LEARN MORE The North Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair (NARSEF) provides 6th – 12th grade students from Colbert, Cullman, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, and Morgan counties the opportunity to showcase their independent or team research and design projects to local experts in the fields of life science, physical science, environmental studies, psychology, and engineering. Last year, over 90 students participated, and over 63% of the presenters won an award or advanced to the state fair. The grand prize for the senior division (9th – 12th grades) is a trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). This fair brings together hundreds of science fair winners from all over the world to compete against each other. The opportunities that NARSEF and its donors have provided have helped to shape the future of hundreds of local students in addition to helping support and build STEM education programs throughout the North Alabama Region. Student Registration Teacher Registration Schedule of Events Judging InformationResources Contact Sponsorship Opportunities 2026 Event Timeline Teacher Registration Opens: September 2025 Closes: February 2026 Student Registration Opens: September 2025 Closes: February 2026 Event Date March 6, 2026 Event Location The University of Alabama in Huntsville301 Sparkman Drive Huntsville, AL 35899 NARSEF Categories Animal & Plant Sciences Topics include: animal behavior, cellular studies, development, ecology, genetics, nutrition and growth, physiology, systematics and evolution, agriculture and agronomy, genetics and breeding, pathology, and plant physiology. Behavioral & Social Sciences Topics include: behavioral neuroscience, development, cognitive psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Cell, Molecular, Microbiology & Biochemistry Topics include: cell physiology, cellular immunology, genetics, molecular biology, neurobiology, antimicrobial and antibiotics, applied microbiology, bacteriology, environmental microbiology, microbial genetics, virology, analytical biochemistry, general biochemistry, medicinal biochemistry, and structural biochemistry. Chemistry Topics include: analytical chemistry, computational chemistry, environmental chemistry, inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. Engineering Topics include: biological process and design, solar process, materials, and design, energy storage, wind and water movement power generation, hydrogran generation and storage, thermal generation and design, triboelectricity and electrolysis, electronic, optical, and magnetic materials, nanomaterials, and polymers. Energy Topics include: biological process and design, solar process, materials, and design, energy storage, wind and water movement power generation, hydrogran generation and storage, thermal generation and design, triboelectricity and electrolysis, electronic, optical, and magnetic materials, nanomaterials, and polymers. Earth and Environmental Sciences & Environmental Engineering Topics include: atmospheric science, climate science, environmental effects on ecosystems, water science, bioremediation, land reclamation, pollution control, recycling and waste management, and water resources management. Biomedical Engineering & Biomedical and Health Sciences Topics include: biomaterials and regenerative medicine, biomechanics, biomedical devices, biomedical sensors and imaging, cell and tissue engineering, synthetic biology, cell, organ, and systems physiology, genetics and molecular biology of disease, immunology, nutrition and natural products, pathophysiology, disease detection, disease prevention, disease treatment and therapies, drug identification and testing, and pre-clinical studies. Physics, Astronomy, & Mathematics Topics include: atomic, molecular, and optical physics, astronomy and cosmology, biological physics, condensed matter and materials, mechanics, nuclear and particle physics, theroretical, computational, and quantum physics, algebra, analysis, combinatorics, graph theory, and game theory, geometry and topology, number theory, and probability and statistics. Robotic Systems and Communication Technology Topics include: biomechanics, cognitive systems, control theory, machine learning, robot kinematics, algorithms, cybersecurity, databases, human/machine interface, languages and operating systems, mobile apps, online learning, circuits, internet of things, microcontrollers, networking and data communications, optics, sensors, and signal processing. Computational and Bioinformatics Sciences Topics include: computational biomodeling, computational epidemiology, computational evolutionary biology, computational neuroscience, computational pharmacology, and genomics.