CSEF · 2011
Redwood Rings and Rain
Plant Biology
Objectives/Goals The objective of this study was to find whether older or younger redwood trees are more affected by temperature and precipitation. I believe younger trees will be more affec…
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 9331–9360
CSEF · 2011
Reflect the Heat
Materials Science (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals My hypothesis is that a radiant barrier will work more efficiently with a larger air space between it and the heat source. Methods/Materials I made an apparatus (a 12"x12"x2…
CSEF · 2011
Refraction and Salinity
Physics & Astronomy
Objectives/Goals My project is asking what the effect of the addition of salt is on the angle of refraction through water. Before I began my experiment, I hypothesized that if the concentrat…
CSEF · 2011
Refraction in Saltwater
Physics & Astronomy
Objectives/Goals My hypothesis is that if I increase the salt concentration by 2.5% or add 5 grams the refracted ray will increase by 2 degrees. Methods/Materials First, I took a container o…
CSEF · 2011
Refraction of Light: Using Refraction of Light to Study Diffusion in Liquids
Physics & Astronomy Third Award
Objectives/Goals to test the hypotheses: refraction of light strongly depends on liquid properties, the nature of the solution; refraction of light is larger for solutions with higher densit…
CSEF · 2011
Regulation of Fibronectin Expression by EGR1 in Prostate Cancer Cells
Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology
Objectives/Goals Being the second highest cause of cancer related death among men in the United States of America, prostate cancer urgently requires new approaches to be diagnosed and furthe…
CSEF · 2011
Rememba' Mpemba! The Mpemba Effect
Physics & Astronomy Second Award
Objectives/Goals My Hypothesis- If hot and cold water are placed in the freezer at the same time, under the same identical conditions, except temperature, then the hot water will freeze soli…
CSEF · 2011
Removing Nitrates from Water using Redox Reactions
Environmental Science
Objectives/Goals The purpose of our investigation was to remove nitrate ions from water. Nitrate ions are common pollutants found in water bodies and wastewater due to the use of inorganic f…
CSEF · 2011
Repeated Use of Antimicrobial Mouth Rinses: Risk of Resistance Development
Microbiology (General) Second Award
Objectives/Goals My hypothesis is that oral bacteria will develop resistance to mouthrinses with repeated use, with maximum resistance buildup in mouthrinses containing chlorohexidine. This…
CSEF · 2011
Right, Left, or "Ampawdextrous"? Brain Laterality in Dogs
Mammalian Biology
Objectives/Goals My objective was to see if dogs were right handed, left handed, or ambidextrous and expressed handedness at the 90% right handed incidence of humans. Methods/Materials 21 do…
CSEF · 2011
Ri-i-i-i-i-i-ip! Which Paper Towels Are the Strongest and Most Absorbent?
Product Science (Physical) (Junior Division Only) First Award
Objectives/Goals The objective was to determine which paper towel brands are strongest, and which are most absorbent. Does one-ply or two-ply matter? Is name brand better than store brand? D…
CSEF · 2011
Role of Septins in the Uptake of the Fungus Candida albicans by Host Cells
Microbiology (General)
Objectives/Goals The fungus Candida albicans normally grows as a harmless commensal on the skin and mucous membranes. In hospitalized patients, C. albicans causes a severe bloodbourne infect…
CSEF · 2011
Rooftop Gardens: Cool Idea?
Environmental Science
Objectives/Goals My objective was to find the function of rooftop gardens, if they are insulators or coolers, and how they insulate and/or cool the internal temperature of a structure. Metho…
CSEF · 2011
Round Two Algae Attack
Plant Biology
Objectives/Goals The objective was to determine if Iron or Nitrogen Fixing Bacterium will cause the most growth of algae in slough, river, or ocean water. Methods/Materials I collected three…
CSEF · 2011
Saccharification of Cellulose to Produce Ethanol, a Sustainable Liquid Fuel, Year Two: Next Gen. Enzymes & Pretreatment
Chemistry Second Award
Objectives/Goals Cellulose is one of the main components of the paper waste stream. Ethanol can be used as a fuel. Last year I developed a pretreatment process using pressure cooking and mic…
CSEF · 2011
Safe in a Quake
Applied Mechanics & Structures
Objectives/Goals This project tests what height and type of base is best for a building in an earthquake prone area. This project is important for the safety of people who live near a fault.…
CSEF · 2011
Safety or Savings? Washout Designs on an Airplane Wing Considering Induced Drag
Applied Mechanics & Structures
Objectives/Goals The purpose of this project was to discover whether there was an optimum amount of washout that could be incorporated in an airplane wing, in which the stability and safety…
CSEF · 2011
Salt vs. Bacteria: The Effects of Salt Concentrations on Bacteria in Santa Ana River Water
Microbiology (General)
Objectives/Goals The purpose of this project is to see if the salinity level of Santa Ana River water samples has an effect on bacterial growth, particularly to see if a lower salinity level…
CSEF · 2011
Saltwater Desalination: Creating More Freshwater
Environmental Engineering (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals My project was to determine at which heat level I could collect the most freshwater by desalinating saltwater with a homemade model. Methods/Materials Saltwater similar to s…
CSEF · 2011
Sandy Beaches: Pleasure or Pollutant? Year 4, An Analysis of Kelp as a Possible Source of Beach Sand Contamination
Environmental Science
Objectives/Goals We tested as a continuation of the previous 4 years to see if decaying kelp at the high tide line could be a source of sand contamination causing many California beaches to…
CSEF · 2011
Santa Monica Beach Pollution: High School Designed and Implemented Water Quality Monitoring Program
Environmental Science
Objectives/Goals Our objective was to test the water quality in terms of the number of colony forming units(cfu) of Enterococcus bacteria per 100 milliliters of seawater at three different s…
CSEF · 2011
Saturday Night Shake Down: Earthquakes and Soil Stability
Earth & Planetary Sciences Fourth Award
Objectives/Goals The objective of my project was to find what soil (cat litter, dirt, sand) protected Lego towers the best against earthquakes on a shake table with varying voltage, building…
CSEF · 2011
Saving Citrus Trees: Detecting Bacteria Associated with Citrus Greening Disease in Asian Citrus Psyllids
Microbiology (General) Fourth Award
Objectives/Goals Citrus greening disease (or huanglongbing, HLB) was introduced in the Western hemisphere in 2004, has already destroyed about a third of the industries in both Florida and B…
CSEF · 2011
Scents and Celsius
Chemistry
Objectives/Goals This project asked, "Is it possible to synthesize scents? If so, then are these scents affected by temperature?" The author hypothesized that when the artificial scent is pl…
CSEF · 2011
Scents and Sensibility: Do Classroom Scents Improve Academic Performance?
Behavioral & Social Sciences
Objectives/Goals The objective of this study was to determine whether placing scents (citrus, rosemary, or sandalwood) in classrooms could improve student performance on mathematical (left-b…
CSEF · 2011
Science of Soccer: Optimize Your Kicking Range
Applied Mechanics & Structures
Objectives/Goals My experiment was trying to test which contact position on a soccer ball will produce the maximum distance traveled. I will be helping all soccer players with the informatio…
CSEF · 2011
Screening for Genes Involved in Floral Determinacy
Plant Biology Honorable_mention Award
Objectives/Goals Angiosperms have obtained tightly regulated floral determinacy to ensure proper floral organ development. Within the floral meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana, two genes, AGAM…
CSEF · 2011
Scrubbing the Air: Reducing CO(2) Levels with Fragaria, Galvezia, Heteromeles, and Salvia
Plant Biology
Objectives/Goals The objective is to test how the photosynthetic rate of four plants, fragaria, galvezia, heteromeles and salvia respond to increases in atmospheric CO2 levels. My hypothesis…
CSEF · 2011
"Sea-ing" Solar: Floating Photovoltaic Electrical Generation System
Alternative Energy (Junior Division Only)
Objectives/Goals Is it possible to build an offshore floating barge that supports a series of photovoltaic panels which generate electricity that is carried back to land through insulated wi…
CSEF · 2011
Secret to Stealth
Applied Mechanics & Structures
Objectives/Goals When one sees the B2 bomber,or the F-117,they might notice the abnormal shape of these aircrafts. One might also notice that they are always black or dark colored. Do these…