DMS Student Named Among Top 300 Junior Innovators

Dorseyville Middle School seventh-grader Rishabh Krishnamurthy was recently named one of the Top 300 Junior Innovators in the inaugural Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (Thermo Fisher JIC). The Thermo Fisher JIC is the nation’s premier science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competition for middle school students. The Thermo Fisher JIC, a program of Society for Science, seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers, and innovators to solve the grand challenges of the 21st century.

The Top 300 Junior Innovators (including 15 from Pennsylvania) were selected from nearly 2,000 students from 49 states, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. Students who are named in the top 10% of their local science fair are eligible to enter the contest. Rishabh was chosen based on his project “Modeling the Detection of Pathogens in Sewage Sheds,” for which he was awarded a first place in the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair in March 2023. 

Each of the Top 300 Junior Innovators will receive a cash prize from the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as a special prize package. A total of 30 Thermo Fisher JIC finalists will be announced September 20 and will compete for more than $100,000 in awards and prizes.

Thermo Fisher was named the title sponsor of the Society’s middle school competition in August 2022. It was previously sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation.