Broadcom MASTERS

Broadcom MASTERS, a program of Society for Science & the Public, is a national science competition for U.S. middle school students.^[1] The Broadcom Foundation launched the competition in 2010 and pledged $6 million over the next 6 years.^[2] In 2014, approximately 6,000 middle school students were eligible for entry and 2,054 students completed and submitted the application.

Overview

Each year, the top 10% of students from certain SSP-affiliated regional and state science fairs across the nation are eligible for entry in the Broadcom MASTERS competition. The first stage is an online application that consists of project information and other essays. The project described in the application must be the same as the one presented at the qualifying fair. On the basis of the online application, 300 semifinalists are selected and announced. The 30 finalists are selected from the pool of semifinalists; no additional information needs to be sent in between semifinalist and finalist stages. The 30 finalists are then invited for finalist week, to meet and compete with the other finalists in-person. From 2011 through 2014, finalist week has occurred in Washington DC. There is no pre-ranking prior to finalist week. Judging occurs over three days and consists of project judging as well as a variety of STEM challenges. The STEM challenges are done in teams, but judges weigh individual performance much more than combined team performance. There are six teams of five students each. ^[3]

Awards

As of 2014, the awards that are given out to the 30 finalists are:^[4]

• Samueli Foundation Prize: $25,000 Grand Award for the top STEM student
• Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: $10,000 Award for the top innovator with engineering skills and a project in electrical engineering
• First Place STEM Awards: $3500 and iPad. These awards are given to the top student in each area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
• Second Place STEM Awards: $2500 and iPad. These awards are given to the second best student in each area of STEM.
• Rising Star Awards: Trip to observe Intel ISEF. These awards are given out to the top 6th and 7th graders (at time of project application) that show the most promise.
• Team Award: An iPod Nano is given out to each member of the team that performs the best during the STEM challenges.

Winners

2016^[5]

The Samueli Foundation Prize

Eleanor Wren Sigrest, 13, Woodbridge, VA for Rockets and Nozzles, and Thrusts, Oh My

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement

Aria Eppinger, 15, Pittsburgh, PA for Roundup's Effect on Human Gut Bacteria

Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation

Kaien Yang, 14, Chantilly, VA for iDiagnostic: Invention of an Early Detection Tool for Major Depressive Disorder

Lemelson Award for Invention

Nathan Deng, 14, San Marino, CA for Drop by Drop: Manipulating the Surface Tension of Water to Find the Best Way of Cleaning

Science Award

First place: Ananya Ganesh, Sandy Springs, GA for Bruxism: Using Myoelectric Signals to Treat a Common Health Problem

Second place: Cynthia Chen, Cupertino, CA for A Novel Method for Reducing Water Consumption in Germinating Seeds

Technology Award

First place: Adishree Ghatare, San Jose, CA for A Software Application as a Learning Platform for Increasing Memory Retention of Definitions of Words

Second place: Shreya Ramachandran, Fremont, CA for The Effect of Soap Nut Grey Water on the Environment

Engineering Award

First place: Brendan Crotty, Muskogee, OK for Comparative Study of Insulating Materials for a Gas Forge

Second place: Emhyr Subramanian, Aurora, CO for A Study of Super-Absorbent Polymers and their Effectiveness in Organic Waste Extraction

Mathematics Award

First place: Anushka Naiknaware, Portland, OR for Chitosan and Carbon Nanoparticle based Biocompatible Sensor for Wound Management

Second place: Olivia Lazorik, Fort Pierce, FL for Climate Change Problem: The Effect of Ocean Acidification on the Growth and Coloration of Lysmata wurdemanni

Rising Stars Award

James Fagan, Riverside, CA for A Wind Tunnel to Test for the Best Aerodynamic Characteristics for Flight on Mars

Ashini Modi, Shreveport, LA for Dark Matter: The Hidden Universe

Team Award

Each member of the team that best demonstrates their ability to work together, and solve problems through shared decision making, communication and scientific and engineering collaboration. The winning team included : Nathan Deng, Aria Eppinger, Anushka Naiknaware, Rachel Pizzolato, and Lucas Ritzdorf.

Scott A. McGregor Leadership Award

Finalists select one student from the group based on their leadership abilities to represent their class as a speaker at the awards ceremony. Winner: Nikolai Ortiz

2015

The Samueli Foundation Prize: $25,000 Winner: Annie Ostojic, 13, of Munster, Ind. Project: A Novel Microwave Cavity Design Using Cylindrical Parabolic Reflectors to Optimize Energy Efficiency Grand prize winner Annie Ostojic was awarded the Samueli Foundation Prize for her mastery of STEM principles and team leadership demonstrated throughout the rigorous weeklong competition. Her science fair project expanded upon knowledge she accumulated in prior competitions in order to apply science and engineering to innovating a more energy efficient microwave design. Ostojic performed complex experiments and designed prototypes to achieve the next level of creative solutions for environmentally friendly microwave cooking.

A three time Broadcom MASTERS participant, Ostojic won the Rising Star award as a 2014 Broadcom MASTERS finalist and represented the United States as one of 24 delegates representing 14 countries at Broadcom MASTERS International this year. Ostojic competed against over 2,400 entrants to return as a finalist of the 2015 Broadcom MASTERS.

Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: $10,000 Winner: Sebastian Mellen, 14, of San Diego, Calif. Project: MathSuite: An Innovative Android App that Makes Dreaded Calculations FUN! Published on Google Play! Sebastian Mellen was awarded the Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation for his vision and promise as an innovator who, in the spirit of radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi, demonstrated aptitude and skill in technical and mathematical concepts both with his science fair project and throughout team challenges.

Mellon was inspired by teachers who struggle with grading students' self-written examinations and classmates who wrestle with math and physics homework. To make their lives easier, Mellon applied his math and engineering acumen to design and develop an Android app for smartphones that can do a broad range of algebra calculations that are routinely used in math, physics and other sciences.

STEM Award Winners: Each of these finalists (first and second place award winners) were selected for demonstrated skills and promise in each of the disciplines represented by STEM. First place winners are awarded $3,500 and second place winners receive $2,500, in each case to support the finalist's choice of STEM summer camp experiences offered around the country. Each STEM winner also wins an iPad.

Science Award: First Place: Maximilian Du, Manlius, N.Y., for his project on a new method to measure and extract caffeine from drinks. Second place: Hannah O. Cevasco, San Carlos, Calif., for her research on the healing properties of honey.

Technology Award: First place: Manasa (Hari) Bhimaraju, Cupertino, Calif., for her project on a low-cost animated teaching tool for the study of elements in the periodic table with an interface for the visually impaired. Second place: Anusha Zaman, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for her project on the potential health effects of betel use.

Engineering Award: First place: Avery P. Clowes, Bolton, Mass., for his project on an electrostatic generator. Second place: Soyoun Choi, Melbourne, Florida, for her project on the effect of bilingualism on cognitive development in adolescents.

Mathematics Award: First place: David Yue, Plano, Texas for his project on 3-D x-ray reconstruction processing and its application to cancer prevention. Second place: Madison A. Toonder, St. Augustine, Fla., for her project on the study on the effect of sunblock nanoparticles on oysters' ability to filter bay water.

Rising Stars Award: Evelyn Bodoni, Centennial, Colo., for her project on the prevalence and reasons for student cheating. Anish Singhani, San Ramon, Calif., for his project on an electronic system that lets a person use brain waves to control devices, such as a wheelchair and computer keyboard.

Scott A. McGregor Leadership Award: Avery P. Clowes, Bolton, Mass.

2014

• Samueli Foundation Prize: Holly Jackson (San Jose, CA) ^[6]
• Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: Sahar Khashayar (San Diego, CA)
• STEM Awards (First and Second places respectively)
  • Science: James Roney (Santa Barbara, CA) and Daniel Bruce (San Diego, CA)
  • Technology: Aditya Jain (Portland, OR) and Nikhil Behari (Sewickley, PA)
  • Engineering: Chythanya Murali (Little Rock, AR) and Annika Urban (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Math: Rajiv Movva (San Jose, CA) and Jonathan Okasinski (Harleysville, PA)
  • Rising Stars Award: Annie Ostojic (Munster, IN) and Raghav Ganesh (San Jose, CA)

2013

• Samueli Foundation Prize: River Grace (West Melbourne, FL)^[7]
• Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: Eitan Acks (San Diego, CA)^[8]

2012

• Samueli Foundation Prize: Raymond Gilmartin (South Pasadena, CA)^[9]
• Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: Jessika Baral (Fremont, CA)^[10]

2011

• 1st Place: Daniel Feeny (Woodside, CA)^[11]
• 2nd Place: Benjamin Hylak (Oxford, PA)
• 3rd Place: I-Chun Lin (Plano, TX)^[12]

References