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 2024 winners of the 62^nd National JSHS competition.

JSHS is sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) and administered by the National Science Teaching Association. This year’s National JSHS event was hosted by the Department of the U.S. Army and took place May 1 - 4, at the Embassy Suites in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In attendance were 241 competing high school students as well as teachers, mentors, university faculty, military personnel, DoD STEM professionals, and more serving as judges, mentors, and representatives of their region.

“These brilliant high school students are truly in a league of their own, and we are continually in awe of the level of research that they conduct,” says Andrea Malenya, JSHS Project Manager. “We are proud to provide them with the opportunity to showcase their world-changing STEM research and support them with scholarships and awards as they continue to break barriers throughout their education and careers.”

48 national winners—announced at the awards ceremony on May 4—first presented their original scientific research at one of 49 regional competitions hosted by universities and colleges in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and DoDEA schools worldwide. 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 total, the National JSHS event awarded $192,000 in scholarships and $10,800 in cash awards to the national winners.

“Every year, the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium inspires and engages a new wave of talented, young scientists and innovators with the potential to impact the world,” said Erika Shugart, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, NSTA. “Congratulations to the winners and national finalists on their extraordinary achievements. I am extremely impressed by the hard work and originality all the students brought to the competition.”

Abstract submissions for the 2024-2025 JSHS competition will open in the fall.

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

Environmental Science
Aditya Sengupta, Washington, The Overlake School
LeAF: Leveraging Convolutional Neural Networks for Plant Anomaly Detection and Classification for Farmers with Large Language Models for Natural Language Interaction

Biomedical Sciences
Saathvik Kannan, Missouri, David H. Hickman High School
Revolutionizing Cancer Drug Discovery with DrugGen: Identifying a Novel Drug for DNA polymerase θ

Life and Behavioral Sciences
Faith You, Intermountain, Hellgate High School
microRNAs in Action: Regulation of Feeding Behavior

Medicine and Health
Joseph Yu, New England Southern, Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science
Using Immune Footprints in a Novel Deep Learning Model to Detect Human Diseases

Engineering and Technology
Shrihan Ganesh Babu, South Carolina, Spring Valley High School
Reducing Tracheal Complications in Endotracheal Intubation Patients Using Automated Cuff Pressure Modulation

Math and Computer Science
Om Shah, Washington, Lakeside School
Serum Bilirubin Prediction for Neonates using Segmentation-Guided Neural Networks

Physical Sciences
Emily Alemán, Puerto Rico, CROEC
Discovery of New Extragalactic Planet Candidates: A Novel End-to-end Machine Learning Pipeline for Efficient Transit Detection in the X-ray Spectrum

Chemistry
Calvin Mathew, Florida, American Heritage Broward
3D Printing Personalized Knee Implants: Novel Computational Geometric Models for Stem Cell Regeneration in Meniscus Tears

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

Environmental Science
Neel Ahuja, New Jersey Northern, Millburn High School
Reducing Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Water Contamination With Mycorrhizal Hydroponics Plants

Biomedical Sciences
Amara Martin, Hawaii & Pacific, Kamehameha Schools Kapālama
Using Aspirin to Mitigate Renal Toxicity of Lithium for Bipolar Disorder Using HEK293 Cells

Life and Behavioral Sciences
Ashu Anand, Alabama, Alabama School of Fine Arts
The Effects of Electrical Stimulation on Planaria Tissue Regeneration

Medicine and Health
Jingjing Liang, California Northern, The Harker School
SEL Fusion System: Multisource Digital Biometrics and Stimuli for Early ASD Screening

Engineering and Technology
Luc Nguyen, Georgia, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Low-Cost, Adjustable, Pediatric Prosthetic Leg

Math and Computer Science
Antonia Kolb, Connecticut, King School
DETICKT IT: A Machine Learning-Based Application for Real-Time Tick Identification and Spatiotemporal Disease Risk Assessment

Physical Sciences
Cayden Shen, New York – Long Island, Roslyn High School
Using an Inexpensive Night Vision Camera as a Detector in NIR Spectroscopy

Chemistry
Aarush Tutiki, Southwest, Albuquerque Academy
A Two-Pronged Method for the Identification of Highly Biocompatible Nanomaterials

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

Environmental Science
Prisha Bhat, Texas, Plano East Senior High School
Aqua-Arsenic Remediation

Biomedical Sciences
Yifan Ding, New England Southern, Boston Latin School
Engineering a Termination Readthrough-Based Gene Switch Enables Controllable CRISPR Gene Editing

Life and Behavioral Sciences
Camille Coffey, Maryland, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
Exploring Lipoprotein De-fish-encies As A Result of Genetic Mutations

Medicine and Health
Edmund Tsou, New York - Upstate, Briarcliff High School
Language Models as Catalysts in EEG-Based BCI Speller Systems: A Low-Cost Solution for Paralyzed Patients

Engineering and Technology
Shloka Shriram, New Jersey Southern, Princeton High School
Novel Quantum Materials for Low Power Electronics

Math and Computer Science
Yunjia Quan, North Carolina, Charlotte Country Day School
Enhancing Ethereum's Security with LUMEN, Novel Zero-Knowledge Algorithms Generating Transparent and Efficient SNARKs Based on Hidden Order Groups

Physical Sciences
Lauren Shen, West Virginia, Morgantown High School
Two-Step X-Ray Transit Identification: Bayesian Block Simplification and Sequential Machine Learning Techniques

Chemistry
Yiwen Wang, Alabama, Northridge High School
Producing Sustainable, Cost-Effective Aluminum-Sulfur Batteries Through a Triple-Function Cathode Design and Anion Charge Carriers

1^st Place Poster Presentations

Environmental Science
Lydia Evans, New York - Metro, The Packer Collegiate Institute

Biomedical Sciences
Lucy Teng, Kentucky, duPont Manual High School

Life and Behavioral Sciences
Reyhan Haider, Virtual, Freedom High School

Medicine and Health
Siddhartha Milkuri, Arkansas, Bentonville High School

Engineering and Technology
Samhita Pokkunuri, New Jersey Northern, Old Bridge High School

Math and Computer Science
Ryan Cho, Illinois, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Physical Sciences
Aditi Muduganti, Wisconsin/Upper Peninsula Michigan, Onalaska High School

Chemistry
Alexander Zhang, Wyoming and Colorado, Fairview High School

2^nd Place Poster Presentations

Environmental Science
Anika Hooda, North Central, Brookings High School

Biomedical Sciences
Katherine Chen, New York - Upstate, Hackley School

Life and Behavioral Sciences
Arisha Sultana, Louisiana, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

Medicine and Health
James Xiao, Pennsylvania, North Allegheny Intermediate High School

Engineering and Technology
Karthik Muthukkumar, Maryland, Urbana High School

Math and Computer Science
Tessla Chan, New York – Long Island, Roslyn High School

Physical Sciences
Padmalakshmi Ramesh, Wyoming and Colorado, Laramie High School

Chemistry
Mairin Castellano, Wisconsin/Upper Peninsula Michigan, University School of Milwaukee

3^rd Place Poster Presentations

Environmental Science
Maya Abdelaal, New Jersey Southern, Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES)

Biomedical Sciences
Collin Chan, Tennessee, University School of Nashville

Life and Behavioral Sciences
Quinn Hughes, North Central, Minnetonka High School

Medicine and Health
Divya Ariyur, Indiana, Carmel High School

Engineering and Technology
Max Kopp, Philadelphia and Delaware, Germantown Academy

Math and Computer Science
Sydney Bostic, West Virginia, Spring Mills High School

Physical Sciences
Jerry Wang, Pennsylvania, Parkland High School

Chemistry
Avani Kaur, Virginia, Mills E. Godwin High School

About Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) is a Department of Defense sponsored STEM competition (U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force) that encourages high school students to conduct original research in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) 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 thousands of 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. JSHS is administered by the National Science Teaching Association. For more information, please visit www.jshs.org.

About NSTA

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 35,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high-quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field. For more information, visit www.nsta.org, or follow NSTA on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

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