Regeneron ISEF implements a selection system. Students need to pass the layers of selection of affiliated competitions and stand out from them to have the opportunity to get a ticket to the ISEF Global Finals.

How do Canadian students advance to ISEF? What are the preliminaries, competition process and key time nodes? Embark has compiled a complete guide to the ISEF Canadian Preliminaries - Team Canada

ISEF-Team Canada Eligibility

ISEF-Team Canada is Canada's ISEF preliminaries and a national science and technology competition for the Canadian Youth Science Association to select the ISEF Canadian National Team. To apply for TC, you need to meet the following two conditions:

• Canadian citizens or permanent residents;
• Currently studying G9-12 (in secondaire III, IV, V and Cégep I or II), and students who are under 21 years old before May 1st

Similar to ISEF, Team Canada is also a selection system. Students need to go through several rounds of screening to get tickets to the ISEF finals. All projects must be approved before starting, and the works participating in TC can be a continuation of the CWSF entry project.

Individual applicants or any member of the team must meet any of the following conditions

(a) Attend at least one CWSF, YSC Online Expo or ISEF

(b) Attend a national Sanofi Biogenius Canada event

(c) Obtain approval from the Canadian Youth Science Association

ISEF-Team Canada Promotion Process

The 2024-25 Team Canada event schedule has not yet been announced

The following is a reference to the 2023-24 timeline

1. Initial email invitation

All students who have participated in CWSF and are still in high school or Cégep I or II will receive a submission invitation from Team Canada from September to November. The Canadian Youth Science Association also welcomes other high school and Cégep students to apply.

2.  Download and read the ISEF rules

The Regeneron ISEF rules are very strict. Before applying for Team Canada, students must download and familiarize themselves with the ISEF rules and apply after knowing all the rules.

3.  Send an email to inform the application plan

After deciding to apply for Team Canada, students can send an email to team.canada-isef@youthscience.ca to inform their application plan.

4. Get an applicant account

After receiving the email, the organizing committee will create a Team Canada-ISEF account for the applicant in the system. The applicant needs to provide his or her basic contact information, tentative project title, download, fill out and re-upload the forms required for the project.

5. Project submission

Applicants must submit a full set of forms to the Team Canada online registration system before December 15, 2023. After submission, they will enter the first round of selection as Team Canada-ISEF applicants. The entire process is completed online.

6. First round selection

The selection committee will read the research plans submitted by all students and select the top 30 projects to enter the second round of selection. All applicants will receive a notification, and successful applicants will see that they have been promoted to Team Canada-ISEF candidates in the online registration system. This work will be completed on January 15, 2024.

7.  Project Submission

Candidates need to submit a project presentation and a quad diagram by the deadline, which is March 3, 2024. Students need to confirm that there are no errors in their forms.

8.  Selection Process - Round 2

The second round of selection is scheduled for March 17, 2024, and each candidate will be interviewed by a panel of three judges. The jury will select the finalists for Team Canada-ISEF based on the students' project presentation, quad diagram, and defense. Successful students will be promoted to Team Canada-ISEF in the system.

9. Participating in the 2024 ISEF

Team Canada-ISEF entrants should check their email twice a day because there will be many instructions and instructions, and the deadlines are very tight. The 2024 ISEF will be held in Los Angeles in May.

ISEF-Team Canada Award List

This year, the Canadian Youth Science Association selected eight high school students to represent Canada in ISEF2024. What results did they achieve at the ISEF Global Finals, which ended in May 2024?

2024 Team Canada-ISEF Award Details

1. First Award – EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Chloe Filion, Saint-Jean-de-Brebeuf, Ontario, Canada

Sophie Filion, Ecole Secondaire Catholique Saint-Jean-de-Brebeuf, Ontario, Canada

 EBED031T — The Digital Air Rifle Ballistic Measuring Device

2. First Award – ENERGY: SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND DESI GN

Alia Wahban, Hillfield Strathallan College, Ontario, Canada 

EGSD035 — Redefining the Landscape of Hydrogen Safety Using Innovative Gasochromic Technology

3. First Award – ROBOTICS AND INTELLIGENT MACHINES

Anthony Efthimiadis, Oakville Trafalgar High School, Ontario, Canada ROBO062 — Rapid Screening for Major Skin Cancers with M-SCAHN: Multimodal Hierarchical CNN-Transformer Hybrid Networks with Advanced Interpretability, Lesion Evolution Tracking, Trait Identification, and Color Constancy for Improved Generalization in Diverse Populations

4. Second Award – ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY: STATICS & DYNAMICS

Jason Zhao, Collingwood School, British Columbia, Canada 

ETSD041 — Low-Cost Rapid Response Rocket Launched UAV for Wildfire Hotspot Detection Second Award – MATERIALS SCIENCE Cindy Cheng, Laurel Heights Secondary School, Ontario, Canada MATS037 — 3D Bioprinting Soft Microrobotic “Niches” for Stem Cell Delivery

5. Third Award – BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Keanu Chan, Mount Baker Secondary School, British Columbia, Canada ENBM048 — PRecision Exospinal Constructive Innovative Stereotactic Evolution (PRECISE)

6. Fourth Award – BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES

Maya LeBlanc,Abbey Park High School, Ontario, Canada

BMED062 — Genetic Analysis of CD16+ Monocyte, CD16- Monocyte and CD4+ T Lymphocyte Cells to Identify Novel Gene Expression Signatures and Develop a Diagnostic Tool for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

As a top-level project in extracurricular activities, scientific research has become an indispensable part of top university applicants. The experience of participating in ISEF will undoubtedly help you easily gain the favor of the admissions officers of your dream school in your university application!

This year, Embark students returned with honors and broke the historical record again! Our students won more than 100 awards in the preliminaries and finals, including more than 20 ISEF Global Finals awards (two or more awards per student on average). Not only that, Embark students have won multiple first prizes for two consecutive years! Picked up their own asteroids for three consecutive years!

How to prepare for ISEF-Team Canada

In high school, participating in the ISEF-Team Canada competition is not only a test of intelligence, but also a test of perseverance and planning ability. The preparation time for ISEF is very long, which allows students to focus on deepening their knowledge and innovative projects while enjoying more independent time.

At this time, the guidance of the mentor is particularly important. Embark provides each student with a one-on-one mentor guidance service. These mentors come from top industries and have a deep academic background and research experience. They not only impart professional knowledge, but also guide students to learn how to manage time efficiently and improve their problem-solving skills.

The benefits of participating in ISEF-Team Canada are far more than academic achievements. Students can practice teamwork and improve communication skills in the competition. Under the guidance of mentors, they can also learn how to apply theoretical knowledge to practical projects. These valuable experiences will serve as a solid foundation for their future academic and professional careers.

For middle school students who have dreams of science, Embark is not only a stage for them to realize their dreams, but also a guide on their road to growth. If you want your child to achieve excellent results in ISEF-Team Canada, Embark will do its best to help you.

Take action now to explore the infinite possibilities of STEM Competitions and let us help your child succeed!