The Ohio Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (OJSHS) began in 1958 after the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik in order to promote high standards and cutting edge research and to be a beneficial and educational experience for its secondary school participants.
Even today, STEM education is critically important to the state of Ohio, the country, and the planet. Capital University, in Columbus, OH has hosted this event for the past two years.
Previously other universities such as Toledo and Bowling Green have served as the sponsoring site. In order to participate in the symposium, students must submit their research papers and be selected into one of the two levels of competition.
The top twenty-eight papers in the state present a 12-minute oral slide presentation of their research followed by a questioning period from the judges and audience.
The top five scoring projects then advance to the national competition in Virginia in April. The poster competition is the other method to compete which allows students to interview with a small judging group at their project board and also collaborate with like-minded peers.
Hilltop seniors James Bell, Aiden Funkhouser, and Ranie Roesch were each selected to give oral presentations of their two-year investigations.
Bell’s project was “Examining Produce Yield of Capiscum annuum in Compost Rich Soil While Tracking Household Waste Reduction”.
Funkhouser presented his findings on “Caffeine’s Effect on Digestion”. Roesch examined the “Effectiveness of Acne Cleansers on Staphylococcus epidermidis”.
Hilltop junior, Maggie Wheeler, competed in the poster division with her project testing “The Strength of Threads and Stitch Types on Cotton Fabric”.