Three Plano ISD middle school students have been named as Top 300 competitors in the 2025 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge® – the nation’s premier STEM competition for middle school students by Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Society for Science & the Public. The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators to solve the challenges of the 21st Century.
Middle school students across the nation were invited to apply for the Thermo Fisher JIC by placing among the top 10% of participants at Society-affiliated science fairs during the 2024-25 school year. The 2025 Top 300 MASTERS were selected from 1,890 applicants hailing from 34 states, plus Puerto Rico.
Congratulations to these Plano students who have been named in the Top 300 and will receive a $125 award from the Department of Defense STEM Education Consortium:
Matthew Kuo, eighth grade, Renner Middle School, project title: Factors Affecting Fuel Cell Energy Efficiency
*Matthew is now a 9th grader at Jasper High School
Terri Lv, seventh grade, Rice Middle School, project title: Synthesis and Quantum Effect Desmos of the Superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O₇₋ₓ (YBCO)
*Terri is now an 8th grader at Rice Middle School
Rajveer Savla, eighth grade, Rice Middle School, Project Title: Creating Environmentally Friendly Biodegradable Plastics Using Potato Peels
*Rajveer is now a 9th grader at Jasper High School
On September 17, thirty of the Top 300 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators will be selected as finalists by a nationally ranked panel of scientists, engineers and educators. Top 30 winners will travel to Washington, D.C. to present their research projects and compete as teams in STEM challenges to demonstrate their 21st Century skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. Top awards include a grand prize of $25,000, multiple $10,000 awards, stipends for STEM summer camps and more.
Read more about the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge on the Society for Science & the Public website.