International Science Fair Finalist
We interviewed Ishan Puri, the former CEO of Empowerly & Stanford graduate, placed 1st in California Science Fair and went on to compete in London. As a successful international science fair finalist, Ishan has unique perspectives on his journey.
1. “Could you describe your preparation process?”
Ishan: I tried science fair since 3rd grade. I experimented across domains and disciplines to find areas that I excelled in and also enjoyed. I started with a question that I found personally exciting. Then I did research online to find out more about the cutting edge of that problem and potential solutions. I reached out to experts to learn more and asked them how I could help them. Once I conducted experiments, I worked on analyzing the results and drawing conclusions that made sense. Then I practiced the presentation several times before the actual fair.
2. “How old were you when you won? What previous experience did you have?”
Ishan: I was in 11th grade. I had been competing since 3rd grad without winning once. I finally got to the state and national level after several years of trying.
3. “How did you create such successful project?”
Ishan: It was a multi-year research project at UCLA with Professor Ed Stabler. We worked over time and I applied our research to a field I was passionate about within linguistics – creativity and mathematics.
4. “Where did you get your resources? How did you research?”
Ishan: I emailed many professors to convince them I was worth their time. I was lucky to get a few responses and chased those intensely.
Are you interested in working to become an international science fair finalist like Ishan? Or maybe just looking for more advice and first-hand insight from a great mentor? We have an international team of high-caliber counselors who are deeply invested in helping students thrive. Contact us today.
