On Friday, March 20, 2020, the AJAS/Gorgas Paper Reading Competitions were held successfully in a live, online format using Zoom video conferencing. Thank you to all the judges and participants! The Meeting was hosted by Dr. Jack Shelley-Tremblay from the University of South Alabama., and organized by Dr. Ellen Buckner of Samford University and Dr. Mark Jones of Auburn Middle School.
Gorgas Scholarship Competition
A Program of the Administered by the Alabama Power Foundation Alabama Academy of Science March 20, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today the Gorgas Scholarship Committee announced the rankings of the finalists of the 2020 Alabama Science Scholar Search. The final competition was held as the first Virtual Competition after cancellation of the 97th Annual Meeting of the Alabama Academy of Science at Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL, originally scheduled for March 19-20, 2020.
The winner of the first-place tuition grant of $4000 was:
Gullapalli, Abhinav, Hoover High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Janet Ort
First alternate and winner of a tuition grant of $3000 was:
Banerjee, Eesha, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash
Second alternate and winner of a tuition grant of $2000 was:
Dudeck, Sophie, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash
Third alternate and winner of a tuition grant of $1500 was:
Silwal, Isabel, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash
Fourth alternate and winner of a tuition grant of $1000 was:
Sridhar, Nikitha, Auburn High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Mark Jones
Unranked Finalists:
Allred, Addison, Murphy High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Julie Prerost
Badewa, Tosin, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash
George, Rachael, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash
Glidewell, Jacob, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash
Hill, Elizabeth, Fairhope High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Mary Stuart
Reeves, Sydney, Wetumpka High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Virginia Vilardi
Singleton, Anna Lei, Wetumpka High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Virginia Vilardi
Tessier, Jon, Wetumpka High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Virginia Vilardi
The rankings were established by a panel of judges consisting of department heads, deans and professors from many of the leading universities and industries in Alabama. Winners and finalists in the Gorgas Contest receive offers of tuition scholarships to colleges and universities in Alabama for the study of science. The Gorgas Scholarship Program is named for General William Crawford Gorgas, the Alabama physician who conquered yellow fever in the Panama Canal Zone and later became the Surgeon General of the United States Army. The purposes of the Gorgas competition are to promote interest in science and to aid in the education of promising students.
Information on the annual competition and awards may be found on the website at www.GorgasScholar.org. For further information, contact Ellen Buckner, PhD, RN, CNE, AE- C, Chairman, Gorgas Scholarship Competition, ellen.buckner@samford.edu OR ebbuckner@gmail.com, or by phone (205) 910-9877, (205) 726-2092.
Alabama Junior Academy of Science
Alabama Junior Academy of Science 2020 Paper Reading Competition
Affiliated with the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
Virtual Statewide Competition, March 20, 2020.
AJAS winners are listed below in order to participate at JSHS National Competition.
| 1st Place | Catherine Kung, Bioinspired Flexible Multisensory Artificial Skin, Indian Springs School, Pelham, Christina Tetzlaff (Sponsor-Teacher) [Engineering/Mathematics] |
| 2nd Place | Aniket Pant, Plasmonic and Dielectric Nanostructures: Distinguishing Size, Material, and Dielectric Environment via Machine Learning, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate, Irondale, Kelly Breland (Sponsor-Teacher) [Physical Science] |
| 3rd Place | Tori Jones, The Bees Knees Pesticides: Saving the Bees One Bee Friendly Pesticide at a Time, Wetumpka High School, Wetumpka, Virginia Vilardi (Sponsor-Teacher) [Environmental Science] |
| 4th Place | Rachael George, Loss of Hippocampal Day-Time Inhibition in Alzheimer’s Disease and its Contribution to Cognitive Impairment and Amyloid-β Pathogenesis, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, Rebecca Thrash (Sponsor-Teacher)[Medicine & Health] |
| 5th Place | Nikhita Mudium, Selection of E. coli Mutants for Induction and Expression of tna Operon, James Clemens High School, Madison, Leah McRae (Sponsor-Teacher) [Life Sciences] |
Winners were selected in categories of Engineering and Mathematics, Medicine and Health, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences and then competed head to head for final ranking. We would like to thank the multi-disciplinary judges who evaluated these students at local and state levels. Thanks too to the numerous teacher-sponsors who have supported these students in their academic progress. The winners will participate in national paper reading at the 58th National JSHS, possibly to be held virtually this year.
Students who would like to enter the 2020-2021 competition are encouraged to view the resources at the AJAS Website at alabamajunioracademyofscience.org
Mark T Jones, PhD, Nationally Certified
ACS B Science Olympiad Coordinator and Community Founder
Alabama Junior Academy of Science State Director
Phone: Work 3348874970; Cell 3344443099