The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) offsite link, organized by the Society for Science offsite link, is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. Regeneron ISEF provides a platform for the best and brightest young scientists to showcase their science, technology, engineering, or math research.
As a Special Award Organization offsite link, NOAA presents several awards, which recognize outstanding projects in ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate sciences from students in the United States. NOAA has sponsored Regeneron ISEF as a Special Award Organization since 2005.
In 2024, nearly 2,000 finalists from almost 70 countries, regions, and territories competed for more than $9 million in awards and scholarships.
2024 NOAA Special Award winners:
Taking the Pulse of the Planet First Award ($1,500)
Presented to students whose research has demonstrated the principles and technical innovations that offer the greatest potential for an improved understanding of Earth’s dynamic processes
- Justin Yizhou Huang and Victoria Ou: Acoustic Filtration: Harnessing Ultrasonic Technology for the Streamlined Removal of Microplastic Particles From Water Flow
- Tiffani Rai Gay: Year II: Resistant Electromagnet Propulsion for Petroleum Removal Employing Biocompatible Magnetorheological Fluid in Oil Spill Applications
Science Communication Award ($1,000)
Presented to the student who best explains their research project in clear, understandable, and accessible language, contributing to a better understanding of public science and engineering
- Nikita Agrawal: A Novel Approach for Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast Across the Atlantic Basin
Judge's Award: Self Starters ($500)
Presented to the student(s) whose research project was successful and self-driven, with limited support or resources from others
- Joseph Jeong, Madison Janice Bennett, and Pretom Chowdhury: Algae as a Resource for Bioplastic Production: Evaluating Species-Specific Characteristics and Biodegradability of Closterium, Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Volvox, Spirogyra, Saccharina latissima and Alaria esculenta
Judge's Award: Community Award ($500)
Presented to the student whose research project was self-driven and involved working with their community on a citizen science or related topic
- Elizabeth Rose Barnes: Microplastic Flotation: A Novel Method to Analyze and Remove Microplastics
2023 winners
2023 NOAA Special Award winners
Taking the Pulse of the Planet First Award ($1,500)
Presented to students whose research has demonstrated the principles and technical innovations that offer the greatest potential for an improved understanding of Earth’s dynamic processes
- Sruti Peddi: FloodCast: Real-Time Flood Mapping and Prediction in Southeast Asia Using Remote Sensing Data
- Madison Rieko Hiilani Murata: Studies on Gracilaria salicornia: Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Sunscreen Exposure and Use as Agricultural Fertilizer
Science Communication Award ($1,000)
Presented to the student who best explains their research project in clear, understandable, and accessible language, contributing to a better understanding of public science and engineering
- Emma Fallon: Analysis of Microplastic Compositions in Salt and Freshwater on the South Shore of Long Island
Judge's Award: Passion Project ($500)
Presented to the student whose research project ignited passion and excitement, leading to a greater understanding of Earth’s dynamic processes
- Andrew Gio Kang: Invisible Groundwater Discharge Patterns Across Tumon Bay, Guam: Discovery of Vital Habitats Sustained by Tumon Bay Karst Watershed Discharges From an Uplifted Carbonate Aquifer
Judge's Award: Community Award ($500)
Presented to the student whose research project was self-driven with limited support or resources and is leading to a greater understanding of Earth’s dynamic processes
- Franziska Borneff: Measuring the Effects of Climate Change on Arctic Rivers
2022 winners
2022 NOAA Special Award winners
Taking the Pulse of the Planet First Award ($1,500)
Presented to students whose research has demonstrated the principles and technical innovations that offer the greatest potential for an improved understanding of Earth’s dynamic processes
- Eliana Juarez: Urban Ozone Forecasting and Policy Recommendations Through Photochemical Modeling and Machine Learning
- Eyrin Kim: Planning Equitable Accessibility to Dialysis Care: A Case Study of Hurricane Ida
Science Communication Award ($1,000)
Presented to the student who best explains their research project in clear, understandable, and accessible language, contributing to a better understanding of public science and engineering
- Faye Lin: WAL-SEA: Development of a Homebuilt, Multifunctional Remotely Operated Vehicle for the Study of the Near-Shore Ocean Ecosystems
Judge's Award: Passion Project ($500)
Presented to the student whose research project ignited passion and excitement, leading to a greater understanding of Earth’s dynamic processes
- Ellery McQuilkin: Projecting Disappearance of the Dana Glacier Using Observed Melt Rate and 3D Modeling
Judge's Award: Self Starter ($500)
Presented to the student whose research project was self-driven with limited support or resources and is leading to a greater understanding of Earth’s dynamic processes
- Dakota Perry: A Mechanism Utilizing Renewable Energy for Eliminating Aquatic Trash in Waterways That Does Not Contribute to Global Warming and Air Pollution
2021 winners
2021 NOAA Special Award winners
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of $1,500
- Melanie Elise Quan: Analysis of Plastic Pellet Distribution in the Environment Using Citizen Science Nurdle Patrol Data and Batch Identification to Differentiate Spills
- Yuchen Li: Path Dependence of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Weakening: A Geostrophic Shear Approach
Taking the Pulse of the Planet second award of $500
- Angela Chen: Assessing and Predicting Wildfire Severity in California Based on Relationships Between Wildfires and Drought Using Machine Learning
- Shreya Khullar: Dendrochronological Data Analysis to Measure Climate Sensitivity and to Develop Paleoclimate Reconstructions
- Rithika Narayan: Harnessing Deep Learning to Assess Coral Reef Health Through Crowd-sourced Efforts
- Lila Schweinfurth: Developing a User Friendly System for Predicting Harmful Levels of Marine Biotoxins
2019 winners
2019 NOAA Special Award winners
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of $1,500
- Angelina Guerra: Novel unmanned environmental DNA collection technique
- Annalisa Minke: Investigating how water vapor emission impacts the temperature of the troposphere
Taking the Pulse of the Planet second award of $500
- Mark Leone: Mitigation of Florida red tide (Karena brevis) blooms through flocculation with enhanced local sediments
- Melanie Quan: Algal bioplastics: Developing a sustainable cycle of compostable and water-soluble plastics by repurposing waste
- Robert Strauss: Tsunami forecasting and risk analysis
- Uma Volety & Elizabeth Kinsey: The bioaccumulation, toxicity, and electrical discharge plasma-treatment of the emerging perfluorinated contaminant, GenX
2005 - 2017 winners
2017
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship, plus award of $500
- Kelly van Woesik, Home Ranges of Atlantic Great White Sharks, Phase II
Taking the Pulse of the Planet second award of $500
- Jared Goodwin, Arsenic Contamination through Tsunami Wave Movement in Hawaii: Investigating the Concentration of Heavy Metals in the Soil from the 1960 Hilo, Hawaii Tsunami
2015
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship, plus award of $500
- Natalie Marie Bush, Mitigation of Hypoxic Ecosystems Using Hemolymph Analysis of Callinectes sapidus and Procambarus clarkii in Relation to Spartina Grasses, Year Two
Taking the Pulse of the Planet second award of $500
- Jesse Tan Zhang, The Effect of the Atlantic Ocean on Polar Vortex Weakening
2014
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship, plus award of $500
- William Wu, Lunar Tide Contribution to Thermosphere Weather
Taking the Pulse of the Planet second award of $500
- Jesse Tan Zhang, Monitoring Ocean Microscopic Organic Material: Assessing Large-Scale Ecological Disruption on Annual Chl-a, POC, and PIC Fluctuation Equilibrium
2013
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship, plus award of $500
- Olivia Kaye Joslin, The Replacement of Fishmeal with Formulated Sustainable Meals and Its Effect on the Growth of Litopenaeus vannamei
Taking the Pulse of the Planet second award of $500
- Meagan Elizabeth Currie, Effects of Environmental Stressors on the Filtration Rates of the Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis
2012
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship, plus award of $500
- Matthew Joseph Hummel, Navibot: Phase V O.R.C.A.
Taking the Pulse of the Planet second award of $500
- Devon M. Enke, Mycoremediation: Using Pleurotus ostreatus Mycelium to Remove Petroleum Hydrocarbons from Freshwater and Saltwater Environments
2011
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship
- Harihar Ganeshan Subramanyam, Tornado App
2010
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship
- Heather Marie Eberhart, Design and Development of a Portable Light Trap for
Sampling Brachyuran Crab Larvae
2009
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship
- Collin Northcott McAliley, Red Tide Mitigation: Neutralizing Brevetoxin Using the Amino Acid Derivative, Cysteine Methyl Ester
2008
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship
- Zaki Daniel Moustafa, Resilience/Survivorship of a Red Sea Fringing Coral Reef under Extreme Environmental Conditions: A Four-Year Study
2007
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship
- John Christopher Turner, The Possible Effects and Predictive Capabilities of the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation on Western Hemisphere Warm Pool Variability
2006
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship
- Alexa A. Carey, Effectiveness of Strobe Lights, Sound Frequency, and Lasers in reducing Salmon Entrainment Through Hydropower Turbines
- John Christopher Turner, Storm Warning: Is There a Predictable Correlation Between the North Atlantic Oscillation and Tropical Cyclone Activity?
- Malcolm Bruce Young, Coral Bleaching Adaptation
2005
Taking the Pulse of the Planet first award of paid internship
- Ryan Reynolds Neely, Global warming: The effects of increased temperature and carbon dioxide