CASEF Stories
Dr. Thomas Bowman Jr. started the fair to teach his 12-year-old son, Tom, a lesson. His son considered himself ‘the smartest person around.” Dr. Bowman took him to see the Westinghouse Talent Search (predecessor of ISEF) exhibit. After viewing the displays, Tom admitted, “Dad, there are some people smarter than I am.” Dr. Bowman coordinated with the National Science Fair to establish a local affiliated fair. The first fair was held in 1957 with students from 50 schools in seven counties. After undergoing several transformations, the Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair was formed and has grown to provide the International Science and Engineering Fair affiliated opportunity to public and private school students in grades 5-12 in 41 counties.
Learn more: www.casef.org or email casefdirector@gmail.com
1991 Dr. Cindy Meng Hou, DO is an Infectious Diseases specialist affiliated with Jefferson Medical Group and Jefferson Health. She is the Physician Chair of the Infection Control Committee, Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, Sepsis on the Floors Task Force, and CDiff Task Force at Jefferson Health. She was named Physician Champion for the New Jersey Hospital Associations Antimicrobial Stewardship Collaborative.
1986 Brian Miller CW5, is a highly respected technical leader with specialized expertise in aviation. He developed training strategies and flight instruction for the US military and concluded his career as an airline pilot.
2018 Wyatt Howe – Following a summer program at MIT in theoretical cryptology, Wyatt developed a mathematical code for locking systems. While at ISEF, he was encouraged to file for US Patent. His interest in computational science took him to Boston University for a BS degree, Brown University for MS in computational science and he currently at UCLA working in his 3rd year PhD program.
2017 Kaitlyn Galliher - says CASEF sparked a lifelong passion for science, research, and curiosity. The ISEF experience developed confidence and communication skills. While at ISEF, she met Dr. Martin Chalfie (2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) for the discovery of the green fluorescent protein used as a gene expression marker. Kaitlyn used this protein in her project. ISEF opened doors to college research opportunities and a career in medicine.
1976 Dr. Debra Birx is a distinguished medical scientist and policy leader whose career spans military service, global health diplomacy, pandemic response, and HIV/AIDS research, with a continued focus on innovation and health security. She hopes to leverage her experience and expertise to help build stronger and more resilient health systems around the world.
2023, 2024, 2025 Ian Lentz Through ISEF, Ian earned an international STEM opportunity in China and multiple full-tuition college scholarships. He is grateful for the lifelong connections, global study opportunities, and the level of mentorship he has received.
2013 Hannah Wastyk, PhD is a Stanford-trained systems bioengineer and AI research scientist, currently a Member of Technical Staff at Axiom Biosciences, with a background in microbiome research and drug discovery. She is the co-founder & CEO, Interface Biosciences (2020– 2025) — microbiome-focused drug discovery startup. She has well over 2000 publications. Her ISEF First Place in Cellular & Molecular Biology earned her trip to participate in Nobel Prize Ceremonies.