2006 Indiana Junior Academy of Science Winners
Approximately 152 students and teachers representing 13 schools attended the annual fall meeting of the Indiana Junior Academy of Science held at Indiana University Bloomington on November 13, 2006.
The day started with an Opening Ceremony where an undergraduate student in the IU Science, Technology, and Research Scholars Program gave a research talk on the “Abnormal Basal Ganglia Output in a Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease”.
Biotechnology was the focus of our keynote speaker, Dr. Nancy Magill who addressed the students just after lunch.
The following seven activities comprise the major portion of the Junior Academy meeting:
The Problem Solving Exam
This exam provides students with a fun and meaningful exercise in scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills. Two students from each school who are selected by their sponsoring teacher take the exam. Plaques are awarded to the top two individual winners and certificates are given to the students who placed 3rd & 4th.
This year’s winners were:
Individual Students
1st Place – Bryan Foster, East Noble HS
2nd Place – David Yang, Brebeuf Jesuit HS
3rd Place – Jonathan Bell, Snider HS
4th Place – Matthew Lash, East Noble HS
5th Place – John Parish, Brebeuf Jesuit HS
6th Place – Emily Cook, Marian HS
7th Place – Nicholas Buesking, Northwestern HS
8th Place – Tyler Newton, Seymour HS
9th Place – Matthew Burkhart, Lewis Cass HS
10th Place – Brittanny Gookins, Noblesville HS
Top Schools – From each school, their two students’ scores are combined and the top school is recognized.
1st Place – East Noble HS
The Issues Presentation Competition
This competition encourages students to learn about the political, social, and scientific issues surrounding the selected topic. This year, the topic was “Coal-fired or Nuclear? Discuss the environmental ramifications of each type of power plant and identify which you would consider a safer neighbor.” Each competitor gives a five minute presentation on the topic without the use of visual aids. The students are judged by a panel of peers, and the finalists are then judged by a panel of undergraduate students. A plaque is awarded to the top two students, all finalists receive a certificate.
This year’s winners were:
1st – Emily Schubert, Northwestern HS
2nd – Esther Volmer, Christian Academy
3rd – Paul Baranay, Marian HS
4th – Blane Lawyer, North Daviess HS
5th – Jessica Jackson, Eastern HS
Science Olympiad Competition
This year we held one Science Olympiad competition called “Road Scholar” where students were tested on their knowledge of map reading.
Winners were:
1st–Andi Judt & John Lash, East Noble HS
2nd–Michael Vas & Blake Merrell, Northwestern
3rd–Melissa Baranay & Mark Fraser, Marian HS 4th–Thomas Curtis & Andrew Bergman, Noblesville HS
5th–David Yang & John Parish, Brebeuf Jesuit
The Research Paper Competition
This competition allows students who have carried out an original scientific investigation the opportunity to present their work publicly. Students who wish to compete in this event submit an abstract of their work to the IJAS Director in early October. The abstracts are reviewed by a panel of impartial judges, and thirteen student finalists are selected. At the IJAS meeting, these students give a 10-minute poster presentation to a panel of judges who evaluate them on originality, research procedures, and presentation skill. The second and third place winners receive a plaque. The first place winner receives a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship from the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers to attend any Indiana College or University.
This year’s winners were:
1st - Sara Niedbalski, Marian HS
2nd - Jonathan Bell, Snider HS
3rd - Nyssa Boyd, Eastern HS
4th - (tie) Paul Baranay, Marian HS
4th - (tie) Jessica Jackson, Eastern HS
5th - Janelle Thixton, Eastern HS
6th - Colleen Courtney, Paoli HS
7th - Allison Lange, Noblesville HS
8th - Melissa Baranay, Marian HS
9th - Shawna Doty, Christian Academy
10th - Aaron Martinson, Northwestern HS
11th Place Edie Uyesugi, Paoli HS
Outstanding Junior Scientist Competition
This event recognizes those students who are exemplary in overall scholarship as well as scientific ability and achievement. Each school may nominate two students for this competition. The top ten nominees are then selected to compete at the IJAS meeting, where they are interviewed by a panel of judges. The Outstanding Junior Scientist is selected based upon his/her academic record, involvement in original research and extracurricular scientific activities, and the interview. The second and third place winners receive plaques and the Most Outstanding Junior Scientist receives a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship from the Indiana Academy of Science to attend any Indiana College or University.
This year’s winners were:
1st - 152.3 pts Sara Niedbalski, Marian HS
2nd - 137.46 pts Jonathan Bell, Snider HS
3rd - 137.06 pts Paul Baranay, Marian HS
4th - 117.53 pts Allison Lange, Noblesville HS
5th - 109.56 pts Colleen Courtney, Paoli HS
6th - 107.90 pts Stacy Vosters, North Daviess
7th - 107.86 pts Nyssa Boyd, Eastern HS
8th - 102.53 pts Edie Uyesugi, Paoli HS
9th - 87.16 pts Jessica Jackson, Eastern HS
10th - 82.7 pts Shawna Doty, Christian Academy
The Outstanding School Award
The Outstanding School Award is given to the school with the most participation points. To calculate this score, credit is given for every abstract submitted, more credit for those abstracts accepted for the Research and for Outstanding Junior Scientist competitions, and finally for rank scores for the top presentations. Each school received credit for entering students in the Issues Competition, for having a judge at the Issues presentations, and for entering students in the Problem Solving Exam. More credit was given to the winners.
The top three schools and the teachers representing them today are:
1st - 48 pts. Marian High School
2nd - 33 pts. Eastern High School
3rd - 24 pts. Northwestern High School
Educational Tours
Educational tours of the Psychological and Brain Sciences, Molecular Structure Center, Lilly Library, Electron Microscope, Greenhouse, Kinesiology, and Applied Physics were given in the morning to give all students attending an opportunity to get an up-close and personal look at some of the great research opportunities the IU Bloomington campus has to offer.
My sincerest thanks to everyone who made this year's IJAS such a success!
