In today's era of globalization, scientific and technological innovation has become the core driving force for social development. For young people, participating in high-level science and innovation competitions can stimulate their interest in science and lay a solid foundation for their future academic and career development. As the world's largest and highest-level youth science and technology competition, the International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF) is undoubtedly the "ceiling of science and innovation" in the eyes of many students and parents. This article will explain the value of ISEF and the competition guide in detail to help you better understand this top event.

1. Introduction to ISEF: The "World Cup" of Global Youth Science and Technology

The International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF) was founded in 1950 and is hosted by the American Society for Science and Public Service (Society for Science) and sponsored by Regeneron. As the world's largest and highest-level youth science and technology competition, ISEF attracts nearly 10 million students from more than 70 countries and regions to participate every year. The competition covers all natural sciences and some social sciences, and almost all science and engineering fields, providing a stage for the world's best young scientists and inventors to communicate with each other and showcase the latest scientific and technological achievements.

ISEF's global competition is usually held in May every year, and the entire competition process spans about one year. The competition is diverse in form. Participating students need to form teams of 1-3 people, conduct in-depth research on a topic, make a project poster, and conduct on-site defense, and finally submit a high-quality paper. ISEF is not only an international stage for young people to display their scientific research results, but also an important stepping stone to the world's top universities.

2. The value of ISEF: Why is it favored by the world's top universities?

(I) A stepping stone to top universities

ISEF winners can almost all become popular targets for the world's top universities. For example, among the science and innovation competitions recommended by MIT's official website, ISEF ranks first. Many award-winning students eventually entered the top 20 universities in the United States, and were even admitted to Ivy League schools. This is not only because the difficulty of winning ISEF is extremely high, but also because the competition can fully demonstrate students' scientific research capabilities and innovative thinking.

(II) Abundant awards and scholarships

ISEF offers a range of awards and scholarships, and outstanding contestants have the opportunity to receive prizes, scholarships and other recognition. In addition, contestants who win the second prize or above in the ISEF finals will have the opportunity to name an asteroid after the winner, which is undoubtedly a great honor.

(III) Professional review and guidance

ISEF's jury is composed of professional scientists, engineers and education experts. Contestants will receive evaluation and guidance from experts in these fields, which will help improve their scientific research and experimental design capabilities. This professional guidance will not only enable students to grow in the competition, but also lay the foundation for their future academic research.

(IV) Stimulating academic potential and personal growth

Through independent scientific research and project development, students can cultivate important abilities such as problem solving, innovative thinking and project management. ISEF provides students with a platform to showcase their innovative achievements, which helps stimulate students' academic potential and promote their personal growth.

3. ISEF Participation Guide: How to step onto the stage of the global finals?

(I) Eligibility and channels for participation

ISEF implements a strict selection system, and students cannot directly register for the global finals. Participants must pass the selection of the subsidiary competitions in various countries and regions to have a chance to get a ticket.

1. Participation channels for Chinese students

In mainland China, students can qualify for ISEF in the following two ways:

China Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition: for primary and secondary school students in provinces, cities, and autonomous regions across the country. The competition is divided into multiple stages such as city competition, provincial competition, and national competition. The winners can qualify for ISEF.

Elite Program: Only for current high school students. Participants must perform well in subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. They must pass the city, provincial and national selections to finally qualify for ISEF.

ISEF Sichuan Science and Engineering Competition (referred to as Sichuan Competition): It is a subsidiary competition designed for students studying in schools for children of foreigners in mainland China (including those who study at home). Students who study at home are also eligible and are organized by the school to register.

2. Participation channels for overseas students

Students studying overseas must participate in local preliminaries according to the requirements of the subsidiary competitions in their country or region. For example, students studying in the United States need to go through multiple rounds of selection, such as school competitions, regional competitions, and state competitions.

(II) Rules and requirements for the competition

Participants: High school students in grades 9-12 worldwide who are under 20 years old before May 1 of the year of participation.

Participation form: Students can participate individually or in teams, with no more than 3 people in each team.

Project requirements: The research time of the participating projects must not exceed 12 months, and the research content must be original.

Language requirements: The presentation and abstract of the participating projects must be in English.

(III) Suggestions for preparation

Choose a suitable project: The participating projects should be innovative, original, and academically profound. Students need to choose a challenging topic based on their own interests and disciplinary strengths.

Form a professional team: If participating in the competition as a team, team members should have different disciplinary backgrounds and skills so that they can play their respective strengths in the project. In-depth research and experimental design: After determining the project, students need to conduct a systematic literature survey to understand the cutting-edge research and existing achievements in the field, so as to find the entry point for the research. The experimental design should be scientific and reasonable to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data. At the same time, students need to record detailed experimental processes and data for subsequent paper writing and defense.

Write high-quality project reports: Project reports are an important carrier for presenting research results. They must clearly and accurately explain the research background, purpose, methods, results and conclusions. The report should follow the standard format of scientific papers, including introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and references. The language expression should be concise and clear, with clear logic, and avoid using overly complex sentence structures.

Make exquisite project posters: In the ISEF competition, project posters are an intuitive way to present research results. The posters should be simple and beautiful in design, highlighting the core content and innovations of the research. Use charts, pictures and clear titles to attract the attention of the judges. At the same time, make sure that the text on the poster is concise and clear, and avoid too much text piling.

Prepare well for the defense: The defense is a key part of the ISEF competition. Students need to clearly and confidently introduce their projects in front of the judges and answer the judges' questions. When preparing for the defense, students should be familiar with all the details of the project, including experimental design, data analysis and research conclusions. At the same time, you should prepare for possible questions in advance and conduct mock defenses to improve your ability to respond.

Pay attention to rule changes and updates: ISEF rules may be adjusted every year, so students and instructors need to pay close attention to the latest information released on the official website to ensure that the competition process meets the requirements. For example, the 2024-2025 ISEF season has higher requirements for the ethical review and safety standards of the participating projects, and participants need to understand and comply with the relevant regulations in advance.

4. ISEF competition process and evaluation criteria

(I) Competition process

The ISEF competition process is usually divided into the following stages:

Affiliated competition selection: There are more than 475 affiliated competitions worldwide, which are held in different countries and regions to select outstanding players to participate in the ISEF Global Finals. The scale and form of the affiliated competitions vary, but they all strictly follow the rules and standards of ISEF.

Global Finals: The Global Finals are usually held in May each year for a week. During the competition, participants will present their projects and be evaluated by the judges. In addition, there are various scientific lectures, cultural exchange activities and social gatherings, providing participants with an opportunity to communicate with outstanding young people around the world.

Award announcement and award ceremony: After the competition, ISEF will hold a grand award ceremony to announce the list of winners and present awards. The winners will receive generous scholarships, honorary certificates and other rewards.

(II) Evaluation criteria

ISEF's evaluation criteria are very strict. The judges will evaluate the participating projects from multiple aspects, mainly including the following aspects:

Innovation: The innovation of the project is one of the important criteria for evaluation. The judges will evaluate whether the project has proposed new ideas, methods or technologies, whether it has solved problems in existing research, or whether it has made unique contributions to a certain field.

Scientificity and rigor: The research methods of the participating projects must be scientific and reasonable, the experimental design must be rigorous, and the data analysis must be accurate. The judges will carefully review the research process of the project to ensure that it meets scientific standards.

Academic depth and breadth: The project should have high academic value, be able to explore key issues in a certain field in depth, and conduct a comprehensive analysis combined with knowledge in related fields. The judges will evaluate the academic depth and breadth of the project, as well as its potential impact on the development of the discipline.

Presentation and communication skills: Participants need to present their research results through project posters and oral defense. The judges will evaluate the participants' presentation skills, including language expression, logical thinking and interaction with the judges. A clear and confident presentation can add points to the project.

Teamwork and division of labor: For team projects, the judges will evaluate the cooperation between team members and whether the division of labor is reasonable. Team members should perform their duties, give full play to their respective advantages, and complete the project together.

5. ISEF competition cases and successful experience sharing

(I) Successful cases

Case 1: Breakthrough in the field of biomedicine

A high school student from the United States presented his research project on new anti-cancer drugs in the ISEF competition. He discovered a compound that can effectively inhibit the growth of cancer cells through experiments and conducted in-depth research on its mechanism of action. The project won the ISEF first prize for its innovation and potential medical value, and attracted widespread attention from the academic community. The student was admitted to Harvard University with this achievement and continued to engage in related research during college.

Case 2: Innovative Design of Renewable Energy

A Chinese student team presented a new type of solar panel they designed at the ISEF competition. They significantly improved the conversion efficiency of solar panels by improving materials and structures. The project won the second prize in the competition and obtained several patents. With this achievement, the team members obtained the qualification for admission to Tsinghua University and achieved more results in subsequent academic research.

(II) Sharing of Successful Experiences

Advance planning and preparation: The key to successful competition is advance planning and preparation. Participants need to start topic selection and research one year before the competition or even earlier to ensure that there is enough time for experiments and data analysis. At the same time, they should arrange their time reasonably and balance the progress of academic and scientific research.

Focus on innovation and practice: The judges are more inclined to support projects with innovative and practical value. Participants should pay attention to social hot issues and cutting-edge scientific fields, and look for research topics with practical application prospects. Verifying their ideas through experiments and practice can add more highlights to the project.

Teamwork and division of labor: Good teamwork is essential for team competition projects. Team members should clarify their respective responsibilities and give full play to their respective advantages. During the project, we should maintain good communication and collaboration to jointly solve the problems encountered.

Professional guidance and support: Participating in ISEF competitions requires professional guidance and support. Participants can seek help from school teachers, experts from scientific research institutions or professional counseling institutions to obtain professional advice and guidance. At the same time, participate in relevant training courses and lectures to improve their scientific research capabilities and project presentation capabilities.

6. ISEF's global influence

As the top competition in the field of global youth science and innovation, ISEF has had a profound impact on the world. It not only provides a platform for young people to display their scientific research results, but also inspires the interest and enthusiasm of young people around the world in science. By participating in the ISEF competition, many students have found their own scientific research direction and embarked on the road of academic research. In addition, ISEF has promoted cultural exchanges and cooperation among young people around the world, and enhanced friendship and understanding between different countries and regions.

As the "ceiling" in the field of global youth science and innovation, the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) has attracted countless outstanding students to participate with its extremely high gold content and wide influence. By participating in the ISEF competition, students can not only improve their scientific research capabilities and innovative thinking, but also lay a solid foundation for future academic and career development.