NSHSS Passion Project Exhibition: Scholar's Day Atlanta 2019

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NSHSS Passion Project Exhibition: Scholar's Day Atlanta 2019

NSHSS Passion Project Exhibition Recap

The NSHSS Passion Project Exhibition took place on November 22 & 23, during NSHSS Scholar's Day in Atlanta, GA. Located at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center, the Exhibition was a series of poster board exhibits that showcased the passion projects of NSHSS members. Members were called on to apply for the exhibition with a project proposal and were then selected to compete. Each exhibit was focused on one of two themes:

STEAM & Innovation
World Betterment (nonprofit, social business, social innovation, or social advocacy efforts)

Exhibitors presented their projects to the three-judge panel in their category. The projects were also open for viewing to all attendees - an audience of approximately 1,200 NSHSS members, families, educators, and corporate leaders. After the presentations, the judge panels deliberated to unanimously determine the three winners in each category.

AWARDS:
The top three exhibitors from each category were presented with a scholarship check during the Member Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, November 23. The scholarships are to be used for furthering their passion projects.

First Place: $1,000 USD
Second Place: $500 USD
Third Place: $250 USD

JUDGES:
Professionals from various fields volunteered their Saturday to participate as judges in the Scholar's Day 2019 Atlanta Passion Project Exhibition. Our judges on the STEAM & Innovation panel were:

Kolby Keo, Senior Associate at The Harbour Group
Charise Roldan, Co-Head of School & Director of Academics at Frazier Preparatory Academy, Chicago, IL
Beth Watson, Attorney

Our judges on the World Betterment panel were:

Sofia Gonzalez, NSHSS Educator of the Year 2019 & English Instructor at Morton East High School in Chicago, IL
Andrea Smith, Vice President of Development at Scholarship America
Jack Watson, Former Chief of Staff for the Carter Administration

Passion Project Exhibition Winners - Scholar's Day Atlanta 2019

Benjamin Barron - 1st Place, STEAM & Innovation

Benjamin Barron from American Heritage School in Palm Beach Gardens, FL was awarded the first prize in the STEAM & Innovation category for his prototype of a wristwatch intended to be worn by opiod users with the capacity to rapidly auto-deliver a dose of live-saving naloxone in the event of an overdose. In his project proposal, he stresses the importance of his research: "By participating in the exhibition I hope to increase awareness. I was disheartened to discover that due to the stigma of drug abuse, even scientists who choose to do research in the field of drug abuse are often looked upon with disfavor."

Jathin Desan - 2nd Place, STEAM & Innovation

Jathin Desan from Independence High School in Frisco, TX took home the second place prize in the STEAM & Innovation category for his proposal of a new method that would detect traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) much earlier than current CT scan technologies. His proposal was goal-oriented and empathetic, stating, "The reason for my project is that in my community, roofing companies lose employees who fall and could die from their injuries due to a lack of proper facilities for CT scans or MRI for clearing brain bleeding. My specific goal is to create a model and make an impact to help construction companies have regular checks on their employees using these trained models."

Genevieve Jean-Pierre - 3rd Place, STEAM & Innovation

Genevieve Jean-Pierre from Martin Luther King Junior Magnet Pearl High School in Madison, TN was given the 3rd place prize in the STEAM & Innovation category for her discovery of a fungi that she hypothesizes can revolutionize the biomass energy production industry - an industry that could hold the key to clean energy. From her proposal: "From this exhibition, I hope to gain even more inspiration and fire for change in our society and natural environment. These sentiments create impact in its most powerful form."

Ryanna Copeland - 1st Place, World Betterment

Ryanna Copeland of Blackstone Academy in Riverdale, GA took the first prize in the World Betterment category for her company Elevated Places Dance Xpressions that seeks to provide "a way to help youth to express their emotions and feelings through dance." In her proposal, she touches on the impetus to start her project: "Knowing that you can’t find the words to express your emotions and feelings within, causes people to act other than themselves or even cause harm to themselves. I could no longer sit and watch the youth of my generation suffer with so much pain within."

Virginia Hill - 2nd Place, World Betterment

Virginia Hill from North Hall High School in Clermont, GA noticed that her local food bank was providing food to families in need, but no guidance on food preparation. She won the second place prize in the World Betterment category for her organization, One Meal, which is "a simple and effective way for families to receive a bag of ingredients with a recipe card so they can have a fun, planned meal."

Hawa Diawara - 3rd Place, World Betterment

Hawa Diawara of Morgantown High School in Morgantown, WV received the third place prize in the World Betterment category for her development of The Voices of Women Matter (TVWM), "a non-profit organization advocating for women in developing countries or third-world countries in areas of domestic violence, exposed to female genital circumcision and forced child marriage." As a native of Guinea, she became aware of her privilege having had an education in the U.S. She states, "I hope to inform people about the underlying issues many women face around the world and what we can do to help end the cycle."