Three members of the Class of 2020 have had research they conducted while students at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts published in the Journal of Student Research High School Edition. 

They are the first Arkansas students to have their research published in the journal, said Dr. Whitney Holden, a Life Science Specialist at ASMSA who served as their research advisor. 

Ethan Talley of Conway, Alexx Weaver of Lonoke and Sophia McClain of Van Buren conducted their research as part of the Life Science Capstone course at ASMSA. Weaver and McClain worked as a team, studying a link between an individual’s susceptibility to influenza and their nasal microbiome. Talley’s research explored the applications of a compound that could combat harmful algal blooms in freshwater systems. 

Holden served as the main research advisor for the students, working with them over three semesters to conduct their initial research. That led to her deciding to try to help them get their research published. 

“These are some of the strongest projects I have ever mentored at ASMSA, and these students impressed me every week with their motivation and maturity,” Holden said. “I felt these students deserved recognition for all their hard work and creativity, particularly when they had earned the right to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair and then missed that opportunity when the competition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

The students had earned the opportunity to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) through the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair in the spring of 2020. ISEF is the largest and most prestigious international undergraduate science and engineering fair. It annually brings students from around the world together to compete. The 2020 international competition was cancelled because of the pandemic. 

The Journal of Student Research High School Edition is an academic, multidisciplinary and faculty-reviewed journal devoted to the rapid dissemination of current research published by high school students. Preparing their research for publication wasn’t a rapid process, however. 

“Publishing this research required a great deal of extra work stretching out over a year,” Holden said. “Alexx and Ethan were updating their manuscripts during their first semester in college, and we all went back and forth through several additional drafts during the Christmas holidays to bring both manuscripts up to publication quality. Then we submitted in January and crossed our fingers for months waiting for a decision.” 

Both Weaver and Talley said that it took many hours of work to get their research reports ready for publication while being unsure if they would even be published. 

“The idea of being a published author almost felt too big, like it was something out of my wheelhouse,” Weaver said. “Dr. Holden encouraged me and really pushed me to this great achievement. Dr. Holden and I spent many hours revising and emailing back and forth in order to shape my paper into a beautiful article.” 

Talley said he had already been thinking about the possibility of publishing his research. 

“I already had a complete paper when we started thinking about publication, but it had to be the subject of endless reformatting and revision before I was really happy about actually publishing it. Dr. Holden helped enormously with that by picking out things that I might have otherwise missed,” he said. 

To view Weaver and McClain’s research, visit https://asmsa.me/weavermcclainjournal21. To view Talley’s research, visit https://asmsa.me/talleyjournal21.  

Weaver said it was an honor to be able to represent the state in such a unique way by being one of the first Arkansas students to be published in the journal. 

“I have been a lifelong resident of a small town in central Arkansas and could never have imagined that I could be publicly recognized in this way. I hope that my publication can encourage other Arkansas students,” Weaver said. 

“ASMSA was the gateway to this accomplishment. Without the wonderful and dedicated teachers, I would not have been able to publish this paper. I am forever thankful for the mentorship I received from Dr. (Patrycja) Krakowiak (a Life Science Specialist at ASMSA) and Dr. Holden, who truly pushed me to this accomplishment.” 

Weaver is currently an undergraduate student and research assistant at the Arkansas Biosciences Institute located at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in pre-professional biology. 

Talley is an honors fellow at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he is majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry, mathematics, computer science and data analytics. 

Director Corey Alderdice shared the following message with the campus community via email on Monday, July 12.

Students, Colleagues, and Families:

Today, we are releasing the DolphinReady 2.0 Plan as part of ASMSA's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When ASMSA students and faculty returned to campus last August, there remained a significant amount of uncertainty about the year ahead.  We were the only one of our peer institutions slated to fully resume the residential experience, which made the task seem even more daunting.  In the end, we completed the year with zero cases of COVID-19 among students on campus.  This incredible feat speaks to the willingness of our students, employees, and families to make the necessary sacrifices on a daily basis that ensure the safety and continuity of the ASMSA experience.

As we prepare for the fall semester, there is both good news and bad news when surveying the current landscape.  The good news is two-fold: first, we now know this can be done; second, FDA-approved vaccines are widely and readily available that are both safe and effective at preventing the transmission of COVID-19.  However, there is also cause for concern.  Recent trends in statewide case numbers are higher today than they were last summer due to the emergence of the Delta variant as well as Arkansas’ lagging numbers in vaccine adoption.

Moreover, the Arkansas General Assembly passed two laws earlier this year that limits schools’ ability to adopt proactive policies in response to COVID-19.  Act 977 of 2021 prohibits state agencies and other public entities from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine.  Act 1002 of 2021 prohibits public entities (including both K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities) from enforcing campus mask mandates after July 27, 2021.

ASMSA’s COVID-19 Workgroup, which recommends policies and responses for the pandemic, has set forward the following framework for the year that intends, in large measure, a return to normal conditions.  This includes sign-off from campus, weekend visits home, and additional time for family members to visit campus.  However, our comfort with the policies as outlined in this FAQ is predicated on two factors.

1. We anticipate that 85% or more of students will be fully vaccinated upon arrival to campus in August.  Approximately 85% of all employees have already been fully vaccinated to date.
2. Wearing masks or other appropriate face coverings should continue to be a part of ASMSA’s campus culture of shared responsibility.  Consistent use of masks by both students and employees has been proven to reduce transmission of the virus and is the simplest step that we can take to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

To be clear: ASMSA cannot require these two actions based on the aforementioned state laws; however, the rest of our policies and responses will be adapted based on either the presence or absence of masks and a high rate of vaccination.  This includes reactivating restrictions on time away from campus. While every effort will be made to ensure the safety of students and employees, our planning for the year ahead assumes scenarios in which the virus is present and could lead to temporary disruptions to the residential experience.

I am grateful for the ways our faculty, staff, students, and families have risen to the challenges of the past year with patience, understanding, and resilience.  Challenges remain ahead, but I am confident that we will continue to work together to ensure continuity of learning and student growth.

Be safe. Be well.  We’re all in this together.

For a history of campus COVID-19 updates, visit https://www.asmsa.org/asmsa-covid-19-updates/.

Since its inception in 2015, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts’ Coding Arkansas’ Future initiative has provided hundreds of educators from across the state with the professional development they have needed to prepare to teach computer science.

While that has mostly taken place either in person or through live video sessions, educators preparing for the computer science Praxis test in the near future will have an opportunity to do so through a web-based, self-paced version of the initiative’s Computer Science Praxis Prep Course.

Two Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students proved their financial prowess in The Stock Market Game during the 2020-21 academic school year.

Alec Gatewood, a member of the Class of 2021, and Connor Bailey, a junior, took top honors in this year’s Afterschool semester and yearlong sessions. The contest is sponsored by Economics Arkansas and is a national program of the SIFMA Foundation. It allows students and teachers the opportunity to invest a virtual $100,000 in stocks, bonds and mutual funds throughout a 13-week simulation each school semester. The yearlong session begins in September and ends in April.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts will serve as the host of the 2021 virtual National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools Student Research Conference on Thursday, June 10.

NCSSS provides a forum for specialized secondary schools focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines to exchange information and program ideas. The consortium includes approximately 100 member high schools, many “ranked” among the best in the country along with 55 affiliate members (colleges, universities, summer programs, foundations and corporations) in 32 states.

Claire Green a junior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts won second place in the Soybean Science Challenge at the 2021 Virtual Southwestern Energy State Science and Engineering Fair on April 1.

Green also won the SSC Regional Award at the West Central Regional Science Fair held at ASMSA on Feb. 25.

Tristan Goodell, a member of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts Class of 2021, has been selected to receive the Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship.

SMART is a federal scholarship-for-service program intended to train and retain civilian scientists and mathematicians in critical STEM fields to support the national security mission of the Defense Department and meet defense technological challenges.

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts yearbook staff achieved Silver Level recognition  the Jostens 2021 National Yearbook Program of Excellence.

The program recognizes engaging yearbooks that reflect a broad representation of the student body while helping students develop 21^st century skills such as communication, collaboration and information and communication technologies literacy.

Ten Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts students earned recognition in the recent Arkansas Young Artists Association Competition.

The Arkansas Young Artist Association is the largest organization of high school visual arts students in the state. Its mission is to encourage and support the visual arts across the state to all high school students through professional speakers, competitions, exhibition and scholarship.