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) for high school students enrolled in grades 9-12 who engage in research investigations in the sciences, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Students are invited to compete in an affiliated JSHS regional symposium and may win the opportunity to advance to the National JSHS.
Awards Available: 3 scholarship winners at each of the 49 regional events, with additional scholarships for National Winners
Eligibility Rules: Regional and National Symposia
- Students may compete in only one regional symposium. The address of the student’s school determines the region with the exception of the Virtual Region.
- Citizenship. Students must be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States or U.S. territory to participate in JSHS.
- Continuation projects. Students may continue a research investigation; however, a study which merely adds data from a previous year’s project is not considered a strong continuation project. If a continuation project is submitted, the student must discuss how the project was expanded (e.g., methodology, new variables); discuss any revisions in experimentation and present new data.
- A student may present a report on work done as part of a class project, or as a science fair project, or summer research project.
- Team projects - A team leader should be selected to register and present the results of the group work. The research may not be presented by any other member of the team. The judging criteria used to judge all JSHS presentations remains the same. The presentation should focus on the coordinated efforts of all team members and properly acknowledge the contributions of the team (students, mentors, and/or teachers).
- Team project awards. If an individual presenter from a group project is selected as a Regional finalist and is invited to present at the National JSHS, the same presenter must present at the National Symposium. Scholarships and other awards available at
- Regional and National Symposia are awarded to the presenter. Projects that are demonstrations, ‘library’ research or informational projects are not appropriate for JSHS.
- The date/time for the student’s presentation is determined by regional and national symposia leadership. A student must be present for the assigned time or risk disqualification.
Students who wish to apply to JSHS should utilize the region’s registration link to apply and submit all required work for regional submission. At the time of registration, students should be prepared to:
- Submit a written report (abstract or abstract and paper) of the completed research investigation through Ideal-Logic for review by a regional panel of judges. This is clarified in each region’s registration home page.
- Submit the JSHS-provided Statement on Outside Assistance form, which states your role in the conduct of the research investigation, describes any outside assistance received, and attests to the proper conduct of research procedures and protocols in any research involving vertebrate animals or human subjects; deliver a concise oral presentation to the symposium.
- Complete registration with all application materials through Ideal-Logic by the regional submission deadline.
- Comply with regional and national rules and policies that apply to the preparation of written reports and presentations.
The written and oral reports should present the results of the student’s original research investigation.
Assistance from teachers, mentors, parents, or other students may be obtained. However, students must clearly communicate their role in the completion of the investigation and understanding of the research results. JSHS specifically forbids the use of ChatGPT or any other generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to write their report. Any use of AI tools must be clearly identified in the Statement of Outside Assistance.
Students do not need teacher or mentor sponsorship to register for JSHS.
Schedule and Deadlines
Eligible high school students are invited to apply to the JSHS Regional Symposium in their area.
Application deadlines vary by region. Students and teachers are strongly encouraged to visit the JSHS website to find the regional submission deadline.
October – January JSHS Regional Symposia registrations open. Deadlines vary by region.
January – February JSHS Regional Symposia held.
May- National JSHS held. National JSHS student finalists win the honor to progress to National JSHS at affiliated regional symposia.
Core Rules and Guidelines for JSHS Submissions
Students apply to JSHS by submitting a written report (abstract and/or paper as required by the region) of the completed research investigation, and Statement on Outside Assistance through Ideal-Logic. Additional supplementary forms will be requested and communicate regional policies and procedures.
A first round of judging is conducted by university faculty and other STEM personnel who review the student’s submissions to select those students who will compete in the regional symposium. Selected students may be invited to present their research in an oral competition or poster competition. Selected presentations will represent the finest efforts of high school students in the region toward either original laboratory research, field research, or applied research. Both oral and poster presenters are competing at the regional symposium for the opportunity to advance to the National JSHS. The number of students who advance to National JSHS may vary based on the presentation format as determined by the regional symposium.
Eight Categories of Regional and National Symposia
At regional and National Symposia, student research presentations will be organized into eight categories. Categories are assigned based upon a review of all abstracts and the area of research suggested by the student. Categories suggested by the student are not guaranteed and may be changed after review of all abstracts.
Categories
Environmental Science
Environmental Science/Engineering: Bioremediation, Ecosystems management, Environmental engineering, Land Resource Management, Pollution, toxicity; impact upon the ecosystem
Biomedical Sciences
Biomedical medicine, Microbiology, Cellular/Molecular Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Pharmacology, Virology
Life & Behavioral Sciences
Developmental Biology, Plant Physiology, Population Genetics, General Biochemistry, Microbiology, Behavioral Sciences
Medicine & Health
Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Disease Diagnosis and Treatment, Epidemiology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Physiology, Pathology
Engineering & Technology
Aerospace, Aerodynamics, Electrical Engineering, Energy – Solar, Vehicle Development, Devices, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics
Mathematics & Computer Science
Probability and Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science – Algorithms, Databases, Networking, Computer Engineering
Physical Sciences
Astronomy, Physics-theoretical, Physics-Solid state, Acoustics, Optics, Thermodynamics, Particle Physics, Quantum Physics, Nuclear; Internet of Things–network of physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity
Chemistry
Physical Chemistry, Materials, Alternative Fuels, Organic Chemistry (possibly in life science), Chemical Engineering, Earth Science, Geochemistry, Energy–Alternative Fuels, Material Science 2023 – 2024 JSHS Core Rules of Competition v2024
View Scholarship
Scholarship Value: $12,000
Awards Available: 165
Award Deadline: Register to View