Browse real student projects, abstracts, and awards.
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Hawaii has a higher prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections compared to the national average. Environmental water is a major vehicle for the transmission…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Oil contamination in soil poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human health, underscoring the need for effective remediation strategies. This study aimed to isolate and identify oil-…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), often referred to as a “silent pandemic” in scientific discussions, has become one of the most pressing threats to global health. AMR plays a key role in micr…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Quorum Sensing (QS) is a bacterial communication pathway that mediates population-based activity activities such as virulence, motility, conjugation, and biofilm formation. Specifically, QS-…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Staphylococcus epidermidis is commonly found on the skin and is typically harmless; however, if left untreated, it can lead to infections that may have serious health consequences. The goal…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter essential for stress regulation, mood stability, and anxiety reduction. Dietary factors such as artificial and flavors have b…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
This project explores the effectiveness of coccolithophorid algae and eelgrass in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels through a small-scale carbon capture system. The goal was to design an affor…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Artificial sweeteners are widely used sugar substitutes, and their effects on gut microbiota remain controversial. This study investigates the antimicrobial effects of artificial sweeteners…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Antibiotic resistance is a rising threat to public health. Until recent years, efforts to combat antibiotic resistance have focused on creating newer and stronger antibiotics, but pathogens…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
This study investigates how per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds—PFOA, PFOS, and PFBA—affect the growth and genetic stability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a eukaryotic organism with a genome t…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
Before the discovery of antibiotics, bacterial infections constituted a leading cause of human mortality. Antibiotics used during World War One and the subsequent introduction of penicillin…
ISEF · 2025
Microbiology
One of the most important steps in the overall workflow of manufacturing a drug is ensuring that the mice in which the drug is tested are healthy; unhealthy or sick mice will provide inaccur…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology First Award
Plant litter decomposition is a key ecological process that plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle. While the effect of soil microbes on decomposition has been well studied, the role…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Pathogenic bacteria are evolving to such an extent that by 2050 an estimated 10 million people will die because of antibiotic resistance. This public health problem is compounded by the slow…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
In my project, I explore the potential antibacterial properties in dog saliva on streptococcus pyogenes, staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. My hypothesis states that the Kirby-Baue…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
In 2022, global production of Capsicum annuum, reached about 38.3 million tons. The losses of this crop worldwide have had a significant impact on global food systems, affecting agricultural…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Antimicrobials that are used in the medical field are chemically altered and take a lot of hard work to create. In this experiment, we are comparing the antimicrobial ability of arthropod ex…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Staphylococcus aureus is currently a predominant issue in the medical community. This bacterium has been shown to adapt to the antibiotics which are presented to it, causing scientists to st…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
This research project investigates the influence of white noise frequencies on the growth of E. coli bacteria within the audible range of 14,500-15,000 Hertz (Hz). White noise, characterized…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Antibiotic resistance is a natural characteristic of microorganisms, but it continues to be a public health problem. With the advancement of nanotechnology, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology Second Award
Fusarium is a genus of fungi that produces biofilms, a collection of microbial cells that confer high antifungal resistance to opportunistic Fusarium pathogens, which cause lethal infections…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream, settle in different parts of the heart, and, specifically for this project, attach to artificial he…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Biofilm is the consortia of sessile groups of microbial colonies that adhere on biotic and abiotic surfaces with the help of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and glycocalyx. ESKAPE b…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology Fourth Award
Plant-based natural products are utilized as active ingredients in herbal medicines, and studying their bioactivities leads to better understanding of their possible medicinal value. The pre…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Formaldehyde, an aldehyde, is a carcinogenic pollutant found in air and water due to its wide usage by several industries in addition to several other aldehydes. The NIH states: most aldehyd…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
As pathogens are becoming resistant to most of the drugs, Nigella sativa can be used as an alternative compound to be used in modern medicines due to its antimicrobial, antioxidant and antit…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology Fourth Award
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is a poorly understood disease that is characterized by the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. Our current and most researched treatm…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Through this project, we intended to see the effects of higher temperatures on oil eating microbes efficiency to clean up oil spills, as evaluated through CO2 emissions. The intended usage i…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
Effective biosecurity measures are critical for preventing the spread of infectious diseases in agricultural settings, particularly in on-farm veterinary care where the potential for disease…
ISEF · 2024
Microbiology
8.2 million patients in the U.S. suffer from non-healing wounds infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Blue light and Sangre de Drago (SD) (Croton lechleri) have potent mechanisms of a…