Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

JSHS at The Beach

"Decorative"

The CSULB Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department is the proud regional host for the California Southern Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.

JSHS invites high school students across the country to report on the results of their original research investigations in STEM and compete for scholarships and recognition at university-held regional symposia. We are excited to help the JSHS encourage high students to conduct original STEM research, and publicly recognize their outstanding achievements.

Southern California students in grades 9-12 enrolled in public, private, or home schools are eligible to participate in our local Regional Symposium (Note: Northern California students can visit the JSHS website for more information). See Rules of Competition for eligibility details. 

CSJSHS 2025 Flyer

There is no cost to register for or participate in a regional JSHS event. 

Dates and Deadlines:

Symposium: Feb. 19-20, 2025
Applications Open: Oct. 15, 2024
Proposals Due: Nov. 22, 2024
Selection Notification: Dec. 07, 2025
Invited Paper Submissions: Feb. 15, 2025
Posters and Presentations Due: Feb. 15, 2025

Sponsored and Administered by:

Dr. Mahdi Yoozbashizadeh, Regional Director
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
California State University Long Beach
Phone: 562.985.5257
Email: mahdi.yoozbashizadeh@csulb.edu

Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) is a Department of Defense sponsored STEM program (U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force). Promotes original research and experimentation in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the high school level through competition at regional and national levels in eight core STEM areas:

  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Engineering & Technology
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Life & Behavioral Sciences
  • Math & Computer Science
  • Medicine & Health
  • Physical Sciences

WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE? 

  • Develop and conduct original STEM research.Meet like-minded peers from other schools/regions.
  • Receive free mentorship from professionals and experts in your chosen STEM field.
  • Participate in a regional symposium and present to your peers and STEM personnel from the Department of Defense, federal research laboratories, and academia.
  • Regional top five winners are sponsored to attend and compete at the National JSHS competition.
  • Win scholarships for college and get publicly recognized for your work!
  • Connections for future research opportunities y other Army, Navy, and Air Force STEM programs, y universities, and y other STEM professionals.
  • Access to Department of Defense, university, and STEM industry laboratory tours, speakers, and other activities to provide insight into STEM careers and professional development.

All JSHS student applicants must submit a 250-word maximum abstract in electronic format. The abstract should accurately convey the essential nature of the research conducted and the most significant conclusions reached. The abstract must include the hypothesis and any conclusions reached as a result of the research. A further purpose of the abstract is to attract the interest and curiosity of the non-specialist reader and thus encourage exchange, discussion, and elaboration between various authors and between authors and readers. 

The format for the 250-word abstract includes 1-inch margins, single spaced, typed in 12-point font (Times New Roman). Abstracts must be adequate in length but not exceed these specifications. The header preceding the abstract body must include: 

  1. Title of the research;
  2. Author name;
  3. High school, high school city, high school state;
  4. Name of teacher/mentor/sponsor and his or her organization. Precede the individual's name with a subheading (i.e. teacher, mentor, sponsor);
  5. Include one line of space between the heading and the abstract body.   

Symposium proceedings will include abstracts. Please carefully proofread your submission since abstracts will not be retyped or edited. Abstracts must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents unless otherwise specified during the registration process.

Regional Finalists' Awards

A total of $4,500 in undergraduate tuition scholarships is disbursed by each region.

  • 1st Place receives $2,000
  • 2nd Place receives $1,500
  • 3rd Place receives $1,000

National Competition Awards

In addition to scholarships, the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force invite the top five finalists from each Regional Symposium to the National JSHS Symposium to present their original research; expenses paid.

  • The 1st and 2nd place regional finalists will present their research in the oral competition to compete for National JSHS scholarships.
  • The 3rd, 4th and 5th place regional finalists will present their research in the poster competition to compete for cash awards.

National Finalists' Awards

A total of $192,000 in undergraduate tuition scholarships is presented to the top three finalists in the National Symposium research paper oral competition in each of the eight subject categories.

  • Each of the 1st Place finalists receives $12,000
  • Each of the 2nd Place finalists receives $8,000
  • Each of the 3rd Place finalists receives $4,000

Cash awards will be presented to the top three finalists in the National Symposium research poster competition in each of the eight subject categories.

  • Each of the 1st Place finalists receives a cash award of $550
  • Each of the 2nd Place finalists receives a cash award of $450
  • Each of the 3rd Place finalists receives a cash award of $350

See Rules and Eligibility for further information

Regional Teacher Awards

JSHS honors individual teachers and their schools’ contributions to advancing student participation in STEM research. Each school year, 10 teachers are honored with a $1,000 cash prize. Read about the most recent awardees here. 

Any student who starts a research project and intends to submit their research at the regional JSHS competition is able to sign up for virtual mentoring through the Chronus platform. The mentor resource is available year-round to support you throughout the JSHS competition season and the non-competition time of completing research or improving continued projects. Join Chronus as a mentee here.