Oak Park River Forest High School junior Maya Souden first noticed the Investigative Research Design and Innovation class when she was a freshman flipping through the school’s offerings and planning her next four years.
“My first thought was, ‘What’s that?” she said. “My next thought was, ‘How do I take it?'”
She had good instincts. She and her classmates in the program spent the school year creating and implementing a unique research project of their own design. All 11 members of the class entered their projects in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, one of the country’s most prestigious competitions for high school students highlighting original research in STEM fields. From all the submissions in the competition’s Chicago region, 12 students were invited to present their papers in person on March 19 at Loyola University — including all 11 members of the OPRFHS class.
“It was amazing to see everyone in this class be invited,” said Allison Hennings, who created the class and has been teaching it for the last 13 years. “To have 11 out of the 12 spots filled with our students was something special.”
Five students were chosen to advance to the national finals, and once again, it was a clean sweep for OPRFHS, which took all five places. Souden won first place overall, while her classmates Emily Hsieh, Sylvia Gimbel, Shealy Callahan and Nadya Dhillon all advanced to the national finals, to be held April 20-23 in Albuquerque, N.M.
“I really think that had this whole class been spread over different regions for this competition, we probably could have all gone,” Souden said. “It was such a tight competition against each other.”
The national Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, will bring together more than 400 high school students to present their work in front of experts in their field.
“It’s broken down into categories,” Hennings said. “Each presentation is judged by expert mentors in their field. They ask high-level questions and challenge the kids.”
The Investigative Research Design and Innovation class, better known as IRDI at the high school, was designed hy Hennings to give students an opportunity to follow their interests in STEM fields while learning the techniques behind creating successful scientifically based inquiries.
“We started the class after having lots of students who had an interest in doing individual research,” she said. “I wanted to make sure they had the space to do it.”
Students begin each year determining for themselves the project they’d like to pursue.
“They come in and some of them are very into engineering, some of them are very into medical sciences, and really any area of STEM,” Hennings said. “They do whatever they are passionate about. They drive it 100 percent.”
They start by reading scientific literature and identifying gaps in the established research. Hennings then encourages them to design a way to address that particular issue.
Souden’s project idea came in part from her own experience after a knee operation. The mechanics of the surgery fascinated her, so she began researching techniques that could be improved. The result was her project titled, “Pneumatic Extravascular Device for Variable Aortic Occlusion: Proof of Concept Design and Testing.”
“I was also interested in soft robotics,” she said, describing the term as taking the rigid components of traditional robotics like metal and plastic and substituting them with materials that are inflatable, use hydraulics or feature other soft elements. “To me that would have some kind of application in surgery in terms of complicated angles and soft movements.”
For her project, she created a donut-shaped, flexible device that could be used in place of a mechanical clamp during surgery. It inflates around an artery or vein to stop the blood flow, but unlike a clamp, the pressure can be adjusted in tiny increments, allowing the surgeon to dial in an exact amount of restriction.
“You want to (take the blood flow) to a lower level so surgeons can make the repairs,” she said. “But when you cut off that much blood flow, it messes up a bunch other stuff in the body.”
Souden and the rest of the students in the class get their hands dirty, making models with 3D printers and using injection molding techniques to create physical products.
Senior Josie Humber focused her project on two algae species, studying how they could be cultivated better to maximize carbon sequestration. “This is a natural way you can remove carbon from the atmosphere,” she said. “Algae is much more effective than planting trees…. You can envision algae farms next to energy plants in the future.”
The increase in endoscopy-related infections inspired senior Nadya Dhillon’s research project. Endoscopy is when a medical device is inserted into the body to give a doctor a better view inside. One of these devices, called a duodenoscope, is challenging to sterilize due to its small and intricate components that harbor bacteria. She came up with a new procedure that could do the job better than standard practices.
“I basically use three solutions in a medley, and when they’re combined, they amplify each other,” she said.
“I am honored and humbled to work with such amazing students who approach each day with unique problem-solving skills,” Hennings said. “It is incredible to have students take ownership of learning that has direct applicability to solving real-world problems and watch them grow.”
Such complex topics may seem overwhelming for high school students, but Hennings encourages the class to seek out mentors outside the school who can help them better understand specific gaps in scientific knowledge.
“If you ask someone, they’re almost always happy to help,” Dhillon said. “I had people who would jump on a Zoom call or give me advice on my research. I’d never met them before, but they liked what we were doing.”
“I’m always amazed how people are willing to help,” Hennings said. “When they see students have a genuine interest in working hard, almost everyone responds.”
Those heading off to Albuquerque for the national competition are excited to be in the running for the nearly $200,000 in scholarships that will be awarded there, but they’re also just as happy to take part in a symposium that attracts so many people involved in the STEM fields.
“It’s just incredible to realize that I’m a part of all this,” Souden said. “I just can’t wait to see what everyone else is bringing there.”