Browse real student projects, abstracts, and awards.
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
It is important to find ways to study neuronal diseases or methods of treatment that are ethical, relevant, and effective. It is intriguing to see that the structure of fungal mycelium and n…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients primarily receive the drug L-Dopa to replenish the natural stores of dopamine in the body to reduce PD symptoms (Nagatsu 2009). L-Dopa is structurally simil…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Restoring severely eutrophic waters, especially in hardened urban river channels, is challenging and costly due to algal blooms, turbidity, microbial overgrowth, oxygen depletion, and nutrie…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major global health crisis affecting approximately 19 million pregnant women and 30 million children under the age of five, with over 50% of cases from rural…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Antibiotic are medicines used to kill or inhibit bacterial growth. Due to overuse, antibiotics are becoming less effective. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a group of bacteria which produce a…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
In the United Stated more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year. According to CDC's (2025) AR Threats Report, more than 35,000 people die of this infection and…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Food waste accounts for 58% of methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLF), one of the top three sources of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Over 96% of MSWLFs lack deco…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
In this project, we aimed to investigate the potential use of phages (bacterial viruses) as a form of biocontrol against bacterial plant pathogens. Our goal was to specifically test the effe…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) are growths of microalgae that produce harmful toxins. Microcystis aeruginosa is the cyanobacterium commonly found in HABs. Microcystis produces the cyanotoxin mi…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Sunscreen and plastic pollution are widespread and pervasive in ocean waters, stressing marine life through chronic exposure. Previous studies have demonstrated certain fungi have the abilit…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr) causes over 130 million urogenital infections annually. Despite high genetic similarity, Chlamydia muridarum (Cm) exhibits different host tropism. Interspecies di…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Bacterial biofilms in dairy processing equipment are difficult to sterilize and contribute to spoilage and significant economic losses. Cold plasma, which generates ions and free radicals ca…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Drug-resistant Candida albicans infections are rapidly outpacing current antifungal therapies as mutations in the ERG11 enzyme reduce azole drug efficacy and drive treatment failure. Most an…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Biofilm-mediated resistance is a major barrier to treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Biofilms are estimated to contribute to over 65% of microbial infections, allowing bacteria to p…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Staphylococcus epidermidis is a leading cause of infections associated with indwelling medical devices and accounts for over 20% of bloodstream infections in U.S. intensive care units. Altho…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exhibit extraordinary chemical stability and environmental persistence, posing risks to ecosystems and public health. This study targets PFBA and P…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Type 2 diabetes is associated with chronic inflammation and poor blood glucose control. Some gut bacteria produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that may support gut health and metabolis…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Emerging infectious diseases require accurate spatial risk assessments, yet current strategies in disease ecology lack a clear and reliable framework when direct disease data is lacking. One…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of bleach-based sanitation by measuring how contact time in a 50 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution affects the Log10 Reduction Fa…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Fungal pathogens pose an enormous threat to global health, and a growing number of pathogens are developing resistance to our already limited arsenal of antifungals. Overexpression of efflux…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
In today’s world, 1 in 9 people all over the world suffer from diabetes. Out of those people, 1-3 in 9 experience something called diabetic wounds. This project helps biomedical scientists u…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Rising fertilizer costs have increased interest in sustainable methods for improving soil fertility. This project investigated whether Dermestid beetles could increase soil microbiomass by a…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
The bacterium Vibrio cholerae has evolved unipolar sheathed flagellum as the main organelle to drive motility and facilitate biofilm formation and colonization in host cells although the und…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Filamentous fungi offer promising solutions for upcycling industrial food byproducts. Neurospora intermedia, used for centuries in Western Java to ferment red oncom from a byproduct of soy m…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Lactobacillus acidophilus produces lactase, an enzyme that hydrolyzes lactose into glucose and galactose, helping alleviate symptoms of lactose intolerance. However, the protective effects o…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
The global rise in bacterial resistance has spurred the exploration of natural alternatives with potential antimicrobial activity, including Kalanchoe pinnata, a plant traditionally used for…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is prevalent in hospital-acquired pneumonia, with mortality reaching 70%, and chronic cystic fibrosis infections. The reason the anitbiotics don't work is the LasR quo…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Burkitt's Lymphoma is an aggressive B-cell malignancy associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Over 95% of the world's population is persistently infected by EBV. While current tr…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
CRISPR–Cas systems enable bacteria to defend against viral infection through RNA-guided nucleases and accessory proteins, though the functions of many accessory components remain unclear. Th…
ISEF · 2026
Microbiology
Manuka honey is known for its antimicrobial properties, but it is unclear how heating affects its ability to inhibit bacterial growth. This experiment tested whether increasing the temperatu…