On March 11 and 12, 2012, four students from Waterbury high schools will take part in the 49th annual Connecticut Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The JSHS recognizes high school students with outstanding potential in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Students must be nominated by their teachers to attend.
The Waterbury delegation consists of juniors Cornell Patrick and Amanda Senanayake from Chase Collegiate School and junior Anna Guay and senior Seunghui Han from Sacred Heart High School. They are among a select group of about 200 of our state’s top young scientists, many of whom will present their own original research at the symposium and compete for prizes.
• The winner will receive a scholarship to the University of Connecticut worth one half of tuition for four years.
• The top three will get college scholarships worth $2,000, $1,500 and $1000, respectively.
• One outstanding teacher participating in the regional symposium will win $500.
• The schools of the top five oral presenters will each receive $500 and their student will receive $250.
• Local organizations such as the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE), the Connecticut Science Teachers Association (CSTA), the Connecticut Science Supervisors Association (CSSA), and the Talcott Mountain Science Center (TMSC) will provide a variety of cash awards to participants.
Five of the top finishers will earn an expenses-paid trip to the 50th National JSHS in Bethesda, MD, in May. The top two in the region will have a chance to present their research at the national symposium and vie for a $12,000 scholarship and a trip to the International Youth Science Fortnight in Great Britain with 400 students from 60 countries.
Whether they win prizes or not, all the young people who take part in the Connecticut JSHS will get to meet science role models Dr. Shawn Soutiere, a medical researcher with the U.S. Navy, and UConn’s own Eric Knight, futurist, inventor, and president of Remarkable Technologies. Knight’s brainchild, Up Aerospace, provides space flights for the general public and private industry. One such flight took place in 2007 with the cremated remains of James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty on TV’s “Star Trek.”
JSHS’ young participants will also tour the university’s research labs, observe science demonstrations, and take part in team rocket building and launching.
JSHS was organized by the Academy of Applied Sciences with the sponsorship of the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force to encourage young people to pursue careers in STEM and to provide recognition for their achievements. About 10,000 secondary students nationwide participate through 48 university-based regional symposia.
“JSHS brings some amazing young minds to campus and helps prepare them for a career in science by giving them experiences comparable to those of professionals in the field,” says Connecticut JSHS Director Joy Erickson.