Three Â鶹ÊÓƵ (IUSD) students have been named among Thermo Fisher Scientific’s top 300 junior innovators. These students were chosen out of over 2,000 applicants nationwide.
The competition, organized by the Society for Science and sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific, showcases outstanding middle school students from across the nation who are developing innovative solutions to real-world problems. To qualify for this competition, these students first had to excel at the IUSD Science Fair, advance to the County Science Fair and ultimately make their way to the national stage.
2025 IUSD Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators
Meghana Wuppalapati, Grade: 8th
School: Beacon Park School
Project Title: Green Goodness: Testing the Efficacy of Azadirachta indica vs. Moringa oleifera in Metabolizing Excess Galactose Caused by Galactosemia
Tokiya Murase, Grade: 7th
School: Lakeside Middle School
Project Title: AI Mildew Detector
Max Chen, Grade: 8th
School: Sierra Vista Middle School
Project Title: Turning Biodiesel Waste Into Watts: Optimizing Oxygen Concentrations for Glycerol-Powered Microbial Fuel Cells
The top scholars, representing 48 states as well as American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, tackled a wide range of issues. Their projects addressed critical topics such as artificial intelligence, chronic diseases, waste reduction, bioplastics, space exploration and wildfires.
Each recognized student will receive a $125 award from DoD STEM, an initiative supporting the Department of Defense’s goal to cultivate a diverse and skilled STEM workforce. Additionally, the winners will receive a prize package, including a one-year subscription to Wolfram Mathematica software, courtesy of Wolfram Research.
Congratulations to our students on their amazing achievements!
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