Broadcom MASTERS awards honor science, invention and teamwork

Middle school competition awards students for thinking creatively and using science smarts

Broadcom MASTERS 2016

Nobel Prize winner H. Robert Horvitz with the 30 finalists of the 2016 Broadcom MASTERS.

L. Doane/SSP

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday night, 30 excited teens and tweens cheered each other on at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Over the previous few days, they had competed in teams to solve scientific problems and showed off their winning science fair projects. Now, they were receiving honors and recognition, and $100,000 in prize money, at the Broadcom MASTERS competition.

The Broadcom MASTERS (which stands for Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars) was created by Society for Science & the Public. It’s sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation. Society for Science & the Public also published Science News for Students and this blog. Every year, this competition brings together middle-school science fair winners from around the country. These hardworking teens then get to celebrate their achievements at a gala dinner. Eureka! Lab was on hand to live-tweet the event on November 1.

We’ve put together a Storify of the night’s events below. Congratulations to all of the winners on their creativity, teamwork and effort!
 

 

Broadcom MASTERS 2016

The awards ceremony for the 30 finalists of the Broadcom Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars competition

 
  1.  
    Getting excited for the Broadcom MASTERS awards ceremony! Follow along with us here! #brcmMASTERS https://t.co/MGyZ6Oa49B
    Getting excited for the Broadcom MASTERS awards ceremony! Follow along with us here! #brcmMASTERS pic.twitter.com/MGyZ6Oa49B
     
  2.  
    Our master of ceremonies tonight is Joe Palca @joesbigidea from NPR. #brcmMASTERS
     
  3.  
  4.  
    “I look before me, and I see tomorrow’s innovators.” – @MayaAjmera #brcmMASTERS
     
  5.  
    “You are all winners” @MayaAjmera says to the finalists #brcmMASTERS
     
  6.  
    But success doesn’t come on its own. Remember to thank your parents, teachers, mentors and friends. – @MayaAjmera #brcmMASTERS
     
  7.  
    Now from Broadcom, Paula Golden, who is committed to expanding STEM knowledge #brcmMASTERS https://t.co/j3tKggyaac
    Now from Broadcom, Paula Golden, who is committed to expanding STEM knowledge #brcmMASTERS pic.twitter.com/j3tKggyaac
     
  8.  
    “You may end up somewhere you never dreamed, just because you followed your passion” @PaulaGolden48 encourages the 2016 #brcmMASTERS
     
  9.  
    Next up is the McGregor award, a #brcmMASTERS finalist picked by his peers for his leadership.
     
  10.  
    The McGregor award goes to Nickolai Ortiz! #brcmMASTERS our new class speaker! https://t.co/i5SL3E0jsq
    The McGregor award goes to Nickolai Ortiz! #brcmMASTERS our new class speaker! pic.twitter.com/i5SL3E0jsq
     
  11.  
    “As a #brcmMASTERS I feel like I’ve found my people.” Nickolai Ortiz.
     
  12.  
    Our keynote speaker tonight is Lindsay T. Aitchison, from NASA’s Johnson Space Center. #brcmMASTERS https://t.co/Xg4TxrhdEG
    Our keynote speaker tonight is Lindsay T. Aitchison, from NASA’s Johnson Space Center. #brcmMASTERS pic.twitter.com/Xg4TxrhdEG
     
  13.  
    Aitchinson says her parents took her by NASA on the way to Disney. Doesn’t remember Disney but boy did she remember NASA. #brcmMASTERS
     
  14.  
    I never thought I’d be designing space suits, but you have to be open to changing your path. – Lindsay Aitchison #STEM #brcmMASTERS
     
  15.  
    Aitchison says don’t be afraid to fail, shared funny stories of spacesuit flubs, including ending up on your back “like a bug” #brcmMASTERS
     
  16.  
    “Don’t be afraid to fail: you learn a lot from failing smart.” – Lindsay Aitchison #STEM #STEMadvice #brcmMASTERS
     
  17.  
    These finalists are definitely not afraid to fail. Listen below to some of the times their science projects blew up in their faces, and what they learned from the fallout.
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  19.  
  20.  
    Guess what?? The names of the #brcmMASTERS have been submitted to get their names on an asteroid!!!
     
  21.  
    The finalists and their teachers got their names entered in a lottery at MIT Lincoln Lab’s Ceres Connection. If they get chosen, their name will end up on a minor planet!
  22.  
    The team award goes to team purple! Nathan Deng, Aria Eppinger, Anushka Naiknaware, Rachel Pizzolato, Lucas Ritzdorf! #brcmMASTERS
     
  23.  
  24.  
    The rising star award goes to the #brcmMASTERS who most serve others. This year, Ashini Modi and James Fagan!
     
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  26.  
    James Fagan studied what would be required to fly on Mars. #brcmMASTERS
     
  27.  
    STEM award winners get scholarships to summer camp! #brcmMASTERS
     
  28.  
    2nd place in science: Cynthia Chen, who studied how to sprout seeds with less water, to help farmers in drought. #brcmMASTERS
     
  29.  
    1st place in science: Ananya Ganesh, who studied muscle signals to treat teeth grinding. #brcmMASTERS
     
  30.  
    2nd place in tech: Shreya Ramachandran, who studied the effects of soap nut grey water on the environment. #brcmMASTERS
     
  31.  
    1st place in tech: Adishree Ghatare, who made software for helping people learn new words. #brcmMASTERS
     
  32.  
    2nd place in engineering: Emhyr Subramanian. He studied super absorbent polymers to get rid of waste. #brcmMASTERS
     
  33.  
    1st place in engineering: Brendan Crotty, who studied the best way to insulate a gas forge. #brcmMASTERS
     
  34.  
    2nd place in math: Olivia Lazorik. Her project studied the effects of ocean acidification on shrimp. #brcmMASTERS
     
  35.  
    1st place in math: Anushka Naiknaware, who developed a sensor for when to change bandages on wounds. #brcmMASTERS
     
  36.  
    A new award this year, the Lemelson award! #brcmMASTERS
     
  37.  
    The @LemelsonFdn Award for Invention is given to a young inventor creating promising solutions to real-world problems. #brcmMASTERS
     
  38.  
    The Lemelson award goes to a #brcmMASTERS who embodies invention! Winner gets $7,500.
     
  39.  
    This year’s Lemelson award goes to Nathan Deng, who manipulated surface tensions of cleaning fluid. #brcmMASTERS
     
  40.  
    The Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation is awarded to a student that demonstrates prowess in electrical engineering. #brcmMASTERS
     
  41.  
    The Marconi/Samueli award for innovation takes home $10k. #brcmMASTERS
     
  42.  
    The Marconi/Samueli award goes to Kaien Yang, who designed a tool to detect depression early. #brcmMASTERS
     
  43.  
    The @RWJF Award recognizes a student whose work shows the most promise in health-related fields. #brcmMASTERS
     
  44.  
    Another new award this year, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for health advancement. #brcmMASTERS The winner gets $20k!
     
  45.  
    The Robert Wood Johnson award goes to Aria Eppinger, who studied the effect of a pesticide on gut bacteria. #brcmMASTERS
     
  46.  
    The #SamueliFoundation Prize is awarded to a student who exemplifies how research, innovation, & teamwork come together to impact our lives
     
  47.  
    The teacher of the #SamueliFoundation Prize winner also receives $1000 for his or her classroom, courtesy of @Deloitte.
     
  48.  
    The Samueli foundation grand prize is our last prize, winner takes home $25k. For science, inspired thinking and leadership. #brcmMASTERS
     
  49.  
    The Samueli prize goes to Eleanor Sigrest, who studied rockets, nozzles and thrusts! #brcmMASTERS https://t.co/aNHfBlIXI3
    The Samueli prize goes to Eleanor Sigrest, who studied rockets, nozzles and thrusts! #brcmMASTERS pic.twitter.com/aNHfBlIXI3
     
  50.  
    Congratulations to all the finalists! You are all incredible and all winners! #brcmMASTERS https://t.co/ODG4ApoT4x
    Congratulations to all the finalists! You are all incredible and all winners! #brcmMASTERS pic.twitter.com/ODG4ApoT4x
     

Bethany Brookshire was a longtime staff writer at Science News Explores and is the author of the book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. She has a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology and likes to write about neuroscience, biology, climate and more. She thinks Porgs are an invasive species.

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