01x03 - The Big Dance

[bunniefuu]

It's about to get real

in Atlanta

as brilliant young scientists converge

from across the globe.

An intense year of research

and qualifying fairs has led to this

the International Science

and Engineering Fair.

We're outside in Georgia

for the first time.

Scary.

The buildings here are just incredible.

I'm here!

And I'm so proud to be here,

representing my country and my continent.

It took, like, four days to pack.

It's the Super Bowl

of science fairs.

And the city is buzzing with brain power.

What's up, kids?

You going to the science fair, right?

What's better, nerd or geek?

I like both.

It's definitely exciting to be

here at an international competition.

Winning a competition like ISEF would

really showcase the things that I make.

Winning here

requires top-notch science

and stellar presenting skills.

This hotel is so luxurious.

I just hope the table size is big enough

'cause I gotta do some work

before we do judging.

Olivia!

Yes!

I'm glad I made it to Atlanta.

I just think it's really

a cool environment to be in.

I kinda just want people to learn

about my project.

The stakes are high,

with millions of dollars in prizes

and opportunities to catch the attention

of top universities.

Just being here

is an achievement for me,

reaching the top that I wanted to reach

all these years.

So I didn't want to miss it.

A win here can catapult

a teen scientist toward their dream

of getting to the top of their field.

This is me, right here, on this.

Now, let the competition begin.

Welcome, everyone,

to the 2022 International

Science and Engineering Fair.

We are back!

And how great does that feel?!

Three hundred

and eighty-seven affiliated science fairs

were held across 63 countries, regions,

and territories.

Congratulations, finalists!

Let's do this!

Welcome to ISEF.

Participants, please proceed

to the main entrance.

We're at

the World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Yeah, shooketh. We're, like, here.

It's crazy. Like, I made it to ISEF.

Like, I'm an official participant.

It's intense.

It's, like, so big.

There's so much going on.

ISEF is, like, really huge and I'm like,

"How long are we gonna walk for?"

I literally feel like I've been walking

for, like, a whole mile.

Fourteen, 15. Huh?

Marissa?

Do not lose this.

It's $400 to replace.

We just registered, and we got

our really expensive, very cool badges.

Everybody, can you give me

your yellow forms, please?

We have to pay for each student

to attend ISEF.

We have to pay for the students' airfare.

We have to pay for their hotel stay.

Thank you.

We spent over $4,000 for each one

of you guys to be here. Respect it.

And there's kids that would have taken

your spot.

I am Knowledge Chikundi,

the founder and director

of the Zimbabwe Science Fair.

Our students should be setting up

their projects in the exhibit hall,

but we've got some challenges.

- What's your last name?

- But why can't? Chikundi.

We have some outstanding fees.

If we don't get the money,

our finalists won't be judged.

I have to come up with a plan

that will allow the students

to enter into the venues.

- Oh, my God!

- Oh!

We don't want our students to know

that we have this going on.

Yeah, so right now,

they don't know anything.

We're playing

the Zimbabwean way.

No miss, no lucky card.

No pick and play.

I love this place.

These are memories

that are gonna last, like, forever,

which is really special.

We owe $1,250.

That is salary for a teacher in Zimbabwe

for five or six months.

So it's a lot of money. Yeah.

It will be tough.

Yeah.

Yeah, maybe a moment. Yeah.

- Are you nervous?

- A little bit. But like

In a good way or bad way?

- Good way.

- Okay.

I am in a different mindset

when I hit the floor of ISEF,

because this competition is well known.

MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Yale,

and other big-name colleges,

they're at ISEF because they know

these are the students

they want in their school.

They definitely are watching.

The stakes are high.

See, I'm wondering

if it wraps around this side.

Yeah, there we go. See that?

These projects are scary.

Your project's scary!

Don't underestimate what you did, kid.

All of the kids are brilliant,

but there are definitely a group of kids

that everybody wants to know.

Amber Luo, are you joking?

She's like a celebrity.

Amber Luo,

a Ward Melville High School senior,

who finished third in the prestigious

Regeneron Science Talent Search.

She's very impressive.

She's going to MIT.

My project looks at the molecular changes

in the process of protein synthesis

that occur in disease.

And so, researchers can use it

to design new drugs and therapies.

I am Yavuz Bülent Yurduseven

from Turkey.

There was a question which appeared

150 years ago, the Broken Sticks Problem.

And my math project is actually the first

solution proposal to that problem.

I cannot pronounce the first three words.

I was like, "I don't even know

what that is." Like, "What is that?"

Gitanjali Rao is not

your average 15-year-old.

She is an inventor, a scientist,

and now, TIME magazine

has named her "Kid of the Year."

I wanted to create

a portable device

to diagnose for addiction.

To do that, I built

an artificial intelligence algorithm

in an app that reads out all the results

so physicians can test patients

for opiate addiction.

I kept hearing her name over and over.

I went and watched her presentation

'cause I was curious.

I was like, "Who's this person

getting all these awards?"

The level of excellence

is so high.

The kids are really driven,

highly motivated.

This is a rough world.

Get tight, get ready.

As in any competition,

there are favorites and long shots.

And of course, the occasional comeback.

When we last talked, I wasn't sure

whether I would have had a spot at ISEF.

So, I'm the last one. Lottery.

I worked my a*s off

the next two months or so.

He made it through

the regional fair

and earned an ISEF position.

When you try

to do something disruptive

or you create something innovative,

you have to kinda do your own thing.

And that's definitely what I did.

Kevin works very hard,

and he's very smart.

So that gives him some confidence.

He believes in himself, and he should.

I know that I can win,

I know that I want to win.

I know that competition is gonna be tough,

and that I have to be excellent.

It's a very hectic day.

Emails, calls, meetings, and things

to try and get

the affiliation fee issue resolved.

My students are so important to me.

And with support,

they will do amazing things

for Zimbabwe and the world.

We can't let a little bit of money

stand in their way.

Hello? Oh, okay.

This is amazing. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I am excited

because we have achieved our goal.

One of our team's sponsors

helped us cover the fees.

Team Zimbabwe!

After reaching the convention center,

the energy just shot up

and we're all just excited.

Welcome to ISEF.

Seeing the students excited

about the upcoming judging,

it means a lot to me.

So all the, uh

the exhaustion sort of fades a bit.

Yeah.

Without Knowledge,

we would have no international fairs.

We would have no connection

to the outside world.

He has just pushed through some of

the hardest obstacles, and he powers on.

He may or may not know it,

but that's an impact that goes a long way.

Perfection is what you're striving for.

The goal is to try to be

as perfect as possible for the judges.

Imagine that you have

the judges right in front of you.

Tell us about your project.

Good morning.

My name is Endrick Garcia Torres.

The title of my project is "An IOT-based

Wound Care Monitoring System."

So, my project originated when I was

watching the Tokyo Olympics,

and I found a lot of controversy

surrounding the women

and what they were wearing.

They got deducted points.

- Because of what they wore?

- What?

Because of

what they were wearing?

Yeah, yeah, it was because of

what they were wearing.

They were wearing the full, um,

a full, like, unitard.

This is my project.

"Reduce, Reuse, Digest:

Optimizing the PETase Enzyme."

There's a possibility that

We're practicing for tomorrow,

except this time we don't have our boards

or our presentations,

so we kinda just have to wing it.

So, in my project, I built my own design

of a synchronous reluctance motor,

with the goal of trying to improve

its torque and its efficiency.

So I found the reed

as an alternative,

and these reeds grow virtually anywhere.

They grow within one to two

Two minutes. Do you know two minutes?

Yes, okay.

Any question is possible

for the judges.

And I know that sometimes you guys wanna

present your full presentations.

Most of them won't wanna hear it.

If you can't answer a question,

you're done. You won't do well.

By ISEF, we've probably

gone through their presentation

between 50 and 100 times and tweaked it.

- You ready?

- Should I time myself?

- I got ya.

- All right.

- Can I just start?

- Okay.

Good morning. My name's Natasha Kulviwat,

and I'm here to present my passion

for adolescent suicide research.

So, suicide is the second-leading

cause of death in adolescence,

yet there are no objective markers

to predict adolescent suicide.

And despite decades of research

This is a heavy topic.

Right? She's talking about suicide.

She can't do it.

I asked her to tone down her

which compared to other

Yeah, she can't

She can't do it.

- I've tried.

- 'Cause I don't want her to

-rub a judge the wrong way.

-I know, I've told her. I get it.

decrease suicidal behavior. Thank you.

I love your personality,

I think you are phenomenal.

- But this is, like, a heavy subject.

- Yeah.

You're so over the top a little bit.

Like, so excited.

Like, I I don't know

how people are gonna take it.

It didn't come off well.

Yeah. No, it's 'cause, like, um, usually

I get emotional when talking about it,

so I have to compensate. I

- I get that, too. I

- Yeah. No, I understand.

My parents didn't really want me

to do suicide research

'cause they thought that it would be too,

like hit too close to home.

And I do get, like, emotional.

But then I'm like,

"Oh, this is for a really good cause."

So I keep doing it.

Natasha's phenomenal.

She's a special kid.

I love giving her critiques

because I know that she's gonna nitpick

everything that I say

to make sure that it's perfect.

And I know people are like,

"Dang, she's so strict."

But I know what's coming.

I'm so excited

for the pin exchange.

It's a finalist-exclusive event.

All the kids have these pins

from different places.

- Where are you guys from?

- We're from Chicago, Illinois.

-Awesome!

-Oh!

We're doing pin exchange,

but New Orleans style,

so Mardi Gras beads.

The whole idea of having pins

is a really good one.

Especially, when you have, like,

that awkwardness

between someone

you totally don't know.

Then you can just randomly be like,

"Hey, can I have a pin?"

And the worst thing that can happen

is they say no.

- Hi.

- Hey.

I'm from Puerto Rico,

where are you from?

- I'm from Germany.

- Looks fun.

Like, just meeting these other people

from different countries is surreal.

My project is about the Olympics

and the gender differences

between men and women in the uniforms.

Oh, that's so cool.

I'm coming from Turkey.

From Thailand.

I'm from Wildwood, Florida.

I got a pin from, like, Switzerland.

I got a pin from, like, Saudi Arabia.

And there's pins from, like,

every country and every state.

I'm on a mission to find someone

from Australia.

Oh, my gosh! Those are so cute.

I draw them myself.

-You can have one from both

-No way!

Yeah, um,

I met people from Egypt, all over.

It's a lot of people.

I think this is the first time

it's kinda set in

how many people actually are at ISEF.

What's your project on?

I'm doing cancer modeling.

- I'm doing cancer Awesome!

- Yeah.

Oh!

I'm so glad to see,

like, Thailand.

Like, my family's from Thailand, I'm Thai,

so it really means a lot to see

a lot of Thai people here, too.

Oh. The elevators are

always slow on competition day

because all of the kids now

are rushing to go down.

I'm very nervous about today.

Especially 'cause I woke up late.

You know, I'm just gonna be

rushing all day.

I feel like an impostor here.

How am I going to be able to compete

against all these insane projects?

Being a performer for so long,

I've learned how to deal

with those butterfly feelings

and nerves and nervousness.

In research and in science fair,

it's the exact same thing.

When a judge approaches me,

I want them to feel the significance

and the impact of my work.

I feel nervous,

but I'm like, "It is what it is."

Like, "It's gonna go whatever way."

You can't you can't, like,

predict these things.

It's like, you just

gotta give your best talk.

But I'm ready. Kind of.

Yeah,

today is my last judging day ever.

Obviously, placing would be

at ISEF is a big deal.

So, it'd definitely be really cool.

We were supposed to be down there

five minutes ago or something.

This whole entire year led to this moment.

I'm really excited to show them

what I know.

And this time, I actually have my binders.

Competition day. Game day.

Yeah, I'm like, trying to win.

Trying to take home something, at least,

for me and Savdiel.

Puerto Rico!

Everything was a bit topsy-turvy

'cause last night we, uh,

slept kind of late

uh, practicing and practicing.

So this morning, we were just

all over the place trying to get here.

I'm a little more nervous

this year.

I have a new intro.

What? Don't change your intro.

What?

I try not to psych myself out too much.

But of course, you can't help but think

about what kind of questions

the judges could ask you.

God bless us

and send your Holy Spirit

to shine upon our face.

The exhibit hall has opened.

That means we can go in for judging.

The science fair competitions

offer the students scholarships

and straight cash.

The ISEF top prize is $75,000,

second prize, $50,000.

It's a lot of money for a 17-year-old.

I'm feeling pretty relaxed

now that I'm here

and like, in my little cage.

I'm, like, really freaking out.

I feel like I'm gonna cry. Like, it's bad.

Okay, don't cry. No crying.

It's gonna happen. Oh, my God.

Yeah. I don't know.

Maybe it's 'cause I haven't cried yet?

Oh, there it is. It's happening. Yeah.

ISEF judges look at the value

and originality of each research topic.

They're also sizing up

research methodology

and scientific analysis.

Presenting skills and board appearance

also weigh heavily in the final rank.

These judges,

they're PhDs in the field

of the student's project.

So if you can tango with that person,

you know your stuff.

You should win.

Either you were great

and the judges saw it,

or you're maybe more average

and maybe you don't know the science.

Um, so

Give me a sec.

I just want to wait for the time.

No, that's fair. That's fair.

Hello. Nice to meet you.

- Nice meeting you.

- My name's Natasha.

What inspired me to do this project

was that I noticed

that a significant amount

of suicide studies focused on

I definitely think that

it could be used for other species,

but like, the parameters are definitely,

like, specific

But why should I care

about these birds?

These talks are weird.

They're more, like, conversational.

You're talking and then you get

interrupted 'cause there's a question.

So it, it feels like

I'm all, like, discombobulated

and then, like, I forget what I'm saying.

I engineered a reed biofuel

to serve as a main source

of fuel in Zimbabwe.

So, we're moving more

towards electric vehicles,

but then we're using these

unsustainable rare-earth materials.

I made a new type of electric motor.

So, now I wanna actually

characterize the genomic role

of contractions in cancer

and compare them to other diseases.

We know that false positives exist

in this set.

Do you know the percent

in false positives?

- I'm about to tell you that.

- Okay.

I actually created three solutions

that were all successful

to eliminate excessive nutrients

in the water.

It has a disulfide bridge

so it has extra stability and support.

You're saying nobody

has done this before?

Good luck with everything.

Hope you win.

Thank you so much.

Take care of yourself. Have a nice day.

And my study thus prevents

suicidal behavior as well.

And that's what the suicide field needs.

My last judge wasn't good.

- Olivia.

- Am I crying? I can't even feel it.

Why is everything so funny?

I think you're just exhausted,

Olivia.

Whoo!

Yeah, we're done. We finished.

It feels really good.

-Like, it's great to just

-Bittersweet.

Ah!

This is the last science fair

I'm ever gonna do!

There were some questions I missed.

I know I missed, but

I got the story out

and the story was really engaging

and seemed to capture a lot of the judges.

I feel like today was not really my day.

Like, it was definitely not

my best performance,

which is a shame

'cause you are supposed to peak at ISEF.

I want sleep. I'm done. I'm tired.

I've never been

to an aquarium before.

This is my first time

and I'm really excited.

Look at the white fish.

Oh my gosh, it's so cool! It's so ugly.

I think if I didn't love science,

my life would be boring.

Because I did science fair,

I know what I'm going to do

and I know it's something

that I'm going to love.

Getting around that rock.

As an overall life goal,

I wanna continue making things.

I wanna change the world

with new technologies.

To be able to do that,

I think would be the dream.

Nothing's going to stop

these students.

So what we just need is to keep on

supporting them in whatever way we can

so that they will make it to the top

and then they will support

the future generations.

Whoa!

When we go to these fairs,

it's like entering a different world.

Talking to the other students from

different countries, different regions,

with different problems

that they're also trying to solve.

It's just a different kind of inspiration.

It's like, first-hand inspiration.

We know what comes out

of science fairs.

We get new technologies, we get new drugs,

we get new computational processes

that'll help us diagnose disease

from kids.

These kids are gonna

truly change the world.

Good luck. Okay?

Good luck, ladies. Good luck, good luck.

I didn't purposefully say,

"This is the best group I've ever seen."

Because if you build them up,

when they go in there,

they're gonna fall so far down.

Some of the teachers are like,

"Aw, but everybody gets a prize."

But in real life,

everybody doesn't get a prize.

Here we are,

at the International Science

and Engineering Fair

Grand Awards Ceremony!

You have participated in the largest

science competition in the world.

So congratulations

to each and every one of you.

Grand Awards

are presented in each of

the 21 categories at ISEF

and come with cash prizes.

Top Awards are selected from among

the first place category award winners

and include larger cash prizes

and opportunities to advance

their research and education.

The very top award is $75,000

and the title of "Best in Fair."

I'm not expecting to place because I know

the competition here is top-notch.

I don't think I have any chance

to get any awards,

but following your passions

is how you do great things.

Ladies and gentlemen,

honored guests and finalists,

the time has come.

We will proceed category in order,

presenting fourth, third,

and second place winners together.

The first place awards

will be presented separately.

And the top awards

will conclude today's program.

In the category

of Biochemistry,

the fourth place award winners are

In the category of

Biomedical and Health Sciences,

third place award winners are

In the category of Chemistry

Plant sciences

Physics and Astronomy

Mathematics

The second place award winners

The fourth place award winners

The third place award winners are

What's going through my mind is, like,

really rapid, very loud, screaming.

But on the exterior,

I'm just trying to survive.

In the category

of Animal Sciences,

the fourth place award winners are

from Monte Vista, Colorado,

Marissa Lilianna Martinez.

Oh, my God!

I'm so shook. I don't know,

I feel, like, complete.

I feel like all the hard work that I did,

I'm being rewarded for that now,

and it's really, really cool.

In the category

of Plant Sciences,

the fourth place award winners are

from Merritt Island, Florida,

Erin Catherine Gaydar.

Let's go, Erin!

I didn't think I was gonna get anything.

I mean, you're against the whole world.

So pretty awesome.

In the category

of Environmental Engineering,

Chloe Rebecca Hindes.

Oh!

It's definitely a confidence boost.

- Congrats!

- Congrats.

I tend to downplay everything I do, like,

"Oh, yeah, it's not that great."

I mean, "it sounds like it's cool

but it's not really anything."

But now I realize that

it actually is really cool,

and I actually did something great.

In the category of

Behavioral and Social Sciences,

from Jericho, New York, Natasha Kulviwat.

Whoo!

I've always dreamed of walking

across the ISEF stage.

That was really nice.

Because I didn't think I'd get an award.

It's never gonna get better than this.

From Midland, Michigan,

Olivia Jean Wagner.

It's nice to be a part of

the family ISEF tradition of winning,

but I think that the most important thing

is fighting for these rights for women,

and that people will back me

and support my project.

It's really inspiring.

In the category of Energy,

Sustainable Materials, and Design,

from Harare, Zimbabwe,

Memory Panashe Bvungo.

Memory!

We won! Team Z won! We did it.

I can't believe what was a dream

a few moments ago is actually happening.

And they got second place which is like

it's a lot, it's a lot.

I don't wanna cry, but

for a girl to get second place

from Zimbabwe, and third?

It's incredible.

I'm still, like, in shock

and I'm very emotional

because we all made it.

I'm so proud

of our young scientists,

and uh and emotional, yeah.

To think of the challenges we had for them

to get here and how they just shined.

Now, onto the announcement

of our first place awards

given to those individuals and teams

that our judges deemed

the best in each category.

The first place award winner

in Cellular and Molecular Biology is

from Auburn, Alabama,

Shivani Ruk Babu.

From Garden City, New York,

James Nagler.

From Dammam, Saudi Arabia,

Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi.

From Woodlands, Texas, Sohi Sanjay Patel.

Endrick, Kevin, and Robert

have not received awards,

which could mean two things.

Either they won first place

or nothing at all.

The first place award winners

in Computational Biology

and Bioinformatics are

from Nakhon Pathom, Thailand,

Pawit Kaewnuratchadasorn,

Nattawin Yamprasert,

Wutthipong Chongchareansanti.

And from Jericho, New York, Kevin Zhu.

Yes! Yes!

Kevin!

Oh, my God!

Whoo!

So relieved.

Uh, it was so stressful that

Waiting af especially after fourth,

third, and second were called,

just waiting

for first place to get called, so

It was a really, really nice feeling.

This means the world to me.

The first place award winners

in Biomedical Engineering are

from Istanbul, Turkey, Emirhan Kurtulus,

and from Portland, Oregon,

Rishab Kumar Jain.

Still fairly proud because

somebody from my island actually won.

It is not about me only,

it's about our whole delegation.

I'm emotional right now.

For me, you are a big winner.

So my main winner. Yes.

The first place award winners

in Engineering Technology, Statics,

and Dynamics are

from Fort Pierce, Florida,

Robert Nicholas Sansone.

Congratulations. Great job.

Thank you.

When they announced fourth through second,

I was like, "Well, I either did

really good or really bad.

I don't We'll see."

And now, our final presentation,

the George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award,

which recognizes the best of the best

among the outstanding students

from around the world

who participate in ISEF.

The winner of the $75,000,

George D. Yancopoulos

Innovator Award is

A science fair competition

that started

with more than 30 million students

has now been whittled down

to category winners,

each now eligible for

the "Best in Fair" award.

For Kevin, whose science fair journey

started with disappointment,

winning ISEF and the $75,000 award

would be sweet validation.

And for Robert, the son of an

air-conditioning repairman,

it would put him one step closer

to his dream of getting to MIT.

The winner of the $75,000

George D. Yancopoulos

Innovator Award is

in the category of Engineering Technology,

Statics and Dynamics,

from Fort Pierce, Florida,

Robert Sansone!

Thank you!

Yes!

Thank you.

Oh, look at his smile!

He never smiles like that.

I'm holding it together.

I just I did it.

I won the International Science Fair.

Congratulations.

How are you feeling?

Absolutely amazing.

You have a great project

that could change the world. I'm sure.

It's real, I promise.

There's like a million things

coming your way.

Even when they bring you backstage,

there's people talking to you

and there's cameras

and there's people asking you questions

and doing all these things.

- Straight on, or

- Face towards me.

My face was, like, numb.

Like, that's never happened before.

There's so many people,

you know, congratulating.

It says, "We have folks around the school

cheering for you."

In the category

of Engineering Technology,

Statics and Dynamics,

from Fort Pierce

Robert! Robert! Robert!

Robert! Robert! Robert!

Robby, you did it!

I'm so proud of you, buddy.

We knew you could do it. This is your

- World champion.

- All right!

Oh, my gosh.

I just want to thank everyone

graduating here today.

We're so happy you're here,

and you have proved

that you can do anything.

We have gone through so many struggles,

and, you know,

we pulled it off flawlessly.

Whoa!

Each and every one of us

has grown into someone amazing.

We are the class

of twenty twenty-th two

Catch you on the rebound.

I'm seeing the future ♪

I'm seeing the future through the past ♪

Been watching the sunset ♪

Been watching the sun set way too fast ♪

Can't help but wonder

if there are better ways to get ♪

On with the upward ♪

Get higher and higher ♪

Yes!

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪

I submitted my MIT application

in November.

You know, then the day came

of the decision.

Let's do it. Status update.

Gotta give it up! ♪

Whoo! Yes! Yes! Yes! Whoo!

Yes!

Yes! Come, come, come, come on!

Gotta give it up! ♪

I wanted to go

to MIT since sixth grade

and I put an insane amount of work

into my ISEF project,

and that work is a subset of all the work

that I put in to get into MIT.

On with the upward,

get on with the upward ♪

Gotta give it up! ♪