Physics and Astronomy science fair projects from 2025

A Comprehensive Machine Learning Paradigm for Space Debris Surveillance: An Integrated Triple Model Framework for Identification, Orbital Prediction, and Collision Risk Evaluation

Physics and Astronomy Fourth Award

The growth of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) risks the current operation of satellites and spacecrafts. The Kessler Syndrome, in which debris is projected to grow at an exponential ra…

Acoustic Focusing With Gases

Physics and Astronomy

Sound waves are all around us, but we never think about how they can be controlled or focused like light can be. My project explores if sound waves can be bent or concentrated using gases wi…

Analytically Modeling the Gravitational Radiation Generated From a Quasistar System

Physics and Astronomy

The mechanics behind the evolution of supermassive black holes have eluded researchers for decades. Quasistars, consisting of a black hole embedded inside a massive star-like envelope, are o…

Analyzing Captured Spectroscopic Data From Altair, Vega, and Mirach: Implications for Stellar Classifications and Characteristics

Physics and Astronomy

Stellar spectroscopy is vital in astronomy, enabling star classification, chemical analysis, and more. The Harvard Classification System, classifies stars into temperature (O, B, A, F, G, K,…

Analyzing the Effectiveness of Various Rocket Nose Cone Shapes in Reducing the Effect of Aerodynamic Drag Experienced During Flight

Physics and Astronomy

One of the main problems with spaceflight is the high costs associated with it. For example, the Space Shuttle cost $65,000 per kilogram of payload delivered to Low Earth Orbit. Drag is a fa…

An Experimental Refutation Against the Retrocausality Interpretation of the DCQE

Physics and Astronomy

?We demonstrate that the delayed choice quantum eraser (DCQE) exhibits no retrocausality. While the lack of necessity for retrocausality in interpreting the DCQE has been previously proposed…

A Novel Analysis of the Redshift Dependence of the Masses of the Supermassive Black Holes of a Sample of Quasars

Physics and Astronomy

A type of active galactic nucleus is the quasar, or quasi-stellar radio source. Quasars are integral to understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies. This research was conducted by…

A Novel Hadronization Model for Charm-Quark

Physics and Astronomy (inferred)

The study of hadronization, the process of quarks combined into hadrons, is pivotal for understanding the universe's formation, yet current theories inadequately explain this process. This s…

A Novel Low-Cost Zero Mean-Flow Chamber Design and Physics-Informed Neural Network for Astrophysical and Environmental Turbulence Applications

Physics and Astronomy First Award

Turbulence is a natural phenomenon that serves as an underlying principle for many other fields, ranging from astrophysical studies of star formation to climate change modeling. Due to its c…

Arduino-based Smart Home Automation: Enhancing Security, Energy Efficiency, and Weather Response,

Electronics & Electromagnetics First Award

ASTEKS: The First End-to-End Auto-Detection Survey for Single-Transit Exoplanets in Known Systems

Physics and Astronomy Fourth Award

A transit occurs when an exoplanet blocks the light from its host star to cause a unique dimming. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is an all-sky scanning space telescope that…

A Wearable Low-Cost 10.5 GHz Radar-Based Early Warning System for Pedestrians

Electronics & Electromagnetics First Award

Axion Detection via CNNs: A Computational Approach to Unveiling Dark Matter

Physics and Astronomy

The ADMX experiment utilizes a microwave haloscope to directly detect axions, a theoretical particle that is the proposed solution for the Strong CP problem and a strong candidate for dark m…

Bubble Curtains: Exploring How Bubble Density and Water Temperature Affect Underwater Sound Propagation

Physics and Astronomy

Bubble curtains have a wide range of important applications, ranging from underwater gear protection to sound pollution reduction and oil spill control, and increasing numbers of offshore pr…

Confirmation and Characterization of the Exoplanet Candidate TOI-5770.01 Using Ground-Based Observations

Physics and Astronomy

A planet is an object that moves through space in a fixed path, orbiting a star or remnants of a star. An exoplanet is a planet outside our solar system. The TESS space telescope has identif…

Constraining the Neutron Star Equation of State Using Observational Data

Physics and Astronomy

Neutron stars are remnants of the cores of massive stars after they undergo supernovae at the end of their lives. They were theoretically predicted in the 1930s and first observed in the 196…

Deformation of Water Bells When Breaking the Membrane

Physics and Astronomy Fourth Award

When a vertically downward water jet strikes a horizontally placed disk, it forms a unique axisymmetric water film called a “water bell.” This water bell can undergo a dramatic and irreversi…

Demonstrating the Effects of Decoherence on Quantum Computers

Physics and Astronomy

My project aimed to investigate the effect circuit complexity has on levels of decoherence in quantum computing algorithms. I also wanted to demonstrate that higher degrees of entanglement i…

Depolarized Dynamic Light Scattering Study of Polymer Grafting on Gold Nanorods

Physics and Astronomy

Polymer-grafted gold nanorods are a subcategory of particle grafted nanoparticles which consist of a gold nanorod (AuNR) core and polymer canopy. They are particularly useful in sensing tech…

Design of an Active Magnetic Field Stabilization System for Quantum Gas Experiments

Physics and Astronomy (inferred)

Bose-Einstein Condensates (BECs) are a novel state of matter that exhibit unique characteristics where groups of atoms behave as a macroscopic wavefunction. BECs can be highly sensitive to m…

Determining the Classification of SN 2022rze Through Spectral Analysis

Physics and Astronomy

This project aims to understand the nature of SN 2022rze. The event was first classified as a Supernova (SN) based on similarities of its spectral characteristics relating to known and ident…

Development and Calibration of a Portable Muon Telescope for Balloon-Borne Atmospheric Muon Flux Studies

Physics and Astronomy Third Award

Cosmic ray muons, produced by interactions between high-energy cosmic rays and the Earth's atmosphere, are widely used in muon tomography, an emerging technique for imaging dense structures…

Development and Demonstration of a Low-Cost, Strip-PET Scanner Prototype

Physics and Astronomy

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allows physicians to visualize metabolism in various organs and is widely used in cancer and neurological imaging. The radioactive tracer, usually Fluorode…

Development of a Deep Learning-Based Grad-Shafranov Equation Solver and Verification Using Explainable Artificial Intelligence

Physics and Astronomy

Nuclear fusion energy is emerging as a next-generation energy source. As a clean form of energy, it holds the potential to solve energy-related problems. However, maintaining plasma equilibr…

Development of a Snow Matrix for Indirect Wildlife Assessment

Physics and Astronomy

The purpose of this project was to use information from animal tracks and knowledge of snow types to conduct indirect wildlife assessments in the field. I had hypothesized that changing snow…

Discovering Primordial Cosmic Protostructures With a Novel Multi-Scale Infrared Background Inverse Tomographer (IBIT)

Physics and Astronomy

Recent observations have revealed unexpected galaxy populations at cosmic noon and “ultra-large-scale structures” in the local universe that challenge standard mass assembly models. To inves…

Discovery of the First Double Exocomet Using an Automated Deep Learning Convolutional Neural Network

Physics and Astronomy Third Award

The formation of planetary orbits and star systems remains one of the greatest mysteries in astronomy. Exocomets, with their unique geological and molecular compositions, may hold the key to…

Distributional Differences in Iron Equivalent Widths Among Supernova Progenitor Candidate Stars and Stable Spectral Mirrors

Physics and Astronomy

Galactic formation is not fully understood, and supernovae are essential in current models; however, despite significant advances in understanding, there remains limited precision and effici…

Effect of the Intermediate and Magnetic Field on the Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanche (RREA) and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs)

Physics and Astronomy

In this project, we studied how water content and the magnetic field affect the Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanche (RREA) and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) using a simulation too…

Efficiently Tracking Quantum Entanglement: The Machine Learning Edge in Non-Markovian Open Dissipative Systems

Physics and Astronomy

Quantum open systems account for unavoidable interactions with environmental noise such as energy dissipation crucial for modeling realistic quantum dynamics. Additionally, colored noise in…