NMJAS – Archives – New Mexico Academy of Science

State Competition Winners

2022

Cash awards were provided by a grant from Sandia National Labs.

Senior Division
First Place: Daniel Kim & Andres Iturregui, Los Alamos HS [abstract]
Second Place: Aditya Kousil, La Cueva HS
Third Place: McKenna Collins, San Juan College HS
Honorable Mention: Chloe Rychener, Grants HS

Junior Division
First Place: Tate Plohr, Los Alamos MS
Second Place: Anna Simakov & Liv Niklasson, Los Alamos MS
Third Place: Ahana K. Koushik, AIMS MS

2021

Senior division
First Place: Aditiya Koushik, La Cueva High School (Albuquerque)
Second Place: Karin Ebey, Los Alamos High School
Third Place: McKenna Collins, AIMS High School (Albuquerque)
Fourth Place: Gabriel Gurule, AIMS High School (Albuquerque)

For a complete list of State Competition NMJAS winners as well as AVS Science & Technology Society winners between 2003 and 2022 click here.

First Place Winners and their Abstracts

2022, Daniel Kim & Andres Iturregui
2021, Aditiya Koushik
2020, Karin Ebey
2019, Rusty Ludwigsen
2018, Lillian Peterson
2017, Sanjiv Harikumar
2016, Rusty Ludwigsen
2015 Jovan Zhang
2014, Jeongmin Lee
2013, Amanda Mercer
2012, Nikita Bodganov
2011, Fiona McCrossin
2010, Laura B. Lane
2009, Ryan Erickson
2008, Megan Johnson
2007, Shandiin Copeland
2006, Anna Trugman
2005, Keely Goodgame
2004, Mahlet Woldemariam
2003, Nigel Reuel
2002 Naveen Sinha
2001, Tom Widland
2000, Naveen Sinha

Student published papers

State competition winners are eligible to be published in the New Mexico Journal of Science of that year. The following winners have had their paper published.

2020, Karin Ebey – Climate Change on Crocodilians: Modeling the Effects of Variations in Rainfall on Crocodilians and their Ecosystem
2018, Karin Ebey, AnaMaria Perez, and Ksenia Sevostianov – 2018 NM Journal of Science
2017, Lea Godret-Miertschin and Sanjib Harikumar – 2017 NM Journal of Science
2016, Rusty Ludwigsen, Lillian Petersen, and Alex Silverhart – 2016 NM Journal of Science

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Understand how the NM Junior Academy of Science Paper Competition works – eligibility, the process, expectations …
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NMJAS 2022 Regional Competition Information

Details for the 2022 New Mexico Junior Academy ion Science Research Paper Competition – dates, contacts, and links. Funding for NMJAS is generously provided by Sandia National Labs and the Los Alamos National Lab employees. Thank you! …
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New Mexico Junior Academy of Science – 2021 State Winners

Congratulations to all of the students who presented their research at the New Mexico Junior Academy of Science competition. 1st Place – Aditya Kiran Koushik, La Cueva High School, Albuquerque: Designing a Monte Carlo python computer program to model random mutations across T-cell resistant sequences and hotspots in the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein 2nd Place – Karin Ebey, Los Alamos High School; Climate change on crocodilians: modeling the effects of phenological shifts 3rd Place – McKenna Collins, Albuquerque Institute for Math and Science: Just passing through: using hemispheric sensing with trajectory prediction to mechanically dodge space debris 4th Place – Gabriel Gurule, Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science: Solving the issue of inefficiency for multiple faceted variable energy systems …
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NMJAS Update

By Lynn Brandvold, NMJAS Director

The American Academy of Science (AJAS) is an Honor Society for students who have done outstanding scientific research projects and is a program of the National Association of Academies of Science (NAAS) of which NMAS is a member. AJAS meets annually in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference. Each State Academy nominates students who are invited to attend the conference and be inducted into the AJAS Honor Society. The program is not a competition but rather an opportunity for national exposure to science professionals from colleges and laboratories.

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2020 State NMJAS Senior Division Research Paper Winner

CLIMATE CHANGE ON CROCODILIANS: MODELING THE EFFECTS OF VARIATIONS IN RAINFALL ON CROCODILIANS AND THEIR ECOSYSTEM
Karin Ebey, Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos

ABSTRACT
Climate change is projected to cause significant changes to global precipitation patterns. To explore how crocodilians and their ecosystems are impacted by variations in rainfall, a model of was created using a novel adaptation of the Lotka-Volterra equations. The model uses a time step of months, and includes a crocodilian, three plant species, and eight other animal species. Each year, populations are impacted by predator-prey interactions and reproduction. Rainfall only impacts the ecosystem through the plant populations. This model was validated by running it with Louisiana rainfall data from 1970-2018 and comparing the outputs …
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Call for Judges

NMAS sponsors the New Mexico competition for the Junior Academy of Science – a research paper competition designed to enrich the communication aspects of scientific research. This year, all competitions will be held virtually, mostly in March.

Are you able to judge? Details of the competition and dates can be found on the NJMAS page. Please contact Malva Knoll to find out more or volunteer to judge.

2021 NMJAS Scientific Paper Competition

One of our signature programs is the NM Junior Academy of Science paper competition. Students in grades 6-12 write a scientific paper and present their research with an oral PowerPoint. Students must complete research, but Science fair participation is not required. This year (like last year), the competition will be held via Zoom.

Download the flyer or visit our NMJAS page for details and resources.

The application deadline is February 16, 2021 for the March 4-5, 2021 virtual competition.