How to Get Involved at Regeneron ISEF: A Q&A with Volunteer Manager Nicolien Buholzer

Each year, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) brings together nearly 2,000 of the world’s most promising young scientists. Behind the scenes, thousands of volunteers, judges and supporters help make the event possible. Without them, the event simply could not go on!

As Regeneron ISEF heads to Phoenix, Arizona this spring (May 9-15) we had a chance to catch up with Nicolien Buholzer, Volunteer Manager at Society for Science, about her background and the many ways to get involved. Nicolien oversees the recruitment of thousands of volunteers and interpreters for the fair. She brings more than a decade of experience working in youth-focused spaces. Before joining the Society, Nicolien served as Programs Director at the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, where she ran trauma-informed play programs for children experiencing homelessness in the Washington D.C. metro area.

Below, she shares more about her path and how you can be part of Regeneron ISEF this year.

Last year was your first year at Regeneron ISEF. In your second year at the Society, you serve as the Volunteer Manager for Regeneron ISEF 2026 in Phoenix. Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I have my undergraduate degree in journalism, but after college I spent some years living in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Los Angeles, and found my way into education and youth nonprofit spaces. I found so much fulfillment working with youth, and especially loved finding ways to build and foster community by finding passionate volunteers and helping connect them with fulfilling opportunities.

Historically, I’ve mostly worked in literacy or social services spaces, and joining the Society was a new foray into the competitive STEM world. It’s been exciting learning about the STEM ecosystem across the country, and connecting with so many passionate, brilliant people since joining the team.

In one or two sentences, why are volunteers and judges essential to making Regeneron ISEF happen?

Truly, Regeneron ISEF couldn’t happen without the support of generous volunteers and judges. Obviously, there is no Grand Awards without the incredible commitment of the hundreds of judges who dedicate a full day to interviewing finalists and reviewing their projects, but there’s also so much that goes on behind the scenes to power this event.

Volunteers welcome finalists and their delegations at registration, coordinate the tools and supplies finalists need to set up their projects, and even serve as interpreters for finalists who don’t speak English, ensuring this international event can stay accessible to brilliant students from all over the world.

What are the main ways someone can get involved this year in Phoenix? What do these volunteer opportunities entail?

General Volunteers
There are tons of ways General Volunteers help behind the scenes: they greet finalists and their Official Parties at registration, coordinate the tools and supplies in the Finalist Exhibit Hall and more. General Volunteers get assigned specific roles once they check in on-site, depending on our needs and their interests.

Grand Award Judges
If you meet the qualifications (see below), being a Grand Awards Judge is one of the best ways to get fully immersed in Regeneron ISEF. On Wednesday, May 13, judges will interview a selection of finalists in their category and then caucus with their fellow judges to determine category winners.

Display & Safety Inspectors
Serving as a Display & Safety (D&S) Inspector is one of the best ways as a volunteer to actually meet and interact with finalists. After a brief training, D&S Inspectors review projects to make ensure they meet display and safety guidelines for booth setup, serving as a crucial step in helping finalists get everything ready for judging. To register for this opportunity, sign up as a “general volunteer” through the volunteer registration and add D&S shifts to your schedule during the last phase of your registration.

Interpreters
At Regeneron ISEF judging is centered on a thoughtful exchange between judges and finalists. To ensure language is never a barrier, interpreters are assigned to specific projects to help facilitate clear communication during the question and answer process for finalists who don’t speak English. Interpreters play a critical role in assisting with a fair judging experience during judging on Wednesday, May 13.

Education Outreach Day
The Thursday of Regeneron ISEF week is one of our most exciting days, also known as Intel Education Outreach Day. On this day, we open our doors to hundreds of local schools to participate in a unique STEM field trip experience. We’re looking for volunteers, schools and exhibitors to support this amazing day. Note: The deadline for schools and exhibitors to sign up is March 31.

Sponsors or Corporate Teams
Join the exclusive group of forward-thinking corporations, foundations, organizations and individuals that provide support for ISEF. ISEF sponsors and partners are essential to the success of the program and to the future of STEM.

What are the requirements to serve as a Grand Award judge?
Regeneron ISEF finalists are putting out work that’s often at a grad student (or even higher!) level, so it takes an incredibly qualified team of individuals to judge their projects. For that reason, our Grand Awards judges must meet one of the following qualifications:

• A minimum of six years of related professional experience beyond receiving their bachelor’s degree, OR
• A Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent (D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M., etc.) degree, and related professional experience if the degree was not recently granted, OR
• Be a current graduate student with more than four years of doctoral-level research experience or within one year of doctoral dissertation defense

It’s important to note that, due to the incredible level of research these finalists are bringing to Regeneron ISEF, “professional experience” for our purposes does not include K–12 education experience.

If you meet these qualifications, you’re invited to apply to be a judge in one of our 22 categories. If selected, you’ll be required to volunteer on-site all day on Wednesday, May 13, at the Phoenix Convention Center.

What languages are most needed for interpreters this year?
Our biggest interpretation needs for the 2026 Regeneron ISEF include Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Korean and Portuguese. Of course, that’s not to say those are the only languages we need support in.

A huge thing I want to note is that there is absolutely no requirement that interpreters have prior professional or STEM experience. A lot of the most technical language is already in English, and interpreters also get time with their finalists before project judging starts, when they can learn many of the terms the finalist will talk about most.

Which roles are currently most urgent to fill?
With just about two months to go before Regeneron ISEF 2026, our highest current needs are for volunteer Display & Safety Inspectors, judges in life sciences categories (such as plant sciences, animal sciences and more) and interpreters.

What is the time commitment during event week (May 9–15, 2026)?
One of the great things about looking to support Regeneron ISEF is that you can typically find the time commitment that works for you. At minimum, we ask for a four-hour commitment as a general volunteer, while judging can be upwards of 10 hours.

Where should people go to learn more?

The best place to learn more is the Regeneron ISEF page on the Society for Science website! Here, you’ll be able to navigate to dive deeper into any of the topics you’re most interested in. You can also reach out to ISEFvolunteer@societyforscience.org and we can point you in the right direction.