Five Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students earned top honors at the Arkansas Junior Sciences and Humanities Symposium poster competition.
The symposium features original science, technology, engineering and mathematics research conducted by students in the ninth through 12th grade. The competition is sponsored by the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force. The Arkansas JSHS was hosted virtually by Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. Students prepared up to a 5-minute recorded presentation and submitted a PDF of their poster.
Aly Navarro, a senior from Hot Springs, won the competition’s Top Overall award, leading ASMSA to sweep all of the 11th- and 12th- grade awards. Other ASMSA students who placed included:
- First place— Junior Cameryn Berryhill of Evening Shade;
- Second place — Senior Annabel Spayde of Conway; and
- Third Place — Tie between juniors Lauralee Jarrett of Brinkley and Jayita Ujjaini of Jonesboro.
Navarro and Berryhill were mentored by Dr. Whitney Holden, a life sciences specialist at ASMSA. Spayde was mentored by Dr. Patrycja Krakowiak, who is also a life sciences specialist at ASMSA. Holden and Krakowiak also worked with Jarrett and Ujiaini.
Holden said the symposium is a good program to evaluate their research abilities.
“The students are excited to participate each year in JSHS,” Holden said. “It’s a valuable step in their progression as student researchers, where they get the opportunity to demonstrate their passion and communicate their findings with a broader audience.”
Krakowiak said the symposium provides another avenue to share their research with an audience.
“JSHS is a great opportunity for our students to practice presenting their research data, boost their confidence and expand their opportunities beyond science fair. Many of our past participants have not only won in their categories but also went on to compete at the national level,” she said.
Navarro received a $1,500 scholarship from Arkansas Tech, which would be renewable for a second year, and qualified for the national JSHS poster competition.