The International Science & Engineering Fair has been in existence since May of 1950 when 30 student finalists from 13 US regional fairs competed in Philadelphia.  In the 72 years since its inception, ISEF has grown to almost 1800 finalists from 63 countries, regions, and territories.  At ISEF 2022 almost $8,000,000 in scholarships and awards were given to students from around the globe.  

To compete at the International Science & Engineering Fair, students must first compete and be selected at a regional, state, or country science fair that is affiliated with ISEF.  Idaho didn't have ISEF-affiliated science fairs until a meeting between Angela Hemingway, former Executive Director of the STEM Action Center, and Merrie Rampy, teacher, in late 2015.  From this meeting came a commitment to bring ISEF-affiliated Science Fairs to Idaho to give our students the chance to share their research at ISEF.    

In February and March, 2017, the Idaho STEM Action Center and its partners proudly hosted Idaho’s first regional high school science and engineering fairs. The winners of these three fairs represented Idaho during the 2017 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), one of the premier international student science and engineering competitions. Idaho was one of the last states in the nation to offer our students the opportunity to present original STEM research and compete at this fair.  Runners-up from each fair attended as observers to bring back new knowledge to help their peers build better projects for the next fair (seniors were ineligible). All travel expenses for Idaho teams were covered by the STEM Action Center.

What to Expect During the Fair

Note: The actual fair schedules may be adjusted from this schedule (based on the number of projects that must be reviewed), but this can serve as a good guideline for what to expect.

Idaho Science & Engineering Fair Schedule - for WISEF (BSU) and NISEF (UI)

No food or beverages, other than water bottles, allowed in the exhibit room

 8:15am - 9:30am  Set-up projects (please allow at least 10 minutes for the Display&Safety review)

 9:30am – 10:30am  Judging preview (judges only – closed to all others)

 10:30am - 3:00pm  Judging (Judges and participants only - closed to all others, participants will be given a 30min staggered lunch break by category)**

 3:00pm - 5:00pm  Open for public viewing (open to all - participants at projects from 4:00-5:00)

 5:00pm – 6:00pm  Awards Ceremony (Special Awards will be announced first)

Projects may not be removed until immediately after the Awards Ceremony

There will be a brief mandatory meeting for ISEF Finalists and Observers, parents, and teachers immediately after the Awards Ceremony

Idaho Science & Engineering Fair Schedule - for EISEF (ISU) only

No food or beverages, other than water bottles, allowed in the exhibit room

HIGH SCHOOL   8:15am - 9:30am  Set-up projects (please allow at least 10 minutes for the Display&Safety review)

 9:30am – 10:30am  Judging preview (judges only – closed to all others)

 10:30am - 3:00pm  Judging (Judges and participants only - closed to all others, participants will have a 45 min lunch break from noon to 12:45)

MIDDLE SCHOOL 12:00 - 12:45   set up projects 

                               12:45 - 3:00pm   Judging  

 3:00pm - 5:00pm  Open for public viewing (open to all - participants at projects from 4:00-5:00)

 5:00pm – 6:00pm  Awards Ceremony (Special Awards will be announced first)

Projects may not be removed until immediately after the Awards Ceremony

There will be a brief mandatory meeting for ISEF Finalists and Observers, parents, and teachers immediately after the Awards Ceremony

Fair Day Tips

For Presenters:

• Dress professionally, but comfortably – you will be standing for 4-5 hours
• Bring a water bottle
• Be prepared for down-time, but keep yourself ready to speak to judges at any time
• You are the expert on your research, so speak with confidence
• The judges are not trying to catch you in a mistake, they’re trying to determine how well you understand your research, so if you don’t know how to answer a question, ask them to repeat it or simply say you don’t know and move on.
• There will be category award judges, best-of-fair judges, and special awards judges – it’s okay to ask your judges which group they are in.

For Teachers/Parents/Mentors

• Judging is closed to all except the presenters and the judges, so be prepared for some down-time
• Presenters will be released for lunch by categories, as the judges take breaks, so your students may be out any time between 11:30 and 1:30pm for a 30-minute lunch break
• We will be hosting a Teacher/Mentor focus group during the judging – time and location will be posted at the registration desk
• Projects will be open for public viewing as soon as judging is completed and presenters are released (approximately 3pm). Students should be back at their projects from 4-5pm to speak with the public

Judge Criteria

Participation Requirements for Judges

Previous experience in judging science fairs is helpful, but not required. Please review the requirements below before registering. The Idaho Science & Engineering Fairs are affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and will use the Intel ISEF Judging Criteria. In addition, all judges must meet the “Conflicts of Interest” requirements listed below. In cases where eligibility is questionable, the Judging Coordinator will make the decision. 

Educational Background:

• • MA, MS, or Ph.D. in the category in which they choose to judge, or in a closely related field.

  • BA or BS in the category which they choose to judge, or in a closely related field - along with three or more years of relevant experience.

Judging Categories: 

There are planned to be six judging categories in which high school students may enter projects (final list of judging categories is subject to change).

1. Animal, Biomedical, and Microbiology

2. Behavioral and Social Sciences

3. Earth, Environmental, and Plants

4. Engineering

5. Mathematics, Computer Science, and Embedded Systems

6. Physical Sciences and Energy (Energy includes both Physical and Chemical Energy)

Conflicts of Interest: 

To promote fairness and avoid conflicts of interest (as well as following SSP/Intel ISEF best practices), all judges will be asked during the online registration to sign a conflict of interest statement.  Individuals cannot serve as judges at the Idaho Science & Engineering Fairs if they are:

•  Teachers of fair participants or site administrators of schools with fair participants,

• Parents or professional mentors to any student participant in the requested area of judging,

• Anyone else whose relationship with any science fair participant could pose a conflict of interest.  If there is any doubt, please email Brad Howard (idahosciencefairs@gmail.com) to be sure.