World’s Top Young Scientific Minds Participate Virtually at 2021 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair

Students Gather Online to Showcase Talent and Compete for More Than $5 Million in Awards at the World’s Largest International High School Science Competition

From May 16 to May 21, 2021, nearly 2,000 young scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and inventors will convene virtually for a week of connecting with their peers and global STEM leaders, events and $5 million in awards and prizes. The students, the world’s best and brightest scientific minds, are finalists in the world’s largest international high school competition — Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF) 2021, a program founded and produced by the Society for Science.

This year marks the first time in its more than 70-year history that the competition will take place virtually to keep the finalists and their families safe during the ongoing pandemic. In 2020, the Society hosted ISEF that included programming but did not include a competition element.

What:
Media and the general public are invited to attend a public exhibition of the Regeneron ISEF 2021 finalists’ research projects and discoveries; connect with the next generation of scientific leaders, join panels to hear from top STEM experts and innovators, participate in immersive STEM experiences; and watch two award ceremonies via streaming video.

When & Where:
Opening Ceremony Keynote with Futurist, Physicist, Author Michio Kaku
Sunday, May 16, 7 p.m. ET
If you missed it, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I7Nvz7gxN0

Public Exhibition of Projects
Tuesday, May 18, 9-6 p.m. ET
Register to attend here: https://projectboard.world/isef

Special Awards Ceremony
Thursday, May 20, 8 p.m. ET
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2KDvEdehEMs

Grand Awards Ceremony
Friday, May 21, 10:00-11:30 a.m. ET
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dfEt4vksSSU

Who:
The 1,833 Regeneron ISEF 2021 finalists; representing 49 states and 64 countries across the world.

Finalists’ research projects include:

  • An autonomous robot that can move around a room to purify, humidify, and disinfect air for even distribution. It also purifies and disinfects the area.
  • Wearable technology or “Spyglasses” which track your eyes and activate a built-in camera based on your eye movement, allowing users to automatically send an image via email without lifting a finger.
  • A generator that can harvest energy from daily motions, like walking or running, to provide enough power to keep our electronics running even longer.
  • A brain-controlled prosthetic arm controlled via electrode-detected neural signals and head gestures, which costs less than $300 to produce.
  • An AI-based medical guidance system to guide doctors for surgeries and new diseases like Covid-19.
  • A potential diagnostic tool that assists radiologists in breast cancer detection and makes the process more efficient.
  • Research studying the long term and short term impact the Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine on mental health, more specifically PTSD or Post-Traumatic stress disorder.

Visit the Finalist Hall at https://projectboard.world/isef to see all the finalists’ projects.

Next Steps:
Winners will be announced at two award ceremonies, the first of which will be aired on the evening of May 20 and feature Special Award winners. The Grand Awards Ceremony will be held on the morning of May 21 and will feature the announcement of the top prize of $75,000. Both will be open for media and public viewing. The Regeneron ISEF finalists participated in a rigorous virtual judging process from May 3-6, with each finalist participating in multiple interviews.

Quotes:
“This year’s Regeneron ISEF finalists are not only scientific and engineering leaders and innovators, but also change makers,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science and publisher of Science News. “Amidst the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, these young scientists recognize the power science and engineering has to spark conversation and influence our world’s most intractable problems and we are excited to share their new ideas with the public.”

“In a year where people in STEM fields have made an incredible and life-saving difference in our world, Regeneron is honored to recognize and celebrate the next generation of STEM talent,” said Hala Mirza, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Citizenship at Regeneron. “The virtual exhibition at Regeneron ISEF showcases the work of outstanding students from around the world, and we invite everyone to explore the future of science and technology.”

More Info:
The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), founded and produced by Society for Science, is the world’s largest international high school science competition, providing an annual opportunity for nearly 2,000 students from all over the world to showcase their independent research and compete for approximately $5 million in prizes

In 2019, Regeneron became the title sponsor of ISEF to help reward and celebrate the best and brightest young minds globally and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM as a way to positively impact the world.

Alumni of Regeneron ISEF have gone on to have world-changing careers in science and engineering and earn some of the most esteemed honors, including National Medal of Science recipients, MacArthur Foundation Fellows, National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering Inductees and a range of entrepreneurs.

Founded by the belief that advances in science are key to solving global challenges, Regeneron ISEF works to support and invest in young scientists who are generating ideas and acting as catalysts for the change needed to improve the well-being of all people and the planet.

Society for Science and Regeneron engage young people as active change agents and support the hard work and cutting-edge discoveries of promising young leaders who are motivated by curiosity and inspired to improve the world with STEM. Regeneron ISEF reinforces this potential and invests in the best and brightest young minds by continuing to nurture all fields of scientific research to foster transformative innovations.

For Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) news, visit https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat (Society4Science).

Media Contacts:
To RSVP and receive live-streaming links to the public exhibition of projects, distinguished panels or award ceremonies, please visit this link: https://projectboard.world/isef

For more information on the Public Exhibition of Projects as well as the overall event, please contact Gayle Kansagor, 703-489-1131, gkansagor@societyforscience.org.