High School Students Compete at Joint Service Sponsored National Science Competition

  • Published
  • By Vicki Stein
  • AFOSR Public Affairs
Several hundred high school students from across the United States and the Department of Defense Dependent Schools system in Europe and Asia gathered here recently for the DoD-sponsored 45th annual Joint Science and Humanities Symposium or JSHS.

Eighteen undergraduate tuition scholarships funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), totaling $144,000 were presented to winners of a national research competition at the JSHS award ceremony held at the Huntsville Marriott Hotel. Students qualified for attendance through 48 regional competitions held on university campuses nationwide and in Europe and Asia.

The six first-place finalists will receive $16,000 for undergraduate tuition and an expense-paid trip to the London International Youth Science Forum, an exchange program bringing together over 400 participants from 60 nations in mid-July to London. The six second-place winners will receive $6,000 for tuition and will serve as alternates to the first place winners. Awards of $2,000 for tuition will be given to six third place winners.

Keynote speakers representing the Air Force, Army, and Navy provided inspirational speeches throughout the symposium to around 240 high school students and 200 teachers, parents and chaperones. Dr. Henry Everitt, Chief Scientist of the Weapons Sciences Directorate at the Army's Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering, Mrs. Paula Apsell, Senior Executive Producer, NOVA and Director WGBH Science Unit in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dr. Dedric Carter, Executive Director, Office of Engineering Outreach at Massachusetts Institute of Technology each spoke about their specific expertise in science and their paths to success.

At the awards banquet, the three service representatives congratulated all the students on their achievements and presented medallions and certificates to the winners. Speakers and presenters were Dr. Van Blackwood, Chief of External Programs and Resources Interface Division at AFOSR, Brig. Gen. William N. Phillips, Deputy Program Executive Officer, Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama and Dr. James Rohr, Space & Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, California.

Aside from listening to the keynotes and participating in the student competition presentations, the students also took part in career roundtable discussions led by research professionals from AFOSR, ARMDEC, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and 11 universities and colleges, among others. Topics included: Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, Pursuing a Career in Physics, Artificial Intelligence, Careers in Teaching, Health Professions and Engineering along with 19 other topics. Dr. Kathleen Kaplan, Air Force JSHS program manager from AFOSR, gave a presentation on "Hints for 1st Generation College Students" and was a judge for the Computer Science and Mathematics Session. Dr. Kaplan stated, "The benefits of JSHS for all military services, including the Air Force, are many. The services identify and celebrate up and coming future researchers, and the students realize that the DoD is a viable option for future employment."

Additionally students had the opportunity to participate in one of several educational tours hosted by AMRDEC Systems Hardware Integration and Weapons Sciences Directorate, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Toyota and the University of Alabama.

This year's event was hosted by the AMRDEC with Army representatives helping to coordinate activities and providing speakers and other support. Each year a different service handles those duties; last year the Air Force represented by AFRL Technology Directorates coordinated the event in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The JSHS Program promotes original research and experimentation in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics 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.