Student entries are grouped into two fields or divisions of science, either biological or physical.
There are a total of 13 categories. These 13 categories are divided into the "Biological" and "Physical" science divisions. These categories will also be used by the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair beginning in 2016.
Each of these 13 categories are described here.
Mahie Patil at the 2024 Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition.
| Category | Abbreviation | Field/Division |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Sciences | ANIM | Biological |
| Behavioral & Social Sciences | BEHA | Biological |
| Biomedical & Health Sciences | BMED | Biological |
| Cellular/Molecular Biology & Biochemistry | CMBI | Biological |
| Chemistry | CHEM | Physical |
| Earth & Environmental Sciences | EAEV | Physical |
| Engineering | ENMS | Physical |
| Environmental Engineering | ENEV | Physical |
| Intelligent Machines, Robotics and Systems Software | IMRS | Physical |
| Mathematics & Computational Sciences | MACO | Physical |
| Microbiology | MICR | Biological |
| Physics & Astronomy | PHYS | Physical |
| Plant Sciences | PLNT | Biological |