Scientific Juniors: 16 Indian American Middle School Students Among 30 Finalists in Inaugural STEM Competition

Sixteen Indian American students are among the finalists in the inaugural Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, a technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition for middle schoolers, the Society for Science announced. It seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers, and innovators who will solve the grand challenges of the future. The 30 finalists were selected by “a nationwide panel of scientists, engineers, and educators from a pool of Top 300 Junior Innovators,” the Society for Science said in a press release. They will attend the finals week in Washington, D.C., next month, “where a panel of judges will evaluate their scientific research and their communication, creativity and collaboration skills during team challenges.”

Indian American finalists include: 

Inika Adapala, 7th Grade, Stratford Middle School, San Jose, California (Communication App for Patients With Locked-in Syndrome).

Advait Badrish, 7th Grade, Redmond Middle School, Washington (HeartNN: A High-Accuracy Neural Network for Cardiac Auscultation).

Krishna Bhatt, 8th Grade, BASIS Independent Silicon Valley, San Jose, California (A Novel Wearable for Active Prevention of Falls Through GRU-Based Gyroscopic Inference and Center of Mass Manipulation).

Adyant Bhavsar, 7th Grade, Challenger School – Strawberry Park
San Jose, California (From Waste to Wattage: Converting Wasted Mechanical Energy Into Electricity Through Triboelectrification and Electrostatic Induction).

Pranavi Chatrathi, 7th Grade, Pioneer Heritage Middle School, Frisco, Texas (Side Impact Car Crash: An External Airbag To Reduce Injury Severity Through Reduction in B. Pillar Intrusion).

Sharanya Munjal Chudgar, 8th Grade, Challenger School – Shawnee
San Jose, California (Solar-Tracking Litterminator).

Maya Gandhi, 8th Grade, Fairmont Private School – Anaheim Hills Campus
Anaheim, California (Optimizing Plant Microbial Fuel Cell Energy Output: The Effect of Anodic Substance and Configuration).

Shanya Gill, 6th Grade, Stratford School – Sunnyvale Raynor Middle School
San Jose, California (Prevention of Casualties and Property Damage Using Thermal Imaging and Software-Based Occupancy Detection).

Akshadha Mehta, 7th Grade, Dodgen Middle School Marietta, Georgia (FAP-BRIX: A Practical Solution To Lessen Plastic Pollution).

Kinnoree Rabeya Pasha, 8th Grade, Granite Ridge Intermediate School, Fresno, California (Analyze the Effects of Soil Management Practice on Water Holding Capacity of Soil To Reduce Water Application and Increase Crop Yield Using Precision Agriculture Technology).

Maan Mamta-Sanjay Patel, 7th Grade, McCullough Junior High School
The Woodlands, Texas (Nature’s Super Shapes: How Voronoi Tessellations Affect Structural Strength).

Nikita Prabhakar, 7th Grade, Discovery Middle School, Madison, Alabama (A Non-Invasive Integrated Sensor for Monitoring Menorrhagia).

Amritha Praveen, 8th Grade, Aptakisic Junior High School
Buffalo Grove, Illinois (Improving Mental Health Using Artificial Intelligence-Powered Music Therapy).

Aswath Rajesh, 8th Grade, DeLaura Middle School Satellite Beach, Florida (Ecofriendly Polymeric Material: Paving the Way for Circular Bio-Economy).

Keshvee Sekhda, 8th Grade, North Gwinnett Middle School
Sugar Hill, Georgia (IdentiCan: The App That Detects Breast, Lung and Skin Cancer).

Rayyan Yaqoob, 7th Grade, Good Tree Academy, Plano, Texas (The Effect of Targeting Multiple Neural Pathways Using Nutraceuticals on the Cognition of Drosophila Melanogaster: A Novel Multi-Target Approach Using Curcumin, Magnesium, and Coenzyme Q10).