it will be indicated in the notifications sent and an SRC evaluator will provide comments about why the project was not approved. At this point, necessary changes can be made to address the comments.
4. After corrections have been made, teachers MUST mark each student as YES through the SEFI website once again so that the SRC can re-review the project until students are approved for the regional competition.
5. There is no limit to the number of times a project can be reviewed for approval, but there is a time limit as approval MUST be received before the registration deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 3, 2025.

• To be registered you must pay entry fees no later than 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 3, 2025.
• You are registered only AFTER (1) SRC approval is gained AND (2) payment of a nonrefundable $15 per student (not per project) registration fee is received.
  • Using the subject line “CIRSEF 2025 Registration”, email tgreene@marian.edu a snapshot providing proof of SRC approval in order to pay registration fee online.

*[NOTE: Registration fees are $15 per student NOT per project.]

• • Once fees are paid, using the subject line “CIRSEF 2025 Entry Fee”, email tgreene@marian.edu a snapshot providing proof of confirmation of payment or forward proof confirmation.
• Once confirmation of payment has been sent, an email will be received from fair director, Tanja Greene, acknowledging registration is complete, and that the student is officially a 2025 CIRSEF participant.

Teachers/sponsoring adults are responsible for understanding the rules, disseminating the rules to students, and enforcing the rules. Here are some of the key rules and new changes.

Rules

Official fair rules and guidelines are posted here:

• ISEF 2025 Rules Book (PDF)

***For those in grades 4 through 8 follow the rules for participants in the Junior Division. Be aware that some projects are prohibited for students in grades 4-8. Please see list below.

***For those in grades 9 through 12 follow the rules for participants in the Senior Division.

Prohibited materials: No exceptions

1. Radioactive substances or equipment that emits any form of ionizing radiation.
2. Hazardous chemicals or reagents, controlled substances, tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, firearms, or explosives.
3. Biological agents or projects that use or study microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, prions, fungi and parasites.
4. Vertebrate animal research involving pain or withholding of food or water. All vertebrate animal projects should be reviewed by a licensed veterinarian.
5. All projects using class IV lasers must be under the direct supervision of a qualified adult.
6. Some research may be possible if conducted in the school under the supervision of a properly trained teacher: Refer to official rules above.
7. Common violations: glass (typically containers and lights bulbs), liquids (including water, vinegar, oil, and "slime"), food (lots of eggs, human, and even animal food), plants and flowers, and sharps, soil, and rocks. These items are NOT allowed to be part of any project display.

For the day of the fair:

Schedule TBD

Please note: Parents and family members are NOT permitted to be on the exhibit floor during judging rounds. Thank you for your cooperation!

Required Forms for CIRSEF

[Note: the following forms are to be filled out BEFORE and brought with participants on the day of the fair.]

• MU Photo Release Form: This form is required for all participants; it gives us permission to use participant images in 91»áËù material (to be filled out before and brought in the day of the fair).

• SEFI Checklist: Display and Safety: This document MUST be completed by students/teachers in grades 4-8 BEFORE the student arrives at CIRSEF (to be filled out before and brought in the day of the fair).