The North Penn School District (NPSD) is proud to announce that two of its middle school students have been named as Top 300 MASTERS in the 2019 Broadcom MASTERS®, a program of Society for Science & the Public.
Vrishti Yadav, 8th grade student at Pennbrook Middle School was selected for the invention of an innovative device. With the support of Pennbrook Gifted Resources teacher Dr. Carol Ward, Vrishti Yadav’s award-winning project featured the design of a motor-assisted stabilizing arm brace for people who suffer from Parkinson's disease.
Backed by Penndale Science teacher Mr. Matt Wendell, 7th grade student Anirudh Akula was also named a Top 300 MASTER. His project explored the effects of drug substances on planarian behavior and regeneration. Anirudh’s project won second prize at county science fair in the Biochemistry section. He then moved on to regional level where earned top-1 in the Biochemistry division and the Dow Chemical (outstanding research project in STEM) top-1 award. Anirudh’s success at the regional level made him eligible to apply for Broadcom MASTERS® to compete at national level.
The Broadcom MASTERS, a program of the Society for Science & the Public, seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators to solve the grand challenges of the 21st century and is the nation's premier Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) competition for middle school students.
The Top 300 Broadcom MASTERS include:
-A nearly equal number of girls and boys, with about 52% males and 47% females.
-Students from 37 states, plus the District of Columbia, with California (77), Florida (40), Texas (29), Pennsylvania (16) and Utah (12) fielding the most Top 300 competitors.
-199 students from public schools, 76 from private schools, 16 from charter schools and nine from home schools.
View a full list of the student winners
As the only middle school STEM competition that leverages Society-affiliated science fairs as a critical component of the STEM talent pipeline, the Broadcom MASTERS consists of the top 10 percent of 6th, 7th and 8th grade projects entered in Society-affiliated fairs around the country.
Thirty of the Top 300 Broadcom MASTERS will be selected as finalists by a nationally ranked panel of scientists, engineers and educators on September 18, after which they will travel to Washington, DC to compete in a four-day STEM competition for more than $100,000 in awards and prizes. The finalists will participate in team challenges aimed at demonstrating their mastery of 21st Century skills in each of the STEM areas, meet with government officials and showcase their projects for the public in Washington, DC on October 26.
While in Washington, DC, the top 30 Broadcom MASTERS finalists will be competing for the coveted $25,000 Samueli Prize, the $10,000 Lemelson Award for Invention, the $10,000 Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation, the $10,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement and the newly created $10,000 STEM Talent Award, sponsored by DoD STEM.
The Top 300 Broadcom MASTERS were selected from a pool of 2,348 applicants from 47 states, DC, and two US territories. These competitors were evaluated by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers and educators and judged on creativity and originality of their science fair project, their ability to engage in analysis of data and understanding of STEM principles as they relate to the real world. Each applicant was nominated to compete in the Broadcom MASTERS by placing among the top 10% of middle school competitors at Society-affiliated regional and state science fairs.
In recognition of their achievements, the Top 300 Broadcom MASTERS will receive a prize package containing an award ribbon; semifinalist certificate of accomplishment; Broadcom MASTERS backpack; a Broadcom MASTERS decal; a specialized Invention Journal, courtesy of The Lemelson Foundation; a one-year subscription to Wolfram Mathematica software, courtesy of Wolfram Research; and a one-year family digital subscription to Science News magazine. In recognition of the role that teachers play in the success of their students, each designated teacher also will receive a Broadcom MASTERS tote bag and a one-year digital subscription to Science News magazine.