NSHSS Academic Paper Awards
To recognize and inspire NSHSS members, we are awarding $250 competitive awards to NSHSS members who have written academic papers as class assignments in high school, such as a research paper, an original essay, or an analytical paper. Winning papers will be published on the NSHSS website.
All high school members have the opportunity to submit academic papers for scholarships for $250 awards.
Winning papers are selected based on how well the student addresses a particular assignment, while presenting the material in a clear and thoughtful way in the student's own voice
Eligibility
All NSHSS high school members may apply for the NSHSS Academic Paper Awards.
Important Dates
Applications are due by May 1, 2013.
Apply Download Application for 2013 Awards
The academic paper award committee has selected the following papers for awards of $250 each. The Society congratulates the winners and wishes to acknowledge the effort and expertise that all of the submissions demonstrated. We received a large number of truly outstanding efforts reflecting a wide range of topics and academic courses. Winning papers were selected based on how well the student addressed a particular assignment, while presenting the material in a clear and thoughtful way in the student's own voice. Read the winning essays below.
2012 Winners
Modupe Adetunji, Laurel, MD, Hammond High School
Definance Against Conventionality in 'Jane Eyre'
Prentice Basten, Buffalo, MN, Breck School
Surviving Empty Promises and Gentrification
Alan Booth, Hampton, VA Hampton City Schools
A Study of No Child Left Behind and its Effects
Jaimeson Cortez, Livermore, CA, Granada High School
/B/tards, Lulz, and Liberty: The Rise of Anonymous
Samarth Damania, Maple Grove, MN, Breck School
A Data-mining Approach to Identify Factors that Contribute to High Pharmaceutical Drug Costs
Morgan Farrell, Ponce Inlet, FL, Spruce Creek High School
Can the Visual Arts Provide a Narrative of a Culture?
Sean Fowler, San Diego, CA, Westview High School
Singularity and the Effects of a Tech-driven Society
Daniel Gillen, New York, NY, The Beach School
Crisis Equals Opportunity: Remaining Competitive in the Green Revolution's Decline
Emily Hernandez, Germantown, TN, Germantown High School
Is it Possible to Create a Computer that Mimics Human Intelligence by Replicating the Way the Human Brain Processes Information?
Caleb Kumar, Blaine, MN, Breck School
Designing and Validating a Java Program to Diagnose Bladder Cancer
Hannah Kummer, Santa Monica, CA, Santa Monica High School
Yummy Yummy!
Sherman Leung, Silver Spring, MD, Montgomery Blair High School
A Musical Model of Organic Compounds
Kristen Lobo, Inverness, IL, William Fremd School
Idealizing Others On the Road
Taylor McCanna, St. Louis Park MN, Breck School
Engineering an Inexpensive Mobile Electric Field Mill to Track Changes in the Global Electric Circuit
Haley Morrow, Tulsa, OK, Edison Preparatory High School
The Sound of Grandmother's Music
Rahul Mukherjee, Rochester, MN, John Marshall High School
Macroalgae As An Alternative Source of Biodiesel: A Study on Native Algae from the Great Lakes for Industrial Utilization
Ian Christopher Quillen, Greensboro, NC, Northwest Guilford High School
The Impact of John Locke's Political Writings on the American Founding Fathers
Scott Remer, Beachwood, OH, Beachwood High School
'Call Me My Name': The Role of Nomenclature in Toni Morrison's 'Beloved'
Noah Rucker, Pace, FL, Pace High School
One Darkness to Rule Them All
Jessica Ryvlin/Claire Simpson, Plymouth, MN, Breck School
Mercaptopyruvate-TEA: A Possible Antidote Against Threats of Chlorine-Induced Lung Injury
Maimia Samah, Burlington, NJ, Burlington Township High School
The Taming of the Shrew/Pygmalion
Peter Sherman, Medina, WA, Harvard Summer School
Climate Change on Mars
Greta Smith, Evansville, IN, Signature School
The Significance of the Symbolism of Eyes as Recurring Motifs and Representations of Afghan Culture in 'The Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns,' by Khaled Hosseini
Katherine Van Gerpen, Pierre, SD, T. F. Riggs High School
Pacemakers Keep Ticking
Brent Weyers, Los Altos, CA Mountain View High School
The Internet's Impact on our Thinking
2011 Winners
Emily Alper, Minneapolis, MN, Breck School.
Targeting Genes in Salmonella Kentucky Associated with Food-Borne Illnesses (co-author)
Rachel Broussard, Lafayette, LA, Academy of the Sacred Heart
The Controversy over the Ending: "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
Emily Clark, Fayetteville, NY, Fayetteville - Manlius High School
Beloved
Nina Coloso, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Palm Beach State College
Hepataren: New Cystic Fibrosis Treatment
Marielena Dias, Palm Coast, FL, Matanzas High School
Life Lessons
Kristian Fausz, Covington, KY, Holmes High School
The Transformation of Literature's Vampire between "Dracula" and "I Am Legend"
Zeenia Framroze, Toronto, ON, Branksome Hall School
To What Extent Has There Been Substantive Change in the Rights of Women in Afghanistan Under the Karzai Government?
Ellie Haeg, Wayzata, MN, Breck School
Targeting Genes in Salmonella Kentucky Associated with Food-Borne Illnesses (co-author)
Jimmy He, Madison, WI, James Madison Memorial High School
Effect of Additives on Sucrose Crystal Growth Rate
Jillian Husband, Minneapolis, MN, Breck School
Old Shakopee Road: The Struggle to Stay Relevant (co-author)
Russell Islam, Folsom, CA, Mira Loma High School
A Specter is Haunting Asia: China's Rising Military and its Implications for America's Interests in Taiwan
Clayton Jacobs, Quartz Hill, CA, Quartz High School.
Analyzing the Effects of the Modern Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
Roman Krywalych, Westfield, NJ, Westfield High School
Comments, Tweets, and Three-Minute Videos: Changing America
George Long III, Crandall, TX, Crandall High School
Dickens' Use of Antithesis to Illustrate Disparity in "A Tale of Two Cities"
Amanda Postolowski, Union, KY, Concordia International School Shanghai
The Freedom Machine: The Bicycle as an Innovation in Gender Equality
Zoe Rand, Oak Park, IL, Oak Park River Forest High School
A Simple Gift: Women's Equality in the Shaker Community
Megan Ruan, Arden Hills, MN, Mounds View High School .
People's Republic of Education
Huzefa Sakerwalla, Spring, TX, Klein Oak High School.
The Case with Sherlock Holmes
Aoxue Tang, Ann Arbor, MI, Pioneer High School .
An Expose of Fundamentalism: The Scopes Trial
Mekiya Walters, Asheville, NC, A-B Tech Comm. College (Dual-enrolled) .
Schism-Psychological Divides and the Death of Love in "We Didn't" and "The Hand"
Kristin Weeks, Akron, NY, Akron High School.
Sandhill Farms: The Anchor of My Purest Thoughts
Addison Weiler, Edina, MN, Breck School
Improving Efficiency of Organic Solar Cells Using Lead Phthalocyanine
Margit Westerman, Minneapolis, MN, Breck School
Old Shakopee Road: The Struggle to Stay Relevant (co-author)
Amber Wiley, Eugene, OR, South Eugene High School
Horse Therapy: A Life-Changing Treatment
Jiaming Zeng, Germantown, TN, Germantown High School
How Does Magic Deceive its Audience?
See all previous scholarship winners.