CSEF · 2012
Laser Induced Fluorescence
Physics & Astronomy
Objectives/Goals to find the wavelength that chromium 3+, alumina, and neodymium fluoresce at in different concentrations in pure glass. Also to find the cause of the green glow observed in…
CSEF projects, 2002–2026
Every California Science & Engineering Fair project Fairfolio holds: 17,387 entries across 24 years, with the abstract, category and awards the fair published for each one.
CSEF coverage: available historical abstracts for 2002–2019; award-listed projects only for 2021–2025, without abstracts and with explicit labels where titles were not published, except that most 2023 winners carry the abstract from CSEF's archived public showcase; public showcase abstracts for 2026. The 2020 fair was canceled.
Years
- 2026 725 projects
- 2025 232 projects
- 2024 272 projects
- 2023 241 projects
- 2022 268 projects
- 2021 246 projects
- 2019 801 projects
- 2018 795 projects
- 2017 814 projects
- 2016 845 projects
- 2015 859 projects
- 2014 911 projects
- 2013 891 projects
- 2012 879 projects
- 2011 881 projects
- 2010 870 projects
- 2009 870 projects
- 2008 863 projects
- 2007 864 projects
- 2006 865 projects
- 2005 855 projects
- 2004 837 projects
- 2003 848 projects
- 2002 855 projects
Category breakdown
- Chemistry 979
- Physics & Astronomy 967
- Plant Biology 953
- Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology 896
- Applied Mechanics & Structures 786
- Zoology 739
- Mammalian Biology 728
- Electronics & Electromagnetics 712
- Behavioral & Social Sciences 711
- Pharmacology/ Toxicology 669
- Mathematics & Software 640
- Environmental Engineering 605
- Microbiology 573
- Materials Science (Junior Division Only) 541
- Microbiology (General) 393
- Environmental Science 361
- Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics (Junior Division Only) 360
- Cognitive Science (Junior Division Only) 358
- Product Science (Physical) (Junior Division Only) 343
- Behavioral Sciences 318
- Product Science (Biological) (Junior Division Only) 282
- Environmental Science (Junior Division Only) 279
- Applied Mechanics/ Structures & Mechanisms/ Manufacturing 258
- Electricity & Electronics 232
- Alternative Energy (Junior Division Only) 221
- Toxicology 211
- Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics 208
- Earth Sciences/ Planetary Sciences/ Physical Environments 194
- Environmental Engineering (Junior Division Only) 175
- Earth & Planetary Sciences 161
- Mathematical Sciences 138
- Computational Systems & Analysis 129
- Microbiology (Medical) (Junior Division Only) 126
- Social Sciences (Junior Division Only) 108
- Structural Capability & Strength of Materials (Junior Division Only) 90
- Energy & Power (Junior Division Only) 82
- Earth & Environment (Senior Division Only) 75
- Earth & Environmental Sciences 71
- Human Biology (Junior Division Only) 54
- Mathematics & Computer Science 54
- Product Science (Junior Division Only) 50
- Pharmacology (Senior Division Only) 48
- Earth & Atmospheric Sciences (Junior Division Only) 47
- Toxicology (Junior Division Only) 44
- Computational Science (Senior Division) 40
- Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology (Senior Division) 36
- Behavioral & Social Sciences (Senior Division) 34
- Computational Systems & Analysis (Senior Division Only) 33
- Medicine & Physiology (Senior Division) 33
- Medicine & Physiology (Track 2) (Senior Division) 33
- Applied Mechanics (Junior Division) 32
- Applied Mechanics (Senior Division) 29
- Earth & Environment: Air/ Water 29
- Earth Science (Junior Division Only) 28
- Materials Science 28
- Cognitive Science 27
- Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division) 26
- Product Science 26
- Environmental Engineering (Senior Division) 24
- Medicine & Physiology (Junior Division) 24
- Environmental Engineering (Junior Division) 23
- Environmental Engineering (Track 2) (Senior Division) 23
- Physics & Astronomy (Senior Division) 22
- Earth & Environmental Sciences(Senior Division) 21
- Earth & Environment: Soil/ Pollution 21
- Environmental Engineering (Track 2) (Junior Division) 21
- Behavioral & Social Sciences (Junior Division) 20
- Chemistry (Senior Division) 20
- Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division) 20
- Alternative Energy 19
- Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division) 19
- Plant Biology (Junior Division) 19
- Electronics & Electromagnetics (Senior Division) 18
- Product Science (Junior Division) 18
- Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology (Junior Division) 17
- Chemistry (Junior Division) 17
- Plant Biology (Senior Division) 17
- Zoology (Senior Division) 17
- Zoology (Junior Division) 16
- Environmental Engineering #2 15
- Microbiology (Junior Division) 15
- Applied Mechanics Structures 14
- Physics & Astronomy (Junior Division) 14
- Applied Mechanics 13
- Computational Systems: Medical 13
- Environmental Engineering #1 13
- Environmental Engineering: Pollution 13
- Alternative Energy (Junior Division) 12
- Cognitive Science (Junior Division) 12
- Mammalian Biology (Senior Division Only) 12
- Materials Science (Junior Division) 11
- Mathematical Sciences (Junior Division) 11
- Microbiology (Senior Division) 11
- Computational Systems & Analysis #1 9
- Mathematical Sciences (Senior Division) 9
- Animal Biology 7
- Computational Systems (Medical) 7
- Earth & Environment (Air/Water) 7
- Computational Systems & Analysis #2 6
- Computational Systems: Medical #2 6
- Earth & Environment (Soil/Pollution) 6
- Product Science (Physical) 6
- Computational Systems: Medical #1 5
- Product Science (Biological) 5
- Microbiology (Medical) 4
- Earth & Environmental Sciences (Senior Division) 1
- Mammalian Biology (Senior Division) 1
Counts cover every year of this fair and use its own category labels, exactly as the source published them. Each one links to that category's CSEF projects.
Projects
17387 projects · showing 8311–8340
CSEF · 2012
Lead in Makeup
Product Science (Physical) (Junior Division Only) First Award
Objectives/Goals My project was to test the amount of lead in different brands and types of makeup. I thought that color would affect the amount of lead in makeup. The darker the color, the…
CSEF · 2012
Leaf Chromatography
Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology
Objectives/Goals With this experiment, we wanted to find the effects of temperature on pigmentation. To obtain adequate results and ultimately conduct the most conclusive chromatography test…
CSEF · 2012
Learning to Walk: Building and Programming a Virtual Robot
Mathematics & Software
Objectives/Goals My objectives are to: 1) create a virtual bipedal robot consisting of two manipulators and a two-jointed connecting bar. 2) write a control program to investigate the viabil…
CSEF · 2012
Lemon-Aid
Microbiology (Medical) (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals The objective is to find a solution to the large amounts of bacteria found in reused water bottles by determining if 4 millimeters of lemon juice will significantly inhibit…
CSEF · 2012
Lessons in Speed Learned in My Soap Box Derby Car
Applied Mechanics & Structures
Objectives/Goals This experiment was conducted to test the effect that weight distribution and driver height have on the speed of a Super Stock soap box derby car. The hypotheses being teste…
CSEF · 2012
Let It Snow!
Earth & Planetary Sciences
Objectives/Goals Our project is about how global warming is affecting snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in past 80 years. Methods/Materials We did our project in 3 parts Part 1 Records…
CSEF · 2012
Let's Get Drastic with Plastic... Again! Year II
Environmental Science
Objectives/Goals For last year's experiment, after I visited a landfill to explore ideas that I could address through an experiment. I was told that if I found a way to help get rid of the p…
CSEF · 2012
Let's Test the Test!
Cognitive Science (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals The objective of this project is to determine if a testing style, in this case verbal versus written, shows a better result in scores for math, spelling, history, and/or sci…
CSEF · 2012
Lift Off: Testing Airfoils
Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals What is the most important factor for a wing to make lift,the thickness of the airfoil or where the thickest point is located? I ran two trials in a wind tunnel measuring th…
CSEF · 2012
Light Bulbs and Fog
Product Science (Physical) (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals Which light bulb shines the brightest though fog? Methods/Materials 3 Different light bulbs. Multiple Crystal Geyser water bottles Multiple milk bottles Crystal bowl 3-way l…
CSEF · 2012
Liquefaction: Soils in Motion. How Structures Respond to an Earthquake
Earth & Planetary Sciences
Objectives/Goals My objective was to understand liquefaction, the process that causes the soil to collapse and liquefy during an earthquake, and see which soils were more susceptible to this…
CSEF · 2012
Loads On Roads: Loading for Safety and Efficiency on Roads
Applied Mechanics & Structures
Objectives/Goals My objective was to investigate the load placement of our vehicles, so as to ensure safety and efficiency in driving up and down, over bumps and dips on roads. This project…
CSEF · 2012
Long Lasting or Marketing Scam?
Product Science (Physical) (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals My objective was to find out which brand of drugstore makeup created the most waterproof mascaras. Methods/Materials Forty total false eyelashes were hot glued to forty tota…
CSEF · 2012
Long Live Wind Energy
Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals The purpose of our study was to see how the shape of the wind mill rotor blade affected the power output of the blade. Our hypothesis was that aerodynamic blade would give t…
CSEF · 2012
Look Who's Coming to Dinner!
Microbiology (General)
Objectives/Goals One way that diseases can be spread is through unsanitary tables at restaurnats. My project was to see how well local restaurants cleaned there tables and if they could be p…
CSEF · 2012
Low-Cost Autonomous Civilian Unmanned Aerial Systems
Mathematics & Software
Objectives/Goals Unmanned Aerial Systems pose a wide variety of civilian applications. However, the majority of current systems were developed for military applications and are expensive to…
CSEF · 2012
Lying Is Hard Work!
Cognitive Science (Junior Division Only) Honorable_mention Award
Objectives/Goals The purpose of my experiment was to answer the question: can you predict whether a person is lying or not, based on how fast she answers 10 questions while performing a simp…
CSEF · 2012
Machine Learning Algorithms for Cancer Diagnosis
Mathematics & Software
Objectives/Goals Machine learning algorithms can be used for cancer diagnosis, but which are best? This project compares four algorithms: Decision Tree, Majority, Nearest Neighbors, and Best…
CSEF · 2012
Maglev Madness
Electronics & Electromagnetics
Objectives/Goals The author wanted to find how much load a magnet can hold and where in the magnetic field it is the most powerful. The author hypothesized that the magnets will drop at a st…
CSEF · 2012
Magnetic Body Armor
Applied Mechanics & Structures First Award
Objectives/Goals The purpose of this project is to see if treating Kevlar fabric with magnetorheological (MR) fluid, improves protection compared to untreated Kevlar used in body armor. Meth…
CSEF · 2012
Magnetic Propulsion: Does Coil Size Make a Difference?
Electronics & Electromagnetics
Objectives/Goals The purpose of my experiment is to see if different size coils have an effect on the velocity of a given projectile with a controlled voltage. I believe the same voltage sen…
CSEF · 2012
Making a Point: The Effects of Weight on the Velocity of an Arrow
Applied Mechanics & Structures
Objectives/Goals Every year people travel into the backcountry of the United States with guns, bows, and snares to hunt wild animals. In the context of bows and arrows, there is a problem in…
CSEF · 2012
Making Healthy Choices: The Impact of Different Foods on Blood Glucose Based on the Glycemic Index
Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology
Objectives/Goals The objective was to determine if foods of different glycemic values differentially affect the blood glucose levels of non-diabetic participants. I predict there will be a d…
CSEF · 2012
Making Waves: How Water Depth Affects Tsunami Wave Speed
Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals The objective of my experiment was to see firsthand how water depth affects a tsunami wave's speed. I predicted that the shallower the water, the slower the wave would trave…
CSEF · 2012
Man-made Catalysts for Carbon Dioxide Capture
Chemistry
Objectives/Goals In a world where green house gases are creating global warming, finding a way to capture carbon dioxide is essential. The goal of my investigation was to test a catalytic so…
CSEF · 2012
Map It Out: Pursuit of the Desert Tortoise
Environmental Science
Objectives/Goals If aerial photos can be used to identify potential habitats of Desert Tortoises in a known location, then the habitats of Desert Tortoises in an unknown location can be iden…
CSEF · 2012
Marble Viscosity Race
Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals The objective is to determine the viscosity of common liquids, honey, ocean water, and vegetable oil, by measuring the time it takes the marble to travel through the liquids…
CSEF · 2012
Marketing and Color
Behavioral & Social Sciences
Objectives/Goals The objective of this project was to determine if the marketing color would promote healthier eating. Methods/Materials I tested six, first grade classes by giving each clas…
CSEF · 2012
Marvelous Magnetics: Do Opposites Always Attract?
Physics & Astronomy
Objectives/Goals The objective of this experiment was to determine how graphite, paper, plastic, aluminum foil, or no material would affect levitation using diamagnetism. My hypothesis state…