How do people enter into Siemens and Intel competitions? How strong should the project be to be considered?
I think a lot of students that enter these competitions take part in summer research with a professor or in a summer program geared toward math and science research.
Thank you @skibum4 i guess my question is how strong should research be to be considered? D16 got into 2 research summer programs one is free and run by undergraduate students and another is for 3k and run by PHDs.
“How strong should research be to be considered” isn’t the right question to be asking here. The point of these competitions aren’t about, “how can I rig the system to win easily.” Really, the most effective projects are going to be from those who are very passionate, independent, and creative, about their own research.
Anyways, in any case, to answer your question, a lot of the projects that have won have been worked on for numerous years, and therefore have been very complex yet original. Most introduce new concepts that are new to both the judges and the research field. Professors allow for the participants to access more advance equipment and technology, but really should not be doing the project for the participants. Generally speaking, winners have their own publications/patents and other international merits.
You could do the summer programs, and perhaps reach levels of success at the competitions, but really it is way more valuable for you to find the project on your own. That way, you would be able to learn from the true value of doing these projects.
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Regarding general information:
-Intel Science Talent Search (https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-sts) - Entrance is through online application, and is limited only to high school seniors.
-Siemens Competition (http://www.siemens-foundation.org/programs/the-siemens-competition-in-math-science-technology/) - Entrance is through online application; individual project submissions are limited to high school seniors, but not group projects.
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[source]: I am an Intel ISEF finalist for this year, Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalist, Google Science Fair Regional Finalist, and early action admit to MIT this year.
Is it true that it is much more difficult to make semifinalist with physics projects than with bio / chem ones?
@ballerina16 Can’t really answer that question, and really I don’t think anyone can. It’s really up to how good the project is in the first place. I’d say you should just try your hardest, and don’t worry about the judging situation.
While that MAY have been true in the past, they now have three categories of winners for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes so I imagine they choose the semifinalists more broadly in order to have enough final candidates for the categories.
@Falcon1 Could you please elaborate about those changes?
Although Intel cares about your research a lot, they also have a bunch of supplementary essays that are important. Although I have not yet submit (I will do so this fall), my school has had a lot of semi-finalists and finalists. My teacher is telling me to spend a lot of time crafting these essays. Here, regardless of “how prestigious the lab you work in” or “how life-changing your results are,” you get a chance to explain what this project means to the world. So, essentially, what matters is what you do and why, not where.
I would ultimately chose the program that you think you would like to do more. Pick something you are truly interested in because the learning the science will come naturally. Along with that, in order to have a strong paper, make sure you read a lot! You can do an amazing study, but if it’s not put into the context of what’s already going on in your field, it essentially does not really matter that much.
As for your question on physics projects vs bio projects: I think there is no difference in acceptance rates. From my school, we have had everyone from people who are in the field of technology, to the field of natural sciences, to hardcore genetics, to particle physics become intel semi-finalists. If your project is good and you are deserving, you have a chance.
How would I go about finding an idea for a science project. For example, I am very interested in physics and want to do a research project in it. However, I can’t just randomly come up with an idea for a project. I heard the internet can be very useful in coming up with an idea, but I don’t really understand how to do that. It doesn’t seem that reading about research that other people did will help me come up with a research idea.
@kkpanu9 Good question! I actually don’t have a clear-cut answer ( sorry 
). Perhaps you could try finding major problems in the physics realm and try finding an answer to them? Or perhaps you could find problems that are more close to you (i.e. family, community, etc) that also needs to be fixed? I really can’t tell a good answer since for me, it seems like the best ideas come at the right time and in the right place (i.e. combination of various experiences that sparked a light in brain).
I hope that this is somewhat insight, and I’m sorry I can’t give you a better answer
@kkpanu9 …I do a lot of research at my local university. I love scientific research and have being winning science fairs/competitions since 3rd grade (state/national level). You can come up with an idea from looking at the research of others. Sometimes, you can get inspiration from their “further research” or “future research” sections. The researcher basically gives ideas for future research that they may or may not do themselves. Also, you could try contacting a professor at a local university that is doing research in your area of interest and brainstorm with them. Or see if you can get an internship in their lab to do your own research. That is what I have done for the past 2 years. Either way, keep trying and good things will happen!