Some of the brightest high school students from around Central and Southern New Jersey came to Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst (NAWCAD LKE) on Feb. 24 for the annual New Jersey Southern Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS).

The event is open to high school students conducting research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The students compete for scholarships and other awards by presenting their results to a panel of judges and their peers. The top five finalists advance to the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Virginia later this year.

While the symposium has been in Ocean County for seven years, this marked the first time NAWCAD LKE hosted the event co-sponsored by the Army, Navy and Air Force. The day included oral and poster presentations on various scientific topics, ranging from local water quality issues to robotic arms to the overall winner Riya Pawar from Manalapan High School, who presented her topic entitled “Comprehensive Cyber Defense System: A Look into Adaptive Protection for the Most Common Ransomware Attacks.”

“Our organization’s success in supporting Naval Aviation always depends on our people. You are our future,” NAWCAD LKE Executive Director Kathleen P. Donnelly said in her welcoming remarks. “We need your bright minds, creativity and diverse perspectives to support our Sailors and Marines, to get them the best technology and capabilities they need to keep themselves and our country safe.”

NAWCAD LKE Site Lead for educational outreach Gaetan Mangano, reflected on the work that went into the Symposium’s success, “what you don’t see are the many volunteers who supported today’s event starting months ago with paper evaluations, student orientation and mentoring sessions and finally dry-run rehearsals. There are so many people across a multitude of industry, academia and government who make this annual event a labor of love.  This year was especially memorable with our hosting the event at JBMDL and with so many of our workforce pitching in to make the Flight Deck Community space a perfect symposium venue and providing judges to listen to all 16 of the presenters.”

Director of the New Jersey Southern Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Mary-Ellen Rada said the event was previously held on the Ocean County College campus or at a local hotel. However, hosting this year’s event at a site known for its decades of scientific research made it more special for all participants.

“This has been amazing for these students to be exposed to it, and it also brought more people in as far as the engineers and the people from the base that have been extraordinarily helpful and kind and gracious,” Rada said.

Not only did the students present their research to the judges, made up of NAWCAD Lakehurst personnel, but they also answered questions from experts in the fields they may want to pursue someday. It is that interaction that Rada said makes the event a success.

“That’s the whole point of the symposium in a nutshell. To celebrate their achievement, their drive, their dedication, and to have them network and get exposed to potential future careers,” she said.

JSHS is one of many STEM education outreach programs NAWCAD Lakehurst supports, including STEM fairs and competitions, capstone projects at universities, and scholarship programs aimed at increasing student interest in STEM at the middle school, high school and college level. It also hosts student tours of its labs, test sites and manufacturing facilities.