SAN DIEGO, April 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 75th California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF) took place April 11–12 at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, bringing together 900 of the best of 1st place winners from regional competitions covering 58 counties across the state, including the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF). GSDSEF students earned 40 awards at the event, including two of only six highly coveted spots to the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Seven students earned 1st Place awards in the categories of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Cognitive Science, Microbiology, Physics and Astronomy, and Zoology. In addition, one student won the Saban Family Foundation Scholar Prize, while another won the South Coast AQMD Air Quality Award and A&WMA Environmental Leadership Award. CSEF is the oldest science fair west of the Mississippi River and the highest level competition in the state.

Top winners were:

Arya Bhatt, Grade 7, Oak Valley Middle School, South Coast AQMD Air Quality Award, A&WMA Environmental Leadership Award, "Context Aware Real Time Air Quality Prediction Using Machine Learning".

Joie Green, Grade 8, Muirlands Middle School, 1st Place, "Soon I will be Invisible: How to Direct Energy with Topological Metamaterials".

Maggie Hao, Grade 10, The Bishop's School, 1st Place, "Harnessing Tardigrade Genes to Enhance Bacterial Biosensors for Heavy Metal Pollutant Detection".

Uma Kattamuri, Grade 7, Oak Valley Middle School, 1st Place, "Elevated CO2 During Kalanchoe pinnata Growth Reveals Enhanced Antiproliferative and Synergistic Therapies".

Sonika Dhenuva Konda, Grade 11, Del Norte High School, Saban Family Foundation Scholar Prize, "Adaptive Swarm Coordination for Wildfire Control via Q-Learning Tuned PSO with Quantum-Inspired Coupling".

Emma Liu, Grade 11, The Bishop's School, ISEF Finalist, 1st Place, "Defining 3D Phenotypic Cell States of Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils via Novel Computational Pipeline".

Sharvi Mahajan, Grade 8, Bernardo Heights Middle School, 1st Place, "Evaluating Predictive EEG Theta/Beta Features in Adult ADHD via Machine Learning".

Sydney O'Donnell, Grade 8, The Rhoades School, 1st Place, TFJIC, "Effects of Marigold Versus Chlorella Supplementation on Yolk Lutein Content".

Ihan Sung, Grade 11, Eastlake High School, ISEF Finalist, 1st Place, "Renewable Ammonia Electrochemical Synthesis by Glow Discharge with an Iron Based Catalyst".

Full results and project showcase available online.

About the GSDSEF

Since 1955, the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF) has provided an inspiring experience in science and engineering for tens of thousands of San Diego and Imperial County students, motivating them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This regional competition challenges students to go beyond classroom studies to do independent research – to ask compelling questions, to design and implement innovative solutions, and to present and defend results to judges who are professionals in their fields. The GSDSEF brings together 800 of the best middle and high school students, 400+ judges who are professionals in their fields and over 60 professional societies and organizations, with $40k in prizes awarded.

The GSDSEF fosters creativity and innovation through inquiry, celebrates students' STEM achievements, and showcases how young minds can make an impact in the present and future. Many of these student scientists are conducting world-class research and conducting groundbreaking experiments in fields ranging from Astronomy to Zoology, such as the discovery of cures for diseases, formulations of new vaccines, cancer research, applying AI to enhance medical diagnoses, using biomimicry for water conservation, novel drone technology, advances in micro robotics and autonomous driving technology. The GSDSEF is the highest-level STEM competition in the region and one of the oldest, most respected and competitive in the world. The GSDSEF is a 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at gsdsef.org and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Copyright © 2026 Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. All rights reserved.

Media Contact:
Sany Zakharia
sany.zakharia@gsdsef.org

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