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Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II Congratulates ISEF 2023 Winners

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The world’s largest science and engineering competition for pre-college students, the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF), took place in Dallas, Texas, May 14 – 19. Supporting the Society for Science and ISEF, the Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II is a proud sponsor of this critical society and experience that focuses on the ingenuity students in STEM.

Richard F. Caris is the founder of Interface, Inc., a leader in force measurement solutions. The company started 55 years ago and continues to engineer and supply vital sensor technologies, including our renowned precision load cells. These precisoin measurement devices are used for testing and validation of global inventions across all industries, from robotics to space exploration.

Regeneron ISEF offers a prestigious platform that gathers the most exceptional young scientists and engineers from across the globe. This renowned competition serves as a catalyst for Regeneron and the Society for Science to champion and nurture the upcoming generation of talented STEM innovators. These brilliant minds not only generate groundbreaking ideas but also serve as catalysts for the transformative change required to enhance the well-being of individuals, society, and the planet.

By supporting and investing in these bright young minds, Regeneron ISEF and the sponsorship by Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II continues to foster innovation and drive positive impact on a global scale.

Congratulations Physics and Astronomy, sponsored by Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II Winners

Alexander Plekhanov from Portland, OR

Kaitlyn Wang from San José, CA

Kaitlyn Wang won first place for the entire ISEF competition and received the $75,000 George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award for finding an efficient way to identify certain exoplanets that orbit very closely around their stars. As detailed by the ISEF announcement, previous techniques used to detect these ultra-short-period planets required enormous computational power but were not as effective at identifying these planets. Kaitlyn surmounted that problem by creating a special algorithm that runs on cheap hardware and results in much faster and higher-precision findings. Using her research, she says she found the smallest of these planets ever discovered.

Interface, on behalf of the Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II, would like to congratulate Kaitlyn and Alexander, along with all the participants and winners of ISEF 2023. Interface supports the Society for Science and ISEF by also providing our Load Cell Field Guide, an essential resource for future scientists and engineers that use test and measurement to validate their inventions and experiments.

Full list of all award-winning ISEF 2023 Finalists

Full list of Special Award ISEF 2023 Finalists

Visit the ISEF 2023 virtual fair to learn more about the project and the finalists.

Back to School Force Measurement Essentials

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Interface has a long history of collaborating with colleges and universities around the world. From individual engineering students testing the force of launching miniature rockets to supplying onsite test labs with load cells and equipment for R&D, we are a resource for higher education learning and experimentation.

In our view, innovation and exploration have no boundaries. What validates new ideas and manifests problem solving requires modern and reliable tools that support student’s projects and activities. Its key to any program’s success. It is also why we are proud to be known around the globe as a leader in building and designing force measurement products that facilitate these initiatives through higher learning.

It is very inspiring to see new engineering students, future metrologists, and soon-to-be graduates designing new medical devices, creating new spacecraft and interplanetary vehicles, testing materials used for miniature consumer products and of course, building plenty of new robots and AI machines.

In our view, every university or college should have Interface force measurement products on hand to support these types of educational test and measurement research projects. Here is a simplified list of basic sensor products to get started.

Force Measurement Essentials for Higher Learning

  • Precision load cells in diverse designs and capacities
  • S-type load cells (load beams)
  • Miniature load cells and load buttons
  • Multi-axis sensors
  • Calibration grade equipment
  • Instrumentation
  • Wireless sensor technologies
  • Rotary and reaction torque transducers
  • Verification load frames

Our investment in supporting educational programs runs deep into our history as a company. You will find our founder’s name on the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at The University of Arizona. Following in his commitment to education, the Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II continues to support STEM programs including sponsorship of the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

We drive to ensure that students who have a passion for science, technology and engineering have access to the best force measurement sensor technologies. It is why we offer a standard discount to all students and education institutions. You can learn more about our education support here. We know that learning requires the best tools, and we want to make sure that every student has the most accurate, quality and precision load cells available today.

As with all inquisitive minds, we thought it would be interesting to share what are other university and colleges buying for their learning programs and campus labs.

Top 10 products for testing projects and campus lab studies:

  1. 1200 LowProfile Load Cells are our most popular load cell, available in standard and high-capacity features.
  2. 1010 Load Cell model is a fatigue-rated low profile load cell in our 1000 product family, offering various capacities and functions.
  3. 2420 Load Cell is one of our stainless-steel standard and high-capacity load cells in our 2400 model series.
  4. 1500 Low-Capacity Load Cell designs are common requirements for applications where low sensitivity to eccentric load is important.
  5. WMC Sealed Stainless Steel Miniature Load Cell has an environmentally protected construction that comes in a variety of model capacities and configurations. It is great for small spaces and industrial applications.
  6. 3-Axis Load Cells are extremely popular multi-axis sensors designed to provide more testing data and often paired with BSC4 instrumentation. They are ideally suited for aerospace, robotics, automotive, and medical research testing applications.
  7. 6-Axis Load Cells are growing in popularity, for cost benefit and their unique ability to simultaneously measure Fx Fy Fz Mx My Mz.
  8. SSM Miniature Load Cells are one of many popular general-purpose s-type designed load cells. You call learn more about all our s-type models here.
  9. Torque Transducers of all types are used by university programs, engineering departments and metrology labs. There are many different options including rotary and reaction torque solutions. For all options, start here to choose the right one.
  10. Load Washer Load Cells are used because of the unique through-hole designs. They come in various models and dimensions, along with capacity options.

As with any project, the questions of what you want to measure, the applications, and where you are sending the data, are all core to choosing the sensor and instrumentation that is best suited for the learning environment or program.

Speaking of where to send the data for performance monitoring and analysis, the five most favorite types of instrumentation selected by university students and engineering labs include:

  1. DMA2 Signal Conditioner
  2. 9840 4-Channel Intelligent Indicator
  3. 9825 General Purpose Indicator
  4. BX8-AS BlueDAQ Series Data Acquisition System
  5. SGA AC/DC POWERED SIGNAL CONDITIONER

If you are heading back to school and thinking that it is time to revamp the testing lab or need new force measurement equipment, be sure to reach out to our education application engineers. They have years of experience and can help you get exactly what you need for your project and programs.

Be sure to tune into our Load Cell Basics, for answer to common questions about using these highly accurate sensors for your test and measurement projects. You can find all our Interface videos on our YouTube channel here.

If you are looking to explore more technical resources, be sure to go to our online support area and subscribe to our blogs for weekly updates.

ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Types of Force Measurement Tests 101

Torque Transducers 101

Multi-Axis Sensors 101

S-Type Load Cells 101

Mini Load Cells 101

Force Measurement Instrumentation 101

Load Washers 101

Couplings 101

Load Shackles 101

Load Pins 101

Tension Links 101

Load Button Load Cells 101

Strain Gages 101

Load Cell 101 and What You Need to Know

Calibration Systems 101

Force Measurement Accessories 101

TEDS 101

Shunt Calibration 101

 

Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II Sponsors ISEF Promoting STEM

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Interface and the Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II extend an enthusiastic congratulations to all the participants and winners of the 2022 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The 2022 Regeneron ISEF program provided a global stage for the best and brightest young scientists and engineers around the world.

Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II sponsored the Physics and Astronomy competition for the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. The 2022 ISEF prize winners in Physics and Astronomy are Ayush Nayak from San Diego, California, and Alexander Plekhanov from Hillsboro, Oregon.

As sponsors of this event, it is with great honor to continue the legacy of Interface’s founder and his commitment to supporting innovation through science, technology, engineering, and math.

In total, $8 million was awarded to the finalists of the 2022 International Science and Engineering Fair. Participants were evaluated based on their projects’ creativity, innovation, and level of scientific inquiry. The competition featured 1,750 young scientists representing 49 states and 63 countries, regions and territories across the world.

Watch the complete Regeneron ISEF 2022 – Grand Awards Ceremony

Richard Caris founded Interface in 1968 and pioneered innovation in force measurement, along with STEM initiatives, which has continued for more than five decades. His tradition remains active through the Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II and women-owned business, Interface, Inc., leader in force measurement solutions. The Caris commitment to science is visible through the incredible contributions made to the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the Steward Observatory on the campus of The University of Arizona.

Founded on the belief that advances in science are key to solving global challenges, Regeneron ISEF supports and invests in the next generation of leading STEM thinkers who are generating ideas and acting as catalysts for the change needed to improve the well-being of all people and the planet.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Society for Science announced that Robert Sansone, 17, of Fort Pierce, FL, won the $75,000 top award in the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF). Other top prizes went to projects in the fields of energy storage, biomedical engineering, and robotics. In addition to the Top Award winners, 442 finalists received awards and prizes for their innovative research, including “First Award” winners, who each received $5,000.

For a full list of finalists who won awards, please visit HERE and HERE.

Interface is the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement solutions. Our clients include a “who’s who” of the aerospace, automotive and vehicle, medical device, energy, industrial manufacturing, test and measurement industries. Interface engineers around the world are empowered to create high-level tools and solutions that deliver consistent, high-quality performance. These products include load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis sensors, wireless telemetry, instrumentation, and calibration equipment. Interface, Inc., was founded in 1968 and is a U.S.-based woman-owned technology manufacturing company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.