Browse real student projects, abstracts, and awards.
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences Fourth Award
As a member of the Nanticoke Tribe, I am acutely aware that my tribe, along with many other tribes throughout the continent, face a continuous problem due to contamination of their natural w…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
This experiment examined changes in total annual precipitation and average annual temperature and their impacts on the natural carbon sequestration of Pinus Ponderosa. Tree core samples were…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
The study kicked off when curiosity arose as to whether superworm consumption of polyethylene could be a solution to reduce plastic in landfills, based on supporting findings. A question was…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Over the past 50 years, the use of hydraulic fracturing or fracking has increased as the demand for fossil fuels has increased and the process is more efficient at extracting oil and natural…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
For more than a decade, the Tarrytown Reservoirs have had a severe algae problem which has resulted in an imbalanced ecosystem and an unpleasant aesthetic. The problem has been managed with…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
This study examines carbon sequestration by Nannochloropsis algae when cultivated in solutions with different pH levels. If Nannochloropsis is grown in a solution with a pH between 7.5 and 8…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Imagine aquatic life like fish, crawdads, and tadpoles dead on the side of the creek bed. What we dispose of into our waterways matters. Filling the water with surfactants from products like…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences Fourth Award
To better understand the manner of phytoplankton decline due to climate change, this study explored changes in phytoplankton community composition during the spring phytoplankton bloom in th…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
This research applies to the role of Chlorella sp. as a second-generation biofuel which is a possible alternative to fossil fuels. Its biodiversity allows the algae to be sustainable as well…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
An experiment was conducted to study the impact of dyes on water quality. Untreated dye wastewater causes hypoxia, and a lower living standard for populations relying on the body of water. T…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
This experiment will determine if different nitrogen:phosphorus:potassium ratios limit the growth of algae in wetland water. We hypothesized that if we test the effects of varying NPK ratios…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Since 1991, the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aimed to provide regulation for lead (Pb) and copper (Cu) in public water systems (PWS). Durin…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences Second Award
Low-frequency noise from marine shipping is an underwater acoustic pollutant in oceans. The noise spectrum overlaps with frequencies marine mammals use to communicate and navigate, leading t…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
The COVID-19 pandemic disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Sewage testing has been successfully used for the detection of viruses causing human diseases, su…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Enterococci is a bacteria that is found in animal feces and is used by scientists as a measure of water quality. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) associates high enterococci colony…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Each year now, Luxembourgish wildlife is threatened by toxic Cyanobacteria that poisons the water of the biggest lake, The Upper Sure Lake, causing the local tourism sector to be slowed due…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences Third Award
In the troposphere, ozone is a harmful secondary pollutant formed by chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In 2020, COVID-19 lockdowns broug…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences
In the previous decade, cyanobacteria blooms in rivers have grown in both intensity and frequency due to climate change and water pollution, which are results of human activity. These blooms…
ISEF · 2022
Earth and Environmental Sciences Third Award
The purpose of this project was to determine if vertical migration occurs among any of the zooplankton populations in the littoral zone of Lake Springfield. Samples were collected on five se…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subpolar glaciers in the Gulf of Alaska and northwestern Canada are one of the important contributors to sea level rise from global warming. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRAC…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences Third Award
Earthquakes are a major global risk, causing the most fatalities among all natural disasters, as well as significant amount of injuries, displacements, and economic losses. While there has b…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences Third Award
The global water crisis is a well-documented fact. It affects all regions and demographics. Atmospheric water harvesters (AWHs) have not been explored well as an option for freshwater. An es…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Over the last few years, devastating fires in California have destroyed habitats, released toxic fumes, and caused extreme heat. The megafires of 2020 burned 4.5 million acres, straining fir…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences Fourth Award
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) pollution is a global issue affecting both the environment and human health. Although industrial PCB manufacturing has been banned, PCBs remain in water, soil,…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Microplastics in the environment are a source of emerging pollution with proposed negative impacts across all ecosystems. Plastic preproduction pellets called nurdles are a form of microplas…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Both the process of infrastructure development of settlements in suburban areas will have various impacts on changes in natural resources. Physically, the changes that occur are the reductio…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences Fourth Award
Florida’s waters have recently been plagued by Harmful algal blooms. Although a variety of factors may act as contributors, nutrient loading is often cited as a major factor. Previous resear…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences Fourth Award
In North America, the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) has killed more spruce trees than any other natural cause (Colorado State Forest Service, 2020). The purpose of this research pr…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Remote sensing of water quality parameters and contaminants is a cheap and efficient alternative to traditional in-situ water sampling methods. Sensors on satellites detect the reflectance o…
ISEF · 2021
Earth and Environmental Sciences Fourth Award
The Red River Valley has seen large quantities of rainfall in recent years, which has caused many farmers to tile their fields. I constructed and tested a simulated tiled environment to see…