Press release

Leading U.S. Student Researchers in STEM and Humanities Connect Virtually to Compete for Scholarships and Awards at the 59th National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

0
Sponsored by Businesswire

The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), the premier showcase for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research by high school students, is pleased to announce the 2021 winners of the 59th National JSHS competition.

The competition, sponsored by U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force and administered by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), gives students (grades 9-12) a chance to present original scientific research and compete for scholarships and cash awards, while participating in workshops, panel discussions, career explorations, and research lab visits. This is the second National JSHS event that brought students and researchers together virtually.

The national winners, announced last Saturday at the virtual awards ceremony, first presented their original scientific research at one of 49 regional competitions hosted by universities and colleges in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Department of Defense (DoD) Schools of Europe and the Pacific Rim. The top five students from each region—245 high school students in total—then participated in oral or poster presentations during the national event. The first and second place regional finalists competed for a chance to earn scholarships ranging from $4,000-$12,000, while the third, fourth, and fifth place regional finalists competed in the poster competition for a chance to win cash awards.

The peer-selected peer poster awards were given to one poster presenter in each of the 8 competition categories. Additionally, National Finalists were challenged to create a 3-minute mini-film that spoke to their experiences this year through JSHS. All films were displayed in the National Mini Film Festival and top honors were announced as a part of the JSHS National Awards Ceremony.

“Our understanding of how to build and execute virtual programming has come light-years from our first virtual National event last April. Through collaborative planning and integration of technology, we were able to provide a rich National event experience for National Finalists, mentors, and guests alike. I felt privileged to be able to honor the hard work and dedication these students have demonstrated in extraordinary times with a National event that was meaningful and memorable,” said Alexis Mundis, JSHS Project Manager.

1st Place Oral Presentations:

Earning $12,000 scholarships

Environmental Science

Jacqueline Prawira

Virtual Region

Mountain House High School Mountain House, California

Biomedical Science

Rishab Jain

Oregon Region

Westview High Portland, Oregon

Life Science

Cheryl Quartey

Tennessee Region

Hume-Fogg Academic High School Nashville, Tennessee

Medicine & Health/Behavioral Science

Sahasra Pokkunuri

New Jersey Rutgers Region

Old Bridge High School Matawan, Jersey

Engineering and Technology

Brian Minnick

Virginia Region

Academies of Loudoun Leesburg, Virginia

Mathematics and Computer Science

Michelle Hua

Michigan Southeastern Region

Cranbrook Schools Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Physical Science

Samad Hakani

Georgia Region

The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Lawrenceville, Georgia

Chemistry

Eshani Jha

California No. & W. Nevada Region

Lynbrook High School San Jose, California

2nd Place Oral Presentations:

Earning $8,000 scholarships

Environmental Science

Eliana Juarez

Southwest Region

V. Sue Cleveland High School Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Biomedical Science

Chapin Zerner

New York Long Island Region

Commack High School Commack, New York

Life Science

Riju Dey

Wisconsin Region

Shorewood High School Shorewood, Wisconsin

Medicine & Health/Behavioral Science

Pratik Vangal

Oregon Region

Sunset High School Portland, Oregon

Engineering and Technology

Varun Chandrashekhar

Kentucky Region

duPont Manual Louisville, Kentucky

Mathematics and Computer Science

Laalitya Acharya

Ohio Region

William Mason High School Mason, Ohio

Physical Science

Ashini Modi

Louisiana Region

Caddo Parish Magnet High School Shreveport, Louisiana

Chemistry

Tianning Chen

North Carolina Region

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Durham, North Carolina

3rd Place Oral Presentations:

Earning $4,000 scholarships

Environmental Science

Kayla Livesay

Iowa Region

Van Buren County Community School Keosauqua, Iowa

Biomedical Science

Dheepthi Mohanraj

North Carolina Region

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Durham, North Carolina

Life Science

Meena Ramadugu

Iowa Region

Kennedy High School Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Medicine & Health/Behavioral Science

Bettina Wagner

DoDEA Europe

Stuttgart High School APO, Armed Forces Europe

Engineering and Technology

Ariel Ma

Hawaii Region

‘Iolani Honolulu, Hawaii

Mathematics and Computer Science

Ryan Park

New Jersey Shore

Millburn High School Millburn, New Jersey

Physical Science

Christine Ye

Washington State Region

Eastlake High School Sammamish, Washington

Chemistry

Steven Liu

Pennsylvania Region

Shady Side Academy Senior School Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1st Place Poster Presentations

Earning $550 cash award

Environmental Science

Gitanjali Rao

Wyoming-Eastern Colorado Region

STEM School Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Biomedical Science

Harnoor Sachar

New Jersey Shore Region

Bergen County Academies Hackensack, New Jersey

Life Science

Laboni Santra

Florida Region

Oviedo High School Oviedo, Florida

Medicine & Health/Behavioral Science

Vivian Yee

Michigan Southeastern Region

International Academy Bloomfield Township, Michigan

Engineering and Technology

Audrey Gruian

Washington State Region

Eastlake High School Sammamish, Washington

Mathematics and Computer Science

Itamar Pres

New York Metro Region

The Bronx High School of Science The Bronx, New York

Physical Science

Ramzi Saber

New Jersey Rutgers Region

Jose Marti STEM Academy Union City, New Jersey

Chemistry

Aaditya Saha

Georgia Region

Chamblee Charter High School Chamblee, Georgia

2nd Place Poster Presentations

Earning $450 cash award

Environmental Science

Meaghan Caron

New England Northern Region

Bangor High School Bangor, Maine

Biomedical Science

Weixuan Yan

Texas Region

Plano West Senior High School Plano, Texas

Life Science

Kara Fan

Virtual Region

Westview High School San Diego, California

Medicine & Health/Behavioral Science

Eyrin Kim

Tennessee Region

Farragut High School Knoxville, Tennessee

Engineering and Technology

Victor Cai

Pennsylvania Region

Parkland High School Allentown, Pennsylvania

Mathematics and Computer Science

Lauren Choi

Maryland Region

Walter Johnson High School Bethesda, Maryland

Physical Science

Kenneth Choi

Connecticut Region

Ridgefield High School Ridgefield, Connecticut

Chemistry

Suvin Sundararajan

New England Southern Region

Westfield High School Westfield, Massachusetts

3rd Place Poster Presentations

Earning $350 cash award

Environmental Science

Lana Van Note

New Jersey Shore Region

Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science Manahawkin, New Jersey

Biomedical Science

Aditya Koushik

Southwest Region

La Cueva High School Albuquerque, New Mexico

Life Science

John Lin

New England Southern Region

Boston Latin School Boston, Massachusetts

Medicine & Health/Behavioral Science

Shan Lateef

Washington D.C. Region

Thomas Jefferson High School For Science and Technology Alexandria, Virginia

Engineering and Technology

Gabriel Gurule

Southwest Region

Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science Albuquerque, New Mexico

Mathematics and Computer Science

Josh Sanyal

California No. & W. Nevada Region

Homestead High School Cupertino, California

Physical Science

James Gonzalez

Kentucky Region

duPont Manual High School Louisville, Kentucky

Chemistry

Paige Sherman

New York Metro Region

Hunter College High School New York, New York

Peer Poster Awardees (Peer Selected)

Receiving plaque and featured on JSHS website

Environmental Science

Gitanjali Rao

Wyoming-Eastern Colorado Region

STEM School Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Biomedical Science

Weixuan Yan

Texas Region

Plano West Senior High School Plano, Texas

Life Science

John Lin

New England Southern Region

Boston Latin School Boston, Massachusetts

Medicine & Health/Behavioral Science

Alay Shah

Texas Region

Plano West Senior High School Plano, Texas

Engineering and Technology

Alexis Harvey

Louisiana Region

Saint Joseph’s Academy Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Mathematics and Computer Science

Lauren Choi

Maryland Region

Walter Johnson High School Bethesda, Maryland

Physical Science

Ramzi Saber

New Jersey Rutgers Region

Jose Marti STEM Academy Union City, New Jersey

Chemistry

Paige Sherman

New York Metro Region

Hunter College High School New York, New York

Mini Film Festival Awardees

Receiving plaque and featured on JSHS website

Tri-Service Choice Award

Ramzi Saber

New Jersey Rutgers Region

Jose Marti STEM Academy Union City, New Jersey

Best Film

Ramzi Saber

New Jersey Rutgers Region

Jose Marti STEM Academy Union City, New Jersey

Best Film- Runner Up

Ashini Modi

Louisiana Region

Caddo Parish Magnet High School Shreveport, Louisiana

Best in Comedy:

David Yan

Philadelphia Region

Charter School of Wilmington Wilmington, Delaware

During the 4-day virtual event, administered by the National Science Teaching Association, students also participated in interactive activities including virtual lab tours, DoD opportunities panel, and a virtual exhibit hall that highlighted STEM programs at the institutions and organizations that host regional JSHS competitions. Approximately 300 high school teachers, mentors, university faculty, ranking military guests, and others also attended.

For more information about the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), visit https://www.jshs.org/.

About JSHS

The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) is a Tri-Service program founded by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force to encourage high school students to conduct original research in STEM fields. In cooperation with higher education, program sponsors include the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology); Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA; and Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Washington, DC. JSHS is administered by the National Science Teaching Association, the larger professional organization in the world promoting science teaching and learning for all.