ISEF projects, 2014–2026

Biowaste to Biosorbent

In Malaysia, 1.44 million tons of chicken was consumed in the year 2014 and chicken bones are the by-product of it. Therefore in this study, the feasibility of chicken bones to be used as a…

BitAV: Fast Anti-Malware by Distributed Blockchain Consensus and Feedforward Scanning

First Award

The prevalence of malicious computer viruses has exploded in recent years. Anti-malware software, the natural defensive corollary, has not innovated on the same level, leading to the need fo…

Blood Trauma Testing for a Total Artificial Heart

Total artificial hearts (TAHs) are 70cc in size but, in recent, a 50cc TAH has been developed. This smaller device could cause an increased percent of hemolysis due to greater pressure and t…

Blown Away: How Motor Speed Relates to Optimum Propeller Pitch

The correct propeller is essential to optimum brushless motor performance. Propeller pitch is the distance the propeller would move forward if turned one revolution. Higher pitched propeller…

BODIPY Based Fluorescent Molecular Rotors

Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design

Molecular rotors are compounds, which molecules include two or more fragments that can rotate to each other. As a result of the energy absorption molecules form excited states, which could t…

Bone Replacement Using 3D Printing

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if we could engineer a PLA filament 3D printed scaphoid bone that could be used as a bone replacement. We printed five bones at low, medium, a…

Boolean AlGenebra: A Nature-Inspired Framework for the Analysis of Cancer Genes

Euclidean distance metric based analysis, including regression and clustering, is good at detecting symmetrical relationships between variables, such as “if gene A was high, then gene B was…

Brace for It: The Effect of Q-angles on ACL Stress with Prototype and Development of Arduino Software to Create Smart Brace to Protect at Risk Patients

Biomedical Engineering

The idea behind this project was to first research how the Anterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL) tore. Then discover who is at risk for this injury and why. A Quadricep angle(Q-angle) is the degre…

Braille Cell & Keyboard Device

Fourth Award

For their education, the blind need to use convenient learning methods and strategies. Since they cannot learn as other individuals do, the Braille method was an outstanding and successful s…

Braille Keyboard Development on Android OS

Smartphones are gaining popularity with blind people who often use them for taking notes instead of using braille slates or braille keyboards. However, typing on smartphones still has limita…

Brain-Actuated Robotics: Controlling and Programming a Humanoid Using Electroencephalography

First Award

This project aims to develop a technology-based solution for enabling people with physical disabilities to perform motor tasks. In its initial stage, this was substantiated by the use of ele…

Brainwave Entrainment Coupled with Cognitive Training: Enhancing Mental Function

Biomedical and Health Sciences

This project is an analytical experiment on the effects of a coupled therapy involving mental exercise and brainwave therapy. Hypothesis: subjects will have improved scores on cognitive test…

Breathe Easy: Developing an Automated Ventilation Cycle System to Regulate CO2 Buildup in Vehicles

Breathe Easy explores the relatively unconsidered subject of CO2 build-up in vehicles, basing its rationale on ventilation studies in buildings and the accepted fact that heightened levels o…

Brightener? Cuticle!

Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design

Purpose Using cuticle of plants, we can make a natural brightener which can inhibit the fungus, good and excellent in waterproof and suppress the corrosion of the metal. Result Study 1: Glos…

Building an Engineered Beam: An Investigation in Design-it-Yourself Beam Performance

Engineered wood beams are advertised to be stronger and more durable than standard sawn lumber beams. However, the commercially available engineered wood beams are much more expensive than s…

Calculating Horizons with Perspective Projection

Building off the past few years of research in robotic search and rescue, this year, we write an algorithm that calculates the visible horizon and peaks of hills from any location and direct…

Calculation of Homotopy Groups of Finite Complexes Using Finite Space Approximation

In the middle of XIX century the concept of homotopy group of topological space was formulated. It became one of the most important concepts in homotopy topology and now it is fundamental ch…

Camelina as Appropriate Bioenergetic Crop for Sustainable Full Cycle Ecomanagement in Temperate Climate Areas

Development of full cycle carbon neutral renewable energy management strategies are important in the light of diminishing resources and strict emission control guidelines. Current research p…

Can Bacteria Effectively Reduce the Toxicity of Mine Drainage?

Fourth Award

Biogenic Mn(II) oxidation holds great potential to reduce the toxicity of soluble mine waste in the environment at low cost. Abandoned mine waste sites, such as those in Arizona, pose a risk…

Can Caspase 3 and Caspase 3/7 Inhibitors Improve the Quality and Longevity of Corneas Being Stored for Transplant?

Biomedical Engineering

Corneas are among the most frequently transplanted tissues in the United States, with some 46,000 surgeries performed annually. Unfortunately, they can typically be stored for only 7-10 days…

Cancer Targeting Activity of Salmonella Invasion Protein A (SipA)

Systems Software

Due to the fact that current conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, lack specificity, the development of new forms of therapy is essential to decreasing…

Can I See It If I Cannot Hear It? Real-Time Visualization of Incoming Sound for People with Hearing Disabilities or Ear Obstruction

According to World Health Organization, over 360 million people have disabling hearing loss, and it is expected to get worse with the younger generation due to exposure to loud music. The pu…

Can Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Differentiate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative Bacteria Species in Human Blood?

Systems Software

Bacterial infection of the human blood is a very common cause of illness and death. Rapid and accurate identification of the infectious agents is critical for proper antibiotic selection. Th…

Can the Design of Natural Aquifers Be Used to Filter Run-off on the Roads in Communities and Wetlands?

The purpose of this experiment was to test and to examine how the design of a natural aquifer can be effective in filtering run off from roads in order to make it less harmful to the ecosyst…

Capacity Limits of Working Memory: The Impact of Multitasking on Cognitive Control in Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants

Biomedical and Health Sciences

Media multitasking is increasingly prevalent in our society, especially among the young. Processing multiple streams of information simultaneously, however, is cognitively challenging, there…

Carbon Filtration: Turning Fossil Fueled Emissions into a Recyclable By Product

This project was designed to recycle the by-product produced when filtering the carbon output of exhaust of fossil fueled cars to decrease carbon footprint. Filtration occurred when carbon d…

Cardiac Strain and Left Ventricular Mass Quantification for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy using 4D Echocardiography

Biomedical Engineering

Background: Strain and Left ventricular mass (LVM) determination are essential for the evaluation of the progress and function of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Free of geometric assumpt…

Cardioprotective Effects of Quercetin in Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: The Role of Oxidized CaM Kinase II

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury during heart attack may result in significant heart damage, and new therapies are needed. The goal of this study was to determine if the flavonoid quercetin…

Car Stabilization System - Modelation of ESP

Third Award

Automobile industry has always been one of the most significant indicators of the current technological development. In recent years regular cars were equipped with electronic and computing…

Categorizing Point Sets with No Empty Pentagons

Motivated by a question proposed in combinatorial geometry, we attempt to categorize finite point sets that do not have a 5-hole (empty pentagon). We look at a finite set of points, P, and c…