September 24, 2024

A Plano ISD high school student has been named as a Top 30 Finalist in the 2024 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge® (previously Broadcom MASTERS) — the nation’s premier STEM competition for middle school students by Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Society for Science & the Public.

Image of Jasper High School Student Hiruni Wansapura.

Congratulations to Hiruni Wansapura, a current 9th grader at Jasper High School and former Robinson Middle School student, for her project titled Sycamore Seed Inspired Fan Blade Design for a Portable Air Purifier.

The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators to solve the challenges of the 21st Century. Middle school students across the nation were invited to apply for the Thermo Fisher JIC by placing among the top 10% of participants at Society-affiliated science fairs. The 2024 Top 30 MASTERS were selected from the Top 300 innovators that were named last week. 

Hiruni will travel to Washington, D.C. from October 25–30 to participate in the Finals Week of the competition for over $100,000 in prizes. Finalists will present their research projects and compete as teams in STEM challenges to demonstrate their 21st Century skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. Top awards include a grand prize of $25,000, stipends for STEM summer camps and more.
Read more about the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge on the Society for Science & the Public website.