High School Girls Take Top Honors at DoD-Sponsored National Research Competition

  • Published
  • By LeAndrea White
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
ARLINGTON, Va. --  Female high school students edged out their male counterparts at the 47th National Junior Sciences Humanities and Symposium, a four-day science research competition sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office and the Office of Naval Research held at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The JSHS Program promotes original research and experimentation in science, engineering and mathematics at the high school level and publicly recognizes students for outstanding achievement. By connecting talented students, their teachers and research professionals and by rewarding research excellence, JSHS aims to widen the pool of trained talent prepared to conduct research and development vital to our nation.

Winning research ranged the scientific gamut from electromagnetic levitation to Heterorabditis Bacteriophora. Of the six first-place winners, four girls took home the top prize in their respective research categories. Each of the six first-place finalists received $16,000 for undergraduate tuition. They will also represent the U.S. at the London International Youth Science Forum in mid-July.

As part of the event, all students received private tours of various USAFA research centers, including laser and optics, space systems and modeling and simulation.

The tours gave students a hands-on perspective of how cutting-edge research is conducted at Air Force laboratories. "It was a fulfilling experience to see an actual Air Force lab and discuss the research they are conducting," said one student from North Carolina.

Before advancing to the nationals, participants competed regionally against over 10,000 high school students throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the Department of Defense Schools of Europe and the Pacific Rim.

At the National JSHS, AFOSR program manager David Streat told over 200 students about AFOSR and other Department of Defense pipeline educational opportunities available after high school such as the Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship programs.

"We offer a variety of programs to attract and retain young American talent. Our goal is to first get youth motivated and passionate about science and then offer these programs to help nurture their scientific careers," said Streat. "These early research opportunities for high school students prepare them for valuable experiences in other DoD internship and fellowship programs."

Current NDSEG Fellow, Jenna Scisco, who was awarded her first AFOSR-sponsored internship in 2006, also spoke with students and encouraged them to feed their intellectual curiosity and sharpen their skills by taking advantage of the many programs the DoD has available. "Pursue educational opportunities that are exciting and interesting to you. Apply for as many funding opportunities as you can. This often takes a lot of hard work, but it will have a big pay off in the future," she said.

Distinguished guest speakers at JSHS included: Col. Robert S. Fredell, Chief Scientist and Director of Research at USAFA; Brig. Gen. Dana H. Born, Dean of Faculty at USAFA; Dr. Michael Kuliasha, Chief Technologist at the Air Force Research Laboratory; Gary Martin, Executive Deputy to the Commander at the Development and Engineering Command of the Army Research Office; Dr. Walter Jones, Executive Director of the Office of Naval Research; and Sheila Widnall, Professor of Aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Each provided insight, encouragement and advice to the students.

By supporting programs such as JSHS, AFOSR helps strengthen and diversify our nation's future workforce and prepare future leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.