Army engineers judge student STEM projects in Detroit competition

Photo By Christopher Estrada | A student presenter at the Michigan Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium presents her research to a panel of judges at the College of Education building at Wayne State University in Detroit Feb. 24. The JSHS was created to promote research and experimentation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the high school level.  

DETROIT, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES

03.15.2023

Story by Christopher Estrada 

DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center

DETROIT--If you’ve ever wondered what the newest generation of high schoolers are up to these days, some employees at U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center would tell you that they’re going to try and change the world.
GVSC engineers and scientists had the opportunity to participate as judges for this year’s Michigan Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, hosted by Wayne State University Feb. 24. The symposium is held annually to promote research and experimentation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at the high school level. This is also the first year JSHS has become a Department of Defense-sponsored program, though GVSC has been providing support for decades, primarily through sponsorships and providing judges for the student research projects.
As part of GVSC’s mission to serve as the scientific and technological foundation of the modernization enterprise for ground vehicles, the ability to shape the future of our work at the local level is an opportunity that GVSC embraces.
“GVSC has been focused on the STEM education of diverse K-12 students around the nation for decades,” said Greg Chappelle, DoD STEM Coordinator & HBCU/MI Liaison Officer. “These JSHS high school-level research students represent the future DoD workforce.”
Students, typically ranging from high school juniors to seniors, are tasked with conducting research on solutions to a current problem that impacts modern society and presenting their findings to a panel of judges. The categories range from math and computer technologies to engineering and modern medicine. One presenter from each group is selected to advance to the National JSHS, which is hosted by the Naval Research Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia, scheduled for April 12-15.
Not only that, but students who also place in the top 3 rankings for this year’s JSHS in Michigan receive at least $2,000 in scholarship grants paid to the university of their choice, with an opportunity to make demonstrably more, should they place top 3 at the national-level JSHS.
Several students developed their research plan over the summer with an assigned mentor, in a program under Wayne State called Biomedical Career Advancement Pipeline (BCAP). Afterwards, students like Fiona Samson, a junior at Troy High School in Troy, Michigan, continued to work on their projects over weekends during the school year to prepare for the JSHS and show the fruits of their labor.
“It takes a lot of time, and you have to cover every aspect,” Samson said, who was selected to advance to the national competition. “You have to become a true expert in your topic in order to be confident in your presentation so that you can put it out there and people can listen.”
GVSC employees who volunteer as mentors and judges see their role as an investment in the future generation.
“It’s very important to support our youth in science and technology,” said Charles Sylvester, Branch Chief at Ground Systems Cyber Engineering for GVSC. “I was able to see how dedicated these students are, and how they are finding ways to utilize new technologies and experiences to better research and understand the subjects they chose.”
Presentations lasted roughly two hours, followed by a lunch banquet which saw Maj. Gen. Darren L. Werner, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, give a keynote presentation to students, where he spoke on career opportunities, resources, and the importance of STEM research in modern society.
By the end of the presentations, there was little question in the minds of the judges of the potential these students hold.
“The future is in good hands,” said Nicholas Ferruzzi, an information security officer at GVSC.
Following lunch, a campus tour was given to prospective students looking to make Wayne State their college of choice when they graduate. After judges picked the finalists, they again presented their research to a new group of judges, who determined the top 5 students who would advance to the National JSHS.
Here's the finalists and poster winners:
59th Annual Michigan Regional Junior Science & Humanities Symposium
February 24, 2023
College of Education, Wayne State University
REGIONAL FINALISTS- NATIONAL INVITATIONS

1st Place Michelle Hua ($2000)
3D Acoustic Simulation and Optimization Algorithms for Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Delivered with Stereotactic Robotics
Cranbrook-Kingswood Upper School, Grade 12

2nd Place Nabeeha Jalali ($1500)
Analyzing the Gut Microbiome through Stool Studies of Patients with COVID-19
Salem High School, Grade 11

3rd Place Fiona Samson ($1000)
MNRR1 Inhibition, a Potential Therapeutic Avenue for Breast Cancer
Troy High School, Grade 11

4th Place Devarshi Dalal
Use of Deep Learning for Developing Optimal Wrist X-Rays
Troy High School, Grade 11

5th Place Pooja Kapoor
Inhibiting Viral Pathogens with Synthetic mRNA Encoding STING Protein
Northville High School, Grade 12

6th Place (Alternate) Dhruti Pattabhi
The Severity of Blood Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Penetrating Compared to Concussive Traumatic Brain Injury
Canton High School, Grade 10


POSTER PRIZES:

1st Place: Rishi Chowdhury ($300 e-gift card)
Combining Spectrums for Ideal Plant Growth
Northville High School, Grade 9

2nd Place: Kevin Yang ($200 e-gift card)
Predicting the Genetic Factors Involved in Nicotine Dependence Susceptibility
Cranbrook-Kingswood Upper School, Grade 11

3rd Place: Dana Odoms ($100 e-gift card)
Future Forest: Analyzing Allelopathy in Maple Trees
The School at Marygrove (DPSCD), Grade 12

• Date Taken: 03.15.2023
• Date Posted: 03.15.2023 15:39
• Story ID: 440502
• Location: DETROIT, MICHIGAN, US