TOP MINNESOTA STEM STUDENTS COMPETE VIRTUALLY AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

High school students share original scientific research at state level, will compete in Nationals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[ST. PAUL, MN, April 7, 2020] -- Nearly 80 students were scheduled to gather at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park on March 26 to compete in the North Central Regional Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS).  JSHS is an annual STEM research paper competition for high school students in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the Minnesota Academy of Science (MAS) asked students to upload audio files and slide presentations with their research papers by March 20. Sixty-eight students presented 54 original research projects virtually. STEM professionals serving as judges reviewed student materials online from home instead of in-person. 

North Central JSHS is one of 48 regional symposia serving more than 10,000 U.S. students annually. Students advanced to this regional-level competition after evaluation by regional research paper review teams. They competed for $4,500 in scholarships and the chance to participate in the National JSHS competition, where 230 students will compete for significant scholarship awards virtually this year.

On April 1, MAS announced the JSHS finalists as well as winners for the concurrent virtual State Science & Engineering Fair (SSEF) through a livestream awards ceremony and at mnmas.org. 

2020 NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL JSHS FINALISTS:

FIRST PLACE ($2,000):  Vaughn Hughes (Excelsior, MN; Minnetonka High School), Using Environmental Enhancements to Increase Vitamin-C Production in Spinacia oleracea in Varied Agricultural Environments

SECOND PLACE ($1,500):  Mina Mandic (St. Paul, MN; St. Paul Academy), Theoretical Math Exploring the Wonders of the Early Universe: Green Pea Galaxies and Light Flux

THIRD PLACE ($1,000):  Quentin Hughes (Excelsior, MN; Minnetonka High School), An Active Role for Machine Learning in the Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation

FOURTH PLACE:  James Clinton & Nathan Rockafellow (Edina & Eden Prairie, MN; Breck School), Spudfinder 6500: Creating a radar-based system for pre-harvest potato yield mapping, year two

FIFTH PLACE:  Benjamin Yan (Rochester, MN; Century High School), Automated Computer Vision and Machine Learning Workflows in Radiation Treatment Planning

FOR A FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS, VISIT MNMAS.ORG OR SEE JSHS AWARDS.

“We are really proud of all the students who participated this year for showing such flexibility and perseverance,” said Program Director Sara Gomez. “We had to figure out a new way for students to present very quickly when we canceled our live event and they really stepped up. The judges were very impressed with both the originality of student research and the quality of their presentations.”

Students researched artificial intelligence applications, explored environmental challenges, and sought solutions to global issues like hunger. First-place winner Vaughn Hughes experimented with a method for increasing the Vitamin C levels in food grown vertically indoors without soil or sunlight. All the JSHS finalists also won awards in the concurrent virtual State Science & Engineering Fair (SSEF). Hughes, for example, won science fair awards from Land O’Lakes, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. SEE SSEF AWARDS.

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STEM:  Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

North Central JSHS is a program of the Minnesota Academy of Science, administered by the National Science Teachers Association and sponsored by the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; Minnesota Department of Education; and Seagate Technology.

Participating Schools:
Breck School
Burnsville High School
Century High School
Cloquet Middle School
Cloquet Senior High School
Como Park Senior High School
Cotter High School
Hankinson Public School
Intermediate School District #287
Mayo High School
Park Christian School
Robert J Elkington Middle School
Sacred Heart School
Saint Paul Academy and Summit School
Saint Paul Central High School
Sleepy Eye St. Mary's High School