INTRODUCTION OF PASO
PASO is an international student science research competition founded and led by the international committee of professional scientists from universities, research institutions, and related industries. We aim to create opportunities for student scholars to engage in original research and apply their knowledge to address today’s complex environmental health challenges.
Our goal is to promote innovative thinking through hands-on research, cultivating scientific framework, intellectual independence, and responsibility for creating a sustainable future.
At PASO, students will challenge their limits, contribute to intellectual development, and have fun while harnessing knowledge and skills to become global leaders for tomorrow.
| 1st PASO | 2nd PASO | 3rd PASO | 4th PASO | 5th PASO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Feb. 2 ~ 24, 2019 | Dec. 28, 2020 ~ Jan. 28, 2021 | Mar. 18 ~ Apr. 14, 2022 | Mar. 17 ~ Apr. 14, 2023 | Mar. 15 ~ Apr. 12, 2024 |
| Competition | Qingdao, China | On-line competition | On-line competition | On-line competition | On-line competition |
| Final teams | 32 students of 25 teams | 43 students of 36 teams | 35 students of 29 teams | 32 students of 26 teams |
“Challenge Your Limit and Potential for Scientific Discovery”
CATEGORIES
PASO is committed to solving emerging environment & health challenges, two areas often intersect to cause multifaceted problems. We challenge our student participants to engage deeply in these topics, seeking to find meaningful discoveries and innovative approaches to problem-solving.
Biodiversity & Ecology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Environmental Science
- Energy
- Natural Resources
Health & Human Biology
- Medical Science
- Nutrition
- Molecular and Cell Biology
- Neurobiology
- Psychology
Technology & Innovation
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Materials Science
- Astrophysics & Space
- Integrated Science
Do you have any question?
pasoasia@gmail.com
Ask NowCommittee Of PASO
Award presentation
#Awards
- Students will go through multiple rounds of evaluation process for their projects by the committee of judges. First, student projects shall be reviewed and selected for the invitation to the next stage. The selected candidates must provide a video presentation. Additional Q&A session conducted virtually may be requested by the panel of judges.
#Judging Criteria
- The project will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1. Originality of topic and hypothesis
2. Research design
3. Application of scientific method and data management
4. Potential for impact and real-world viability
5. Research paper development and literature review
6. Presentation—clarity, logical development, scientific evidence (video)
#Categories
- The following awards shall be given to outstanding research projects from each category:
* Gold Award
* Silver Award
* Bronze Award
* Honorable Mention
#Overall
- In addition to recognitions from each category, the top two projects will be given the following awards:
* Grand Prize (Overall 1st)
* Innovative Scholar Award (Overall 2nd)
REQUIREMENTS
#ELIGIBILITY OF PARTICIPANTS & REQUIREMENTS
Registration
- The competition is open to students in Asia Pacific regions between grades 9th ~ 12th.
- A participant must present original research; team project is acceptable (up to 4 per team).
- In the case of a team, one member of the team (the first author) must register by creating an account. After that, if your team becomes a finalist, an account will be opened to register the names of all team members.
- You may submit more than one research paper individually or as a team. However, each research paper must be submitted with a separate account.
- See also at 2024 PASO rules and guide
Research Paper
- All research papers and presentations must be conducted in English.
- A research project must fall under one of the categories.
- The research paper must include cover page (title, student name(s), school, country), abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusion, and references (APA or MLA format).
- The paper must be within 20 pages maximum (excluding cover page and references), not exceeding 10 MB in size.
- Different font types are acceptable with 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, and 11-point Arial. Page margins one inch (2.54 cm) from each side.
- Research paper must be saved as a PDF file as “Paper Title_PASO24.pdf".
- If plagiarism in research is severe, it will be excluded from the review.
Presentation Video
- Finalists must upload their presentation video to YouTube.com and submit the URL link to the appropriate field on PASO website.
- We strongly recommend that your video includes title (and student name), introduction (background, questions, purpose), experimental process, results, conclusion (and discussion), application and future research.
- The video presentation must be at least 3 minutes and less than 5 minutes.
- If you are a team, every student must present in the video.
#POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS AGENTS
- Research projects involving the following hazardous agents will not be allowed or will need prior review and approval. In such case, please contact PASO.
1. potentially hazardous microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, viroids, prions, rickettsia, fungi, and parasites) other than Biosafety Level 1
2. recombinant DNA (rDNA) technologies
3. human or animal fresh/ frozen tissues, blood, or body fluids other than established cell lines (BSL 1)
