Two Mass Academy Students Selected as Delegates to 2024 American Junior Academy of Sciences Conference in Denver, CO
Two seniors from the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Mass Academy) have been selected as delegates to the American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS) conference scheduled to take place in February 2024, in Denver, Colorado. Students were selected based on their outstanding performance at the 2023 Massachusetts Junior Academy of Science (MJAS) symposium held in October at MIT.
The Mass Academy students recognized by MJAS and their research project titles are Krisha Patel (Shrewsbury): The Effects of Varying Ground Surfaces on the Degree of Footstrike Hemolysis and Nevin Thinagar (Shrewsbury): Cost Effective On-Orbit Millimetric Orbital Debris Detection and Characterization. The students completed their research projects during the 2022-2023 school year as part of their STEM class taught by Dr. Kevin Crowthers at Mass Academy.
“We are very proud of our students for their achievements at the Massachusetts Junior Academy of Science symposium, as well as for this recognition by AJAS. The students have consistently demonstrated effective scientific practices throughout their research process,” said Anne Ludes, Director of Mass Academy. “For many of our students, this is their first experience with an independent research project. We are very fortunate to have amazing educators like Dr. Crowthers to help our students navigate the research process.”
The American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS) is the only US honor society recognizing America’s premier high school students for outstanding scientific research. Each state’s Academy of Science nominates high school students as AJAS delegates. The chosen delegates are then invited to attend the AJAS annual conference. The AJAS mission is to introduce, encourage, and accelerate pre-college students into the professional world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Each state’s Academy of Science determines the guidelines by which their AJAS delegates are chosen. In many cases, the Academy of Science organizes a Junior Academy of Science. Under the direction of the Junior Academy, a statewide scientific research competition is held.
The winners of these competitions are nominated to represent their state at the AJAS conference. Interested students and mentors should contact their state Academy of Science for information on how to get involved.
AJAS meets annually in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) annual meeting. AAAS is the largest scientific organization in the world and the publisher of Science. AAAS serves as an authoritative source for information on the latest developments in science and bridges gaps among scientists, policymakers and the public to advance science and science education.
During the conference, AJAS delegates:
- tour local institutions of scientific importance,
- share their research with their peers and with other scientists,
- participate in interactive laboratory experiences
- attend conference sessions
- gain exposure to cutting edge technology,
- meet world-renowned scientists,
- participate in field trips, plenary lectures, and small group meetings
At the end of the meeting, the students are inducted as lifetime Fellows into the American Junior Academy of Science.
AJAS is very unique because it is not a competition, rather it is a conference that celebrates student success by introducing them to the social, cultural, intellectual, and professional aspects of STEM professions. AJAS is a program of the National Association of the Academics of Science (NAAS). NAAS is the national organization for the state science academies and is an affiliate member of AAAS.
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