Four Georgia students have earned national recognition as part of the Top 300 Junior Innovators in the 2025 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge —the premier U.S. STEM competition for middle schoolers.
Chosen from nearly 1,900 applicants across 48 states and U.S. territories, these students stood out for projects tackling everything from earthquake safety to sustainable materials.
Georgia’s Top 300 Junior Innovators:
- Patrick Xia, Taylor Road Middle School — Sugarcane in 3D Printing
- Pranav Banerjee, Daniell Middle School — Designing Earthquake-Resilient Buildings: MRF Dampers and Advanced Earthquake Detection for Enhanced Safety
- Archan Morajkar, Richard Hull Middle School — Spark Shark
- Andrew Wang, Chamblee Middle School — Enhancing Bioplastics: The Impact of Natural Additives on Flexibility
The Thermo Fisher JIC celebrates creativity and problem-solving in science and engineering. Students who place in the top 10% of their regional science fair are eligible to apply, making the Georgia students’ recognition a mark of distinction in an already competitive field.
Nationally, this year’s projects explored artificial intelligence, chronic diseases, waste reduction, bioplastics, space exploration and more. The Top 300 will be narrowed to 30 finalists on September 17, who will compete in Washington, D.C., for major awards, including the $25,000 ASCEND Award for groundbreaking discoveries.
Each Top 300 student receives a $125 prize from DoD STEM, plus access to research software and resources to continue their work.
Why it matters for Georgia:
These four middle schoolers are part of a growing pipeline of young scientists tackling global challenges from their classrooms. Their recognition highlights the strength of local STEM education and its potential to shape future innovations in sustainability, engineering and health.
The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge is organized by Society for Science, a nonprofit that has supported world-class science competitions for over a century.
