About

About ASERS

ASERS is a national science research competition built and led by high school students. We organize research symposia where students present original work, defend it before scientists and engineers, receive detailed feedback, and compete for recognition.

Our story

ASERS began with the New Jersey Science Research Symposium in 2026, after the suspension of JSHS left student researchers in our area without one of the major opportunities we had expected to compete in. Having gone through science fairs ourselves, including JSHS and ISEF, we decided to build a symposium so students could still present their research and have it evaluated by scientists.

Running that first symposium made us interested in a broader problem: how research competitions can make judging more consistent, fair, and useful to every student, regardless of whether they win.

That became the foundation for ASERS.

Our judging structure emphasizes multiple independent evaluations, expertise-aware judge assignments, conflict screening, independent scoring before deliberation, and review of major disagreements. Students present through both oral and poster formats and receive detailed feedback designed to help them strengthen their work.

What began as a response to a temporary gap in research opportunities has grown into something with a different purpose. ASERS is now building a national network of student-led chapters under shared standards, centered on making the evaluation of student research as rigorous as the research itself.

Built by students

ASERS is planned and run by high school students across judging, outreach, technology, logistics, fundraising, marketing, and chapter development.

Researchers, faculty, graduate students, engineers, physicians, and other STEM professionals serve as judges and help us keep the scientific evaluation rigorous.