Eight Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students earned recognition at the Arkansas Junior Academy of Science, including two students who are now eligible to participate in a national conference next year.
During the competition, the students present their research on various topics to a panel of judges. This year’s state competition was held in conjunction with the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair at the University of Central Arkansas on March 31 and April 1.
The students who earned recognition include:
- Marko Hales, a junior from Greenbrier, first place in Earth and Space Science;
- Nasya Choy, a junior from Conway, second place, Chemistry and Biochemistry;
- Team of Samantha Pruitt, a junior from North Little Rock, and Anna Grace Wright, a junior from Pottsville, first place, Environmental Science;
- Team of Nhi Le, a junior from Little Rock, and Lily Blalock, a junior from Pottsville, first place, Zoology;
- Shreyam Tripathi, a senior from Conway, first place, Medicine and Health;
- Sydney Hammond, a senior from Conway, first place, Microbiology.
Hammond and Tripathi also were recognized as overall winners in the state competition. Hammond placed first overall with Tripathi taking second overall. Their placement qualified them to present at the joint American Association for the Advancement of Science and American Junior Academy of Sciences conference in Denver, Colo., which will be held Feb. 12-15, 2024.