Thermo Fisher Scientific
Junior Innovators Challenge
2023 Media Kit
The Thermo Fisher JIC, a program of Society for Science, reaches 65,000 middle schoolers nationwide and inspires them to follow their personal STEM passions to exciting college and career paths. The 30 finalists are counted among the nation’s brightest students, with several, including Shanya, collectively accepting more than $100,000 at tonight’s award ceremony at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Photos Credits
Photos with a “JY” in the file name should be credited as follows: Jessica Yurinko/Society for Science
Photos with “LF” or no initials should be credited as follows: Courtesy of Lisa Fryklund/Society for Science
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Junior Innovators Challenge 2023 Top Award Winners
Shanya Gill, $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award
Shanya Gill, 12, San Jose, Calif.; won the $25,000 ASCEND Award (Aspiring Scientists Cultivating Exciting New Discoveries) for her project designing a fire detection system as well as the leadership, collaboration and critical thinking skills she demonstrated through the course of her research project and Finals Week challenges.
Keshvee Sekhda, $10,000 Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award
Keshvee Sekhda, 14, Sugar Hill, Ga.; won the $10,000 Broadcom Coding with CommitmentTM Award for combining coding with STEM knowledge to create a solution that improves one’s community and aligns with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Keshvee and her teammate Nyambura Sallinen developed a smartphone app called IdentiCan to identify breast, lung and skin cancer. It uses photos or health scans, sound clips and personal health information to predict diagnoses.
Maya Gandhi, $10,000 DoD STEM Talent Award
Maya Gandhi, 14, Anaheim, Calif.; won the $10,000 DoD STEM Talent Award for demonstrating excellence in science, technology, engineering or math, along with the leadership and technical skills necessary to excel in the 21st Century STEM workforce and build a better community for tomorrow. Maya explored different substances to boost energy output of plant microbial fuel cells, which generate electricity using living plants and microbes.
Adyant Bhavsar, $10,000 Lemelson Award for Invention
Adyant Bhavsar, 13, San Jose, Calif.; won the $10,000 Lemelson Award for Invention, awarded by The Lemelson Foundation to a young inventor creating promising product-based solutions to real-world problems. Adyant created a low-cost, eco-friendly version of a triboelectric nanogenerator. This device generates electricity from the mechanical energy of two touching objects when they separate.
Elizabeth Olvera, $10,000 Robert Wood Johnson Award for Health Advancement
Elizabeth (Ellie Lou) Olvera, 13, Goleta, Calif.; won the $10,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement, which recognizes the student whose work and performance shows the most promise in health-related fields and demonstrates an understanding of the many social factors that affect health. Ellie Lou identified an eco-friendly fabric suitable for creating affordable and reusable menstrual pads.
Interview Maya Ajmera,
President & CEO of the Society for Science
We invite you to interview the President & CEO of the Society for Science, Maya Ajmera, to learn more about the Junior Innovators Challenge and this year’s winners.
Please email communications@societyforscience.org for assistance.
- Maya headshot
- About Maya
- Quote from Maya: “ The top winners of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge have exhibited boundless curiosity,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science and Executive Publisher of Science News Media Group. “Their remarkable research not only reflects their talent but also paves the way for an exciting new future. ”
Interview Meron Mathias,
Thermo Fisher Scientific Vice President,
Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability
We invite you to interview Meron Mathias to learn more about the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge and this year’s winners.
Meron Mathias leads corporate social responsibility (CSR) for Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science. She partners across the company to shape and action environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives that drive positive business and societal outcomes.
Please email annalisa.alpaugh@thermofisher.com for assistance.
