Abstract
The International Science and Engineering Fair, ISEF, is the world's biggest science contest for high school students and is held in May each year in the US. Japanese high school students have participated in ISEF for more than 50 years, however only a few students have received awards. Whereas practical research is rated highly at ISEF, Japanese students tend to perform basic science, which may partially explain their limited success in the awards. In addition, many high school students in the US conduct their research at university laboratories with professional mentors, while most high school students in Japan experiment at home or at their high school without a professional mentor. We suggest ways to improve support for high school students who wish to conduct scientific research in Japan.
