International Science and Engineering Fair coming to Phoenix in 2026

By Jude McGee

Every year, Society for Science hosts the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The world’s largest pre-collegiate STEM research competition, ISEF hosted over 5,000 in-person attendees last year with nearly 2,000 high school finalists from approximately 400 affiliated fairs representing more than 60 countries. There are 22 project categories, ranging from the biological sciences to robot design. This year, ISEF will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center from May 9-15, and will require more than 500 volunteers from the Phoenix area. Volunteers help by setting up, supporting finalists, judging projects (if qualified), translating, and more. 

Following ISEF, student participants become part of the Society for Science’s alumni community, which includes Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur Foundation Fellows, and recipients of the National Medal of Science. The community’s ongoing support, cultivated via Society-hosted events and an online community, incentivizes growth, opportunities, and innovation. According to the organization, “Science fair alumni go on to make discoveries, influence policy, bring life-changing technology to people who need it most, and help their communities in novel ways.”

ISEF’s impact extends beyond itself and significantly affects its host community. On May 14, ISEF will host local schools at Intel Education Outreach Day, where middle and high school students will have the opportunity to visit the finalists’ hall and chat with fair participants about their work. It is a full day of interactive STEM programming that teaches students several aspects of research, including project ideation, data collection, and project presentation. Last year, when the fair was in Columbus, Ohio, the event reached 1,000 local students and educators, with 66% from Title I schools.

Shannon Giorgianni, Ph.D., serves as the director of philanthropic partnerships for Society for Science and has been with the organization for nearly seven years. She explained that Intel Education Outreach Day provides students with the opportunity to meet like-minded peers who can help them connect with the STEM world. “For these students, ISEF helps them find their people. It sends the message that they belong in STEM,” she said. 

Students are given a scavenger-hunt-style workbook for the day that leads them to different stations and prompts them to ask questions. “We want to lead them through the process of thinking about their own project ideas,” said Dr. Giorgianni. At the Intel Education Outreach Day STEM Innovation Expo, students engage with local and national organizations that host activities highlighting their STEM areas and encouraging career connections. Intel, the title sponsor, along with approximately 30 other partner organizations, will provide robust, hands-on STEM experiences for students. Intel’s exhibit will focus on AI and microchip development. Students will learn how microchips are made and see them in action. 

Last year, a teacher whose school was included in the event said, “The 50 girls we brought could have stayed in the STEM Expo and exhibit hall all day. We are so excited about using the local resources we learned about that day. Our students enjoyed talking to people from around the world. This was an opportunity for them to see how well people share ideas on a world stage.”

Christy Burton, chair of the Burton Family Foundation and Board Secretary for the Society for Science, says the program significantly increases STEM opportunities for youth in Arizona and beyond. “The students who participate in ISEF and Education Outreach Day have an opportunity to not only grow their STEM skillset but create a more innovative world as well. We’re thrilled to share with Arizona the opportunity to explore and pioneer.”

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For more information on ISEF, as well as volunteer opportunities, visit: https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/ 

Photo via the Society for Science