National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) returned for an in-person event for the first time since 2019, and it did not disappoint! Over 220 students from across the country and DoDEA-supported schools in Europe and the Pacific joined us in Albuquerque, N.M. for the 60th annual National JSHS. 

“Returning to an in-person event for the first time since 2019 was rewarding for, not only our national finalists, but all of the mentors, teachers, military personnel, and staff in attendance,” says Andrea Malenya, project manager, JSHS. “We were blown away by these student’s insightful, innovative projects. Their professionalism and maturity in contributing to the greater body of scientific knowledge was a privilege to behold.”

During National JSHS, our poster and oral finalists presented their research to a panel of judges from the Departments of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Students also had the chance to meet with professional researchers and ask questions about their STEM pathways, and they even visited the Kirtland Air Force Research Lab! The symposium was chock full of learning opportunities and networking. For the first time in over two years, JSHS participants had the chance to connect face-to-face with their peers, excitedly sharing their research ideas and plans for the future. 

“These students are incredibly smart and have amazing ideas on what can be done,” said Malenya. “As high school students, they are already identifying gaps in society and working to fill them through their original STEM research. It’s beyond impressive; it’s the future.”

Most students had long journeys to National JSHS, but, for one student, the competition was right in his backyard. Sherwin Thiyagarajan, the national finalist in Mathematics & Computer Science oral presentation, is a senior at the Albuquerque School of Excellence. Like many of his fellow JSHS participants, Sherwin focused his research project on something he was personally passionate about: basketball. 

“I’m a basketball player; I’ve played for my school for six years. Essentially, it’s my passion; it’s the thing that I use to escape from other stressors,” Sherwin explains. “JSHS gave me the opportunity to do some research about basketball and have fun with it while also learning at the same time.”   

Sherwin developed a research project to predict professional baseball scores. You can hear more from Sherwin in the local Albuquerque news (KOB-TV and the Albuquerque Journal).

Like Sherwin, Katie Culbert, a sophomore at Toms River High School North in New Jersey and member of the 2022 AEOP Alumni Council, used her passion for bees and beekeeping to develop her JSHS project. Her research studied the effectiveness of essential oils in controlling the Varroa mite, the biggest threat to honey bee health. 

“Having the opportunity to attend JSHS Nationals in-person was very exciting. After two years of COVID restrictions and virtual fairs, I welcomed the opportunity to present my findings in-person. I also enjoyed the camaraderie being around like-minded students and becoming friends. I found it amazing to not only meet with participants from all over the United States, but even as far away as Puerto Rico and Germany. It just makes the world not seem so big. I truly appreciate how technology, innovation, and science can tie us all together,” said Katie. “I am very grateful for this incredible opportunity and will be striving to make it to JSHS Nationals next year!”

Congratulations to all of our national finalists and the 2022 winners! Find the press release, here, and the full list of winners, below.  

The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium is a Tri-Services supported event administered by the National Science Teaching Association that invites high school students to conduct independent research projects in one of the eight STEM disciplines. To learn more about JSHS or sign up for your regional competitions, visit jshs.org. 

1st Place Oral Presentations: earning $12,000 scholarships

Environmental Science

Olivia Pollock, New York – Upstate, Pelham Memorial High School

Developing and Assessing Fucose-Based Water-Soluble Bioplastics

Biomedical Sciences

Okezue Bell, Philadelphia, Moravian Academy

A Novel Anthropomorphic Myoprosthesis for Transradial Amputees

Life Sciences

Rohak Jain, Washington, Interlake High School

Elucidating the Mechanisms of Drug-Induced Hearing Loss: Characterization of Interferon Gamma Signaling as a Novel Regulator of Inflammation and Hair Cell Regeneration in Zebrafish

Medicine & Health / Behavioral Sciences

Rishab Jain, Oregon, Westview High School

SarcoSeg: A Convolutional Neural Network-based Sarcopenia Analysis System via Automatic Segmentation of Skeletal Muscle and Adipose Tissue in Cervical Computed Tomography Towards Precision Medicine Applications

Engineering & Technology

Nidhi Mathihalli, California Northern & Western Nevada, Saratoga High School

A Physical Device to Help the Visually Impaired Read Money Using AI / Machine Learning in Third World Countries

Mathematics & Computer Science

Ryan Park, Jersey Shore, Millburn High School

ARIEL: Adversarial Neural Evolution for Unified Variant Forecasting and Proactive Therapeutic Design

Physical Sciences

Ashini Modi, Louisiana, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

Modeling the Atmospheric Evolution of Exoplanets in the Habitable Zone of M-Dwarfs

Chemistry

Marianne Liu, Intermountain, West High School

A Novel Experimental-Computational Approach for Advanced Solid Polymer Electrolyte Design

2nd Place Oral Presentations: earning $8,000 scholarships

Environmental Science

Mithra Karamchedu, Oregon, Jesuit High School

Boundary Detection of Debris-Covered Glaciers Using Fractal Analysis and Normalized Differencing of Thermal and Infrared Bands in Remote-Sensed Landsat Datasets

Biomedical Sciences

Vishruth Hanumaihgari, Pennsylvania, Parkland High School

The Effects of a Novel CRISPR-Cas9 System in Human Cancer Cells

Life Sciences

Amara Orth, Iowa, Lewis Central High

Secret Sounds of Bees: Analysis of Honey Bee Vibroacoustics Using Hidden Markov Models

Medicine & Health / Behavioral Sciences

Alexandra Heironimus, Kentucky, duPont Manual High School

COPD Detection Algorithm for Use with Stethoscopes

Engineering & Technology

Michelle Wang, Illinois, Carbondale Community High School

An Autonomous Drone with Object Detection and Tracking Capabilities

Mathematics & Computer Science

Michelle Hua, Michigan Southeastern, Cranbrook Schools

Geometric Consistency-Based Self-Supervised Neural Network: A Novel Deep Learning Framework for 3D Human Shape and Motion Reconstruction

Physical Sciences

Mihai Crisan, Ohio, Upper Arlington High School

Development of a Generic Nanophotonic Processor using Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuits (PPICs)

Chemistry

Sohi Patel, Texas, Academy of Science and Technology

Scalable and Sustainable Synthesis of a Novel, Bio-Based Polyurethane Foam System Incorporating Industrial Byproducts and Waste

3rd Place Oral Presentations: earning $4,000 scholarships

Environmental Science

Samantha Chavira-Prieto, Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma, Lyons-Decatur Northeast

Surface Biofilm and Spectral Analyses of Eight Common Plastic Materials Exposed to Different Environmental Conditions Using Basic Spectrophotometry and Advanced Microscopy

Biomedical Sciences

Christopher Luisi, New York – Long Island, John F. Kennedy High School

How Dietary Restriction Affects the Athleticism, Metabolic Rate, and Lifespan of Drosophilia melanogaster

Life Sciences

Liualevaiosina Le’iato, Hawaii, Tafuna High School

Glue vs. Regular: Determining Which Cement Mix is Most Effective for Coral Restoration

Medicine & Health / Behavioral Sciences

Eileen Chen, South Carolina, Spring Valley High School

Discovery of Potential SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitory Compounds from Medicinal Plants

Engineering & Technology

Kevin Taylor, New York – Long Island, Region, Paul D. Schreiber High School

Creating a “Third Eye” for the Visually Impaired with Object Classification

Mathematics & Computer Science

Shobhit Agarwal, Texas, Reedy High School

OmniDoc: A Multimodal Quantum Machine Learning Approach to Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment Prediction for Neurodegenerative and Cancerous Diseases

Physical Sciences

Sebastian Mengwell, Connecticut, Darien High School

Cloud Identification in Mars Daily Global Maps with Deep Learning

Chemistry

Yumi Mizobuchi, Hawaii, ‘Iolani School

A Sustainable Alternative to Textile Dyes: Synthesizing and Applying PMMA Nanoparticles to Create Structural Coloration

1st Place Poster Presentations

Environmental Science

Aryan Jain, Virtual, Amador Valley High School

Biomedical Sciences

George Cheng, North Carolina, Green Level High School

Life Sciences

Darsh Mandera, Oregon, Jesuit High School

Medicine & Health / Behavioral Sciences

Sidhya Peddinti, Texas, Plano East Senior High School

Engineering & Technology

Prisha Shroff, Arizona, Hamilton High School

Mathematics & Computer Science

Srilekha Mamidala, Philadelphia, Garnet Valley High School

Physical Sciences

Christine Ye, Washington, Eastlake High School

Chemistry

Cathy Tang, South Carolina, Spring Valley High School

2nd Place Poster Presentations

Environmental Science

Talia Smith, New England Southern, Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Biomedical Sciences

Cameron Sharma, Virginia, Mills E. Godwin High School

Life Sciences

Carlos Ochoa-Marquez, Southwest, Monte Vista High School

Medicine & Health / Behavioral Sciences

Maya Chiravuri, Connecticut, Choate Rosemary Halls

Engineering & Technology

Efe Eroz, Maryland, Montgomery Blair High School

Mathematics & Computer Science

Keira Talty, New York – Long Island, Mineola High School

Physical Sciences

Meenakshi Nair, California Northern & Western Nevada, Mission San Jose High School

Chemistry

Isabell Owens, Missouri, Camdenton High School

3rd Place Poster Presentations

Environmental Science

Sriya Teerdhala, Texas, Plano East Senior High School

Biomedical Sciences

Jasmyn Hoeger, Iowa, Beckman Catholic High School

Life Sciences

Kaitlyn Culbert, New Jersey – Rutgers, Toms River High School North

Medicine & Health / Behavioral Sciences

Alan Ma, Oregon, Jesuit High School

Engineering & Technology

Charlotte Michaluk, New Jersey – Rutgers, Hopewell Valley Central High School

Mathematics & Computer Science

Amy Dong, Illinois, Hinsdale Central High School

Physical Sciences

Rafe Abdulali, New York – Metro, The Packer Collegiate Institute

Chemistry

Roxsonna Janiszewski, Pennsylvania, Muhlenberg High School

Honorable Mention, Poster Presentations:

Environmental Science

Lauren Ejiaga, Louisiana, Benjamin Franklin High School

Biomedical Sciences

Jack Mongan, New York – Upstate, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Senior High School

Life Sciences

Thomas Commander, Florida, The Episcopal School of Jacksonville

Medicine & Health / Behavioral Sciences

Ayush Raj, California Northern & Western Nevada, Saint Francis High School

Engineering & Technology

Jonathan Gutknecht, Georgia, The Gwinett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology

Mathematics & Computer Science

Laasya Acharya, Ohio, William Mason High School

Physical Sciences

Ourania-Maria Glezakou-Elbert, Washington, Hanford High School

Chemistry

Shealy Callahan, Illinois – Chicago, Oak Park and River Forest High School