Registration for DC JSHS 2025 is now open until January 17th, 2025.

The Greater Washington, D.C. Region Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) Program is designed to challenge, engage, and publicly recognize students (grades 9-12) conducting research in the sciences, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Individual students compete for scholarships and recognition by presenting the results of their original research efforts before a panel of judges and an audience of their peers. By participating in regional and national symposia, students may:

• Participate in a forum honoring individual achievement in STEM.
• Network with peers who have similar interests. 
• Hear research presentations by other students.
• Develop skills to help prepare for undergraduate and graduate pursuits in STEM
• Hear nationally renowned scientists speak on their work. 
• Qualify for significant scholarships and other recognition.
• Advance to the national symposium.     

Who is a DC JSHS Participant?

Any high school student (grades 9-12) from the greater Washington D.C. region who is conducting original research and submits their work by the regional deadline has the opportunity to participate in DC JSHS. The Greater Washington, D.C. region includes students in DC, Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax counties in Virginia, and high schools located inside the I-495 Beltway in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland. Maryland students who are unsure which region to participate in should reach out to the Maryland JSHS for guidance. There is no registration fee to apply or to participate. Students may participate as an oral or poster presenter. Oral Presenters must submit an abstract, research paper, and statement of outside assistance. Poster Presenters are only required to submit an abstract and statement of outside assistance. Students who apply to present in the oral session, and whose research submission is not accepted for oral presentation, will be considered for an invitation to present in the poster session. After a student submits their work with their registration, it will reviewed and selected students will be invited attend the regional JSHS and participate in invited presentation type. 

How do I present at the Greater Washington, D.C. Regional JSHS?

• STEP 1: Review JSHS rules. Before you begin your research and the following steps to apply for the DC JSHS, please read through the JSHS Rules of Competition thoroughly. In this manual you will find information on paper formatting, rules on research, and suggestions for preparing your presentation.
• STEP 2: Select an area of research. Select an area of research from the following eight options: Environmental Science, Life and Behavioral Sciences, Medicine and Health, Biomedical Sciences, Molecular/Cellular, Engineering and Technology, Math and Computer Sciences/Computer Engineering, Physical Sciences, Chemistry.
• STEP 3: Conduct original research. Looking for a mentor for research support? Check out JSHS's Virtual Mentorship Program. 
• STEP 4: Prepare an abstract and written research paper. Oral Presenters must submit an abstract, research paper, and statement of outside assistance. Poster Presenters are only required to submit an abstract and statement of outside assistance. Students must adhere to guidelines in order to qualify for scholarship money. Note: Students who apply to present in the oral session, and whose research submission is not accepted for oral presentation, will be considered for an invitation to present in the poster session. 
• STEP 5: Complete the Statement of Outside Assistance Form. You are encouraged to obtain assistance from teachers, mentors, parents, or other students in their research projects. Student, teacher, and mentor complete the Statement of Outside Assistance Form. This form describes the student’s specific participation in mentored projects. It is expected that the student’s project emerged from ideas and experiments in which the student was actively involved in formulating.
• STEP 6: Register as a participant for the Greater Washington DC Regional JSHS. Upload and submit the written research paper, abstract, Statement of Outside Assistance Form to Ideal Logic. Registration also requires a variety of demographic and contact information. Students must list contact information for a high school teacher sponsor. The deadline to submit and register is Friday January 17th, 2025. Link to Register: https://apps.ideal-logic.com/jshs?key=JKR5-G7ZD1_K9KH-5PTF_f1194e43602e
• STEP 7: Research papers reviewed and students selected. Students will be invited to present their work as a poster or presentation by January 24nd, 2025 and accept their invitation by January 31th, 2025.
• STEP 8: Attend Greater Washington DC JSHS. Students will present their work on Saturday February 22th, 2025 at the Catholic University of America’s campus at the regional symposium. 

What materials must I submit to report the results of my STEM research?

All students intending to apply must submit an abstract reporting the results of their STEM research. If a student would like to participate as an oral presenter, they must also submit a written research paper. Only students who submit a written research paper and abstract will compete for scholarships and spot at JSHS Nationals. Abstracts and research papers should be PDF files and will be uploaded in registration. When saving and naming files for upload, please use the following file name format: Last Name_First Name_Abstract and last Name_First Name_Research Paper. All students must also submit a signed Statement on Outside Assistance. This document should be titled using Last Name_First Name_SOA.

The written and oral reports should present the results of the student’s original research investigation. Assistance from teachers, mentors, parents, or other students may be obtained. However, students must clearly communicate their role in the completion of the investigation and understanding of the research results. JSHS specifically forbids the use of ChatGPT or any other generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to write their report. Any use of AI tools must be clearly identified in the Statement of Outside Assistance. 

Regional Awards

Students with the top research papers and abstracts will be asked to present their research orally in front of a panel of judges and their peers at the DC JSHS. Only the students who are invited to give oral presentations will compete for the first- and second- regional scholarships*. The top five student presenters, (top two oral presentation and top three poster presentation winners) will receive an all-expense-paid trip to attend and compete at the National Symposium*. The five finalists from the regional DC JSHS become eligible to compete for National Junior Science & Humanities Symposium tuition scholarships and cash awards*. Additional STEM-related prizes (e.g. LEGO sets, tools, and science kits) will be awards to the top five oral and poster presenters and raffle winners. 

• Oral Presenters
  • 1st Place: $2,000 scholarship + Invited to National Symposium + Qualifies for National Symposium Oral Presenter scholarships
  • 2nd Place: $1,500 scholarship + Invited to National Symposium + Qualifies for National Symposium Oral Presenter scholarships
  • The scholarships can be used at any school of the student’s choice and will be payable upon matriculation. Only US citizens and permanent residents of the US and its territories are eligible to receive the scholarship awards.
• Poster Presenters
  • 1st Place: $1,000 scholarship + Invited to National Symposium + Qualifies for National Symposium Poster Presenter cash awards
  • 2nd Place: Invited to National Symposium + Qualifies for National Symposium Poster Presenter cash awards
  • 3rd Place: Invited to National Symposium + Qualifies for National Symposium Poster Presenter cash awards
  • 4th through 10th place posters will be recognized and awarded with STEM-related prize. 
• Teachers
  • NSTA Teacher Award: DC JSHS honors an individual teacher and their schools’ contributions to advancing student participation in STEM research by giving a $500 cash award to a dedicated educator

*The DC JSHS is a grant-funded program which requires students be a U.S. citizen in order to receive tuition scholarship awards*

Sponsorship

JSHS is a Department of Defense sponsored STEM program (U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force) that encourages high school students to conduct original research in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and publicly recognizes students for outstanding achievement. 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 our nation. JSHS is a collaborative effort between the research arm of the Department of Defense and nationwide colleges and universities. JSHS aims to prepare and support students to contribute as future scientists and engineers, conducting STEM research on behalf of or directly for the Department of Defense (DoD) federal research laboratories to help advance the nation's scientific and technological progress. Through JSHS, over 8,000 youth annually compete in 49 regional symposia covering the U.S., Puerto Rico, and DoD Dependent Schools in Europe and the Pacific to receive recognition, incentives, and scholarships for their research achievements.

Who may attend DC JSHS? 

After registering, student participants will be invited to attend DC JSHS as either oral or poster presenters. High school teachers and research mentors who provided support may attend but must register through Ideal Logic. Other guests (parents/guardians, family members, school representatives, non-participating students) may attend to support their student but must register though Ideal Logic; These supporting guests will not be provided lunch. DoD and STEM professional will be invited to the regional event to share about their research as a speaker or volunteer as a judge.

Contact                                                                                                                    

Please send questions to engr-jshs@cua.edu.

Helpful Links

• DC JSHS Facebook Page
• National JSHS Website
• Ideal Logic DC JSHS Registration