ISEF Science Fair for the best and the brightest

 

The International Science and Engineering Fair or ISEF Science Fair is an event that takes place in the United States of America annually. It is owned and organized by the Society for Science, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, BC. The event occurs each May and students from almost 70 countries participate in it. There are scholarships, tuition grants, and fellowships, and the prize money can go up to $75,000 while there are two $50,000 college scholarships up for grabs. The total prize money available through the various programs amounts to $8 million.

History of ISEF

ISEF was first held in 1950 and was called the National Science Fair. However, it went international when Japan, Canada, and Germany joined it. Since then, almost 80 countries join this international fair, which aims to promote scientific temper amongst young minds and promote innovation and inventiveness. However, the fair is managed by the Society of Science, which itself has a storied history. It was founded by Edward W. Scripps, a renowned journalist, and William Emerson Ritter, a California zoologist, and was earlier named Science Service in 1921. It changed its name to the current Society for Science in 2008. ISEF’s founder is Gordon E. Moore.

How to qualify for ISEF

Any student between the grades 9 and 12 and not of 20 years of age as of the 1 st of May preceding the ISEF of that year is eligible to participate.

Each student is allowed to enter one project, the research of which has been done over a period of 12 months continuously, between January and May, of the current event ISEF year. Students are allowed to participate in only one ISEF-affiliated fair.

ISEF Science Fair Categories

There are 21 categories under which scientific and engineering school projects are showcased. These categories range from Animal Sciences to Behavioural Science, Mathematics to Biochemistry et al. Each category is designed in a manner whereby the participants can display path-breaking ideas or processes that seemed complicated to a layman. There are random interviews undertaken by the judges on the third day of the fair to ascertain the winners. With almost 1800 participants, ISEF remains one of the largest school-level science and engineering fairs.

Intel used to be the primary sponsor of the fair from 1997 till 2019. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is the current title sponsor of the event.

Some past ISEF Projects with their actual Project Titles

1. Genetics (GEN): Investigation of High Twinning Rates in Cattle
2. Using Sanger Sequencing
3. Neuroscience (NEU): The Effect of Constraining Eye Movements on
4. Learning Gains and Retention
5. Cell, Organ, and Systems Physiology (PHY): Investigating Bone
6. Morphogenetic Protein 4 as a Potential Regulator of the Age-Related
7. Increase in Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease: The Regulation of the
8. Unfolded Protein Response and Apolipoprotein E Expression in Astrocytes
9. Analytical Chemistry (ANC): Sulphur Dioxide Quantification:
10. Improvements to the Classical Ripper Titration Using Colorimetric Analysis
11. Mathematics (MATH): Affine Planes, Projective Planes, Latin Squares
12. Mathematics (MATH): Solving a Mathematical Mystery: Schnitzel’s Conjecture
13. Embedded Systems (EBED): Prosthetic Arm Controlled by Legs’
14. Transmitter for Disabled People
15. Microbiology (MCRO): Use of Bio Ferments in the Biological Control of Moniliasis (Moniliophtora roreri) in Cocoa (Theobroma cacao)
16. Microbiology (MCRO): Antimicrobial Properties of ManjhTo a
17. Bioactive Compound from Cocos nucifera
18. Microbiology (MCRO): Improving Hazard Characterization in
19. Bacterial Pathogens: Predicting Efficiency of Antibiotics Using
20. Machine Learning

The next edition of ISEF

The next edition of the Regeneron ISEF would be held in Dallas.

Final Words

Winning an ISEF award is the first step toward having a rewarding career in science. It is an event that is sought after by students from across the globe.