Junior Science and Humanities Symposia Introduction

JSHS is a STEM academic program sponsored by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force to promote original research and experimentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the high school level and publicly recognize outstanding student achievements.JSHS aims to expand the pool of trained talent ready to conduct research and development of national importance.
By connecting talented students, their teachers, and research professionals at affiliated symposia and by rewarding research excellence, JSHS aims to widen the pool of trained talent prepared to conduct research and development vital to nation.
JSHS regional and national symposia are held during the academic year and reach more than 8,000 high school students and teachers throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Department of Defense Schools of Europe and the Pacific. Students must first participate in their regional symposium where they compete for selection to present at the national symposium each year. Registering to participate in a regional JSHS event is of no cost to the student.

Eligibility Rules of JSHS

1.Students may compete in only one regional symposium. The address of the student’s schooldetermines the region with the exception of the Virtual Region.
2.Citizenship. Students must be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States or U.S. territory to participate in JSHS.
3.Continuation projects. Students may continue a research investigation; however, a study which merely adds data from a previous year’s project is not considered a strong continuation project. If a continuation project is submitted, the student must discuss how the project was expanded (e.g., methodology, new variables); discuss any revisions in experimentation and present new data.
4.A student may present a report on work done as part of a class project, or as a science fair project, or summer research project.
5.Team projects - A team leader should be selected to register and present the results of the group work. The research may not be presented by any other member of the team. The judging criteria used to judge all JSHS presentations remains the same. The presentation should focus on the coordinated efforts of all team members and properly acknowledge the contributions of the team (students, mentors, and/or teachers).
6.Team project awards. If an individual presenter from a group project is selected as a
Regional finalist and is invited to present at the National JSHS, the same presenter must present at the National Symposium. Scholarships and other awards available at
Regional and National Symposia are awarded to the presenter.
7.Projects that are demonstrations, ‘library’ research or informational projects are not appropriate for JSHS.
8.The date/time for the student’s presentation is determined by regional and national symposia leadership. A student must be present for the assigned time or risk disqualification.