Category Suicide

From Stepping Up

Setting It Up

Stepping Up Guide

Section Home Category Suicide Choosing Between a Study, Innovation or Experiment Keeping Track: The "Logbook" Knowing the Variables What should be my sample size?

What is it?

Category Suicide is one of the most subtle and the easiest error to make in a higher level science fair such as the Canada Wide Science Fair or the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair.

Unfortunately, it is also the gravest and most costly error that you can make at the fair. Category suicide, strictly defined, is the mistake of entering your project in the wrong category (often this is done accidentally for the simple reason that the participant does not know why a given category is correct or not) and thereby significantly reducing or eliminating your chances of enjoying any success at the fair. Since you select your category weeks or even months in advance of the actual fair, your project runs the risk of committing 'suicide'--losing its chance to impress the judges, even before the judges see it.

Case Study

Consider the following example: Mary is presenting her project which deals with a quicker and more accurate method of diagnosing a rare respiratory disease. Many members of her family have suffered from this illness, and she thinks that her research will one day help save patients from the disadvantages of a late diagnosis. Should Mary enter her project in the Medicine and Health category or should she enter her project into the Microbiology category?

Okay, so maybe the above example is as clear as water--of course, Mary would be making an obvious blunder by entering her project, which does not deal with microorganisms in any way, into the Microbiology category. But in John's case below, the path is not as well lit.

John has just finished his science fair project which, for the past two years, has used genetically engineered bacteria to reduce heavy metals from soluble forms to insoluble forms, so that they precipitate to the bottom of water beds. John is really excited, because of the environmental benefits his project will have for the public. Should John enter his project into the Environmental Management category, the Microbiology category, or the Environmental Sciences category?

Based on the two case studies given above, we begin to see that for the 1300-something projects entered into the Intel ISEF and for the 400-something projects entered into the CWSF, choosing a category can prove to be a very confusing ordeal.

The Foolproof Solution (and the Answer to John's Dilemma)

Start by asking yourself the following question: What is the best part of my project?

If you are thinking about the practical applications that your research has or will have in the near future, then you've found the answer to the question.

From a judge's perspective, the benefit that the public will enjoy because of your research findings is essential to the value of your project. Most judges will intuitively guage your project's value based on their knowledge of the project's topic and their foresight into its potential applications. It follows logically from this that the type of judges you will meet strictly depends upon the category into which your project is entered.

In John's case, we apply the same principle: When John asks himself what is the best part of his project, he very quickly determines that the ability of the bacteria to remediate toxic metals from the water is the major thrust of his research. This is a phenomenon commonly known as bioremediation. Therefore, John must decide in which category judges with a background in either bioremediation or related topics (i.e. water/soil pollution, etc.)will be grading projects. John immeidately rules Microbiology out, because it deals with the life cycles and genetics of the bacteria themselves, and not their use in biotechnology. That leaves John with Environmental Management and Environmental Sciences.

The process of elimination becomes a little harder here. The best advice is to read the category descriptions and the subcategories listed under each main section (these category descriptions are available at the ISEF and CWSF main websites). Under the heading Environmental Sciences, John is happy to find the subcategory Water Pollution and Quality. But John does not stop there--just to be sure, he checks the subcategories of Environmental Management and lo! and behold he finds Bioremediation. Since the registration process at ISEF and CWSF allows the participant to choose a category and a subcategory, you must give value to both.

Choosing the right category does not guarantee that your project will win, but it does guarantee that your project will stand a chance of winning and that it will be judged and appreciated by the appropriate intellectuals.