SAN DIEGO — Seven local students are celebrating a major achievement after being named finalists in one of the nation's premier STEM competitions. 300 finalists were chosen out of 2,000 kids from 49 states, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto for the inaugural Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, a competition for middle school students.
To be considered, they first must rank in the top 10% of science fairs nationwide.
"It's definitely empowering,” said 14year-old finalist Lily Long.
Long’s passion is software and engineering. It's what sparked her interest in artificial intelligence. She researched AI for months and created a study that caught the attention of nonprofit Society For Science.
“My project was on ChatGBT, the novel technology that can write essays and words that are original, so not memorized. I wanted to look into the effects this is going to have on classrooms worldwide,” Long said.
Long is joined by six other San Diego students who were also named finalists, including Samuel Sternson. The 13-year-old built a machine used to study the production of natural UV-absorbing sunscreens in plant leaves.
“Everyone knows you need sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun. I was thinking why don't plants have to have sunscreen? How do they not get damaged from the sun?”, said Sternson.
Coincidentally, Sternson and Long know each other. They were classmates together at The Rhoades School in Encinitas, where Sternson still attends.
In fact, three of the seven local finalists are from The Rhoades School:
- Omar Abdulaziz, Bright Horizon Academy
- Project Title: Investigating the Effects of Gender Stereotyping in Children's Development and Psychology
- Charlotte Capaldi, The Rhoades School
- Project Title: Investigating the Effectiveness of a UVC [germicidal UV] Wand on Bacteria Mortality
- Emily Diep, Connect Academy @ Park Village Elementary School
- Project Title: Virtual Piano Teacher: A New Alternative to Music Education Using AI
- Ethan Leem, Pacific Trails Middle School
- Project Title: The Most Effective Natural Anti-Bacterial Agent
- Lily Long, The Rhoades School
- Project Title: Exploring Academic Setting Applications of a Turing Test Derivative
- Jeyanth Narayan (Jey) Parthasarathy, Pacific Trails Middle School
- Project Title: Effects of Reverse Vertical Stabilizers on Aeroplanes
- Samuel (Sami) Sternson, The Rhoades School
- Project Title: Production of Natural UV-Absorbing Sunscreens in Plant Leaves
Both Long and Sternson say they are honored to have received recognition for their hard work. The top 30 finalists will be announced next week. Those chosen will fly to Washington DC to compete in person for their share of $100,000 in prizes.
CBS 8 asked both students if they had advice for others their age who want to have similar accomplishments in STEM.
“I would just say to try your best. There's no one telling you that you can't do what you wanna do,” said Long.
“Just put the time in. That's what you really need to do,” said Sternson.
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