BSSEF 2026

  • Saturday, March 14th, 2026
  • Hosted by Milwaukee School of Engineering
  • Held at MSOE, Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall
  • Senior High Fair: 42 judges, 56 students, and 51 projects
  • Junior High Fair: 6 judges, 6 students, and 5 projects

Sponsored by:

Junior High Specialty Award Winners

Lemelson Early Inventor Prize

  • Olof Knox, Automatic Cat Door Opener

ASQ JH Awards

  • Quality Award: Elias Hoban, Kinetic Movement of Bikers to Create Energy
  • Continuous Improvement Award: Advika Bansal, Plantable Casein Protein Plastic

C-Sup-Two Young Engineer Awards

  • Riya Shankar & Ridhi Shankar, Aegis – Invisible Shield
  • Elias Hoban, Kinetic Movement of Bikers to Create Energy
  • Rose Perrone, Leaching Investigation: Artificial Soccer Turf
  • Olof Knox, Automatic Cat Door Opener

Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge

  • Riya Shankar & Ridhi Shankar, Aegis – Invisible Shield

Best of Junior High Fair

  • 1st: Riya Shankar & Ridhi Shankar, Aegis – Invisible Shield
  • 2nd: Elias Hoban, Kinetic Movement of Bikers to Create Energy
  • 3rd: Advika Bansal, Plantable Casein Protein Plastic

Senior High Specialty Award Winners

Specialty Awards

Alpha Chi Sigma
  • Grayden Kelly-Van Domelen
  • 401
  • A Comparative Analysis of Sounding Rocket and High-Altitude Balloon Flight Space Environments on Antioxidant Properties of Polyphenols
American Psychological Association
  • Yusra Khan
  • 005
  • The Influence of Generalized Anxiety on Storytelling Patterns: A Quantitative Analysis Using Image-Based Prompts
American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science 
  • Chloe Chen
  • 302
  • Adsorption of Microplastics Using Probiotic Strains as a Gut Detoxification Strategy
American Society for Quality
  • Anand George
  • 806
  • Machine Learning Approaches to Predict Infection Risk in Multiple Myeloma Patients Receiving Bispecific Antibody Therapy
Association of Women Geoscientists
  • Kaitlyn Paullin
  • 503
  • Sustainable Wave Energy: Harnessing Ocean Power with a Novel Linear Generator
Genius Olympiad
  • John Palenik
  • 501
  • A Clean Approach to Mineral Sorting: Evaluating Water‑Driven Panning as an Alternative to Gravimetric Separation
MacGyver Ingenuity Awards – STI Engineering
  • Kaitlyn Paullin
  • 503
  • Sustainable Wave Energy: Harnessing Ocean Power with a Novel Linear Generator

  • Elijah Crum
  • 608
  • Design and Implementation of an External Spool, Tendon Actuated Vine Robot for Improving Commercial Viability
NASA Earth Science Award
  • Grayden Kelly-Van Domelen
  • 401
  • A Comparative Analysis of Sounding Rocket and High-Altitude Balloon Flight Space Environments on Antioxidant Properties of Polyphenols
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Environmental Award
  • Kaitlyn Paullin
  • 503
  • Sustainable Wave Energy: Harnessing Ocean Power with a Novel Linear Generator
Philip Streich Award
  • Sophia Vielmetti
  • 508
  • The Effects of Lemna minor on the Growth of Raphidocelis subcapitata for the Management of Harmful Algal Blooms
Regeneron Biomedical Award
  • Joy Zhao
  • 802
  • Investigating the molecular mechanisms by which PFAS affects breast cancer cell proliferation
Ricoh Sustainable Development Award

Soliel Curtin

006

Randomized Behavioral Science Field Experiment on Eco-Related Messaging in Online Apparel Stores

Society for In Vitro Biology
  • Xiaoxue Chen
  • 304
  • Dual Modality Therapy: anti-miR-21 Gene Silencing Coupled with EGFR-TKI via Inhalable Exosomes
United States Air Force
  • Yusra Khan
  • 005
  • The Influence of Generalized Anxiety on Storytelling Patterns: A Quantitative Analysis Using Image-Based Prompts
United States Metric Association
  • Elliot Koziol
  • 604
  • Laboratory Characterization and Field Validation of a Thermostatic Shuttle Valve for Ice Cube Upgrade Rodwell Operations
Yale Science & Engineering Association
  • Emily Pan
  • 504
  • Predictive Analysis of Electrical Biosignals to Diagnose F. Oxysporum
Z. Galin Excellence in Social Sciences Award
  • Sophia Vielmetti
  • 508
  • The Effects of Lemna minor on the Growth of Raphidocelis subcapitata for the Management of Harmful Algal Blooms

Category Awards

Behavioral Health and Social Sciences
  • 3rd Place:  Soliel Curtin, 006
  • Randomized Behavioral Science Field Experiment on Eco-Related Messaging in Online Apparel Stores
  • 2nd Place:  Ali Abidi, 001
  • Geography of Loneliness: Predicting County-Level Social Isolation in the United States Through Social Determinants of Health and Identifying Dominant Structural Drivers
  • 1st Place:  Aurnob Ghose, Felix Pipal, Samuel Botshtein, 002
  • Biased Assimilation & Behavioral Entrenchment (BABE) Model Validation: Computational Modeling of Polarization and the Profitability Paradox
Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry
  • 3rd Place:  304, Xiaoxue Chen
  • Dual Modality Therapy: anti-miR-21 Gene Silencing Coupled with EGFR-TKI via Inhalable Exosomes
  • 2nd Place:  302, Chloe Chen
  • Adsorption of Microplastics Using Probiotic Strains as a Gut Detoxification Strategy
  • 1st Place:  306, Meenakshi Pradeep
  • MRPL47 as a novel mitochondrial biomarker for early detection and therapeutic response in ovarian cancer
Engineering & Physics
  • 3rd Place:  Elijah Crum, 608
  • Design and Implementation of an External Spool, Tendon Actuated Vine Robot for Improving Commercial Viability
  • 2nd Place:  Nikhil Lazzaro, 602
  • Engineering a Hexacopter for Integrated Ground-Crew Assistance in Riverbank Debris Collection
  • 1st Place:  Elliot Koziol, 604
  • Laboratory Characterization and Field Validation of a Thermostatic Shuttle Valve for Ice Cube Upgrade Rodwell Operations
Environmental Science
  • 3rd Place:  Sophia Vielmetti, 508
  • The Effects of Lemna minor on the Growth of Raphidocelis subcapitata for the Management of Harmful Algal Blooms
  • 2nd Place: Emily Pan, 504
  • Predictive Analysis of Electrical Biosignals to Diagnose F. Oxysporum
  • 1st Place:  Kaitlyn Paullin, 503
  • Sustainable Wave Energy: Harnessing Ocean Power with a Novel Linear Generator
Math & Computer Science
  • 3rd Place:  709, Eshaan Vasudev
  • A Multi-Method Pathway Analysis to Clinical Medicine
  • 2nd Place:  705, Calder Ely & Raymond Yang
  • Utilizing Abstract Syntax Trees to Search for Novel Lattice-Based Cryptographic Functions More Resistant to Side Channel Attacks
  • 1st Place:  701, Ethan Li
  • Identifying Genetic Subtypes of Parkinson’s Disease
Medicine & Health
  • 3rd Place:  Sai Kandukuri, 807
  • A.R.E.S. — Attrition Reduction Engineering System: Eliminating Preventable Clinical Drug Failures via Bio-computational Architecture
  • 2nd Place:  Joy Zhao, 802
  • Investigating the molecular mechanisms by which PFAS affects breast cancer cell proliferation
  • 1st Place:  Anand George, 806
  • Machine Learning Approaches to Predict Infection Risk in Multiple Myeloma Patients Receiving Bispecific Antibody Therapy
Grand Awards ISEF Finalist Projects
  • 604, Elliot Koziol
  • Laboratory Characterization and Field Validation of a Thermostatic Shuttle Valve for Ice Cube Upgrade Rodwell Operations
  • 806, Anand George
  • Machine Learning Approaches to Predict Infection Risk in Multiple Myeloma Patients Receiving Bispecific Antibody Therapy
  • 503, Kaitlyn Paullin 
  • Sustainable Wave Energy: Harnessing Ocean Power with a Novel Linear Generator