The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium is a Tri-Service sponsored STEM competition which promotes original STEM research and experimentation at the high school level.

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 2022 winners of the 60^th National JSHS competition.

The Tri-Service – the Departments of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force – sponsored event took place last week and was hosted by the Kirtland Air Force Base and administered by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). The first in-person national event since 2019 brought together 224 high school students and approximately 130 teachers, mentors, university faculty, military personnel, and more to compete and celebrate student achievement in the sciences.

“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 the insightful, innovative projects conducted by these students. Their professionalism and maturity in contributing to the greater body of scientific knowledge was a privilege to behold.”

48 national winners—announced at the awards ceremony on April 23—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 Pacific. The top five students from each region were invited to compete at the National JSHS event as national finalists. The top two finalists in each region competed in oral presentations for the chance to win scholarships ranging from $4,000-$12,000. The remaining three finalists from each region competed in the poster competition for a chance to win cash awards. In addition to presenting their original research, students participated in lab tours, social events, and a career and reverse science fair.

“It’s exciting to see these high school students working at such a sophisticated level, connecting what they learned in their STEM classes to uncover new discoveries,” said Erika Shugart, Ph.D., executive director, NSTA. “We congratulate the national finalists and winners on their impressive achievement, and applaud the teachers and mentors that supported them along the way.”

1^st 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

2^nd 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

3^rd 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

1^st 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

2^nd 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

3^rd 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

About JSHS: The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) Program is a Tri-Service – the Departments of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force – sponsored STEM competition which promotes original research and experimentation in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the high school level and publicly recognizes students for outstanding achievement. By connecting talented students, their teachers, and research professionals at affiliated symposia and by rewarding research excellence, JSHS aims to widen the pool of trained talent prepared to conduct research and development vital to our nation. JSHS regional and national symposia are held during the academic year and reach more than 8,000 high school students and teachers throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Department of Defense Schools of Europe and the Pacific. Students must first participate in their regional symposium where they compete for selection to present at the national symposium each year. For more information, please visit www.jshs.org.

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Congratulations to the 2022 winners of the 60th National @Go_JSHS competition! 224 high school students competed for the chance to win scholarships ranging from $4,000 to $12,000 or cash awards. #STEMeducation #NJSHS22