By: Sandra Yarema

In addition to preparing their research projects and presentations for the Southeastern Michigan Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), high school students in the Wayne State College of Education Upward Bound Program (COE UB) spent their summer learning about a variety of STEM careers available right in their own backyard. 

While the broad focus of JSHS is to give high-achieving students the opportunity to present their long-term research project to STEM professionals and their peers, the Strategic Outreach Partnership between AEOP’s JSHS and the COE UB program focuses on connecting high school students with research mentors and promoting opportunities for the students to engage in authentic research. After participating in COE UB, these students are well-prepared to begin their research with the aim of presenting at the final showcase, JSHS in March! Developing contacts with students earlier in their research process enables us to build a stronger relationship with JSHS participants over time.

Last summer, students toured Wayne State University’s Mortuary Science Laboratory. They heard about careers in mortuary sciences from funeral services professionals. They got out of the lab and into the field for biodiversity data collection at Lake Muskoday in Belle Isle State Park, learning how to collect algae on a slide properly. Students learned about pollination from urban beekeepers from Bees in the D. They learned how scientists measure drinking water quality at the Regional Detroit Water Treatment facility. They visited the WSU Planetarium and the University of Michigan Wind Tunnel Research facility.

Through these activities, students were exposed to a variety of STEM career paths and ask questions about their day-to-day work life and their academic background that prepared them for their profession. Students were able to network with potential STEM mentors and cultivate their curiosity as they prepare a research project for the next JSHS.

Wayne State University is the proud host of the Southeastern Michigan Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium for the 55th year in 2019. Wayne State College of Education’s Upward Bound program is a rigorous, pre-college academic preparation program that serves high school students.

Sandra Yarema, Ph.D., is a lecturer in Science Teacher Education at Wayne State University College of Education. Sandra has more than 20 years’ experience as a certified middle school teacher.

Twenty-One students from the COE UB, along with sixteen other students from across Michigan presented their research projects at the JSHS on March 8.

STUDENT POSTER PRESENTATIONS (All of these were created by COE UB Students):

• The sweet life of Honey bees
• Bees Around Us
• Reviving Detroit Urban Space
• Effects of Turbidity
• Comparing Water Samples: Testing a Store Bought Water Filter, a Home-made Water Filter, and a Naturally Occurring Filter from a Local Creek
• All About Water
• Little Creators
• Does It Bounce and Why
• Bee Aware
• My Day with the Dead
• The Meaning of Water

Adjudicated Poster Session (Cash Prizes: $250, $150, $100):

• 1st Place: Reviving Detroit Urban Space
• 2nd Place: Comparing Water Samples: Testing a Store Bought Water Filter, a Home-made Water Filter, and a Naturally Occurring Filter from a Local Creek
• 3rd Place: Does It Bounce and Why

Peer-Rated Poster Awards (Gift certificates for Barnes & Noble):

• “Best in Show”:  Comparing Water Samples: Testing a Store Bought Water Filter, a Home-made Water Filter, and a Naturally Occurring Filter from a Local Creek
• “Most Innovative ‘Out of the Box’ Project”: Reviving Detroit Urban Space
• “The Next ‘Steve Jobs’”: The sweet life of Honey bees

STUDENT ORAL PRESENTATIONS (6 COE UB students presented their research orally).

• Noise Exposure in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• What the App?!
• Modeling the Mechanisms of Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) during active HIV Infection for Potential Cure
• What Do Insects Prefer to Land In?
• Synthesis and Purification of 6-Hydroxy-2-(2- Phenylethyl) Chromones
• Active Learning over DNN: Automated Engineering Design Optimization for Fluid Dynamics Based on Self-Simulated Dataset
• Alternative Filtration Methods and Free Radicals in Hurricane Wastewater
• Effectiveness of Radiation via Tumor Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Analysis of Correlation with CD44, Cancer Stem Cell Marker
• Deep Learning-based Context-Aware Super-Resolution for Medical Imaging
• Does Music Affect Your Mood?
• The Effect of Screen Time on Mental Acuity”
• Employing the Use of CIS-Regulatory Modules to Mitigate Genomic Deficiencies in Glioma Patients: A Precision Medicine Approach
• Do humans and dogs share the same amount of bacteria in their mouth?
• The Effect of Post Transitional Modifications of the Amino Acids of Cytochrome C on Mitochondrial Respiration Activity
• Genome-wide Analysis of Histone Modifications and Transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• Preparation of cationized dialdehyde cellulose from bamboo pulp for anionic dye adsorption
• A Novel Approach to Early Stage Melanoma Diagnosis Using Different Sized Bioconjugated Gold Nanoparticles and Molecular Optical Coherence Tomography
• TGFβ in Glioblastoma Potentially Connected to Lesions Seen In the Brain
• Evaluation of Biomedical Career advancement program 2018: A Study of high school student’s perceptions.
• Digital Volume Correlation Analysis of Patient-Specific Load Vertebral Displacements Using Tomosynthesis Imaging
• Water Crisis: Pros and Cons of Water Filtration in the Great Lakes States and Abroad.
• Development of an Adaptive Chemistry Combustion Model Considering Impact of High Turbulence Strength

The top 3 Regional finalists were awarded scholarships:  $2,000 for 1st place, $1,500 for 2^nd place, and $1,000 for 3^rd place. The teacher of the 1^st place finalist is also awarded $500 for their school.

The top 5 finalists are invited to compete in National JSHS, April 24 – 27, in Albuquerque, NM, all expenses paid.  First and Second Place will present their research orally, additional scholarship prizes will be awarded at National JSHS, in each STEM category: $12,000 for 1^st place, $8,000 for 2nd place, and $4,000 for 3^rd place.   3^rd – 5^th place finalists will present posters, scholarship or cash prizes in each STEM category will be awarded.

The Finalists were:

• 1st Place: Effectiveness of Radiation via Tumor Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Analysis of Correlation with CD44, Cancer Stem Cell Marker
• 2nd Place: Preparation of cationized dialdehyde cellulose from bamboo pulp for anionic dye adsorption
• 3rd Place: Synthesis and Purification of 6-Hydroxy-2-(2- Phenylethyl) Chromones

Tied scores:

• 4th Place: Deep Learning-based Context-Aware Super-Resolution for Medical Imaging
• 4th Place: The Effect of Post Transitional Modifications of the Amino Acids of Cytochrome C on Mitochondrial Respiration Activity