Holly Jackson, Broadcom MASTERS top winner

Holly Jackson, 14, won the top award of $25,000 at the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS. Read what the judges had to say about this talented young scientist and engineer:

Holly Jackson garnered the coveted Samueli Prize with a winning project that investigated the ancient art of sewing from an architectural point of view- she used shear forces as the stresses for testing her stitches and fabric. 

In addition to presenting a highly creative science and engineering project, Holly was a leader among her peers who applied critical 21st century skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration and communication to her project and the complex team challenges she particpated in during this national competition. She impressed both the judges and her peers throughout the week of the Broadcom MASTERS finals and embraced every opportunity to learn and explore all areas of science, technology, engineering and math.

Holly’s interest in sewing and scientific curiosity led her to explore the relative strength and compatibility of threads and fabrics, information needed in order to create additional strength and flexibility in sewn materials for the 21st century. She engineered a device to measure the capacity and strength of her stitched fabric, and designed experiments and procedures with controlled variables and precise measurements. In her interviews, she demonstrated an understanding of the potential applications of her research, such as Ebola protective gear/hazmat suits for emergency medical and environmental response; space suits and interplanetary parachutes for NASA, safer seatbelts in new age transposition modalities, etc.

During the Broadcom MASTERS visit to the White House, Holly queried top science and technology advisors about the parachutes on the Mars mission and the recent work that the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) had done on protective wear for those working with Ebola and shared her own insights on improving these technologies.

Holly Jackson embodies the goal of the Broadcom MASTERS: to embrace a personal passion and identify a pathway into  science and engineering that will undoubtedly lead Holly to an exciting  STEM career.

Read more about Holly on our Eureka! Lab blog.