Arlington, Va.—The Office of Naval Research and the Orlando science and technology community hosted the 46th National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), which took place in Orlando, Florida, on April 30-May 4. Chief of Naval Research Rear Admiral William E. Landay III presented this year’s Navy award winners on May 3.
“Our greatest wish is that all of you stay excited about and involved in science,” said Rear Admiral Landay to the students, teachers, and others at the award ceremony. “We want you to keep questioning, exploring, and challenging old assumptions, for science is about bold new ideas. It is about thinking in different ways. It is about exploration of the unknown. This nation will continue to be build by leaders—and scientists—such as you. Your challenge will be to think creatively and innovatively, to advance science and technology. I know that this experience is one you will always cherish, but remember it is only the first step of many.”
This year, the National JSHS brought together more than 400 participants, including 240 high school students who qualified for attendance by submitting and presenting original scientific research papers in forty-eight regional symposia held at universities nationwide. Approximately 160 adult leaders—high school teachers, university faculty, ranking military guests, and others—attended and joined in encouraging the future generation of scientists and engineers and celebrating student achievement in the sciences.
This year’s first-place finalists are:
- Aaditya G. Shidham, Upper Arlington High School, Upper Arlington, OH
- Eric N. Delgado, Bayonne High School, Bayonne, NJ
- Shivani Sud, C.E. Jordan High School, Durham, NC
- Phillip A. Sandborn, Wilde Lake High School, Columbia, MD
- Stephen J. Trettel, New Prague High School, New Prague, MN
- David Rosengarten, John L. Miller Great Neck North High School, Great Neck, NY
Competitive sessions were conducted at the national symposium, where eighteen finalists were selected for significant military-sponsored awards, including undergraduate scholarships of $16,000 each to six first-place finalists and participation in the London International Youth Science Forum, July 26-August 9, at London University.
The primary aims of JSHS are to promote original research and experimentation in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering at the high school level, and to publicly recognize students for outstanding achievement. The JSHS aims to encourage continued interest and participation in the sciences and ultimately to widen the pool of trained scientific and engineering talent prepared to conduct research and development vital to our nation. JSHS is co-sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the Army Research Office, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
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