To prepare for the competition, the students spent the first trimester asking questions and researching possible topics for their individual PJAS investigations. They then each chose a specific question to answer through their work, developed a hypothesis, and designed a procedure to obtain results that would support or reject their hypothesis. By the second trimester, students were ordering materials and running their investigations, completing much of their work independently at home. Students then organized their data, analyzed their results, and created presentations to share their findings.

Though the students were expecting to deliver their presentations in person this year, they were notified mid-January that the PJAS regional competition would be held remotely. Upper School Chemistry Teacher and PJAS Faculty Advisor Lynne St. Hilaire shares that though this was initially disappointing for the students, they pivoted expertly and with tremendous effort, working tirelessly to create audio recordings of their speeches for submission to the PJAS judges.

“I am so proud of all these students for their ability to modify their plans and pivot when necessary to ultimately complete detailed research and submit professional presentations,” says Ms. St. Hilaire. “Through the completion of these projects, their independence, confidence in conducting scientific research, and ability to interpret data have grown so much. I am thrilled with all of their work and can't wait to see what our students achieve at the state competition in May!”