Regeneron ISEF 2025

It's already been 11 months since I got back from the 2025 Regeneron International Science Fair in Ohio. The return trip was a real doozy: storm, flight cancelled, flight + train booked, overnight at the airport, flight taken, train taken, home.

I actually remember the week quite well. From the bagel with scallion cream cheese I had at LaGuardia on the morning we left New Jersey, to my unfruitful attempt at purchasing an ISEF otter (see below) on site. I ended up ordering one and it took months to get to me. Worth it.

My main regret is not having taken enough photos. If you've seen me recently, you've probably noticed me incessantly taking selfies, and this is a big reason why. My other regret is taking 11 months to write this blog.

Movie Night

Our school sent 3 finalists to ISEF 2025, and we split two rooms among ourselves. We actually rolled to see who'd get a room to themselves. I won, but ended up giving to Mythreya because it... felt right (he's 6'4"). The twist is that we actually spent almost every evening in me and Max's room, watching Netflix and doordashing dinner from Dave's Hot Chicken.

In fact, we actually spent most the day watching movies in that room as well, unless we were required to be somewhere. We didn't attend the Expo floor or explore the city (not that there was much to explore, no offense to residents). We were terrified by the competition to come, and we distracted ourselves by holing up and watching TV.

Redundancy

I don't think I ever worked harder than the four months leading up to this competition. Not even for college application season, and certainly not for Regeneron STS, which was arguably way more important. As much as I tried to calm myself (iirc, I actually sat and meditated at some point), it really was make or break, deep down. After all, it was the end of junior year.

I actually took three copies of my research poster to ISEF. Two solid tri-folds in a box, and one rolled-up sheet in case of emergency. Initially I was even planning on shipping one to Ohio via FedEx, but I held myself back from that, at least. But I think that adequately captures my mental state at the time.

Confidence

I used to be somewhat of an arrogant prick back in middle school. But when I got to high school, quit debate, and started trotting down the STEM road, I like to think I dropped those habits quite quickly. I was humbled by what little I was; I stopped making grand statements and my arguments lost the kind of unwaivering certainty they once had. I still think I speak confidently, but everything in moderation.

Our last day at ISEF, the day of the awards ceremony, we packed, left our bags with the hotel, and headed to see our fates decided--or more accurately, revealed. Our hotel was not extremely far from the convention hall, but it was by no means close, and our walk was literally up hill.

We sat down wherever we could, in a spot that would be easy to leave from. Getting stuck in a crowd with 1700 finalists is not fun--the daily exodus from the exhibit hall (see below) was proof enough of that.

There's much I could say about how judging went for me. Heaven knows the three of us spent every subsequent second of our stay discussing that day. But it'd be pointless. I say, with some experience in judging deliberations for my school's student-run middle school science fair, that it really is human-driven, for all that entails. We can only try our best and hope for the best.

Then, I don't know what gave me the confidence I had at the ceremony. Maybe the months of stress had fried my wires. Maybe it was the hit of adrenaline. I've certainly never been able to replicate it since. But when I wasn't called for 4th, 3rd, or 2nd in my category, I texted my mom: "기대해" (a surprisingly hard phrase to translate into English: expect it, anticipate it, look forward to it).