‘Science Fair: the Series’ experiments with several high schoolers’ journeys to ISEF

By Sophie Nguyen and Peggy Chen

Science fair might sound daunting to most high schoolers, but in “Science Fair: the Series,” executive directors Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster have hypothesized that any high schooler in the world has the potential to unravel the most difficult scientific questions of the century through passion and curiosity. 

Releasing on National Geographic on December 10, “Science Fair: The Series” packs the thrill of the world’s biggest science fair into several hour-long episodes. Through a diverse range of students, the directors aimed to show that anyone, regardless of where they started or their background, is capable of attaining a spot at the most coveted science fair for high schoolers in the country — the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Carlos Ochoa works in his science fair project in the school greenhouse in Monte Vista, Colo. (National Geographic/Dana Ballout)

The series doesn’t shy away from showing the inevitable in competition — rejection and denial. From regional fairs to state fairs where only a handful of students are selected from hundreds, if not thousands, of other students at each stage, the Fair’s low acceptance rate misses on the opportunity to take many talented high schoolers. In “Science Fair: the Series” we see that this is the case with Carlos, who did not make ISEF.

“(Carlos is) studying what he wants to be studying botany in Hawaii. So, you know, even with, you know, not realizing an immediate dream, you still got to push on,” Foster said. 

Carlos did eventually make ISEF the next year, but the executive directors stressed the importance of his enjoyment of his passions today at the University of Hawaii, studying what he truly is interested in. They say participating in science fairs have helped him gain professional and technical skills necessary to succeed in the labroom growing up. 

“(ISEF) often can be the seed of bigger things to come when these kids go to college,” Foster said. “So it’s a really important world pipeline for some of them- most world changing ideas.”

The projects themselves encompass a wide variety of topics. ISEF features projects from 22 different categories– including biomedical and health sciences, engineering technology: statics and dynamics, and physics and astronomy to just name a few. 

Natasha Kulviwat’s project highlighted her experiences in her life to contribute to something to the greater good — investigating suicide and its causes. 

“(She took) on a project that I think a lot of people want to avoid and not (talk) about, and (engage) in it scientifically. And she was personally inspired by a personal tragedy in her life. And I think that’s really inspiring when people take things that could be a personal tragedy and try to make something positive out of it,” Foster said. 

Robert Sansone holds his award while standing onstage next to the President and CEO of the Society for Science during the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Awards Ceremony in Atlanta, Ga. (National Geographic/A. Mazonkey-J. D. Nell)

In their coverage of the students, Foster and Costantini directed their attention toward the personal lives of the students, rather than honing technically into the accomplishments. They are just like any other high schooler while participating in their science passions. 

“Instead of saying, ‘well, I can’t do anything about it,’ they confronted (scientific issues) head on and decided to study them, and we were really inspired by this generation and so we wanted to celebrate those stories,” Costantini said.  

Students from diverse locations around the globe participated. Lena is an example of a high schooler from a rural region without access to some traditional science tools but managed to be successful regardless. 

“Lena, who is a Brazilian student, … came from a very small town in the interior of Brazil. And she now lives in Los Angeles. She is going to an English school. She has her life. is totally different. She’s working towards her degree. And she’s amazing and I think if it was definitely not presented to her, she wouldn’t be here. Now, she speaks English. She taught herself English for like a year,” Costantini said.

In addition to South America, “Science Fair: The Series” scouted for science enthusiasts in Africa as well, specifically in Zimbabwe. 

Memory Bvungo, Tanatswa and Tadiswa smile while holding the Zimbabwe flag outside of the ISEF awards hall during the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) awards ceremony in Atlanta, Ga. (National Geographic/A. Mazonkey-J. D. Nell)

“Zimbabwe story is an incredible story. You know, just a few years ago, there was no such thing as a science fair in Zimbabwe and basically because of the force of, of one man nowadays. The science fair and now are performing in the international competitions and doing really well. So to have you know, it just shows like, you know, what one person can do with the desire to make a change and that and, you know, that is knowledge, a story and he’s opened up the doors for all these students in Zimbabwe to not pursue science at really high levels. So not only is it going to change, you know, these individual students’ lives but it’s going to change the … world for the rest of us,” Foster said. 

For Costantini and Foster, a primary goal was to inspire viewers to explore more about science – and even consider pursuing a career in it. Their message comes in tandem with the “Open Science” movement that has found popularity within the scientific community in recent years. 

Erin Gaydar poses in front of a prom background with two friends in Merritt Island, Fla. (National Geographic/Karen Gaytán)

“I hope that it makes science approachable, I think, you know, when we think about scientists, we think about people in their labs, at the best universities in the world who are little are geniuses and we could never do that or be them,” said Constantini, referring to both cultural and socio-economic barriers of entering STEM fields. 

Pew Research Center found in 2018 that half of Americans don’t pursue science-focused fields because they believe it is too difficult. Similarly, Nature published in 2016 an investigation of economic barriers that drive budding scientists off their planned career tracks. 

Constantini, a former science fair participant, hopes that telling the stories of young scientists will catalyze interest in STEM fields for aspiring scientists who watch the series by featuring the exploration and innovation done by previous student scientists. 

“I think seeing high schoolers, tackling these problems to me as a high schooler myself, it made me feel like there’s an on-ramp to some of these kinds of worlds,” she said. 

Science fairs serve as one of the first experiences that many students have with the scientific method, a foundational technique of research science. “For a lot of these kids science fair is their first interaction with science and with the scientific process and it allows so many of these kids to go to great universities and continue doing their research,” she said, referring to the successful careers that many science fair alumni, both in and out of the show, find after high school. 

Even for students who decide to swerve into humanities or entertainment-focused careers, the skills that science fair teaches, said Costantini, are invaluable regardless.

“I’m obviously not a scientist now, but for of skills that I learned the confidence to continue projects to start projects, continue them to think more than anything, the experience of failing and then trying again, it’s something that science teaches you,” she said. “You fail a lot and science and you fail a lot in life. I think, you know, picking yourself back up and continuing is a really important skill. So I don’t, above all, as I said, it’s super fun.” 

Science Fair: The Series may follow the stories of young scientists and innovators, but its audience is anyone – and everyone. Beyond the glitzy award ceremonies and high-tech gadgets that get shown off, science fairs are a place for kids who love what they do to share their passions. 

“You get to meet incredible kids and incredible people. And I would encourage everybody, whether they wouldn’t be a scientist or not to get involved in science fair,” Constantini said.

Through the diverse range of students featured in “Science Fair: The Series” and the show’s accessibility to all students around the world, the evidence yields that Foster and Costantini are 100% confident that the most far-fetched science fairs may become a reality to any high schooler.

“Science Fair: The Series” is available for streaming beginning on December 10, 2023, on National Geographic, Hulu and Disney+.