About ISEF 2009
Scientific discovery takes center stage in Reno, Nevada at the 2009 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
May 10-16, 2009, Reno-Sparks Convention Center
Northern Nevada welcomed more than 6,000 visitors for the 2009 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The event showcased the work of more than 1,500 exceptional high-school science students from more than 50 countries who came to Reno to compete for nearly $4 million in scholarships and prizes. The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority estimated the event would bring $6.6 million in tourist revenue to the region.
Grand Award and Special Award Winners announced
Congratulations to the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award winners, who each receive a $50,000 scholarship from the Intel Foundation:
- Tara Anjali Adiseshan, 14, Ramana Academy in Charlottesville, Virginia, for her project "Identifying and Classifying Evolutionary Interactions between Sweat Bees and Nematodes"
- Olivia Catherine Schwob, 16, Boston Latin School in Boston, Massachusetts, for her project "How Worms Learn, Part III: Mammalian Gene Expression and Associative Conditioning in Caenorhabditis elegans"
- Li Sallou Boynton, 17, Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas, for her project, "The Use of Bioluminescent Bacteria to Detect Environmental Contaminants"
Congratulations to three Nevada students who received awards:
- At the Grand Awards Ceremony, Christian Thomas Burleson, 15, a sophomore, and Amberleigh Dawn Thompson, 17, a senior, both attending Fernley High School, received a fourth place team award for their project, "Lichen as Indicators of Human Impact"
- At the Grand Awards Ceremony, Taylor Wilson, 15, a freshman attending The Davidson Academy of Nevada in Reno, received a fourth place award in the category of Physics and Astronomy for his project "Subcritical Neutron Multiplication in a 2.5 MeV Neutron Flux." At the Special Awards Ceremony, Wilson received the second of three awards presented by the American Vacuum Society and a certificate of honorable mention from the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Physical Society.
A complete list of the Grand Award and Special Award winners is available at the Society for the Science and the Public web site.
Earning the right to compete at Intel ISEF is an achievement: every student finalist is a winner.
Fair Visitation Day sees record student attendance
On Thursday the Intel ISEF opened to the public. Based on registration of school groups at the Convention Center entrances, organizers estimate that 4,500 Nevada students attended the event, with students coming from as far away as Owyhee, Nev. The Society for Science and the Public, which owns and administers Intel ISEF, noted this as the largest-ever attendance by elementary, middle and high school students at an Intel ISEF event.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
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Silver Sponsors:
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Learn more about our additional sponsors or how to become an Intel ISEF 2009 sponsor.
PSAs Help Spread the Word
"Judge, volunteer, donate" is the call made through two public service announcements hitting the airwaves across the region. Special thanks to the Estipona Group and Truckee Meadows Community College for donating services to produce these announcements and to area television stations for bringing these messages to viewers.
Maria Sheehan, Paul Dugan and Steve Wells with young scientistsPublic Service Announcement
(Windows media video file, 2.88 MB)
What's on the minds of young scientistsPublic Service Announcement
(Windows media video file, 4.71 MB)
Fast Facts
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), coming to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center May 10-16, 2009, is the only global science competition for high-school students.
Millions of high-school level children participate annually in local science fairs around the world, and winners advance to more than 550 ISEF-affiliated regional fairs. Intel ISEF finalists are selected annually from these regional fairs. Each ISEF-affiliated fair can send its top two individual projects and one team project to Intel ISEF.
Who is coming to Intel ISEF 2009?
| Male | 855 | |
| Female | 708 | |
| Total Finalists | 1,563 | |
| Individual Finalists | 947 | |
| Team Finalists | 616 | |
| Freshmen | 186 | |
| Sophomore | 299 | |
| Junior | 494 | |
| Senior | 584 | |
| Total number of projects: | 1,225 | |
| Number of Finalists by Project Category, including teams: | ||
| Animal Sciences -94 | ||
| Behavioral & Social Sciences -108 | ||
| Biochemistry -61 | ||
| Cellular and Molecular Biology -69 | ||
| Chemistry -51 | ||
| Computer Science -75 | ||
| Earth Science -26 | ||
| Energy and Transportation -120 | ||
| Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical -138 | ||
| Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering -94 | ||
| Environmental Management -110 | ||
| Environmental Sciences -101 | ||
| Mathematics -72 | ||
| Medicine and Health -144 | ||
| Microbiology -92 | ||
| Physics and Astonomy -110 | ||
| Plant Sciences -98 | ||
Number of Countries Represented: 51 countries, including the United States and U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Number of U.S. States Represented: 46 states plus District of Columbia
Who will volunteer?
800-1,000 judges
150 language interpreters
500 general volunteer positions
What this event will mean to the Reno/Sparks community
$6.6 million is estimated tourism revenue (Source: Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority) 6,000 visitors are anticipated
Society for Science and the Public
Society for Science and the Public (formerly Science Service), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., has administered the intel ISEF since its inception in 1950. Since Intel became the title sponsor of the ISEF in 1996, the total number of finalists has grown by 40 percent, and the number of participating countries, regions, and territories has grown by 70 percent to more than 50 countries.
-Images showcasing Nevada provided courtesy of the Reno-Tahoe Store
and the Las Vegas News Bureau-