Browse real student projects, abstracts, and awards.
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
The recent emergence of research surrounding the superconducting diode effect (SDE) has led to greater understanding of the theory underpinning the mechanism. Previous works have found that…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Molecular-level devices are a promising candidate that can lead to the next generation of novel electronics with high sensitivity and better performance. Magnetic molecules with transition m…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
The Standard Model of Particle Physics (SM) describes physicists’ best understanding of the fundamental makeup of the universe, yet neutrinos, part of the SM, exhibit unaccounted oscillation…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Population III (PIII) is a category of short-lived stars of near-zero metal content and high mass/luminosity. Theorized to have formed in the universe’s infancy following a period where matt…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Gravitational lenses are rare but significant phenomena in astronomy, where a foreground galaxy magnifies and distorts the light of a distant galaxy. Each lens enables the study of dark matt…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy First Award
The longstanding question of how ultra-short-period (USP) planets form and survive so close to their host stars signifies a gap in our understanding of planetary formation. With only 127 USP…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
We decided to do this research because we wanted to see how we could use the measured period and an apparent magnitude of variable Cepheid stars to measure their distance from Earth and thus…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
In our quest of whether there is life outside of our solar system, the focus has been on finding planets known as Super-Earths with Earth-like qualities suitable for life, but large enough f…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Photometry is an area of astronomy that involves measuring the magnitude of stars and other celestial objects. Traditional photometry observations require thousands of dollars of equipment a…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
On the moon, rovers and humans disturb the surrounding lunar dust by moving, creating plumes of dust. When two objects collide, they may become tribocharged and carry a level of voltage due…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy Third Award
In a region close to Jupiter and Saturn's poles, massive cyclones reorganize themselves to create a polygonal pattern. We hypothesized that the formation of the polygonal pattern from the cy…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
The concept of causality allows physicists to study the universe under the lens of cause-and-effect relations, to achieve a deeper understanding of the connections between events. More forma…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
There is a rising popularity and interest in domestic aerial delivery as well as the idea of space capsules that rely on propellors. Therefore, the autorotation of maple samara seeds can be…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy Fourth Award
Despite their discovery now dating over 50 years ago, and the great deal of observations we have collected in that time, there is still little we understand about the causes of a pulsar’s gr…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Trans Neptunian Objects (TNOs) are objects at least 30 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun. The distance and primitivity of TNOs allow them to preserve data from the infant solar syste…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Superconducting thin film strips displaying a polarity-dependent critical current, superconducting diode rectification behavior, can be controlled via a small magnetic field. This could serv…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
The ever-present search for extraterrestrial life on exoplanets requires a comprehensive understanding of their atmospheric properties. However, research in this area is sparse, leaving the…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy Second Award
Interesting motion arises when a ring-like object (e.g., washer) is rotated on a vertical, smooth rod. Intuitively, the ring will simply slide down the rod once its weight overcomes friction…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy Second Award
Ants can climb smooth walls such as glass even if the wall is vertical or overhanging. It is well known that geckos use van der Waals forces between the foot and the wall to adhere to walls.…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
With the Beijing Winter Olympics, curling has become one of the big hits. Through research, professional curlers will brush ice at 40 ° - 60 °, because the curling brush is a universal head,…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a common technique to scan brains for strokes, tumors, and other abnormalities that cause forms of dementia. However, correctly diagnosing forms of dement…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Schlieren imaging is used to show gradients in the temperature and density of air, water, and other materials. It does so by sending light through the test area and filtering out the light t…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy Fourth Award
Increasing demand for housing and the production of sustainable energy causes the construction of unstable structures, such as tall buildings and wind turbines. To ensure that oscillations c…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
This experiment investigated the characteristics of the decoherence of qubits in quantum computers and the effects of decoherence on the superimposed state of the qubit. Four different tests…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
The M-Sigma relation is a well-known empirical correlation discovered between black holes and their host galaxies relating the mass of a black hole to its surrounding bulge. The conventional…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Hot Neptunes are extrasolar planets that are similar in size to Neptune in our solar system but are much closer to their host stars, completing an orbit in 10 days or less. The origin of hot…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
The question of whether or not plants exploit quantum coherent effects in order to transport energy through their photosynthetic antenna is currently very controversial in the biophysics com…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy
Rubber bands have many uses in everyday life, but if you hang two metal balls on a twisted rubber band, a surprising physical effect is observed: The balls rotate alternately in both directi…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy Fourth Award
Since the 1930s, dark matter (DM) has accounted for a host of astronomical observations that cannot be explained using the standard physics model, such as the discrepancy in rotation curves…
ISEF · 2023
Physics and Astronomy Fourth Award
Observations and theoretical simulations suggest that the large scale environment plays a significant role in how galaxies form and evolve and, in particular, whether and when galaxies host…