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Behavioral & Social Sciences The science or study of the thought processes and behavior of humans and other animals in their interactions with the environment studied through observational and experimental methods. Subcategories : Clinical & Developmental Psychology Cognitive Psychology Neuroscience Physiological Psychology Sociology and Social Psychology Other/Multiple Subcategories Clinical and Developmental Psychology: The study and treatment of emotional or behavioral disorders. Developmental psychology is concerned with the study of progressive behavioral changes in an individual from birth until death. Cognitive Psychology: The study of cognition, the mental processes that underlie behavior, including thinking, deciding, reasoning, and to some extent motivation and emotion. Neuroscience: Studies of the neural basis of cognitive processes, including learning and memory, language and thought, perception, attention, and affect. It investigates the human brain, from the functional organization of large-scale cerebral systems to microscopic neurochemical processes. Physiological Psychology: The study of the biological and physiological basis of behavior. This field studies the neural mechanisms of perception and behavior through direct manipulation of the brain in controlled experiments. Sociology and Social Psychology: The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society. Sociology is concerned with all group activities-economic, social, political, and religious. Includes studies of consumers and decision-making about a particular product/service or study of the need, attitude, and markets of a particular group. Other/Multiple: Studies in Behavioral and Social Science that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories. Next Project Category Previous Project Category

Information What Are Special Awards? Note: What were previously referred to as “Professional Society Awards” are now called “Special Awards.” This updated name better reflects the wide variety of organizations - from nonprofits to global corporations - that participate in sponsoring these recognitions. “Special Awards” is a broad term used to describe any recognition given independently by a participating group, organization, or company at the Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair (GSDSEF). This includes industry organizations, professional societies, special interest groups, businesses, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and government agencies. Each year, these organizations come together to celebrate student achievement by sponsoring Special Awards that honor excellence in specific fields - from engineering and environmental science to health, innovation, and community impact. Why Special Awards Matter Special Awards are a meaningful way to recognize and encourage promising young scientists and engineers. These awards connect students with real-world opportunities and highlight exceptional work that aligns with an organization’s mission or values. Special Awards by the Numbers Our Special Awards program is a cornerstone of the GSDSEF experience: 60+ sponsoring organizations, including professional societies, businesses, and government agencies. 250+ professional judges representing local and national industries. 200+ unique awards and recognitions. $40,000+ in total prizes and scholarships awarded annually. How Special Awards Work There is no set minimum financial commitment - you have full flexibility to customize your involvement: Define Your Award: You determine the award’s name, field of interest, selection criteria, and the prize. Choose Your Prize: Awards range from formal certificates and branded swag to professional event invitations. Monetary awards typically range from $100 to $1,000, though some organizations choose to sponsor immersive experiences. Select Your Winners: You can send your own representatives to judge on-site or have the GSDSEF select winners based on your specific criteria. Celebrate Achievement: Awardees are recognized during the GSDSEF Awards Ceremony, and sponsors receive contact information to follow up with their winners directly. Become a Sponsor We welcome participation from industry organizations, professional societies, nonprofits, startups, and academic institutions. Help us inspire the next generation of leaders in science and innovation. Ready to get started? If you are interested in sponsoring an award, please contact our Special Awards Coordinator: Sejal Pabari | specialawards@gsdsef.org

Biochemistry The study of the chemical basis of processes occurring in living organisms, including the processes by which these substances enter into, or are formed in, the organisms and react with each other and the environment. Subcategories : Analytical Biochemistry General Biochemistry Medicinal Biochemistry Structural Biochemistry Other/Multiple Analytical Biochemistry: The study of biochemical components found in a cell or other biological sample. The study of the separation, identification, and quantification of chemical components relevant to living organisms. General Biochemistry: The study of chemical and physiochemical processes, including interactions and reactions, relevant to living organisms. Medicinal Biochemistry: The study of biochemical processes within the human body, with special reference to health and disease. Structural Biochemistry: The study of components, functions, and structures of molecules of cells within living organisms. Projects in this subcategory can address various variables of cells through the theories of Chemistry and the laws of Physics. Other/Multiple: Studies in Biochemistry that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories. Next Project Category Previous Project Category

Information How to Participate: Quick Overview Quick Overview of GSDSEF Participation Steps (and suggested timeline) Detailed information can be gotten by logging into your student account and clicking on to the appropriate pages on the left hand column. You can also see this video on the GSDSEF Student Account and SRC Process What Where Completion Date 1. Read GSDSEF/ISEF Rules and Ethics Statements GSDSEF, ISEF Rules and the Ethics Statement September 2. Decide on a Project What makes a good STEM Fair project September-October 3. Teacher makes an account. THEN, Student makes an account Teacher registration page Student Registration page September 4. Fill in SRC (Scientific Review Committee) information Tab 1- Project Setup Tab 2- Project Details September-October 5. Determine whether your project needs additional safety (ISEF) Forms Tab 3- Forms Helper September-October 6. Submit Scientific/Safety Review Committee (SRC) online form and any necessary ISEF forms/approvals Tab 4- SRC Safety Form and ISEF Forms Upload (if necessary) September-November 7. Student, Parent, Teacher fill in and sign Information and Consent Tab 5- Consent and Policies September-November 8. After SRC approval, start on your project. ALL projects must go through SRC Review AND BE APPROVED BEFORE STARTING. You will receive an email indicating SRC Safety Approval. September- December 9. After completing your project -- Quality Screening with Digital Presentation. Download the Digital Presentation Template; complete and upload. Tab 6- Digital Presentation Upload. You will receive an email indicating Quality Screening Approval. January 10. After Screening Approval - Copy paste information into the Abstract. Tab 7- Abstract January-February 11. Payment - Review all previous information. Credit cards or school Purchase Orders only. Tab 8- Payment January- February 12. zFairs account set up for you. Upload your Digital Presentation and Digital Notebook for Judge’s Preview zFairs- February

Engineering: Electrical, Mechanical & Robotics a) Engineering: Electrical Studies involving electrical systems in which information is conveyed via signals and waveforms for purposes of enhancing communications, control and/or sensing. Subcategories: Circuits Internet of Things Microcontrollers Networking and Data Communications Optics and Photonics Sensors Signal Processing Other/Multiple Circuits: The study, analysis, and design of electronic circuits and their components, including testing. Internet of Things: The inter-networking of physical devices embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity to enable objects to collect/exchange data and/or provide control. Such devices are to be connected with the internet and/or the cloud. Microcontrollers: The study and engineering of microcontrollers and their use to control other devices. Networking and Data Communications: The study of systems that transmit any combination of voice, video, and/or data among users. Optics and Photonics: The use of visible or infrared light instead of signals sent over wires. The study and development of optical devices and systems devoted to practical applications (e.g. photonics) such as computation. Sensors: The study and design of devices that transmit an electrical response to an external device. Signal Processing: The extraction of signals from noise and their conversion into a representation for modeling and analysis. Other/Multiple: Studies in Engineering: Electrical, Mechanical, and Robotics that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories. b) Engineering: Mechanical Studies that focus on the science and engineering that involve movement or structure. The movement can be by the apparatus or the movement can affect the apparatus. Subcategories: Computational Mechanics Industrial Engineering-Processing Mechanical Engineering Computational Mechanics: A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to solve large and complex problems in Engineering Mechanics. Industrial Engineering-Processing: Studies of efficient production of industrial goods as affected by elements such as plant and procedural design, the management of materials and energy, and the integration of workers within the overall system. The industrial engineer designs methods, not machinery. Mechanical Engineering: Studies that involve the generation and application of heat and mechanical power and the design, production, and use of machines and tools. Other/Multiple: Studies in Engineering: Electrical, Mechanical, and Robotics that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories. c) Robotics Studies in which the use of machine intelligence is paramount to reducing the reliance on human intervention. Subcategories: Biomechanics Cognitive Systems Control Theory Machine Learning Robot Kinematics Other/Multiple Biomechanics: Studies and apparatus which mimic the kinematic role of mechanics in biological systems. Cognitive Systems: Studies/apparatus that operate similarly to the ways humans think and process information. Systems that provide for increased interaction of people and machines to more naturally extend and magnify human expertise, activity, and cognition. Control Theory: Studies that explore the behavior of dynamical systems with inputs, and how their behavior is modified by feedback. This includes new theoretical results and the applications of new and established control methods, system modelling, identification and simulation, the analysis and design of control systems (including computer-aided design), and practical implementation. Machine Learning: Construction and/or study of algorithms that can learn from data involving a robot/machine. Robot Kinematics: The study of movement in robotic systems. Other/Multiple: Studies in Engineering: Electrical, Mechanical, and Robotics that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories. Next Project Category Previous Project Category

Cellular & Molecular Biology This is an interdisciplinary field that studies the structure, function, intracellular pathways, and formation of cells. Studies involve understanding life and cellular processes specifically at the molecular level. Subcategories: Cell Physiology Cellular Immunology Genetics Molecular Biology Neurobiology Other/Multiple Cell Physiology: The study of the cell cycle, cell function, and interactions between cells or between cells and their environment. In general, projects could address physiology of membrane transport, neuron transmission, muscle contraction, the digestion of food, circulation of blood, contraction of muscles, or movement and production of nutrients in plant cells. In general, projects could address physiology of membrane transport, neuron transmission, muscle contraction, the digestion of food, circulation of blood, contraction of muscles, or movement and production of nutrients in plant cells. Cellular Immunology: The study of the structure and function of the immune system at the cellular level. This includes investigations of innate and acquired (adaptive) immunity, the cellular communication pathways involved in immunity, cellular recognition and interactions between antigens and antibodies. Genetics: The study of molecular genetics focusing on the structure and function of genes at a molecular level, genes, genetic variation, and heredity in living cells. These projects explore the consequences of genome variation on human cell biology, and thus gene function in health and disease. Furthermore, projects may study the impact of naturally-occurring and engineered genome mutations in human iPS cells, their differentiated derivatives, and other cell types. Molecular Biology: The study of biology at the molecular level. Chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interrelationships of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and learning how these interactions are regulated, such as during transcription and translation, the significance of introns and exons or coding issues. Neurobiology: The study of the structure and function of the nervous system at the cellular or molecular level. This area focuses on the study of cells of the nervous system and the organization of these cells into functional circuits that process information and mediate behavior. Some neurobiology focuses on the molecular structures of the brain and nervous system. Larger complete systems, like the function and structure of the cerebral cortex, may be studied. Projects can look at biological factors that impact learning or mood, or how early genetic material develops into various areas of the brain. Other/Multiple: Studies in Cellular and Molecular Biology that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories. Next Project Category Previous Project Category

Product Testing (Junior Division Only) Studies of quality control, and/or comparison studies of product designs by using accepted scientific tests to obtain quantifiable results. Product Testing: The study of the comparison and testing of commercial off–the-shelf products for quality and/or effectiveness for intended use in real-world consumer-oriented applications. Next Project Category Previous Project Category

SLB About The 2025-26 GSDSEF Student Leadership Board (SLB) is pleased to provide THREE different opportunities - WORKSHOPS, a MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, and STEM Bootcamps - for middle school and high school students in San Diego and Imperial Counties to develop and produce successful science, engineering, math, and/or computer science projects for entrance into the Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair (GSDSEF).

Plant Sciences Studies of plants and how they live, including structure, physiology, development, and classification. Includes plant cultivation, development, ecology, genetics and plant breeding, pathology, physiology, systematics and evolution. Subcategories Agriculture and Agronomy Ecology Genetics and Breeding Growth and Development Pathology Plant Physiology Systematics and Evolution Other/Multiple Agriculture and Agronomy: Application of the various soil and plant sciences to soil management and agricultural and horticultural crop production. Includes biological and chemical controls of pests, hydroponics, fertilizers and supplements. Ecology: The study of interactions and relationships among plants, and plants and animals, with their environment. Genetics and Breeding: The study of organismic and population genetics of plants. The application of plant genetics and biotechnology to crop improvement. This includes genetically modified crops. Growth and Development: The study of a plant from earliest stages through germination and into later life. This includes cellular and molecular aspects of development and environmental effects, natural or manmade, on development and growth. Pathology: The study of plant disease states, and their causes, processes, and consequences. This includes effects of parasites or disease-causing microbes. Plant Physiology: The study of functions in plants and plant cells. This includes cellular mechanisms such as photosynthesis and transpiration, and how plant processes are affected by environmental factors or natural variations. Systematics and Evolution: The study of classification of organisms and their evolutionary relationships. This includes morphological, biochemical, genetic, and modeled systems. Other/Multiple: Studies in Plant Science that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories. Next Project Category Previous Project Category

Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Studies that primarily focus on the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics as they relate to biological systems. This includes the development and application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, behavior, and social systems. Subcategories: Computational Biomodeling Computational Epidemiology Computational Evolutionary Biology Computational Neuroscience Computational Pharmacology Genomics Other/Multiple Computational Biomodeling : Studies that involve computer simulations of biological systems most commonly with a goal of understanding how cells or organism develop, work collectively and survive. Computational Epidemiology: The study of disease frequency and distribution, and risk factors and socioeconomic determinants of health within populations. Such studies may include gathering information to confirm existence of disease outbreaks, developing case definitions and analyzing epidemic data, establishing disease surveillance, and implementing methods of disease prevention and control. Computational Evolutionary Biology : A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to explore the processes of change in populations of organisms, especially taxonomy, paleontology, ethology, population genetics and ecology. Computational Neuroscience: A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to understand brain function in terms of the information processing properties of the structures that make up the nervous system. Computational Pharmacology: A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to predict and analyze the responses to drugs. Genomics: The study of the function and structure of genomes using recombinant DNA, sequencing, and bioinformatics. Other/Multiple: Studies in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories. Next Project Category Previous Project Category

CALENDAR AND SCHEDULE Calendar and Schedule (NOT IN USE) JAN 2026 2 Student Registration Begins MAR 2026 12 Application Payments Required.

Board of Directors Dr. Earl Williams, BOD President, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command Mr. Sany Zakharia, BOD Treasurer, Qualcomm Ms. Vickie Driver, Zim Biosciences Dr. Donna Kritz-Silverstein, UCSD Mr. Sam Ferguson, Lockheed Martin another name Management Committee Steve Rodecker, Fair Executive Director Sany Zakharia, GSDSEF Treasurer/Fundraiser Officers *Board Members Emeritus* Phil Gay Wendy Gay Student Leadership Board Management Committee Member Arnav Dagar, SLB President Board of Directors Meeting Dates TBD Liaisons Mrs. Shirley Miranda, San Diego City Schools, Liaison to the California Science and Engineering Fair Mr. John Spiegel, San Diego County Office of Education Liaison The Management Committee is a group of volunteers who give their time and expertise to coordinate and produce the Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair.