Illinois Junior Academy of Science Policy & Procedure Manual
Effective September 2026 through August 2028
This Policy and Procedure Manual replaces and supersedes all previous publications.
This Policy and Procedure Manual is reviewed and revised every two years.
A copy of this manual should be given to all project sponsors and student participants.
Rules and Regulations Safety Guidelines Official Forms
Which Safety Rules May Apply to a Project?
In addition to these General Laboratory Safety Rules, students and sponsors must read the section(s) below that apply to the project.
| If a project involves… | Read this section (in addition to the General Rules). |
|---|---|
| Chemicals - Even common household chemicals Burning anything Heating anything beyond room temperature Radiation - Lasers, UV light, x-rays, nuclear radiation |
Chemical, Fire, Heat and Radiation Safety |
| Computer Programming Artificial Intelligence in any part of the project Creating Apps, Robots or other programmable devices Large Data Sets that were not measured by student Robots or other programmable devices |
Computer, Artificial Intelligence and Data Projects |
| Firearms/Guns of any kind Rockets Fireworks Explosives |
Firearms, Explosives, Rockets, and Projectile Safety |
| Drones Electrical devices Motors Engineered machinery Tools Vehicles - full sized or models |
Electrical, Drone and Mechanical Safety |
| Giving humans surveys or tests of any kind Testing human reactions or senses Humans eating or drinking anything Humans doing physical activity Humans learning or being tested on something Observing people in public Human mental health Human testing of an engineered device, app, game or website |
Use and Care of Human Participants |
| Bacteria or Viruses Mold – even from bread or rotting food Fuel cells or compost involving soil or bacteria Water testing for bacteria or fecal contaminants |
Use and Care of Live Biological Material (excluding vertebrate animals) |
| Any vertebrate animals or materials from them, except for humans | Use and Care of Non-Human Vertebrate Animals |
| A topic or method that can potentially be conducted safely but may appear to conflict with or violate an IJAS Safety Rule Involves a situation that is not clearly addressed by the IJAS Safety Rules |
Contacting the SRC for Project Approval |
Aims and Objectives of the Policy and Procedure Manual
The primary aim of this manual is to communicate the information needed by the student and sponsor so that a safe and humane experimental project or paper is presented at the regional and state expositions. Please read this book carefully and resolve any questions before you enter a project or paper.
The Illinois Junior Academy of Science expects all schools and regions to follow all rules, regulations, and guidelines of the state organization. The Illinois Junior Academy of Science will insist that all projects and papers entered into state competition meet all of the rules, regulations, and guidelines of the Illinois Junior Academy of Science. No arbitrary safety procedures or rules may be instituted at the regional level that will limit a school or student’s participation at a regional fair and potentially prevent a student advancing to the state level.
Projects that are sent to the State Science Exposition that do not meet the rules, regulations, and guidelines of the Illinois Junior Academy of Science will be disqualified.
The Board of Directors of the Illinois Junior Academy of Science will allow no exceptions to the rules and guidelines as stated in this policy and procedure manual.
Safety rules are not meant to be barriers to progress that have been arbitrarily imposed to make it difficult for students to present a project. The objective of the Policy and Procedure Manual is to provide policies and procedures that are designed for the safety of the experimenter, as well as the safety of those that will judge and/or view the project.
Join IJAS!
Membership in IJAS is open to all public and private schools, including home schools, in the State of Illinois.
Find out how rewarding participation in IJAS activities can be. Visit us on the web at: www.ijas.org
Join by December 31 to take advantage of our regular annual membership fee.
All participants in IJAS activities, projects or sessions at the State Exposition must be enrolled in IJAS member school, club or as an individual.. IJAS Membership is determined at the state level. No regional rules, regulations, or procedures regarding membership may supersede those of the state. Regions must accept schools placed in their region by the state. Any discriminatory practices against a school, group, or program will not be tolerated.
Policy and Procedure Manual Editors
- Brian Lewandowski
- Jann Hawkins
- Sue Ellen Gerchman
- Christina Palffy
August/September 2026
This manual may be downloaded from the IJAS website and duplicated as needed.