☐ Confirm that all of your Milestones in ncsef.stemwizard.com in your registration are GREEN. If there is an hourglass for your Forms, it is waiting for final approvals from the Scientific Review Committee (SRC).  If your school is paying your registration, it may not have been received yet. However, confirm that you have selected “School Payment” if you have been told that the school or system is paying.

Participants contacted by the SRC must be cleared to be allowed to compete. Questions should be sent to src@ncsciencefair.org.

☐ Review the Display and Safety Rules for NCSEF before arrival for project setup. The State NCSEF, as an ISEF affiliated fair, follows the ISEF Display and Safety Rules and will not allow items that do not meet this standard. This may include items that were allowed at a regional fair. 

☐ Double check your “Materials for Judges” Milestone in STEM Wizard. Your Milestone may be green, but the materials may need to be corrected!  All projects should have an NCSEF Abstract and Project Presentation Slides.

☐ Check your “Participant Signature Page” If you did not check the permission box (or checked them all) and/or have this page signed by your parent or guardian, we can not publish your name as a winner or include you in any photographs.  If your Forms are locked, email the corrected form directly to registration@ncsciencefair.org.

☐ Pre-Purchase Lunch Tickets (Optional) Pre-purchase lunch tickets here (optional, but a big time saver on the NCSU campus where time and options for you and your family are limited). The deadline is March 14, 2024. Unfortunately food allergies and other dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated. For more information click here.

Dos

• Documents to bring:
  • Each of the documents for your research project and presentation.
  • If you have journals or logs of your research, or a research paper, display each at the table. Judges read these as time permits
  • Forms 1C & 7 must be taped to the front of the table or in a display stand if appropriate for your project. 
  • Copies of all of your other forms – but not displayed.
• Display the official copy of your abstract with a gold seal. No other abstracts are allowed!
• Bring a book or other quiet activity to occupy time when not being judged.
• Talk quietly with other students about their research
• Be prepared for a lot of waiting, judges have a lot of students to talk to
• Be respectful of fellow students, parents, judges, and NCSU students. They are proud of their university and hope you’ll consider joining them in the future, but remember we are guests.
• Be proud you’ve made it to the state fair! Be passionate about your research

Don’ts

• Don’t bring any prohibited items for health and safety reasons as found in ISEF Display and Safety Rules.
• Frequent Violations that lead to required corrections and failure to receive immediate project display approvals
  • Acknowledgements are not allowed including logos, names of people that you have worked with, or locations such as universities that you have worked.
  • Must give credit who made the photographs, graphs, charts, images, and diagrams.
  • Nothing that has ever been alive and no food or liquids are allowed as part of the display. Use photographs instead!
  • Do not bring any items that are breakable or sharp
  • Abstracts displayed other than the one received at registration
• Don’t bring any items prohibited on the NCSU campus
• Don’t wander around the Wellness Center (Carmichael), stay in the project display area. Stay away from exercise equipment. Violators risk removal from the fair.

Talley Student Center

Floor 2: entrance from Cates Ave

Floor 3: opening and awards ceremonies, events are held in yellow areas, red areas are restricted to NCSEF volunteers

NCSU Wellness Center

Floor 2: project exhibit area, entrance from Cates Ave. To ensure a safe environment for all. parents are asked not to congregate around the glass windows along the project display area. Please be respectful of NCSU students making use of their facility as well.

Note: The entrance to the Wellness center from the rear parking lot is on the first floor, check-in and project setup is on the floor above.

The NC State Central campus is accessible via Western Boulevard and Hillsborough Street in Raleigh.

from the west & north

• From I-40, take exit 289 onto Wade Avenue toward I-440/US-1 North
• Take the exit onto I-440 West/US-1 toward Sanford/I-40
• Take exit 2B toward Cary, then keep left onto Western Blvd
• after ~2 miles turn left onto Pullen Road, then your next left onto Dunn Ave
• turn into the Coliseum Parking Deck (see note below)

from the east & south

• From I-40, take exit 299 toward Person St.
• After ~ 1 mile, turn left onto Martin Luther King Jr Blvd / Western Blvd
• After ~2 miles turn right onto Pullen Road, then your next left onto Dunn Ave
• turn into the Coliseum Parking Deck (see note below)

Parking

Friday: a limited number of spaces, free for 15 minutes, are available behind Carmichael (F on the map below) for project drop-off. Parking is available elsewhere on campus including the colosseum parking deck but requires payment until 5:00 pm. After that time, parking on campus is free except for marked reserved spaces.

Saturday: Parking is challenging on any college campus even on a weekend so leave extra time. Reynolds Coliseum hosts the opening round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament with tip-off at noon. Parking on campus on Saturday is generally free except for marked reserved spaces.

Parking along Cates Ave is free after 5:00 pm on Friday and across upper levels of the Coliseum Parking Deck. Lower “pay-by-plate” sections do require payment however.

The North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair is excited to connect you with STEM organizations and opportunities in North Carolina. 

North Carolina State University partners, NC STEM corporations, and nonprofit groups will be present for students, parents, and teachers to meet and gain information on March 23, 2024 from 11:30AM – 2:30PM on the third floor of Talley Student Union. 

Students who present at NCSEF will each have the opportunity to complete the Passport found in their project packet (1 passport per student presenter). Students who collect six (6) signatures from the exhibitors are eligible to win prizes during their respective awards ceremony. Students should collect signatures from exhibitors by 2:30 pm and turn in their entry in as follows:  

• 11:30-2:30 PM Volunteers will have bins in the Exhibitor area. The volunteer will check for the 6 signatures and once approved tear off the bottom section of the passport and put it in your division’s bin (Elementary, Junior, or Senior).
• 2:30PM or later- Passport Sheet bottom will be collected by division, as students enter the award ceremony. Volunteers will have bins outside of the Awards Ceremonies. Leave the bottom portion of the Passport Sheet.  ***As the raffle drawing happens during the Award Ceremony, entries cannot be accepted after the ceremony begins.***

• Students who have chosen to be judged virtually will be contacted by email approximately 5 days prior to virtual judging with their Zoom interview time and directions on joining. If you’ve not received confirmation via email, we are expecting you on Saturday.
• Interviews will last 12-15 minutes each
• Students should prepare a short (1-2 minute) introduction and know their project well.
• Judges will have previewed all of your “Materials for Judges” Milestone.
• Judges may choose to only ask you questions on your project or they may ask you to present your project.  Every Judge has the option to determine this.
• Just as students presenting their projects in-person, there is not sufficient time to share all of your project slides (judges will have reviewed them before they talk to you). Instead, select a few to show data or clarify points.
• Have a closing statement (1 minute maximum) of highlighting you learned and what you want the Judges to remember about your project.

The North Carolina Science Fair Foundation would like to extend their appreciation to the sponsors of the 2024 NC Science and Engineering Fair.

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

NCSEF Partners

Before the fair:

NCSEF Director: Ms. Judy Day director@ncsciencefair.org

Day of the fair:

NCSEF Co-Director Dr. Tom Williams, 919-815-6658

Emergencies:

• NC State Campus Police – 919-515-3000
• Emergency – 911