ISEF Catagories

ISEF Category Descriptions

On your NIRSEF entry materials, you must specify one of the following categories for your project.

NOTE:  FOR 2007, the categories have been modified with the goal of better aligning judges and student projects for the judging at the Intel ISEF. The NIRSEF has chosen to use the categories to better align with ISEF. 

Team projects will once again be asked to designate their projects into the “LIFE SCIENCE” or “PHYSICAL SCIENCE” categories.  Please pay particular attention to these descriptions to help you discern which category the Team Project should be placed.

ANIMAL SCIENCES

Development
Ecology
Animal Husbandry
Pathology
Physiology
Population Genetics
Systematics
Other

BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Clinical & Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Physiological Psychology
Sociology
Other

BIOCHEMISTRY

General Biochemistry
Metabolism
Structural Biochemistry
Other

CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Cellular Biology
Cellular and Molecular Genetics
Immunology
Molecular Biology
Other

CHEMISTRY

Analytical Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
General Chemistry
Other

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Algorithms, Data Bases
Artificial Intelligence
Networking and Communications
Computational Science, Computer Graphics
Software Engineering, Programming Languages
Computer System, Operating System
Other

EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE

Climatology, Weather
Geochemistry, Mineralogy
Paleontology
Geophysics
Planetary Science
Tectonics
Other

ENGINEERING: Materials and Bioengineering

Bioengineering
Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Industrial Engineering, Processing
Material Science
Other

ENGINEERING: Electrical & Mechanical

Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Controls
Mechanical Engineering
Thermodynamics, Solar
Robotics
Other

ENERGY & TRANSPORTATION

Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering, Aerodynamics
Alternative Fuels
Fossil Fuel Energy
Vehicle Development
Renewable Energies
Other

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Bioremediation
Ecosystems Management
Environmental Engineering
Land Resource Management, Forestry
Recycling, Waste Management
Other

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Air Pollution and Air Quality
Soil Contamination and Soil Quality
Water Pollution and Water Quality
Other

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

Algebra
Analysis
Applied Mathematics
Geometry
Probability and Statistics
Other

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
Epidemiology
Genetics
Molecular Biology of Diseases
Physiology and Pathophysiology
Other

MICROBIOLOGY

Antibiotics, Antimicrobials
Bacteriology
Microbial Genetics
Virology
Other

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

Astronomy
Atoms, Molecules, Solids
Biological Physics
Instrumentation and Electronics
Magnetics and Electromagnetics
Nuclear and Particle Physics
Optics, Lasers, Masers
Theoretical Physics, Theoretical or Computational Astronomy
Other

PLANT SCIENCES

Agriculture/Agronomy
Development
Ecology
Genetics
Photosynthesis
Plant Physiology (Molecular, Cellular, Organismal)
Plant Systematics, Evolution
Other