Risk Assessment with COVID-19 precautions

Student researchers and supervising adults should be aware of guidance or regulations from the state, county and local officials as well as their school districts or research facilities and abide with the most restrictive requirements with the utmost caution and care. The safety of the entire community should be a priority.

Due to the special circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is strongly recommended that ALL students include in their risk assessment how they will mitigate the spread of the disease while conducting their experiment. Examples of such mitigations include (but are not limited to):

  • Wearing a face covering and maintaining a 6-foot distance from people not in the researcher’s immediate social bubble/pod/cohort. This is especially important when conducting human participant projects.
  • Washing hands frequently.
  • Keeping work space clean and disinfected. This is especially important if the student is working in a shared space.
  • When working with human participants, consider virtual or online options and avoid in-person projects.

Note: Just because many schools are teaching students remotely this year, does not mean that the rules regarding what can and cannot be done in a home environment have changed. Student researchers must still follow all of the guidelines regarding where PHBA, Vertebrate Animal and Human Participant projects must take place.  Please reference the International Rules and do not hesitate to email src@societyforscience.org with any questions.  Please also be aware that your affiliate fair may have more restrictive requirements, particularly under current conditions.