Learn how you can excel at the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF) and qualify to ISEF!

Make sure to read this entire blog for tricks and guidance.

ASEF is an affiliate fair of the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF), the world's largest international pre-college science competition.

ISEF annually provides a forum for millions of students from over 50 countries, regions and territories to showcase independent research.

What is ASEF?

The Alabama Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF) will be held at Auburn University on April 13, 2024 and will host middle and high school fair winners from our 4 regional fairs held across the state.

Students have the chance to compete for more than 150 awards totaling over $15,00

0. Three exceptional high school students in the Senior Division from ASEF will advance to the Regeneron ISEF from May 11-17, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA and will compete against the top 1500 students in the world for nearly $9 million in prizes and scholarships. ***

* Additionally, the top 10% of Junior Division winners from grades 6-8 will advance and compete in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge.

ASEF Checklist Advancing to ASEF: Project Poster Submission All projects that are selected as regional fair winners will be considered “ASEF Nominees”.

All ASEF Nominees will be required to submit a project poster via the ASEF CANVAS site.

The template for this poster may be found here: This is a poster template.

You must not change the dimensions of the poster.

It is currently 48″ x 36″ and must remain this size.

You may add and and remove photos and results slides as needed.

All of the SECTIONS are required, but may be repositioned as needed to fit the information.

ASEF Participant Selection All ASEF Nominees will receive an email that will allow them to login to the ASEF CANVAS system, upload their poster, and participate in the competition on the day of the fair.

Awards will be presented live at the completion of the Fair.

Confirm Project Category All approved projects will participate in the same category as approved by their regional fair director.

Students wishing to change category should contact their regional fair director, who can notify the state ASEF director by email.

Upload Your Presentation After Regional SRC Review All projects must upload their virtual presentation display by April 2, 202

1. This single slide display is what the judges will use to preview projects prior to the student interview so be sure you have checked for errors and typos.

Save the single slide presentation as a PDF that is less than 5MB.

If your file is larger than this, you may need to reduce the size or number of pictures in your presentation.

Follow the link in CANVAS to upload your completed virtual presentation by the deadline.

This PDF file will be uploaded to the ASEF 3-D Virtual Project Exhibit Hall hosted via Canvas.

Creating Your Canvas Account ASEF will create a class in Canvas in order to provide a secure access to the 3-D Virtual Exhibit Hall.

Students will receive an email to login to Canvas and create a unique password.

This password may be easily reset by the student if needed.

Students will login to their Canvas account on the day of their judges’ interview.

Prior To Judges’ Interviews Review your assigned judging time and determine the location of where you will hold your interview.

You will want to select a location that blocks out exterior noise distractions, has a background free of visual distractions and has a strong internet signal.

Check the lighting to make sure the judges can properly see your face.

You will be sharing your screen with the judges using your. pdf or PowerPoint poster.

A head/shoulder shot is best.

Run a test check with your sound input and output devices.

Can you clearly hear others?

Can others clearly hear you?

Testing with a buddy can help you find and eliminate problems.

Judges will be familiar with your project as they have previewed your virtual display board prior to your arrival.

However, it is highly encouraged that students have their virtual display board file open so they can “Share Screen” and walk judges through their presentation.

Student should practice screen sharing and run a mock presentation to judges prior to competing at ASEF.

Day Of The Event Fair Administrators will be sent a master schedule of student interview times.

Students should review this schedule to be sure they do not miss their interview time.

From the landing page, students will choose to enter either the Junior or Senior Division List of Presenters.

From the list, students will select their correct Zoom link and enter that room.

Students should plan on arriving in this room 15 minutes prior to their assigned judging time (Ex.

Assigned time is 9:30am – students should plan to be in their virtual judging room by 9:15am. ) These first 15 minutes will allow pre-assigned Special Award Judges to enter the room and interview students as needed to determine special award winners.

Judge(s) will enter the virtual judging room at the assigned time and may remain with the students for up to 15 minutes.

Students should make a concise presentation to the judges keeping in mind that the majority of the time should be reserved for the judges to ask questions.

Awards Ceremony Once all of the category judging has been completed, judges will meet by category to tally scores and determine category winners.

Senior Division – Category Heads and Best of Fair Judges will meet to determine which projects will be called back for a second round of interviews to determine which Best of Fair projects will advance directly to compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Best of Fair interviews will take place on a separate day TBD.

Regional Fair Administrators will be notified when the list of winners has been posted to the ASEF website.

All Regeneron ISEF Finalists must submit questionnaire and materials to ISEF by April 15,2021, in order to compete to get projects approved in time to compete.

ASEF Categories Animal Sciences (ANIM) Behavioral and Social Sciences (BEHA) Biochemistry (BCHM) Biomedical and Health Sciences (BMED) Biomedical Engineering (ENBM) Cellular and Molecular Biology (CELL) Chemistry (CHEM) Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBIO) Earth and Environmental Sciences (EAEV) Embedded Systems (EBED) Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design (EGSD) Engineering Technology: Statics and Dynamics (ETSD) Environmental Engineering (ENEV) Materials Science (MATS) Mathematics (MATH) Microbiology (MCRO) Physics and Astronomy (PHYS) Plant Sciences (PLNT) Robotics and Intelligent Machines (ROBO) Systems Software (SOFT) Technology Enhances the Arts (TECA) Translational Medical Science (TMED) Get the List of Subcategories right here Fun Fact Rishab Jain competed at ISEF and he won 1st place!

So if I were you, I would definitely watch this video to get to know this secrets!

The Blueprint to Winning Science Fair in 2024 Master the Scientific Method/Engineering Design Process: The ASEF emphasizes a rigorous approach.

For science projects, follow the scientific method: Question: Identify a problem or phenomenon that intrigues you.

Research: Investigate existing knowledge on the topic.

What has already been done?

Hypothesis: Formulate a testable prediction based on your research.

Experiment: Design and conduct an experiment to test your hypothesis.

Collect accurate data.

Analyze: Interpret your data.

Does it support your hypothesis?

Conclusion: Draw conclusions based on your analysis.

Did the experiment go as planned?

What did you learn?

For engineering projects, employ the engineering design process: Define the Problem: Identify a need or challenge to address.

Research and Design: Explore possible solutions and brainstorm potential designs.

Prototype: Build a model or prototype of your design.

Test and Evaluate: Assess how well your prototype functions.

Make improvements as needed.

Communicate: Document your process and present your findings.

Next Step: Qualify for Thermo Fisher or ISEF The top projects at ASEF will have the opportunity to advance to ISEF or Broadcom Masters depending on grade level.

Here is the checklist to follow for ISEF: Be in grades 9-12 or equivalent.

Not have reached age 20 on or before ISEF.

Win at an ISEF-affiliated science fair.

Ensure their project is written in English and adheres to the ISEF rules.

Read this amazing post to know the insider’s tip to Winning ISEF! https://rishabacademy. com/2024/03/11/how-to-win-regeneron-isef-rishab-jains-winning-project/embed/#?secret=6btUgPODGx#?secret=0eiDk1wn0A Fellow readers and STEM enthusiasts I believe in you!

YOU GOT THIS!

Good luck to all at the ASEF Science Fair.

For those inspired by Rishab’s journey and eager to follow in their footsteps, Rishab offers science fair coaching.

It will provide you an opportunity to delve deeper into the world of STEM and win at Science Fairs.

Rishab shares his winning strategies.