Browse 666 real Earth and Environmental Sciences projects from CSEF, with abstracts, awards and links to the original entries.
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
Tulare County, a rural region in California, relies on groundwater contaminated with inorganic compounds and heavy metals. Low-income residents lack access to advanced filtration systems. Th…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
Earthquakes may seem to be just tremors that make buildings rattle and trees shake, but they can be very dangerous. Even though they were only 8% of the disasters from 2000 to 2019, they acc…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
The accumulation of pyrethroid pesticides in agricultural soils, many of which have lost about 50-70% of their original carbon stock, poses significant health and environmental risks as pyre…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division)
During Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in Clear Lake, California, the lake is not safe for swimming. This experiment compared the effect of temperature on the growth of a cyanobacteria, Anabaena…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
This study investigates the effect of apple pomace concentration on the tensile strength and structural performance of calcium-crosslinked alginate films as a biodegradable alternative to pe…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division)
Our project investigated on how we can find a better replacement to synthetic plastics. Our reason for this was to better the environment and make our effort in helping the world. For this p…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
Air pollution is a major problem in the Central Valley, especially during wildfire season when smoke increases levels of PM2.5, which are tiny particles that can harm people and plants. Plan…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
El Nino events are Pacific-originating oceanic-atmospheric phenomena that usher in shifts in global circulation and weather–shifts that in the past have spiked global grain prices 40%, spark…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
Air pollution contributed to 7.9 million deaths in 2023. In 2025, 156 million people lived in areas with an unhealthy amount of air pollution in the US alone. It’s critical for everyone to b…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
Ground-level ozone degrades floral volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially impairing pollinator navigation before population declines become detectable. However, no field-based study…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division)
The project analyzed the amount of microplastics in local bodies of water (Fresno and Madera counties). Microplastics can affect the environment and ecosystems in negative ways. There is a l…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
Global warming and air pollution are major problems that have the ability to affect the environment. Black carbon is a common particle in air pollution that can absorb sunlight and reduce ic…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
Overwintering fires (OWFs), in which smoldering peat combustion persists underground through boreal winters and re-ignites the following spring, represent a growing but poorly monitored feed…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division)
Eco-Friendly Microplastic Removal Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than five millimeters that have been detected in drinking water worldwide. Their persistence and small size rais…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
This project investigated how the different enzymes Amylase, Cellulase, and Protease affect the degradation of biodegradable microplastics using Lactobacillus plantarum set at pH6. It has be…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
Agricultural goods are commonly packaged using expanded polystyrene (EPS or Styrofoam), which creates a great amount of environmental waste and pollution. EPS doesn’t degrade easily and cont…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
This study examines the relationship between rising temperatures and mortality rates across 20 major U.S. cities over the past five decades. Using historical climate data from the 1960s to 2…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
Kelp forests are highly productive ecosystems along California’s coast. However, kelp forests have been collapsing due to a variety of factors including climate stressors and destructive gra…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division)
The purpose of this project was to evaluate whether hydrogel made from cornstarch could reduce water loss in soil at an amount comparable to commercial hydrogel, and thus be used as an effec…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
This study builds on last year’s research demonstrating that spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) reduce formaldehyde (HCHO) levels in polluted air in a sealed environment. This year, I test…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
Fertilizers are essential for crop production, but excess nutrients can enter waterways through runoff and contribute to environmental pollution. The objective of this study was to determine…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division)
This project focuses on stream health through the macroinvertebrate population. Certain insects have higher sensitivities to pollution and are good markers of watershed health due to their i…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
Have you ever wondered how to improve the quality of your soil? My family owns and farms an orange grove, and the success of our grove depends on maintaining healthy soil. That is why I want…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
My project was to determine if stormwater discharge can impact the water quality in Widow White Creek. I collected benthic macroinvertebrates upstream and downstream of a storm drain, as a b…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
California’s $500+ million marsh restoration program assumes restored wetlands provide net climate benefits, yet no systematic framework exists for predicting whether specific restoration de…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
Wildfires can alter soil properties, making soils water-repellent and increasing the risk of flooding, erosion and long-term land degradation. This experiment examined how different soil tre…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division)
Abstract Hydrogels are used worldwide to conserve water in agricultural practices. They are utilized across distinct geographic regions, including India, the United States, the Middle East,…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
I got my project idea when I experienced a lunar eclipse. That day I was around the beach area looking at the waves in the ocean. And that was what sparked my curiosity! I started to wonder…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division)
On June 13, 2025 a fire swept through an open space area near our homes. This caught our interest, and we decided to investigate. We hypothesized the plants which repopulated the burned regi…
CSEF · 2026
Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division)
Ants, given their size, function as ecosystem engineers, which are critically essential to almost all terrestrial environments. However, whether intraspecific and interspecific conflict amon…