Browse 2,559 real Physics and Astronomy projects from CSEF, with abstracts, awards and links to the original entries.
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division)
Adequate access to Braille resources is one of the largest challenges that can improve blind people's education level and social connectedness. The current embossers on the market are extrem…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN smashes protons together at nearly the speed of light to search for particles never seen before, potential keys to understanding dark matter, extra di…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
Detecting molecular species in exoplanet atmospheres through transmission spectroscopy is essential for exoplanet characterization, but traditional atmospheric retrieval methods are computat…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
This project presents computational techniques and hardware architecture for robust 3D perception in challenging environments, where signal degradation causes conventional sensors to fail. T…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division)
Pedestrians face significantly increased risk at night and during rainy conditions due to poor visibility, reflective glare, water-filled potholes, sidewalk cracks, and hidden obstacles. The…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
This project focused on the design and testing of an integrated electronic system capable of detecting, classifying, and wirelessly reporting damaging package handling events in real time. A…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
We used OpenGATE 10.0.0 to simulate PET scanners using LYSO and LXe detectors. Scintillation crystals were adjustable in width, which we used to do up to 20 trials with varying widths. Image…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division)
The purpose of this project is to create a wearable glove that can detect specific American Sign Language (ASL) hand signs and convert them into speech using a computer. The goal is to reduc…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
The purpose of this project is to develop an energy-efficient autonomous system for detecting satellites and space debris in high-resolution imagery. It was hypothesized that a deep learning…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
On average, every 3 seconds a car hits a pedestrian, and every minute one is killed. This work presents a low-cost wearable sensor that alerts pedestrian users of vehicles approaching from b…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Junior Division)
Have you done any exercise today? If not, you should try out road biking, an exercise for anyone. The purpose of my experiment is to figure out what the fastest bike position is, so the next…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Junior Division)
Bending Beams is a project to see how different liquids affect light refraction. The hypothesis is that denser liquids will refract more than liquids that are less dense. A homemade light re…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
Dilution refrigerators are used in advanced physics systems such as quantum computing because they can cool materials to temperatures near absolute zero. A key component of these systems is…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
Electromyography (EMG) is commonly used to control prosthetics, but many systems rely on fixed joint displacement control that do not adapt grip force to object properties, often leading to…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
Adequate access to tactile resources such as braille and tactile images is one of the largest challenges towards improving the blind or visually impaired (BVI) education level and socially c…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
In the search for primordial black holes (PBHs) as dark matter candidates, the asteroid mass range between 10^17g and 10^23g remains unconstrained by past microlensing and Hawking radiation…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
Cell signaling is the process by which cells sense external cues, convert them into biochemical signals, and trigger physiological responses such as gene expression or protein activation. Ma…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
My Science Fair project works towards creating a autonomous robot that can resist and combat wildfires autonomously and work in the extreme conditions that wildfires occur in. My project con…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division)
Connectivity is essential for many aspects of modern life, and disruptions often have severe consequences. Disasters regularly cause significant damage to communication and power infrastruct…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
Affective social touch is a powerful communication tool for care, reassurance, and emotional connection. However, most older adults experience reduced physical interaction due to social isol…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
Perovskites have long been touted as a superior alternative to pure-silicon solar panels, which often have lower conversion efficiencies. However, many of these high-performing materials con…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
This project is focused on the creation of SolVRIX, a low-cost (<$1000), high-fidelity DIY 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer designed to bridge the gap between ultra-low-field…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division)
Purpose/Design Goal and Background: The purpose of this project was to design and build an Arduino based exploration rover to assist archaeologists in safely exploring hard to reach or hazar…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division)
Wildfires are more likely under conditions of high temperature, low humidity, and dry soil. After a planter box at my home auto-combusted during extreme heat, I designed and built an early f…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
Lack of early detection for plant diseases and abiotic stresses has led California to face $3 billion in yearly agricultural losses. Existing approaches rely on laborious manual scouting or…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division)
Household food waste creates a major economic and environmental burden, with typical U.S. families discarding 15–25% of purchased food (about $3,000 annually) and food waste contributing rou…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division)
Liquids are ubiquitous in industrial and chemical applications. They are typically composed of geometrically rough colloidal particles that exhibit complex dynamical behavior arising from mi…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Junior Division)
ABSTRACT Purpose: Telescopes, instruments that allow us to observe what is unseen to the naked eye, can be expensive and made from non-recycled materials. Using recycled materials, I constru…
CSEF · 2026
Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division)
Children dying from vehicular heatstroke is one of the leading causes of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for those ages 14 and younger. On average, about 39 children and hundreds of pets d…
CSEF · 2026
Physics & Astronomy (Junior Division)
The purpose of this experiment was to determine which hockey stick flex is most effective for improving shooting accuracy and speed in junior high hockey players. This investigation was cond…