The International Science and Engineering Festival is a one-of-a-kind event open exclusively to teenagers. Its primary goal is to nurture talented youth and support research in both applied and fundamental sciences. Read more at dallaski.
History of the Science and Engineering Festival
The festival’s story began in 1921 when journalist and publisher Edward W. Scripps and zoologist William E. Ritter founded Science Service to keep the public informed about scientific advances.
In 1942, Science Service launched the first Science Talent Search, immediately earning prestige and attracting enthusiastic participants. Seven years later, in 1949, they introduced the event now known as the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
Over the decades, several winners went on to become Nobel laureates, adding even more prestige to the festival.
Dallas Hosts the Festival
Although typically rotated among different cities, Dallas hosted the festival in 2023. The event took place from May 14 to 19 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Dubbed the largest pre-college STEM competition in the world, it brought together nearly 2,000 students from around the globe to tackle challenges in biology, computer science, and mathematics.
Ninety participants represented Texas, including 15 from the Dallas–Fort Worth area. They sacrificed sleep and weekends to perfect their projects. Ultimately, they competed for almost $9 million in awards, with judging by festival experts alongside more than 50 government agencies and universities offering special prizes and scholarships.
Standout Project
One of the event’s most impressive entries came from Andy Qin of Plano West Senior High School. Blending his passion for math with personal insights, Andy developed a computer program that explains why some students underperform in class. Even better, the software generates personalized recommendations to help learners improve. Andy believes his tool could revolutionize support for online students who miss face-to-face interaction with teachers.
Ukrainian Students Shine in Dallas
Senior students from Ukraine overcame countless obstacles to attend the festival amid a full-scale war at home. Despite these challenges, they prepared diligently and received special attention on site.
Four Ukrainian students earned the right to represent their country after winning the All-Ukrainian Eco-Techno 2023 competition: ninth-grader Illia Sydorchuk, tenth-grader Denys Hromovyi, and eleventh-graders Valeriia Holod and Iryna Toporova.