Dr. Alex is an expert on the ISEF-affiliated science and engineering fairs, including their rules, deliverables, judging rubrics, calendar, and more. ISEF competitions are a great choice for high school students because they come with built-in deadlines and any kind of award signifies to colleges that the student has completed legitimate, original research, not merely a superficial pay-to-play “research” program.

Many a parent has regretted the stress of attempting to manage the complexities of these competitions and their required paperwork for their student.

• With Dr. Alex, your student gets professional advice and guidance and a better chance of winning an award or being selected for the next level of the competition.

• Dr. Alex is also experienced with and very knowledgeable about the Davidson Fellows Scholarship and the Conrad Challenge.

• First, we take time to learn about your student’s STEM interests and passions, then we brainstorm project ideas that fit their preferences. Students can bring their own ideas or choose from an extensive list.

• We and our students collaboratively design the research project and map out the activities and timeline.

• Most projects can be done at home with an internet connection.

  • We have an exciting new biology laboratory option for students in the Washington DC metro area.

• If beneficial, we will bring on additional technical mentors at no extra cost to assist with things like special software or methods.

• Our students will learn to access, read, and understand academic literature so they can find out what’s been done before and formulate a novel project idea that can contribute to the field.

• As the project proceeds, we work with our students as they write and edit drafts of their research paper or report. Our students learn hands-on about technical writing, how to use reference management software, making technical figures, research ethics and norms, and most importantly, how to think like a scientist.

• When the research paper is complete, in addition to presenting the project at a STEM competition, we can submit the manuscript to a preprint server and even a peer-reviewed journal. There are several reputable journals that focus on high school-level research. Your student will learn about the publication process and will have documented authorship on a bona fide science or engineering publication! This is a coveted way for your student to distinguish themselves with a STEM research portfolio when applying to college STEM programs.