r/ISEFinalists

hmu if ur from a really niche place, I got a solid project in a lab that has high potential, but I live in california where the competition is really competitive for science fairs.

If my project involves invasive species can I kill them in experimentation

they are invertebrates

Hi guys. For those that competed at ISEF, how long would you say your research project took to complete after you came up with your research question. Currently have around 9 months until the fair and am beginning lit review. Still need to confirm project scope with my mentor. Is this a comfortable timeline or cutting it close?
Separate super broad question, what makes a project rigorous enough to qualify? I really like my research question, and it’s not something answered in other papers. It also would set up some really cool future research. What questions should I be asking myself to check that this idea if done the right way would be a competitive ISEF submission rigorous enough to impress judges?

Basically the title, I've done both many times for various Science fairs (regional, statewide, and national) But just wonder what you guys did, or what you prefer

I’m a rising junior and haven’t done any original research before. As a rising sophomore I did a pay to play 12 week research program on something I was interested in and got a lot out of it, but it was not original nor was it published. Is it too late to start now and compete in a science fair for the first time this year. I’m reaching for an ISEF qual and I have a research idea that aligns with my narrative and passions.
If not a science fair, I would still at least want to get research published. I have a professor I could likely seek mentorship from. Would an independent research project be more impactful than say doing an internship or academic program during the summer and going into the school year?
I’m aiming to be a more competitive rsi applicant. Lmk ur thoughts on my research profile. Trust me I alr know im not a competitor rn against the ISEF finalists out there, but research is something im interested in. Im just worried it could be too late to show impact compared to those who started competing in science fairs since 9th grade.

I'm building a selective student-led AI research lab focused on tackling ambitious problems in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The goal is simple: build research that can compete at the highest level and develop projects suitable for submission to premier AI venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, JMLR, Nature Machine Intelligence, and Cell Press AI when they meet publication standards.

I'm currently conducting research with collaborators at Yale, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and the Broad Institute, with one published paper and multiple research projects currently in progress.

We're looking for highly motivated students with strong coding and mathematical backgrounds who want to do real AI research, contribute to open-source projects, collaborate with other talented researchers, and gain experience writing publishable research.

If you're passionate about AI and want to be part of building something ambitious from the ground up

Apply Here: https://forms.gle/t8p4B3vSw22dEKeJ8

Hey everyone! I’ve been building an app for the past few years that rewards people for putting down their phones while spending time with friends and family. Our goal is to encourage more meaningful, face-to-face interaction.

So far, we’ve raised over $50,000 and helped facilitate more than 11,500 hours of screen-free, face-to-face interaction. We’re now preparing for a major launch and looking for students interested in joining us this summer (with the opportunity to remain involved beyond the summer as the project grows). We're specifically looking for:

- Coding and app development: Work alongside our existing development team and help build or improve features.

- Growth and outreach: Bring the app to your high school or university, create social media content, recruit users, or help form partnerships.

- Other skills: If you think you could contribute in a different way, feel free to pitch your own role.

Some positions may include milestone-based compensation. For example, developers may be paid per completed feature, and ambassadors or social media creators earn compensation based on downloads, engagement, and/or user retention.

This is a chance to gain hands-on experience working with a team, contribute to a meaningful issue, and help build and scale a real product.

If you’re interested, DM me with a brief introduction and what you’d like to help with. I’ll send you the application for the most relevant role.

I'm building a student-led AI research lab and looking for highly motivated students interested in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computational research.

I'm currently conducting research with collaborators at Yale, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and the Broad Institute. I have one published research paper and several additional projects currently in progress.

We're looking for students who are passionate about research and want to contribute to real AI projects.

What you'll gain:

• Work on real AI research projects
• Collaborate with a selective research team
• Opportunity to contribute to open-source projects
• Opportunity for co-authorship on publications based on meaningful research contributions
• Hands-on experience reading papers, designing experiments, and developing AI systems

Preferred background:

• Python
• Machine Learning / Deep Learning
• PyTorch
• Strong programming experience
• Linear Algebra
• Calculus 1,2,3
• Genuine interest in AI research

This is a long-term research initiative focused on building high-quality AI research and publishing impactful work.

DM me if you're interested. Include your background, programming experience, math experience, and any research or AI projects you've worked on.

hey guys!

which one do you think is harder to learn and why? this one guys is set on saying intuition is harder but i disagree.

here's my argument:

• Knowledge = facts, concepts, terminology, processes, formulas, mechanisms.
• Intuition = an internal model that lets you predict, reason, and recognize patterns without explicitly recalling every fact.

intuition is much harder to learn than knowledge because knowledge is easily acquired through readings, studying, and or active recall. intuition is developed over time, through experience by looking at questions etc.

• acquiring knowledge is memorizing the krebs cycle in a couple of hours
• Developing intuition is being able to look at a completely unfamiliar metabolic pathway question but immedietely recognizing similarities in enzymes or steps to the krebs cycle then being able to able your knowledge of the krebs cycle to answering the question in the right way

my chess example:

• knowledge would be knowing tactics and openings
• intuition would be how to adapt those tactics and openings to best counter you opponents, again not something easily memorized or learned as their are so many variations in chess

thanks for yall opinions on this
this is a repost from usabo im just trying to get some opinions on this

Hi everyone!
I’m a high school student from Kazakhstan, and over the past few months I’ve had the chance to meet students from many different countries who are interested in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering.
One thing I kept noticing was that after research programs, competitions, or applications ended, everyone just went their separate ways.
So I decided to create BioBridge — a free international WhatsApp Community where students can continue learning together.
This isn’t meant to replace research programs, labs, or mentorship.
The goal is simply to create a place where students can keep discussing research, asking questions, sharing opportunities, and connecting with others who have similar interests.
Inside the community we currently have dedicated spaces for:
🧬 Research Paper Discussions
📚 Research Opportunities
❓ Questions
🏆 Achievements
💬 General Discussion
Everyone is welcome, including:
• High school students
• Undergraduate students
• Graduate students
• PhD students
• Researchers
• Professors
Whether you’re just getting started or already have research experience, I’d love to have people who are genuinely interested in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering.
If you’re interested, just leave a comment saying “Interested” or send me a DM, and I’ll send you the invitation link to the BioBridge WhatsApp Community.
I’d also really appreciate a repost if you know someone who might enjoy being part of this community.
Let’s build something meaningful together. 🌍🧬
#Bioengineering #BiomedicalEngineering #Research #STEM #StudentCommunity #BioBridge

hey everyone,

im a rising sophomore and this is going to be my first year participating in science fair.

i recently got an opportunity to work in a molecular biology wet lab at a nearby university, which im really excited about. the thing is, im kind of lost on how people actually come up with science fair projects from wet lab research. one of my main goals when cold emailing was to develop a science fair research topic from this experience.

for those of you who have competed with wet lab projects, is it normal to work with grad students on research thats already going on in the lab and then turn that into your science fair project? is that basically what most people with wet lab research experience do, especially since high school students/minors usually have many restrictions on what they can do in the lab?

would love to hear how you guys found your project ideas and what the process looked like for you in a wet lab setting. thanks!

hello can someone from Pakistan PLEASE help me out and tell me how to register for ISEF in pakistan cuz the organisation that selects team for isef is ANETech but theyve been super inactive and theres no information abt whens the national fair taking place for 2026.

hi all, i compete through WESEF (westchester) and my project with my mentor is likely fully computational and data analysis.

do these types of projects win and go to ISEF? am i cooked?

Hey I am from India but I live in Saudi and i have checked the affiliated fair in Saudi and they said you need to be a Saudi citizen to participate in affiliated fair in Saudi and in order to participate I need to go to my home country and i contacted the affiliated fair in my home country and they said I cant participate from my home country too as I dont study there and now I am stuck and dont know how to participate can anyone please give me some guidance, or any alternative way i can participate

I'm a high schooler doing research this summer in a wet lab at a local med school. I was wondering what is appropriate to wear to the lab? Any advice would be appreciated.

So I'm a rising sophomore in central PA, and a Duke prof has agreed to mentor me. I had this pretty unique idea with MXenes, and was planning to go to his lab to do it. However, he just got back to me and said I wouldn't be able to go into his lab, but he is still willing to work with me remotely. How am I supposed to do the project now? Is it ok if I ask them to run the project and send me the data?

Hello! I'm a rising freshman going to a high school that essentially has no affiliation with our states fair, however I was able to compete in my fairs junior division last year registering through my schools gifted program, and I plan to do the same this year. I have started planning my project and kind of formulating the idea of what I want to do this summer but have a few questions as to everything I need to/should be preparing. For reference I'm doing a computational astrophysics project.

1. What should my lab notebook include? I've been keeping a weekly log and have printed out a few papers to annotate but I have no clue what I'm supposed to put in it beyond that.

2. There are forms I am supposed to turn in before I begin experimentation, how am I supposed to do this over the summer?

I'm super new to this and would also highly appreciate any advice.

Hi guys!! For any middle schoolers out there interested in doing research, this is a great opportunity. It's a two-week online program called the Papers 2026 Summer Program where students actually learn how research works and do a small project of their own by the end.

A few things that stood out:

• Completely free and fully virtual, so location doesn't matter (open internationally)
• Just one hour a day for two weeks, so it's not a huge time commitment over the summer
• Three tracks to pick from: humanities/social science, life & physical sciences, and computer science & AI (seems pretty cool -- wish I could explore stuff like this in middle school)
• There's a Harvard researcher guest speaker, mentors from Phillips Academy Andover, and ISEF (big international science fair) participants involved, so it's not just some random thing

It's run by Papers, a student-led org focused on making research more accessible to students. Deadline to apply is July 3 and application form is here: https://forms.gle/hg9oSpnHZvMxmomr9

https://preview.redd.it/ocumlnb66s8h1.png?width=1545&format=png&auto=webp&s=e94627208942a21e0ff1f49660562fac48b5ee2d