What Makes a Science Fair Research Project Worth Pursuing

To many science students just starting out, ISEF seems like a mythical, far-away place that only a select, lucky few will ever visit. But despite the competitive nature of the science fair, you can give yourself the edge by picking a research topic that means something to you and to the world. 

How Do You Pick a Worthwhile Research Topic?

The key part of any research idea when taken in the context of a science fair is the topic’s translational impact. You will hear numerous judges and science fair mentors use this term throughout your project. Translational impact is very simple – it is how your project “translates” to the world. In other words, it is a measure of how effectively your project could solve a real problem that has long stumped others. 

A good example of this is my personal science fair project, where I was editing an enzyme to break down plastic waste. The translational impact here is solving the plastic pollution problem, which has caused millions of people to be displaced, led to countless deaths (human and animal alike), and wreaked havoc on the environment for decades. While my project does have scientific merit in terms of its biochemical principles, it can be framed within that larger problem. 

Why Does Your Project’s Impact Matter?

So why is translational impact so important? It seems like getting to ISEF should be based on your science itself, not the larger issue. But having that clear impact is helpful in two ways. 

First, it allows judges to make an instant human connection to the research you are doing. If your project is only addressing some niche, theoretical issue, it can be hard to convey that project’s meaning to a judge in the measly 10 minutes you spend with them. But if you start your pitch by discussing how many deaths have been caused by cancer, or how many species are now endangered due to climate change, or any other big issue, that incites an empathetic response from your judge and automatically gives you an edge because the judge now truly cares about what you are saying. 

Second, judges know that you are in high school and may not have all the resources of a big lab, so your science may be less sophisticated. That means they want to see how you think. They want to see if you have the potential to be an established scientist, and if they should give you their vote. If you can compel a judge by talking about a big problem that needs solving, that instantly demonstrates your critical thinking skills and creativity, and is a big boost in judging. 

You Need to Care About Your Project

So, beyond the translational impact, what else makes a research idea worth pursuing? That’s right– your personal interest! 

I talk a lot about choosing a problem that people care about, but the most important person that needs to care is you. Some of these winning research projects at ISEF, STS, or the Davidson Fellows competition are year-long sagas of intensive experimentation. You simply cannot commit to a project in a meaningful way if you have no personal stake in what you are researching.

So, find a problem in the world that interests you and has larger meaning, and branch off of that. Maybe you have an interest in entomology (that’s bugs!) so you decide to pursue a project about the rapidly declining populations of key pollinators like bees and butterflies. Or maybe a family member of yours passed away from an orphan disease that not many people have heard of, so you pursue a project that aims to shine a light on how the disease is caused. The possibilities are endless, so long as you care about your project topic.

Your Research Project Must Be Unique

Finally, you need to make sure that your project is unique. Don’t do what others have done before you. Judges want to see if you have the creative abilities to fill in the gaps! Read through current research on your topic and see where no others have gone before. Comb through some methodologies and see if there are areas that could be rewritten and improved. Putting together those puzzle pieces and looking at a problem with fresh eyes is the best way to ensure that your project will be deeply meaningful to your chosen field of research. 

So, all in all, as long as your project interests you, addresses a large problem, and does all of that uniquely and creatively, you are in great shape. All that’s left is doing the research and writing your pitch, and ScienceFair is here to help! 

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