RBSEF Scientific Review Committee (SRC)

Any projects involving human subjects, nonhuman vertebrate animals, tissue, blood, DNA, pathogenic or controlled substances, or ballistics requires approval by the Scientific Review Committee before experimentation begins. Students with questions relating to these areas may contact SRC members at the following addresses:

General Questions, controlled substances, ballistics
Mary Ann Buchanan
Daisy33198@aol.com

Human subjects
Vincent J. Morello, Ph.D.


Nonhuman vertebrate animals, DNA, Tissue or Blood Research
Mike Barnett, D.V.M
dmbvca@aol.com


Institutional Review Board (IRB)

An Institutional Review Board is a committee that, according to federal law, must evaluate the potential physical or psychological risk of research involving human subjects. Due to the federal regulations requiring local community involvement, an IRB should be established at the school level to deal with human research projects.
The IRB must consist of a minimum of three menbers and should include:
a science teacher
a school administrator
and one of the following: a psychologist, psychiatrist, medical doctor, physician's assistant, or registered nurse

If it is impossible to establish an IRB at your school, the teacher should contact the RBSEF Fair Director, Michael Gerhart, for assistance in evaluating human research, prior to experimentation.