From developing an automatic aquaponic system to creating AI-powered detectors and energy harvesting solutions, nine students from Orange County have been named among the top 300 junior innovators in the 2024 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge — one of the nation’s premier STEM competitions for middle school students.
Organized by Society for Science and sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific, the competition selected 300 top projects from nearly 2,000 entries. These students advanced from local science fairs to the national stage with projects aimed at addressing real-world issues.
The Orange County semifinalists include students from the Saddleback Valley, Irvine and Tustin unified school districts, the Westminster School District and two private schools. Last year, 12 students from the county were also among the top 300.
Eighth-grade student Audrey Kim from Sierra Vista Middle School has made the top 300 list for the second time. Last year, as a seventh-grader, she was recognized for her project titled “BeeHappy and BeeSion,” a Raspberry Pi-based AI system for monitoring beehive conditions.
This year’s top scholars represent 48 states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Their projects cover diverse topics such as air quality prediction, cardiovascular disease treatment, anxiety management and AI for diagnosing breast cancer.
“The next generation of scientists and engineers emerging from middle schools today is remarkable,” said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science. “Their projects tackle real-world problems with creativity and rigor beyond their years. I congratulate each and every one of the Top 300 Junior Innovators and wish them the best of luck in their scientific and engineering careers.”
Each of the top junior innovators will receive a $125 award from DoD STEM, supporting the Department of Defense’s efforts to cultivate a diverse STEM workforce. Additionally, they will receive a prize package that includes a one-year subscription to Wolfram Mathematica software, courtesy of Wolfram Research.
Below are the Orange County students recognized in the challenge:
Arden Boatswain
Eighth grade, Serrano Intermediate School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
“Automatic, Replenishing, Nourishing, Aquaponic System”
Mikhail Buskin
Seventh grade, South Lake Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
“Enhanced PAT FPV Inspection System: Cost-Efficient Arduino-Based FPV Pan and Tilt Camera System Controlled With Head Motion Tracking”
Isabel Chu
Sixth grade, Santiago Hills Elementary School, Irvine Unified School District
“AI Micromobility Detector”
Amy Fan
Sixth grade, Santiago Hills Elementary School, Irvine Unified School District
“AI Micromobility Detector”
Audrey Kim
Eighth grade, Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
“Waste2Volt+: Enhancing a Piezoelectric Soccer Field With a Bio-Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Generator From Food Waste for TumbleAlert, an Innovative Wearable Fall/Drop Monitoring and SMS Alerts”
Jocelyn Mathew
Eighth grade, Fairmont Private School – Anaheim Hills Campus
“Optimizing Microbiologically Contaminated Wastewater Treatment Using Microbial Fuel Cells”
Atharv Ponnachana
Eighth grade, Fairmont Private School
“Creating a Versatile Mobile Device To Assist the Visually Impaired Using Object Detection”
Matthew Smirnov
Seventh grade, LePort School in Irvine
“HelioHeater: A Sun-Tracking, Compact, Highly Efficient Concentrated Solar Power System for Residential Water Heating”
Rhea Sreedhar
Eighth grade, Fairmont Private School – Anaheim Hills Campus
“Closed Loop CO₂ Capture and Electricity Generation Using Algal Fuel Cells: A Comparative Study on Spirulina and Chlorella”
On Sept. 18, a panel of scientists, engineers and educators will announce the 30 finalists who will compete for over $100,000 in prizes in Washington, D.C.
For more details and a state-by-state breakdown of the top 300, visit www.societyforscience.org.