Area teachers, even more students, can register this month for NARSEF 2026 on UAH campus

During the 2025 North Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair (NARSEF) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Brianna Wilkinson, right, a current sophomore at St. John Paul II Catholic High School, speaks to Jane-Frances Chinenye Ojobor, a Ph.D. candidate at UAH and one of the event judges, about her project “Beet Infection.” Registration for NARSEF 2026 opens Sept. 15, 2025, for teachers and Sept. 29 for students. The fair will be held March 6, 2026, on the UAH campus.

Jorge Mares | UAH

Even more budding scientists and engineers will have the chance to participate in the 72nd annual North Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair (NARSEF) when registration opens this month. The event will be hosted by The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) College of Engineering on March 6, 2026, on the UAH campus. UAH is a part of The University of Alabama System.

NARSEF gives area students the opportunity to have their independent or team research and design projects evaluated by local experts in the fields of life science, physical science, environmental studies, psychology and engineering.

Students can qualify by winning a school or district fair or by being a member of a science club or class at school. In both cases, their teachers are also required to register for NARSEF.

Susanna Box, a current 8th grader at Providence Classical School, describes her project “Rock Candy Crystals” to Oluwasegun Raji, a Ph.D. candidate at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and a judge in the 2025 North Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Jorge Mares | UAH

A new registration option for 2026 aims to ensure that every student in North Alabama has access to participate in STEM research, regardless of school support. NARSEF Direct lets students register without a teacher if their school does not host a fair and does not offer a club or class for science and engineering fair participation.

NARSEF is open to students from Colbert, Cullman, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall and Morgan counties. There are two divisions: junior, grades 6-8, and senior, grades 9-12. Up to three people can team up on a project.

Teachers can register starting Monday, Sept. 15, with registration closing on Feb. 6, 2026. Student registration begins Monday, Sept. 29, and ends on Feb. 13, 2026. The registration fee of $30 is due by Feb. 20, 2026. Late registration fee is $60.

Students registering through NARSEF Direct must contact Amy Beth Ford at narsef@uah.edu for approval. While no teacher is required for registration, students are strongly encouraged to work with a trusted adult to review their forms and help them prepare.

NARSEF 2025 featured 96 projects, including two group projects, from 98 students representing 19 schools across North Alabama. Student participation increased 20% from 2024 to 2025 while the number of judges rose by 37.3%.

Projects focused on a wide range of topics:

• Chemistry, 15.5%
• Biomedical engineering and biomedical and health sciences, 12.4%
• Physics, astronomy and mathematics, 12.4%
• Animal and plant sciences, 11.3%
• Behavioral and social sciences, 9.3%
• Energy, 8.2%
• Engineering, 7.2%
• Robotic systems and communication technology, 7.2%
• Cell, molecular, microbiology and biochemistry, 7.2%
• Earth and environmental science and environmental engineering, 5.2%

Fifty-four sponsored awards were presented in 2025.

NARSEF participant Urvi Mysore, a 2025 graduate of James Clemens High School, earned a spot at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio, where she won a first-place special award of $3,000 from YM American Academy, a leading education consulting organization.

For 2026, the top 10% of junior division projects receive a ThermoFisher Junior Innovators Challenge nomination. The top two senior division projects receive a fully paid trip to the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona.

Top-scoring projects in each category earn a bid to the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF) held in Auburn. NARSEF participants who competed at ASEF in 2025 won more than 20 special awards totaling over $2,500 and had two first-place, four second-place and five third-place finishes.

For more information and to register, visit the NARSEF page on the UAH website.