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Intel ISEF Category Descriptions

Page address: http://www.mnsu.edu/sciencefair/school/intel.html

2009-2010 Junior/Senior High Science Fair Project Categories

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

ANIMAL SCIENCES

Study of animals - animal genetics, ornithology, ichthyology, herpetology, entomology, animal ecology, animal anatomy and physiology, circadian rhythms, animal husbandry, histology, animal physiology, invertebrate physiology, studies of invertebrates, animal development, animal pathology, population genetics, systematics, etc.

BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Human behavior, social and community relationships–psychology, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, ethology, ethnology, linguistics, learning, perception, urban problems, reading problems, public opinion surveys, educational testing, clinical and developmental psychology, etc.

BIOCHEMISTRY

Chemistry of life processes - general biochemistry, metabolism, structural biochemistry, protein chemistry, food chemistry, hormones, etc.

CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Cellular biology, cellular physiology, cellular and molecular genetics, immunology, molecular biology, etc.

CHEMISTRY

Study of nature and composition of matter and laws governing it - general chemistry, organic chemistry (other than biochemistry), inorganic chemistry, materials, plastics, pesticides, metallurgy, soil chemistry, physical chemistry, etc.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Study and development of computer hardware, software engineering, Internet networking and communications, databases, graphics (including human interface), simulations / virtual reality or computational science, artificial intelligence, networking, operating systems, etc.

EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE

Geology, mineralogy, physiography, geochemistry, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, weather, speleology, seismology, geography, geophysics, planetary science, tectonics, etc.

ENGINEERING: Electrical and Mechanical

Technology projects that directly apply principles to practical uses - electrical, computer engineering, controls, mechanical, thermodynamics, solar, robotics, etc.

ENGINEERING: Materials and Bioengineering

Technology projects that directly apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses - civil, construction, mechanical, industrial, chemical, processing, material science, etc.

ENERGY & TRANSPORTATION

Aerospace and aeronautical engineering, aerodynamics, alternative fuels, fossil fuel energy, vehicle development, renewable energies, etc.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Bioremediation, ecosystems management, environmental engineering, land resource management, forestry, recycling, waste management, etc.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Study of air pollution and air quality, soil contamination and soil quality, water pollution and water quality, etc.

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

Development of formal logical systems or various numerical and algebraic computations, and the application of these principles - calculus, geometry, abstract algebra, number theory, statistics, complex analysis and probability, etc.

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Disease diagnosis and treatment, edipemiology, dentistry, pharmacology, pathology, ophthalmology, nutrition, sanitation, dermatology, allergies, speech and hearing, genetics, molecular biology of diseases, etc.

MICROBIOLOGY

Biology of microorganisms - bacteriology, virology, protozoology, fungi, bacterial genetics, yeast, antibiotics, antimicrobials, etc.

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

Theories, principles, and laws governing energy and the effect of energy on matter - solid state, optics, acoustics, particle, nuclear, atomic, molecules, solids, plasma, superconductivity, fluid and gas dynamics, thermodynamics, semiconductors, magnetics, quantum mechanics, biophysics, electromagnetics, optics, lasers, masers, theoretical physics, basic astronomy, theoretical astronomy, computational astronomy, etc.

PLANT SCIENCES

Study of plant life - agriculture, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, plant physiology, plant pathology, plant genetics, hydroponics, plant ecology, photosynthesis, plant systematics, evolution, etc.

Team Projects

Research conducted by two or three students in any of previous categories.