Eligibility
Each International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) affiliated fair may send up to two Finalists and one team project to the ISEF. Any student in grades 9-12 or equivalent is eligible, none of whom has reached age 21 on or before May 1 preceding the ISEF.
Requirements
Every High School student must complete (1A) Research Plan and (1B) Approval Form.
Certain projects require additional forms. Experiments that involve human subjects, non-human vertebrate animals, pathogenic agents, controlled substances, recombinant DNA, or human/animal tissue require approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Scientific Review Committee (SRC) before experimentation begins (see Item #9, Form 1A).
Each student or team must submit a (maximum) 250-word, one-page abstract which summarizes this year's work. The abstract must describe research conducted by the student, not by adult supervisors (see Student Handbook).
Each student should display a project data book and a research paper (see Student Handbook).
All signed forms, certifications, and permits must be available for review at each fair a student enters. We recommend these be kept in a notebook or folder.
Any proposed changes in the research plan by the student after initial IRB/SRC approval must have subsequent IRB/SRC approval before experimentation begins/resumes.
Projects which are continuations of previous year's work and which require IRB/SRC approval must be reapproved prior to experimentation for the current year.
Limitations
Each student may enter only one project.
Team projects may have a maximum of three members (see below).
All exhibits must adhere to ISEF safety and size requirements.
Students may compete in only one ISEF affiliated fair, except when proceeding on to a state fair affiliated with the ISEF from an affiliated regional fair.
ISEF Category Descriptions
- Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Human and animal behavior, social and community relationships: psychology, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, ethology, ethnology, linguistics, learning, perception, urban problems, reading problems, public opinion surveys, educational testing, etc.
- Biochemistry
- Chemistry of life processes: molecular biology, molecular genetics, enzymes, photosynthesis, blood chemistry, protein chemistry, food chemistry, hormones, etc.
- Botany
- Study of plant life: agriculture, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant pathology, plant genetics, hydroponics, algae, etc.
- Chemistry
- Study of the nature and composition of matter and laws governing it: physical chemistry, organic chemistry (other than biochemistry), inorganic chemistry, materials, plastics, fuels, pesticides, metallurgy, soil chemistry, etc.
- Computer Science
- Study and development of computer software and hardware and associated logical devices.
- Earth and Space Sciences
- Geology, mineralogy, physiography, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, astronomy, geology, speleology, seismology, geography, etc.
- Engineering
- Technology; projects that directly apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses: civil, mechanical, aeronautical, chemical, electrical, photographic, sound, automotive, marine, heating and refrigerating, transportation, environmental engineering, etc.
- Environmental Sciences
- Study of pollution (air, water, and land) sources and their control; ecology.
- Mathematics
- Development of formal logical systems or various numerical and algebraic computations, and the application of these principles: calculus, geometry, abstract algebra, number theory, statistics, complex analysis, probability.
- Medicine and Health
- Study of diseases and health of humans and animals: dentistry, pharmacology, pathology, ophthalmology, nutrition, sanitation, pediatrics, dermatology, allergies, speech and hearing, etc.
- Microbiology
- Biology of microorganisms: bacteriology, virology, protozoology, fungi, bacterial genetics, yeast, etc.
- Physics
- Theories, principles, and laws governing energy and the effect of energy on matter: solid state, optics, acoustics, particle, nuclear, atomic, plasma, superconductivity, fluid and gas dynamics, thermodynamics, semiconductors, magnetism, quantum mechanics, biophysics, etc.
- Zoology
- Study of animals: animal genetics, ornithology, ichthyology, herpetology, entomology, animal ecology, paleontology, cellular physiology, circadian rhythms, animal husbandry, cytology, histology, animal physiology, invertebrate neurophysiology, studies of invertebrates, etc.
- Team Projects
- All disciplines---multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary.
