Browse real student projects, abstracts, and awards.
ISEF · 2026
Biomedical and Health Sciences
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent fluorinated chemicals used in many consumer and industrial products that are prone to bioaccumulation due to strong C-F bonds…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Unexpected polymorphic transitions occur in over 50% of pharmaceutical drugs as they pack themselves into 2+ distinct lattice arrangements. These differing molecular structures destabilize t…
ISEF · 2026
Mathematics
What does a resistor network, the popular British game show Countdown, and a function from number theory have in common? These seemingly unrelated concepts share a fundamental, mathematical…
ISEF · 2026
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Mixed deciduous forests are biodiversity-rich ecosystems that support wildlife habitat and ecological balance. Their restoration has become an urgent environmental priority due to deforestat…
ISEF · 2026
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Parkinson's disease (PD) and Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) are two neurodegenerative disorders that are caused by the abnormal misfolding and aggregation of the same protein, a-synuclein. Despite…
ISEF · 2026
Mathematics
The purpose of this study is to investigate the maximum growth M(n) of Collatz orbits and to propose that its variability is structured rather than random. A total of 832,000 values were ana…
ISEF · 2026
Embedded Systems
Assistive technology continues to improve for the hearing impaired with the creation of smaller technology utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) models inside of hearing aids. However, even…
ISEF · 2026
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive and vascularized brain tumor with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Endocan (ESM1), a tumor-associated endothelial proteogl…
ISEF · 2026
Biochemistry
The tear-inducing chemical, or lachrymatory factor, syn-propanethial s-oxide, is released from onions when their cells are disrupted. The reaction creating this chemical is catalyzed by the…
ISEF · 2026
Chemistry
Concerns regarding the toxicity, cost, and sustainability of traditional transition-metal catalysts have driven growing interest in main-group alternatives. Bismuth complexes have emerged as…
ISEF · 2026
Environmental Engineering
An estimated 140 million people in at least 70 countries consume water with arsenic (As+3) levels above the guideline of 10 µg/L set by World Health Organization. Detrimental health effects…
ISEF · 2026
Translational Medical Science
Medulloblastoma is the most prevalent malignant brain tumor in children, and 75% of children that have it are under the age of ten. However, its current treatments are surgery, chemotherapy,…
ISEF · 2026
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Reliable characterization of cell states, which encompass a cell's function, environment, and structure, is fundamental to comprehending healthy cell function and transition into diseased st…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
The most common threat to agricultural settings is the infestation of insect pests, leading to the destruction of crops. Modern-day agricultural systems lack the intricate living systems tha…
ISEF · 2026
Translational Medical Science
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a deadly neurodegenerative disease caused by prion proteins (PrPSC), which trigger normal cellular proteins to misfold, resulting in aggregation and neuron…
ISEF · 2026
Engineering Technology: Statics & Dynamics
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…
ISEF · 2026
Embedded Systems
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…
ISEF · 2026
Physics and Astronomy
Cosmic acceleration is usually described by the transition redshift, which marks when the universe changed from slowing down to speeding up. This study examined whether the transition could…
ISEF · 2026
Chemistry
Controlled drug delivery systems can improve chemotherapy effectiveness while reducing side effects. This study investigated how pH and polymer coatings affect the release of doxorubicin fro…
ISEF · 2026
Software Design
Data centers experience increasing heat generation and energy consumption as artificial intelligence (AI) workloads expand. Traditional cooling systems operate reactively, activating only af…
ISEF · 2026
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Coral reefs are the world’s most vital marine ecosystems, producing 50% of the world’s oxygen and sustaining the livelihoods of 1 billion people globally. However, coral bleaching, a phenome…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
In 2024, corn losses due to weather and fire events exceeded $3.85 billion in the U.S. alone. Corn is critical for livestock feed, fuel, and trade, but yield variability causes supply instab…
ISEF · 2026
Translational Medical Science
Dry eye disease (DED) is increasingly understood as a disorder involving both ocular surface inflammation and corneal nerve damage. Although platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and cenegermin (Oxerva…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
The pulp and paper industry drives massive deforestation and CO2 emissions, while 1.3 billion tonnes of biopolymer-rich food waste are discarded annually, representing a vast, untapped resou…
ISEF · 2026
Biomedical Engineering
Inaccurate malaria diagnosis in remote areas drives drug resistance and fatal treatments. Rapid tests miss the critical P. knowlesi, while standard Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) microscopes are…
ISEF · 2026
Environmental Engineering
Traditional water pumps rely on expensive infrastructure and maintenance, substantial electrical power, specialized lifting equipment, with costs prohibitive for rural/remote communities. Th…
ISEF · 2026
Animal Sciences
The rice field crab, Sayamia bangkokensis , is a freshwater semi-terrestrial crab with growing commercial significance, especially in soft-shell crab production. These crabs must be harveste…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to accelerate global warming, contributing to plastic pollution, microplastics contamination, and food insecurity. This research investigates integrated car…
ISEF · 2026
Animal Sciences
Climate change threatens oyster populations around the world. Rising ocean temperatures lead to severe challenges. As such, there is a clear need for research into ways to protect endogenous…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Hypoxia is common in solid tumors, and Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Alpha (HIF-1a) plays a key role in adaptation to low-oxygen environments. This year’s research focused primarily on the intr…