Forty-eight MMI Preparatory School students participated in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) regional competition on March 2nd. Twenty-eight students earned first awards (one earned an additional first award in a second category), 18 earned second awards, and three earned third awards. The first award recipients will represent MMI in the state competition at the University Park Campus of Penn State on May 20th.

First award recipients were Cedrah Abdulrahman, Hasan Arain, Gabriella Carsia, Christina Chrin, Ian Composto, Jozef Dovicak, Jagjit Gondara (2), Daniel Griffith, Diane Kim, Kenedy Lutz, Joseph Mayernik, Nathaniel Neidlinger, Robert Orbin III, Kasra Paknezhad, Kiyan Paknezhad,Yeleiny Paniagua, Shreeya Parikh, Rishi Patel, Andrew Pedri, Evan Pedri, Gavin Serock, Caleb Skuba, Arushi Solgama, Georgia Washko, Marissa Yamulla, Madelyn Young, Madalynn Young, and Winni Zheng.

Rishi Patel, Georgia Washko, Marissa Yamulla, and Winni Zheng earned Perfect Scores. Kiyan Paknezhad earned an Excellence Award in Engineering; Evan Pedri earned an Excellence Award in Microbiology, and Georgia Washko earned an Excellence Award in Biology. Two seniors were honored with Perseverance Awards for the number of years they have participated in PJAS. Those students were Diane Arias-Tejeda and Nathaniel Neidlinger.

MMI’s Second Award recipients were Katherine Arias, Diane Arias-Tejeda, Alexis Bleiler, Corey Buchman, Alexa Fazio, JT Ferry, Adam Frask, Samantha Gatts, Ava Genetti, Gabriel Horvath, Diane Kim (2^nd project), Maia Laverty, Cassidy McDermott, Sharan Parikh, Siya Patel, Haden Stash, Denna Stellar, and David Yamulla.

Third Award recipients were Gracie Magula, Bryce Radzwich, and Ruhani Shah.

MMI competes in Region 2 with close to 450 students from schools throughout Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wyoming, Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties. Michael Mele serves as the primary advisor along with Shannon Falcheck, Justin Vincent, Timothy Garvey, and Michele Tyburski for the competition.

The PJAS competition is open to students in grades 7-12. During the PJAS regional competition, students conduct a scientific research project in one of the 12 Scientific Categories of Research identified by PJAS and then orally present that research to a team of judges. The categories are Behavioral Psychology, Biology, Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth and Space, Ecology, Engineering, Mathematics, Microbiology, Physics, and Zoology.