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Meet the 2017 Broadcom MASTERS finalists

Top 30 Broadcom MASTERS Finalists

Today, Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public announced that 30 of the nation’s brightest middle school students have been named Broadcom MASTERS 2017 finalists. For the second year in a row, there are an equal number of male and female finalists, who will compete for more than $100,000 in awards. 

Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars), a program founded and produced by the Society for Science & the Public, seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators who will solve the grand challenges of the future. 

Finalists will showcase their projects and compete as teams in hands-on STEM activities during the seventh annual Broadcom MASTERS final competition from October 19 –25. Winners will be named on October 24 after the finalists complete a rigorous competition that will test their abilities in STEM, critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration. 


Read the press release


Finalist projects cover multiple disciplines of science, including environmental and earth science, medicine and health science, electrical and mechanical engineering, microbiology, biochemistry, bioengineering, computer science, software engineering, behavioral and social sciences, energy and sustainability, animal science, chemistry, and plant science. 

Finalists independent research projects include topics such as:

  • Using Flotation Systems to Harness Wave Power Using Electromagnetism
  • Can Technology Be Used To Modify Behavior and Reduce Rates of Melanoma
  • Remote Sensing the Ablation or Accumulation of a Glacier By Using Fractal Analysis on Glacier Images
  • A Novel Method for the Efficient Determination of Long-Term Emulsion Stability
  • Natural Antioxidant and Nano-Antioxidant Effects Against Oxidative Stress

View a full listing of the 2017 finalists and their projects.


You can view the Top 30 projects and meet the finalists on Saturday, October 21 from 1-4 p.m. at the Broadcom MASTERS Science and Engineering Project Showcase, a free event at Union Station! 

All finalists receive a $500 cash award and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the competition, where they will compete for the following awards:

  • $25,000 Samueli Foundation Prize, a gift of Susan and Henry Samueli, Co-Founder of Broadcom Corporation, Chairman of the Broadcom Foundation, and Chief Technical Officer of Broadcom Limited, for the student who demonstrates mastery of all STEM fields, and exemplifies how research, innovation and teamwork come together to impact our everyday lives.
  • $20,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement, which recognizes the student whose work and performance shows the most promise in health-related fields.
  • $10,000 Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation, awarded to a student who demonstrates prowess in electrical engineering.
  • $7,500 Lemelson Award for Invention, awarded by The Lemelson Foundation to a young inventor creating promising solutions to real-world problems.
  • First and Second Place Awards issued in each category of STEM will receive $3,500 or $2,500, respectively, to use toward a STEM summer camp experience, plus an iPad.
  • Two Rising Stars in sixth or seventh grade will be named as delegates to represent the U.S. at the Broadcom MASTERS International next spring in Pittsburgh. Delegates will attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest international high school science fair in May 2018.

Broadcom MASTERS recognizes finalists’ science teachers with a one-year classroom subscription to Science News magazine and awards the finalists’ schools with $1,000 each to use toward STEM activities.

Congratulations to the Broadcom MASTERS 2017 finalists! 

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