Thermo Fisher Scientific
Junior Innovators Challenge
2026 Media Kit
The Thermo Fisher JIC, a program of Society for Science, reaches 60,000 middle school students nationwide, inspiring them to pursue their STEM interests and explore exciting college and career paths. The 30 finalists, who were selected from nearly 2,000 applicants representing 48 states, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico; are counted among the nation’s brightest students collectively receiving more than $100,000 at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C. Winners were chosen by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers and educators.
Photos Credits
Photos with “LF” or no initials should be credited as follows: Courtesy of Lisa Fryklund/Licensed by Society for Science
Photos with a “JY” in the file name should be credited as follows: Jessica Yurinko Photography/Licensed by Society for Science
_______________________________
Thermo Fisher JIC 2026 Top Award Winners
Bailey Quinn Frank, $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award
Bailey Quinn Frank, 15, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, won the $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND (Aspiring Scientists Cultivating Exciting New Discoveries) Award, the top prize in the competition. Bailey built a low-cost environmental DNA (eDNA) sampler using a small fan and filter paper to collect airborne bacteria. She envisions that this affordable approach could make it easier for rural communities to monitor potential health threats, particularly in areas where limited resources make traditional disease surveillance challenging.
- Photos + Videos of Bailey
- Project Video
- Winner Video
- B-Roll
Henry Grover, $10,000 Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award
Henry Grover, 14, from Riverside, California, won the $10,000 Broadcom Coding with Commitment® Award for combining STEM learning with coding to solve a community problem they care about that aligns with a Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations. Inspired by the devastating 2025 Palisades fire, Henry and his twin brother Jack investigated whether a water-absorbing gel, or hydrogel, could help prevent fires from reigniting. They identified sodium polyacrylate as the most promising hydrogel and designed a sprayer to apply it to areas at risk of rekindling.
- Photos of Henry
- Project Video
- Winner Video
- B-Roll
Myreen Ahsan, $10,000 Citadel Securities Innovation Award
Myreen Ahsan, 14, Friendswood, Texas, won the $10,000 Citadel | Citadel Securities Innovation Award for utilizing data-driven decision making to create innovative solutions to problems. Inspired by her grandfather’s dementia diagnosis, Myreen used machine learning to identify molecules that could target tau, a protein that becomes abnormally folded in people with frontotemporal dementia. Of the four molecules she tested, CNS-11 emerged as the most promising candidate for further research into potential treatments.
- Photos of Myreen
- Project Video
- Winner Video
- B-Roll
Jack Grover, $10,000, DoW STEM Talent Award
Jack Grover, 14, Riverside, California, won the $10,000 DoW 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. Inspired by the devastating 2025 Palisades Fire, Jack and his twin brother Henry investigated whether a water-absorbing gel, or hydrogel, could help prevent fires from reigniting. They identified sodium polyacrylate as the most promising hydrogel and designed a sprayer to apply it to areas at risk of rekindling.
- Photos of Jack
- Project Video
- Winner Video
- B-Roll
Wileidy Enid Feliciano-Rivera, $10,000, The Lemelson Foundation Award for Invention
Wileidy Enid Feliciano-Rivera, 13, Peñuelas, Puerto Rico, won the $10,000 The Lemelson Foundation Award for Invention, awarded to a young inventor creating promising solutions to real-world problems. Wileidy used plantain peels from her school cafeteria to create a biodegradable mulch designed to control weeds. She tested it against both conventional plastic mulch and uncovered soil, finding that her plant-based alternative controlled weeds just as effectively as plastic mulch while also helping keep the soil cool and moist.
- Photos of Wileidy
- Project Video
- Winner Video
- B-Roll
Interview Maya Ajmera,
President & CEO of Society for Science
We invite you to interview the President & CEO of Society for Science, Maya Ajmera, to learn more about the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge and this year’s winners.
Please email apaul@societyforscience.org for assistance.
- Maya headshot
- About Maya
- Quote: “Miles’ remarkable blend of scientific creativity, leadership and collaboration highlights the type of talent Society for Science is proud to support,” said Maya Ajmera, President & CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News. “I look forward to seeing the innovative ideas he will contribute in the 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 and sustainability for Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science. Since joining Thermo Fisher in 2020, she has helped shape the company’s CSR agenda, advance its climate strategy and sustainable finance efforts, and advance environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives that drive positive business and societal outcomes. Meron’s career has spanned scientific research, international development and corporate sustainability, with experience working across the private, public and social sectors.
