Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair Association

The Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair (ACSEF) is the only ISEF affiliated fair in Alameda County for over a decade. Since 2011, the ACSEF organizing board has been run solely by volunteers and this year we are projected to be $40,000 short to be able to continue operations beyond 2024. We need help from anyone who can contribute financially in order to keep the lights on and provide local, regional, and national Fair opportunities for Alameda County STEM students.

We need a baseline of $40K to support all fair operations including in-person or virtual fairs, bolster Title 1 and underserved outreach, and to support students moving to next level competitions (including state competition CSEF, national competition Thermo Fisher JIC, and international competition Regeneron ISEF). Without this additional funding, Alameda County students will be forced to reach out to surrounding county science fairs to determine if they can accept their projects.

Read on to hear about the impact of ACSEF in past students' and teachers' words...

"After six years of participating in ACSEF, I have a profound appreciation for the invaluable lessons and experiences that I have gained from the fair. Completing independent scientific research each year has not only developed my interest in STEM but has also instilled within me a firm work ethic and a determination to see a project to completion. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that ACSEF has provided me and countless other students with, and I sincerely hope that students continue to benefit from the fair well into the future." - Aditi K.

"Participating in ACSEF four years ago helped me gain confidence in myself that any seemingly out-of-the-box ideas could be translated into a real-life research prompt. The fair served as an introduction to research itself for me and inspired future independent research projects. I did not have an interest in STEM at a young age but the experience of being accepted to present at ACSEF and meeting other young scientists itself inspired me to advocate for scientific research and education through poetry and other means as well." - Jovina P.

"We love science fairs. My high school students went through a learning process that included reading primary literature, identifying their own interests, developing experimentation/engineering process, gathering data/analysis, conclusion, and communication through presentation poster boards and quad charts. I was able to teach the students skills beyond what is possible to learn from a textbook. ACSEF has provided my students with unique opportunities to research and solve real life problems by developing practical, innovative solutions using the STEM approach. Thanks, ACSEF for supporting education." - Ling K., Mission San Jose HS

"Participating in the California State Science Fair and Broadcom MASTERS has been one of the greatest experiences of my academic career. I was able to showcase my project and ideas to scientists and engineers from all around the country, and get insightful feedback from experts in the field. In addition to all the amazing judges I got to meet, I was also able to see the project of several other young aspiring scientists and engineers and share ideas with them. The students were dedicated to their project and passionate about the subjects they pursued. In addition to participating in the fairs, the potential to expand your project after the fair is also incredible. I was nominated for an award with the prestigious Photonics West Conference, and was also personally invited by the Sensors Expo Magazine to write an article about my project. I was then able to get in touch with a lot of professionals in the field, and share my work with them too. Even in high school, the recognition for big awards is tremendous, and there is really nothing else that can compare. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of the ACSEF organizers, and I want to sincerely thank them for all the hard work they do to help advance so many students." - Rohan K.

"ACSEF plays a crucial role in inspiring hundreds of children to explore science. As a science teacher for more than two decades, I have found that classroom education needs to be complemented with experiences outside the classroom that reinforce the value of science. Even in an area like ours, "Silicon Valley", opportunities are dwindling. ACSEF is one of the vanishingly few events that promote the value of science early on in a student's life - at at time when they are most impressionable. With its well-thought-out rules for projects, it forces children to understand and apply scientific methods to study a problem. It brings a large variety of high-quality projects to one place and lets students share their experiences. It inspires and rewards them with prizes. All of these add great value to the children's view of science, and gives them much needed exposure to the use and appreciation of science in the world." - Vimla S., Challenger School