Overview

WESEF, usually occurring in mid-March, is the final research competition in which Greeley students will participate during their senior year. It is a display of projects by the best high school science research students in Westchester and Putnam counties and is the regional version of the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair which is the larger and more global of the two Regeneron sponsored events, the other being Regeneron STS. WESEF is unique compared to JSHS and Regeneron STS in that once a student’s research is approved, judging criteria lies solely in the student’s ability to convey their research in a formal presentation setting. Usually, this would be a posterboard; however, during the pandemic competition season, WESEF presentations were non-animated slideshows lasting 7 minutes, leaving a traditional 8 minutes for the question & answer (Q&A) section.

Pre-Competition

Though the competition format may vary depending on the circumstances of the competition season, before participating in WESEF, students must create an account on the ZFairs website which can be accessed through the “For Students” tab on the WESEF homepage. Students can also try to use the 2021 link for ZFairs. After registering a ZFairs account by clicking “Google” under the “Sign in With” title, and logging in with their school email address, students may then access the paperwork tab which will be the center for all of the uploads required for their projects including their abstract, research plan (which should be written before commencing the project), and other required forms established using “Rules Wizard”. Students may also upload a picture of themselves by clicking their name → “my profile” → “images” → and then uploading a picture of themselves in the leftmost spot. This image will be shown in the case that the student advances to ISEF and should be professional and appropriate (think resume photo).

During Competition

During competition, students are expected to deliver a formal presentation of their scientific accomplishments in a poster forum (or in a non-animated google slides depending on the requirements of the year) to professional researchers in the local area. The duration of this presentation is 7 minutes. However, it is important to know that 7 minutes is NOT a strict time constraint. The total judging session lasts 15 minutes and so whatever time over 7 minutes the student continues their presentation will simply be removed from the Q&A portion of their judging. Thus, I recommend not to go over 8 minutes on one’s presentation since the Q&A is a large part of the judging criteria. Regardless, it is important to remain calm independent of how long your presentation continues. It is also important to note that the entire judging process revolves solely around the presentation of your research. Thus, a convincing tone and engaging presentation can mean the difference between not-placing and qualifying for ISEF. Personally, my research was very theoretical and had little empirical data to support some of my methodology. Still, I presented confidently with what I had and ended up receiving second-place overall in Engineering, a special award from the ASM Materials Science Education Foundation for outstanding research in materials engineering, and was one of nine finalists for the David M. Holmes Engineering Innovation Award.

Awards

Finalists of WESEF will attend the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair, where they will compete against the top high school research students from the USA and 50 additional countries. The top 20 projects (the number varies by year) will be awarded the honor of representing Westchester & Putnam counties at Regeneron ISEF where they will compete with over 1500 top high school research students from over 70 different countries worldwide! However, there are also various special awards that students can receive for their research. It is also important to note that a student does not have to win their category to qualify for ISEF. Depending on the number of first place winners many second-place finishers are qualified for ISEF.