Newcomers  ----   Welcome to the ISTF Program

The Internet Science and Technology Fair (ISTF) is the 21^st century science fair that:

• challenges students to use information technology tools to discover and explore the future of science and engineering,
• provides science, math and computer teachers with a means to integrate the Internet and research methods into their curricula, and
• offers scientists and engineers working within corporations, federal/state agencies and academic research centers an opportunity to invest their time on-line as technical advisors who become "digital mentors."

The sections below contain general information about the ISTF Program for all newcomers. For more specific information, please access the other "Newcomers" pages for:

Program Summary: From October through February of each year, student teams apply technology to real-world problems when they participate in the ISTF. As a team, students use ISTF Content Guidelines that are based on national science content standards (1996) developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). They work with a practicing scientist or engineer who acts as the team's on-line technical advisor. Teams publish their final research reports in a web page format that is then judged against other teams from the United States and other participating countries. Top teams receive certificates of award from the National Medal of Technology and Innovation at the U.S. Department of Commerce's Patent and Trademark Office.

The links on the ISTF opening screen and on the sidebar of the website will become very familiar to teams. These links lead to all the information necessary to participate in the Internet Science and Technology Fair (ISTF).

About Us: Gives background information regarding the ISTF, tells about the history and growth of the program evolved, and provides profiles of the sponsors who make the program possible. The ISTF Sponsored Projects link is especially important for companies, federal agencies and academic research centers that are interested in participating in the program.

Team Members: Identifies the roles and responsibilities of students, teachers (or educational coordinators) and technical advisors. It is imperative that all new team members read this section. We have witnessed cases where new team members began working on an ISTF project without understanding the scope of the task they were undertaking. These teams often became frustrated and occasionally dropped out of the the competition even though their projects were extremely interesting.

Schedule: Provides participants with the yearly ISTF timeline for the program. Periodically, there may be changes in scheduling so it is important to visit this section throughout the competition.

Tools: This link will become a vital resource and the most visited section of the website during participation in the ISTF Program. Here are:

• the National Critical Technologies (these are the areas of technology from which student teams select technical applications to apply to real-world problems);

• the Content and Format Guidelines (for elementary, middle and high school teams); and

• the Hall of Fame (that provides examples of the final projects submitted by winning teams).

My ISTF: Allows teachers to setup ISTF accounts in order to receive more information about the program, officially enroll student teams, send requests to potential technical advisors, and manage their information. Also enables technical advisors and judges to establish and maintain ISTF accounts. NOTE: All ISTF Accounts are free of cost.

Stay Informed: By submitting contact and other general information, interested individuals will receive updates about the program.

To request additional information, please Contact Us.

* If you are interested in distributing information about the ISTF, a one-page flyer is available in HTML.