Science Buddies: A Complete Guide

Science Buddies is a global, nonprofit STEM education platform that supports hands-on scientific inquiry through open-access project resources, mentoring, and an annual engineering challenge. The platform centers on learning by doing, guiding students through independent experimentation and real-world application across disciplines ranging from biology and chemistry to engineering and computer science.

This guide outlines the details of Science Buddies’ project library, Engineering Challenge, and Ask an Expert mentoring program, along with how participation and recognition work.

• What Is Science Buddies?
• Science Buddies Programs
• Science Buddies Availability and Timeline
• Science Buddies Requirements
• How to Access Science Buddies
• Why Join Science Buddies?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Is Science Buddies?

Science Buddies is a nonprofit STEM education program and online platform offering science project ideas, mentoring, and research resources for students from elementary through high school.

Founded to promote hands-on, interest-driven learning, the program features over 1,300 scientist-authored projects and activities, including 680+ high school–level projects designed to build core research skills such as hypothesis development, data collection, and analysis.

Topics span all major STEM fields (biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, environmental science, computer science, mathematics, and more) covering both foundational experiments and emerging areas of research.

While most resources, including the project library and Ask an Expert mentoring forum, are continuously accessible, the program also hosts an annual virtual Engineering Challenge. The 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge runs online and invites students globally to solve a themed engineering problem for prizes and recognition.

Science Buddies Programs

Science Buddies offers a comprehensive suite of programs to support K‑12 students’ interest in science and engineering. Here’s a breakdown of these programs:

Project Library (Science Projects)

Science Buddies maintains a free project library containing more than 1,200 science projects for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The library can be browsed by subject area, grade level, or United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

For learners who aren’t sure where to start, Science Buddies provides a Topic Selection Wizard to recommend projects that match a student’s interests. The library covers 32 different areas of science from astronomy to zoology, and filters allow users to refine projects by criteria such as cost, time, and material availability.

Engineering Challenge Program

The Engineering Challenge is an annual engineering design competition hosted by Science Buddies. The program invites K‑12 students worldwide to tackle a new hands‑on challenge each year using simple household materials. It is announced every January and is free to participate. Students use their problem‑solving skills to design, build, and test contraptions.

The current Engineering Challenge (2026) tasks students with designing a ball ramp from paper and tape. The challenge is open to students worldwide.

Ask‑an‑Expert Volunteer Program

The Ask‑an‑Expert (AAE) program is an online mentoring forum where students working on science fair projects can obtain personalized help from volunteer scientists. The program description states that the forums offer a space where students can post science questions and receive quality responses and advice from talented high‑school students and professional scientists in academia and industry.

The forums are available for questions related to K‑12 science fairs across all fields of science and engineering and are open to the public, although most users are students.

Science Buddies Availability and Timeline

Students and teachers can access the Project Library and Ask‑an‑Expert Volunteer Program at any time.

However, each January, Science Buddies announces a new Engineering Challenge and releases lesson‑plan materials. Submissions for the 2026 challenge will be accepted from 22 February through 31 March 2026; the online submission form is only available during that window.

Science Buddies Requirements

To get the most out of Science Buddies, you should understand the different requirements depending on how you plan to participate. Below, we break down the requirements by program:

Project Library

For Project Library, there is no formal eligibility requirement. Any student, parent or teacher can use the library.

Engineering Challenge Program

The Engineering Challenge is an annual design competition and therefore has specific rules:

• Eligibility. The challenge is open to primary and secondary (K‑12) students worldwide. Students may participate through a classroom, out‑of‑school program, club, homeschool group or as an at‑home activity.
• Team structure. Participants may work individually or in teams of up to four. Students may be on more than one team if the teams are formed in different settings and use different designs. Teams may test their designs multiple times but may submit only one official score per team.
• Prize eligibility. All teams that submit a complete entry are placed on the public leaderboard and receive a digital certificate. However, prize drawings are location‑dependent; only teams from the United States (including territories), Canada and Australia are eligible for random $1,000 grants. Prize money is awarded to the team’s sponsoring school or nonprofit, and homeschool teams must designate an eligible nonprofit to receive the funds.
• Entry requirements. To submit, teams need an adult contact’s name and email, the sponsoring school or organization’s address, a team name (in good taste), average age and number of students, their score and time, and two photos (team with device and device alone).
• Timeline. For the 2026 Ball Run Challenge, the submission window is 22 February – 31 March 2026. The challenge is announced each January; outside this window, teachers may still use past challenges for classroom practice.

Ask‑an‑Expert Volunteer Program

The Ask-an-Expert forums connect students with volunteer scientists and advanced high-school students who provide guidance on science-fair projects. The forums are open to K–12 students, with separate sections for grades K–5, 6–8, and 9–12. Students (or parents and teachers posting on their behalf) choose the appropriate grade-level and subject forum when asking questions.

On the other hand, volunteer experts must be legal U.S. residents, including citizens, visa holders, or green-card holders. Prospective volunteers submit an online application, create an Ask-an-Expert account, and complete a background check, which may be repeated annually. After orientation and approval, volunteers are assigned to a specific grade-level forum and scheduled day, when they monitor questions and respond to student posts.

How to Access Science Buddies

Science Buddies is a free, online STEM platform that anyone can access through www.sciencebuddies.org. You do not need a paid subscription to browse projects, guides, lesson plans, or student resources.

How to Join the Engineering Challenge

To participate in the annual Engineering Challenge, students should visit the Engineering Challenge page once the new challenge is announced in January. There, they can review the official rules, allowed materials, scoring criteria, and downloadable lesson plans or student instructions. Students may work individually or in teams of up to four to design, build, and test their solution.

During the official submission window from 22 February through 31 March 2026, teams must complete the online entry form. The submission requires an adult contact’s information, school or organization details, a team name, the team’s score and time, and required project photos. No advance registration is needed, but entries must be submitted within the official window to qualify for recognition or prize drawings.

How to Join the Ask-an-Expert Volunteer Program

Students who want project guidance can create a free account and post their questions in the appropriate Ask-an-Expert grade-level forum. Experts respond on scheduled days throughout the year, and there is no submission deadline for students seeking help. Individuals who wish to volunteer as experts must visit the Volunteer or Become an Expert page and complete the online application.

Why Join Science Buddies?

Science Buddies is a community and a springboard for future scientists and engineers. Here’s why joining Science Buddies can be extremely beneficial:

1. Access to 1,200+ ready-to-use STEM projects

The Project Library gives students instant access to over 1,200 free, K–12 science project ideas across 30+ disciplines. Each project includes background research, materials lists, procedures, and data analysis guidance.

2. Real-world engineering experience

The annual Engineering Challenge allows students to apply the engineering design process in a hands-on, competitive setting. Participants design, test, iterate, and refine solutions using simple materials, strengthening problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, and resilience, skills essential for STEM careers.

3. Direct mentorship from STEM experts

Through Ask-an-Expert, students receive personalized guidance from volunteer scientists and experienced high-school mentors. Instead of guessing through obstacles, students can troubleshoot experiments, refine methodologies, and deepen their scientific reasoning with expert feedback.

4. Stronger science fair and college applications

Using the Project Library for structured research, competing in the Engineering Challenge, and engaging with Ask-an-Expert demonstrates initiative, independent learning, and technical curiosity. These experiences translate into stronger science fair results and compelling college application narratives.

5. Year-round, free, and accessible STEM growth

Science Buddies’ core programs are free and available year-round. Students can explore projects anytime, enter the Engineering Challenge during its annual window, and seek guidance through Ask-an-Expert whenever they need help, making sustained STEM engagement both accessible and flexible.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can international students use Science Buddies?

Yes. Science Buddies is globally accessible. International students can freely use all online resources and participate in the Engineering Challenge. The Ask an Expert student volunteer program, however, is limited to U.S. high school students.

2. Can I get high school or college credit?

Science Buddies does not award official high school or college credit. However, teachers may allow projects to count toward coursework, and participation can be listed as an extracurricular, research experience, or community service on applications.

3. Do I need an account to use Science Buddies?

You do not need an account to browse projects or read guides. However, creating a free account allows you to save favorite projects, track progress, and participate in Ask-an-Expert forums or certain submission-based programs like the Engineering Challenge.

Takeaways

• Science Buddies is a nonprofit, online STEM education program open to students worldwide, offering free science project ideas, research tools, and mentoring.
• The Project Library offers more than 1,200 structured, research-backed science projects that students can explore at any time.
• The annual Engineering Challenge adds a hands-on, competitive dimension by inviting K–12 students to design, build, test, and refine engineering solutions using simple materials.
• Through Ask-an-Expert, students receive personalized guidance from volunteer scientists and experienced high-school mentors.
• Do you have a research project in mind? Like Science Buddies, we offer a research mentorship program to help you design, develop, and complete your project.