ISEF projects, 2014–2026

A Wing of the Future, Part II

Fourth Award

Aerodynamic drag, either parasitic or induced, limits efficiency of aircraft, increasing fuel consumption or reducing performance. Data shows that in 2010 American commercial aviation consum…

A Wireless Smartphone-Based System for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Illnesses

The prevalence of respiratory illnesses such as Asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) has been growing rapidly across the world. The spirometry equipment used in hospitals…

Azoreductase Activity: Bioremediation for Treatment of Synthetic Diazo Dyes in Polluted Water

Azo dyes, which are characterized by one or more azo bonds, are a predominant class of colorants used in tattooing, cosmetics, foods, and consumer products. Synthetic dye pollution is a seri…

Bacterial Warfare

Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design

In this experiment, the chemicals bacteria emit were collected with a solid-phase microextraction fiber (SPME). These chemicals were then identified on the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectromet…

Bagasse-Based Activated Carbon as Effective Adsorbent for Heavy Metal Contamination from Industrial Activities (Case Study: Gold Mining Area in Mandor River, West Kalimantan)

Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design

Mandor River water as the main water source in West Kalimantan is not feasible to be used because it has been contaminated by Hg2+ (0.0095 ppm) from gold mining activities and Fe3+ (2.722 pp…

Balloon Bloat

The purpose of this experiment is to determine which decaying food produced the most landfill gas. The hypothesis of this experiment was that decaying dairy products produced more landfill g…

Banscil: The Carbon Lead and Casing Wrapping Making in Pencil from Wasted Banana Peels

Most pencils today are made from wood and carbon-lead which are obtained from graphite. The uses of wood by cutting off trees will affect the environment today. The project’s purpose is to m…

Battle of the Diesels: A Comparison of B-10 Diesel vs.B-100 Homemade Biodiesel for Efficiency and Exhaust Analysis

With a passion for renewable energy and motors, I made my own biodiesel from waste vegetable oil and compared it to conventional petroleum-based diesel. My hypothesis was that biodiesel woul…

Beef! Its What's for Dinner!

Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design

The purpose of this research was to determine if prior browning (cooking) of pork and beef meat cuts increased palatability as compared to browning post sous vide cooking methods. Trained pa…

Begonia nepalensis: An Effective Herbal Ointment against Enterobiasis

Fourth Award

Enterobiasis, the most common parasitic infection known, is caused by human pinworm, Enterobius vermicularis, which mainly infests infants and children. Eggs are present everywhere including…

Behind the Kernels II: A Reevaluation of Fungal Endophytes as Biocontrol Agents against the Common Maize Pathogen Ustilago maydis

The fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis is responsible for maize crop losses worldwide. It affects 2% of maize crops, causing a over $1 billion annual loss in the U. S. alone by producing tumor-…

Benzalkonium Chloride as an Ophthalmic Preservative: Examining Harmful Implications, Toxic Inhibition, and Potential Alternatives

Whether a simple eye-wash or an anti-glaucoma solution, ophthalmic medications have employed benzalkonium chloride (BAK) as a preservative since the 1950’s. Currently, BAK remains the most c…

Bioassay Determination of Environmentally Safe Levels of Atenolol, Carbamazepine, and Ibuprofen in Waterways

Second Award

Potential "newly emerging contaminants" in waterways are being evaluated. Unused or excreted pharmaceuticals may pose threats to aquatic organisms. This arouses concern since the EPA has not…

Bio-based Packaging from Lotus Cellulose

Third Award

Foam and plastic packaging's for food are known to cause health and environmental problems from traditional foam and plastic packaging's. Lotus leaves have been used in old time food packing…

Biocompatible Artificial Blood Vessels Fabricated from Thermoplastic Polyurethane Added with ZnO Nanoparticles Conjugated with Olive Seed and Chladophora prolifera Extracts with Bacterial Cellulose Exterior and Heparin Interior Coatings

Our study aimed at transforming thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) into artificial blood vessels to preserve and transmit the properties of extracts of antimicrobially active olive seed and Ch…

Biodegradable Air Filter and Ionizer Development

Fourth Award

Biking is a very popular activity in Beijing and, along with cars, serves as one of the primary modes of transportation. Our goal is to create a system that can be attached to a bike or a ca…

Biodegradable Plastic... Too Good to be True?

Plastic is one of the largest pollutants that threaten the environment. We conducted a simple experiment as an initial procedure, which aims to test how applicable our future solutions are t…

BioDissolve: The Natural Breakdown of Polystyrene Waste through the Application of Pseudomonas putida to Produce Usable Byproducts

First Award

Polystyrene was first commercially used in 1938 and is better known by the trademarked name ‘Styrofoam.’ Polystyrene is used in a wide range of products ranging from food beverage containers…

Bioethanol Production by Whey's Sugars Fermentation

Oil, natural gas and its by-products represent 55% of global energy consumption. Unfortunately they won’t last more than a few decades, their reserves are finite and their use is the main so…

Biohydrometallurgy

In many of the countries involved in extraction processes, most of the pollution problems are usually mining related. Normally, a huge amount of material is dug from the ground and then crus…

Biologically-Inspired Flying Sensor Platform for Autonomous Emergency Response

Second Award

Flying robots have tremendous potential for many applications, including search and rescue and emergency response. However, the capabilities of these robots are currently highly limited, and…

Biological Treatment of Maintaining Bio-Quality of Allium sativum by Storing with Garcinia quaesita

Storing garlic (Allium sativum) with garcinia (Garcinia quaesita) is a traditional practice continued for centuries in Sri Lanka to preserve garlic. Therefore, the science behind this tradit…

Biomass to Biofuel: Optimal Enzymes

This research and experiment will prove which enzyme will bring out the optimal production in switch grass ethanol production. Information will be calculated from an experiment where ethanol…

Biophysical Characterization of Arc: Insights into Learning and Memory

Neuroplasticity is thought to be critical for learning and memory storage. Such a process relies on changes in neural pathways and synapses. AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) on dendrit…

Biophysical Characterization of Hydrocarbon Transport Systems as a First Step in Marine Oil-Degradation by Hydrocarbonoclastic Bacteria

Fourth Award

Hydrocarbonoclastic (oil-eating) bacteria play an important role in the removal of petroleum hydrocarbons from polluted marine waters during oil spills. The bacterial biodegradation of hydro…

Bioremediation Potential of NanoGeopolymer Pervious Concrete

Nanogeopolymer pervious concrete was tested for remediation of fecal coliforms (FC)-containing water. First, mix design of liquid-to-binder (L/B), fly ash-to-binder (FA/B), nanoSiO2-to-binde…

Biosorption of Copper Ions by Schizophyllum Commune

Third Award

Heavy metal (HM) pollution has become a great issue over the last decades, because it endangers human’s health. Drinking water is one of the major routes, by which HM get into human’s body.…

Biosorption of Heavy Metals by E. coli

The release of heavy-metal-contaminated effluents into rivers, lakes, and oceans plays a large role in the degradation of aquatic environments. Organisms that take in these metals pass them…

Biosynthesis of Natural Products of German Camomile (Matricaria recutita) in Experimental Cultivation

The goal of this paper, is to determinate quantitative and qualitative characteristics of camomile essential oil isolated from six gatherings acquired during the experimental cultivation. Th…

Bio-technical Process for Increasing Oil Palm Productivity

There are approximately 352.94 million km2 of oil palm plantations around the world,16 million km2 of which is in Thailand. Most of the plantation is located in the Southern part of the coun…