The Washington State Science & Engineering Fair (WSSEF) and Thermo Fisher Scientific are proud to announce the Top 300 competitors in the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) — the nation’s premier STEM competition for middle school students. The Thermo Fisher JIC seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators to solve the world’s most intractable challenges. The students, selected from nearly 2,000 entrants, live in 47 states, and five territories including Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. In September the top 30 finalists were chosen from this select pool to compete for more than $100,000 in awards and prizes in Washington D.C. We are proud of all our Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge nominees selected from the 2026 Washington State Science & Engineering Fair. Click here for a complete list: WSSEF 2026 Special Awards – Grades 1 – 8
Congratulations! …to the following Washington State Thermo Fisher Scientific Innovator Challenge (JIC) Top 300 Award Recipients!
Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (USWA50)
Edwin, Joanna L., Grade: 8th
School: Odle Middle School
Project Title: The Impact of DRD2 Genetic Variants on Schizophrenia Medication: An In Silico Analysis of Drug Affinity
Kamalanath, Meera, Grade: 6th
School: Rose Hill Middle School
Project Title: Chemotaxis in Physarum polycephalum as a Cellular Model for Cancer and Immunity
Karthik, Diya, Grade: 8th
School: Evergreen Middle School
Project Title: B7-H3 ImmunoPredict: AI Powered Prediction of B7-H3 in Diffuse Midline Glioma and Medulloblastoma
Rao John, Aryen, Grade: 8th
School: Eastside Preparatory School
Project Title: LIPID SHIELD: Computational and Ethnopharmacological Screening of Antioxidant Phytochemicals From Ayurvedic and Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants for Inhibiting Lipid Peroxidation
Roehmholdt, Soren, Grade: 6th
School: Silverwood School
Project Title: Does the Temperature of a Tennis Ball Affect How High It Bounces?
Sengupta, Aryadit, Grade: 7th
School: Willows Preparatory School
Project Title: FoodSense: Food Spoilage Detection and Mitigation Using Multimodal Gas and Visual Sensors Integrated With a Raspberry Pi and Machine Learning
Sun-Zhuang, Andrew, Grade: 7th
School: The Evergreen School
Project Title: VisionStrike: Portable AI-Powered Baseball Pitching Machine
Van Hoose, Violet Michelena, Grade: 8th
School: Jane Addams Middle School
Project Title: How Can Mycofiltration Be Used To Prevent Landfill Leachate From Entering Ground Water?
Xue, Olivia (#), Grade: 7th
School: Odle Middle School
Project Title: Breathe Your Way—A Music-Integrated Respiratory Training Device for Neurodivergent Youth
Congratulations! … to our Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair (USWA01) students
Kulkarni, Anvi, Grade: 8th
School: Enterprise Middle School
Project Title: Smart Irrigation: How Often Should You Water Your Plants?
Santhosh, Suhavi, Grade: 6th
School: Leona Marshall Libby Middle School
Project Title: HelpingHand: A Smart Glove Prototype Turning Signs to Sounds