Speaker 1: Oh my god, wait, I just realized I'm literally revealing like all of my like secrets.

Speaker 2: Now Tria likes to claim that her board was better than mine. Let me just tell you this is indisputable. My ice board, which I'll show on the screen right now is D1. It's top tier. I did show Shreya's board as well on the screen right now. You know, the pink color is purple color is not really my vibe. I prefer this a nice blue. I'm with Tria but two time first place ice up winner. Today we're revealing five strategies to help you with ISEF and science fair and also detailing the process of winning ISEF two years in a row. I'm also filming three extra videos with Shreya with her best advice, tips and tricks to win ISEF and adding it to my science fair competitions course, which you can check out in the description down below. But first, most people will think that because we're here at Harvard, we probably met at Harvard, but that's actually far from the truth. We met over a year ago, actually, at the Research Science Institute. But something that's kind of cool is we didn't actually know it, but we met several months before that at the 2022 International Science and Engineering Fair. And there's actually a clip of both Shreya and I standing on the stage after winning first place. And that clip is now in the National Geographic Science Fair documentary, which is super cool. We just saw it and we were like, whoa, we were both standing there and we didn't even realize it. And later at RSI, that's when I started to comprehend, like, oh, wait, that might be that person who was like standing there. I don't know.

Speaker 1: I don't remember it. Yeah, honestly, I didn't even know Rishabh before that or even at RSI, like only at the program did I realize, like, oh, he was the guy on stage and he's the one that won the Regeneron Science Award for me.

Speaker 2: So honestly, my first impression of Shreya was at RSI and I was walking with one of my friends, Okaizwe Bell, and we went down to the third floor, which was like the women's floor. And then we're walking by, like through the lounge area and we see Shreya, like the lounge is completely empty, you know, like everyone's just in their rooms doing whatever. Shreya's in the lounge on her computer, like sitting like this, working on her like paper and presentation. And I just remember telling Okaizwe like discreetly on the side, like, wait, who is this? And it's like, why is she sweating so hard? And then he's like, no, Shreya's like crazy smart. And so that's like my first impression that I always remember back at RSI of Shreya.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I didn't have quite as positive of an impression.

Speaker 2: Don't say that. Don't say that.

Speaker 1: You can't say that. Yeah. So I actually also met Rishabh again in like April or something like this past year at the Coca-Cola Scholars event in Atlanta, Georgia. And yeah, I saw him and Okaizwe with a bunch of other people there. So we kind of talked a little bit there as well. So there's lots of programs that me and Rishabh have done in common and that's kind of how we met. So lots of advice that's similar and then some advice that's different that might be helpful.

Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, for one, I'd say the biggest difference right off the bat, like from a research point of view is I competed mainly in biomedical engineering in high school. I did a lot of AI work. Most of my research was computational, meaning that, you know, I could do a lot of my programming, mathematical modeling, simulations, all from my computer, laptop or from a server. Shreya, on the other hand, spent hours in the lab doing wet lab bio research.

Speaker 1: Yeah. So unlike Rishabh, I don't really have computational background. My skills are mostly in wet lab bio research. And it is a lot more time intensive, like Rishabh was talking about, but it can be very rewarding since you do get sort of that more like, I think, intimate experience with biology that I don't think you really can get behind a computer. And if that's your...

Speaker 2: I'm pretty stupid for bio.

Speaker 1: But like a lot of my friends were saying like they do want experience in that area as well because I think that's where all the exciting things are really happening in biology, in my opinion. Sure. I agree to disagree, I guess. But yeah, again, it is a lot more time intensive, but it is also very nice in the sense that if you're doing research in a wet lab setting, definitely like any research in vitro, in vivo, anything will have a really big impact because you've proved that, you know, theoretically in this small lab space that your idea and your drug, therapeutic, anything will actually work. So that is kind of nice. I think a lot of judges that I said tend to value, at least in the life sciences category, they tend to value that wet lab research a lot. I know lots of people who were judges at ISEF.

Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a really helpful perspective that Shreya shared. But now, can you tell the audience a little bit more about your project in particular? Because I'm sure they're wondering what Pseudomonas is that I was wondering many months ago.

Speaker 1: Yeah. So my project was kind of focused on developing a cocktail therapy of natural substances called phenolic compounds to inhibit corn sensing or bacterial cell communication within a type of microbial growth called bacterial biofilm. Lots of complicated words in that sentence, but I assure you, literally all I was doing was just preventing bacteria from speaking to one another through inhibiting certain genes and those pathways. So yeah, like kind of short explanation is that. A lot of it was, again, wet lab research, but I think a lot of the time also I spend just doing like a ton of literature review. I think Rishabh can also speak to this, like you will spend hours and hours reading papers, like looking through past research. And that honestly takes up about 30% of the time for me is just developing the idea. And then kind of for me, the other 70% is during the summer and then throughout the year I would actually conduct the experiment.

Speaker 2: So the audience is probably dying to know what strategies Shreya has to share with you all. But before we get into that, let me just answer one more thing. Could you tell the audience about your experience and because you competed at ISEV multiple years, what like progression did you have in ISEV? Like did you compete as a freshman, as senior? And I guess also what awards did you win?

Speaker 1: Yeah, so I think freshman year our ISEV was basically canceled because of COVID. So not much we could really do there. But then sophomore year I competed in the online ISEV. That was the year I got second in microbiology. And then junior, senior year, I competed in our in-person ISEVs and got first those years. Yeah, I really enjoyed the in-person ISEVs and particularly got to meet people like Rishabh and yeah, it was a lot of fun.

Speaker 2: Also, again, the advice and strategy part of this video and whether you're competing at a science fair for your first time, or you're already a seasoned pro and have been to ISEV, these tips will be really helpful for you. As mentioned, you know, Shreya's experience winning first place two years in a row is pretty much unheard of, coupled with, if I do say so myself, our first place win in biomedical engineering, the Regeneron Young Scientist Award. So we hope that our advice can really help you. That being said, we also did film three additional videos, which have been added to the A to Z course in the description down below. And for a limited time, you can use code Shreya on checkout for $50 off your purchase. So we hope that's helpful. Go check that course out if you need additional strategies and tips after this. So the first main piece of strategy and advice I want to get into is pertaining to speaking and presentation skills. And as you can probably tell from this YouTube video itself, Shreya's great at that. And those skills translate over into science fair. And so I kind of want to talk about how you can develop those skills and present your projects in ways that are convincing. And also, you know, it's very professional and nice to listen to.

Speaker 1: Yeah, like Rishabh mentioned, I did do speech and debate all throughout high school and like since fifth grade, I think I've been taking public speaking classes. So that's like an area that was very familiar to me. And it's a huge component, in my opinion, to win winning ISEF project, I suppose. I think that for me, at least I know we have somewhat different opinions on this. But for me, I think you want the presentation to be truly energetic. You want to show that you're very interested in what you're talking about, even though you've probably spoke about it dozens of times before, like the judge is the first time they're hearing that presentation. So even if you said it, you know, practiced it, rehearsed it every single time, you want to bring that same energy, that same type of enthusiasm, because that's what they see for the first time. So I think that that really makes you stand out because most people in science fair, first of all, underestimate the importance of the presentation. Second of all, like, you know, kind of portray a more casual way, which, you know, I think is completely fine, but to really stand out amidst all these really great projects, especially at ISEF, really demonstrating that enthusiasm is important.

Speaker 2: I definitely agree with most of the points made there. But as Shreya mentioned, I do have my own style, kind of what I like to tell my audience is that they develop their own formula. You know, there's not one set rule as to how you should present and it should be something that is matching to your personality. And so I'd say my style of presentation is a little bit different. Of course, I have enthusiasm in my presentation, but it is a little bit more on like the technical side where I like to just talk about the field as a whole and talk about, you know, my deep understanding of the research beyond just like enthusiasm. And so I would say that I've developed an interesting formula. But for more specifics on that, you can once again check out that course. Shreya and I will detail kind of how you can develop your own formula. But without further ado, let's get into the second piece of advice, which is how you can obtain good results for your project. You know, you may have spent a lot of time doing your methods, but how do you actually get to that winning result, which you can showcase? In the AI realm, with a lot of computational projects I've seen, people will be working really hard and they'll get, you know, a 70 percent result and they'll come to ISEF and they'll be surprised that it seems like everyone has 99.9 percent results. But in my opinion, you know, you don't need to have that top number. It really does matter about your project in particular. And so a 70 percent accuracy or some result may actually be more impressive for a specific discipline, for a specific project compared to a 99.999 result for some other project. But it's important that you phrase it in a way that judges would understand that if they're trying to ultimately compare projects across each other and make sure that your results, despite having some sort of different number, can still convey that you did a really good job.

Speaker 1: Yeah. So I think, you know, different on my end, because wetland is just less things are in your control. A lot of it is just, you know, did you get lucky? Like, did the project end up working? But even to that point, even if you don't necessarily have a successful result, there is still a way you can frame the research to where maybe like one thing you did, you know, science is all iterative, right? So you're constantly improving the process. One component that I was able to make better, which is just expressing a certain gene and the way you market that, I guess, can be very important because even that can be still very influential in your field. And if you can really sell its importance, compare that result to what's being done in the field and how this is really important, it can make X, Y and Z process better. That can still really show that your project has a lot of impact.

Speaker 2: So another big question I get all the time is how many hours should I be spending on my project? And essentially, you know, how hard should you be working on this? You know, should it be your main activity? Like what level of dedication do you have to have for your project? And of course, it varies based on the project you're doing and what your goals are in particular. But I did think that for this video, because we do have two ISEP level winners, what type of dedication is needed to do this level of research? And as I put it in plain terms, like how much do you need to sweat?

Speaker 1: Yeah, I think for me, I did most of my research during the summer, since during the school year, I went to a somewhat competitive high school. So we had to spend a lot of time on school and, you know, like just other extracurriculars during the year. So I primarily did it in the summer. If I had to, like, quantify the hours, I would usually spend around seven to eight hours a day throughout the week.

Speaker 2: And over the summer or throughout the school year as well?

Speaker 1: Or not during the school year.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I completely agree with those numbers. Actually, I was going to say same thing here. I would mainly work on my projects over breaks like summer break. For me, I was a little bit of a procrastinator. So I would, you know, do a lot of heavy lifting over the winter for some years. And oftentimes later in high school, junior, senior year, I was working in a lab as well, which was not even my ISEF project. I was a co-author on that study, third author. And so that was additional time I would be spending on research. So but if I were to look at like the ISEF project specifically, I think similar numbers here where over the summer, you're basically working like nine to five, like you have a full time job or position where you're putting in a lot of dedication into your research. And then, you know, during the school year, of course, we all get busy with that. But I think it is good to basically keep up with the project because keeping it fresh in your head is really helpful for science for itself when you're talking to judges and all that. And also just to like continually make progress. Sometimes like in week five, you may be like, oh, wait, I just came across a new idea that I didn't even realize over the summer. So making consistent progress on your project is really helpful. Now, Shreya likes to claim that her board was better than mine. Let me just tell you, this is indisputable. My ISEF board, which I'll show on the screen right now, is D1. It's top tier. I did show Shreya's board as well on the screen right now. You know, the pink color is purple color is not really my vibe. I prefer this nice blue with the gradient. This is so beautiful. But I want to talk a little bit about, you know, presenting like beyond just what you're speaking, because visuals matter a lot, especially on your science fair poster. So do you have any suggestions for coming up with nice visuals that can assist your project, whether that's the board or things that you have on the desk, like computer, binder, notebook?

Speaker 1: I think my general strategy is I like to have like as few words on the board as possible. I know Risham's boards tend to like be a little bit more cluttered, which is personally not my style, but.

Speaker 2: I don't know cluttered is the right word. I would say more crammed, like I like to put as much information as possible to show that I did as much work as possible.

Speaker 1: I understand. I understand that. But like at the end of the day, your judge is going to come by your board and they're not going to read all of that. Like they're really just looking for some of the things. I do like your visual abstract, though. I think that is very. OK. But yeah, I think my goal when I'm making the board is I'll just like kind of put down all the information for each section. Like some of the key points, like what are the things when the judge looks at it? I definitely want them to know. And then from there, I'll just make a diagram. Like I use VioRender a lot.

Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. I also use it.

Speaker 1: But OK. So, yeah, I will just try to make as many diagrams as possible and limit the number of words on the board. As for the color scheme, I don't think it truly matters, but I did have a good reason why I chose purple and pink because of gram staining and my collaterality.

Speaker 2: Definitely mouth also your favorite color.

Speaker 1: OK, that too. But I think I made my board stand out just a little bit because usually in like science competitions, most people are not really wanting to use pink.

Speaker 2: Sure, yeah. I mean, the color preference is totally there, but we will get into some specifics about how you can create that board in the course, what specific tools we use, whether that's Adobe to Figma to other stuff. So we'll discuss that a little bit more in depth. But now I want to get into our last kind of main piece of strategy and advice, which is the wow factor. And so I've talked about this on my channel before, but basically to get that first place level finish right. You don't if you have good results, you have a good methodology. You're clearly very knowledgeable. You will rank high. You're going to get some sort of award. But to really get first place, especially year over year like Tria or in my case, when you know one of those top awards, you have to ultimately have some sort of wow factor that, you know, judges will go in that room and argue for you because they thought this person deserves to win because of that wow factor. So beyond just the things that you would know, right. Doing a good project, all of that. What is your wow factor, Tria?

Speaker 1: It's actually crazy that you use the word wow factor because that's like kind of the same terminology that I would use when I'm preparing for my.

Speaker 2: By the way, this video is not scripted at all. Yeah. Right. I came up with these pointers that I'm just throwing out right now and Tria's filling them in.

Speaker 1: So I think I literally have a Google dot with the title of like wow factors, like because that is so crucial, actually. Oh, my God. Wait, I just feel like I'm literally revealing like all of my like

Speaker 2: secrets. I don't reveal too much because we have to save some for the course, you know. But anyway.

Speaker 1: OK, so I think something that Risha mentioned earlier was that in his presentation, he likes to demonstrate a very thorough knowledge, not just of his project, but of the field. When I was saying enthusiasm like is most important for the presentation, I definitely still stand by that. But I 100 percent agree that you don't want to just know your project. Like you basically want to know all the components that are maybe even tangentially related, because that really demonstrates that not only do you have an interest in the work you're doing, but also the field as a whole.

Speaker 2: It's crazy that you talk about that, because I was just about to say that I would say my wow factor is basically just like being a nerd, like it's knowing so much about the field that you can connect with the judges beyond your project in particular. One of the things I talk about in detail in my course is that one time there's a Stanford Ph.D. student judge who came back in 2022 at the ISAT and he started asking me about my project. He asked a couple of questions. And then based off of that, I think he was just really kind of excited about this field. Like he knew a lot about it. That was specifically what he worked on, actually. And so then after like after he asked his like three questions, super light, by the way, like he wasn't grilling me. But he just started like asking in general was like, what do you think about like AI? Like, do you think blah, blah, blah? Like it was very insane because I was used I was expecting them to just kind of grill me, you know. But just because I knew so much about the field in general, I was like, yeah, personally, I'm most excited about this. And I kind of showed my enthusiasm and passion for that, I sure would say. Right. And I think he really loved that. And I as soon as that was over, I was like, I think I secured like some award. I didn't know at the time I would I like it was it was obviously a really good award, but I was like, I think I secured it like that went really well.

Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Like several judges that I talked to at ISEF, like beyond just the project, we're sometimes just talking about the field, talking about TED Talks that we both liked or like scientists that we think are really cool and micro. Like it's not just the project that's important, I think, is your demonstrated interest in that field, because they're not just voting on the project. They're voting on you as a scientist and they want to see that this award is going to encourage you to continue pursuing that passion.

Speaker 2: And we'll teach you how to have that wow factor in the A to Z science competitions course, which will be linked in the description below. Once again, you is coach Shreya on Checkout. Shreya, it was really nice to have you on the video. I'm sure everyone really enjoyed this and it was helpful. If you guys did find it helpful, by the way, be sure to subscribe and join the Discord server and the link below. Shreya just recently joined and it's filled with like minded students who many of them compete in science fairs. And it's a really great environment. So with that, we'll see you next time.