Guides · ISEF category
Microbiology
ISEF category MCRO · difficulty for high-school students: medium
Studies of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms: growth, pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance, environmental microbiology, microbiome research.
How it's judged
ISEF scores 100 points across five criteria:
- Creative Ability: 30 pts
- Scientific Thought: 30 pts
- Thoroughness: 15 pts
- Skill: 15 pts
- Clarity: 10 pts
What wins
- Isolation and characterization of novel bacteriophages from local environments
- Antimicrobial resistance profiling of environmental bacterial isolates
- Microbiome analysis using 16S rRNA sequencing of an unstudied niche
- Biofilm formation studies under novel conditions or with novel inhibitors
- Screening natural compounds for antimicrobial activity against drug-resistant strains
Common mistakes
- Testing antibacterial properties without zone-of-inhibition quantification
- Using non-sterile technique and attributing contamination to the treatment
- Not including positive and negative controls in every assay run
- Claiming to have identified a 'new species' without proper characterization (16S + morphology + biochemistry)
What you'll need
Autoclave or pressure cooker sterilization, laminar flow hood (or very careful sterile technique), incubator, microscope. For sequencing: send samples to a sequencing service (Genewiz, etc.).
Ethics & approvals
Human-subjects (IRB) approval is usually not required for this category. Vertebrate-animal (IACUC) approval is usually not required.
The novelty bar
A new environmental source, a new antimicrobial candidate, or a novel phage. Testing whether garlic inhibits bacteria is not competitive — it's a known result.
Build a competitive Microbiology project.
Finalia takes you from idea to a defensible Microbiology paper — phases 1–4 free, founding rate $99/mo.
Start free →