Middle and High School Categories

For 2027, we are expanding and updating some categories. Some regional fairs may use the old categories, which means those who advance to NWSE will need to make a category change. If a category has few participants, it may be combined with others. For example middle school Physics is being split, but if participation is low, could be combined at NWSE without changing any exhibit numbers.

NWSE reserves the right to divide or combine categories based upon the number of entrants. An effort will be made to notify students affected by category modifications, but such notification may not be possible due to time constraints. Categories may be entered by individuals or a small team (2 to 3 students.) There is no specific category for small teams. 

Special rule for small team projects
Each team should appoint a team leader; however, each member should be fully involved, familiar with all aspects of the project, and able to act as a spokesperson. The team must jointly submit one abstract and one research plan that specifically outlines each member’s responsibilities. All team member names must appear on the abstract and on each form.

The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair continues to update their categories for use at ISEF. The Northwest Science Expo System is not matching all 21 categories, but this list may be useful for determining which category your high school project should enter under as they have more detailed descriptions.

High School

category	description
Animal Science	Study of animals and animal life, including the study of the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals. Incudes ecology, physiology, development, animal husbandry, classification, animal behavior.
Behavioral & Social Science	The science or study of the thought processes and behavior of humans and other animals in their interactions with each other and the environment studied through observational and experimental methods.
Biochemistry	The study of the chemical substances and vital processes occurring in living organisms, the processes by which these substances enter into, or are formed in, cells and organisms and react with each other and the internal environment.
Cellular & Molecular Biology	The study of the structure, formation, functions, and interactions of cells. Genetic manipulation.
Chemistry	The science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems.
Computer Science & Robotics	The use of software and/or methodologies to demonstrate, analyze, simulate or compute. All science and engineering in which the use of machine intelligence is paramount to reducing the reliance on human intervention.
Energy & Environmental Engineering	All science and engineering in which the management, refinement and/or conservation of energy is the goal.The development of processes and infrastructure for the supply of water, the disposal of waste, and the control of pollution of all kinds. Includes bioremediation and biofuels.
Engineering: Bio-engineering & Materials	The biological or medical application of engineering principles or engineering equipment to basic biological science problems. The development and study of novel characteristics and uses of natural and man-made materials that add to their performance.
Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical	Electrical Systems in which information is conveyed via signals and waveforms for purposes of enhancing communications, control and/or sensing. All science and engineering in which there is movement. The movement can be by the apparatus or the movement can affect the apparatus.
Environmental & Earth Sciences	The analysis of existing conditions of the environment and their effect on organisms/systems.  Includes effects of natural products on biological processes. Study of structure and behavior of the earth and its components.
Mathematics	The study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. The deductive study of numbers, geometry, and various abstract constructs, or structures. Mathematics is very broadly divided into foundations, algebra, analysis, geometry, and applied mathematics, which includes theoretical computer science.
Medicine & Health Sciences	Biomedical and public health research that aims to improve the health of individuals and the community by translating findings into diagnostic tools, medicines, procedures, policies and education.
Microbiology	The study of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, prokaryotes, and simple eukaryotes and of antibiotic substances.
Physics & Astronomy	The science of matter and energy and of interactions between the two. The study of anything in the universe beyond the Earth.
Plant Science	Plant development, physiology, evolution, ecology, photosynthesis, and growth.

Northwest Science Expo Middle School Categories:

Fair director may swap types of projects into other categories or split categories to balance numbers for judges.

Animal Science Development, Ecology, Genetics, Animal Husbandry, Behavior of animals, Invertebrates, Insects	Behavioral and Social Sciences Human behavior, Social and community relationships, psychology, sociology, linguistics, learning, perception, public opinion surveys
Chemistry physical chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry	Computer Science and Robotics Study and development of computer software and hardware and associated logical devices. Programming a robot.
Consumer Product and Materials Testing Comparison of product quality, effectiveness, usefulness, economy, cost, smell, environmental friendliness, etc. Materials & Materials testing	Environmental: Earth, Mineral and Soil  Geology, Mineralogy, Climatology, Weather, Water Desalination, Seismology, soil pollution, Tectonics, Planetary science
Energy and Environmental Engineering Alternative fuels, Fossil fuel energy, Energy efficiency, Thermodynamics, Water filters, Recovery/Recycling, Renewable: solar, wind, water, microbial, biofuel	Engineering Transportation/vehicle development, Electrical, Mechanical, Filtration, Aerodynamics, Aerospace and aeronautical engineering, Structural designs
Environmental: Water and Air Study of pollution (air, water) sources and their control, Ecology, Changes over time, weather, oceanography	Food Science Food mold-following safety rules, Baking projects, yogurt, yeast and kombucha
Mathematics and Data Reasoning Development of formal logical systems or various numerical and algebraic computations, and the application of these principles, Statistics, Complex analysis, Probability, working with data sets	Medicine and Microbiology Study of diseases and health of humans,  human genetics-fingerprints, nutrition, allergies, speech and hearing, microbes
Physics: Electromagnetic Physics projects related to magnets, electricity, light waves Physics: Mechanical Newton’s 3 laws, sound, friction, velocity, heat	Plant Science  Related to plant growth, health or death, Aquaponics, Genetics, Photosynthesis, Plant Physiology

A student may only have one project.

If you have questions about your category selection please contact Stephanie Jones at nwse@pdx.edu.