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The Junior Academy of The New York Academy of Sciences Announced as Silver Anthem Winner in Education or Literacy Platform for the Third Annual Anthem Awards

The Academy announced today that its highly regarded Junior Academy has been named the Silver Anthem Winner in Education or Literacy Platform.

New York, NY | January 30, 2024 – The New York Academy of Sciences announced today that its highly regarded Junior Academy has been named the Silver Anthem Winner in Education or Literacy Platform in the Third Annual Anthem Awards. Launched by The Webby Awards in 2021, the Anthem Awards honors mission-driven work of people, companies, and organizations worldwide. This year’s Anthem Award Winners were selected from a pool of over 2,000 submissions from 44 countries by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS).

“Since 2016, over 15,000 students from 100+ countries have participated in the Junior Academy, gaining knowledge while also learning to apply STEM to real-world challenges,” said Meghan Groome, PhD, Senior Vice President of Education at The New York Academy of Sciences. “Through the Junior Academy’s platform Launchpad, students can engage in a world-class science program, meeting students worldwide and gaining technical and fundamental work-ready skills such as collaboration, communication, and problem-solving. We thank our sponsors for making the Junior Academy possible.”

The New York Academy of Sciences’ Junior Academy was relaunched in 2016 as an online community and collaboration platform. It currently has over 2,500 members from over 80 countries. The platform is designed to directly address the opportunity gap between young people who love STEM but have limited opportunities to participate in work-ready programs such as research experiences and internships.

The Junior Academy recruits thousands of high school students worldwide who self-assemble into virtual teams through a custom-designed virtual platform called Launchpad to solve real-world problems using STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). Using technology to reach students traditionally shut out of science and STEM careers ensures that any student with internet access can participate in this world-class science program. The goal is to identify and connect the students and give them the tools to solve growing local and global problems. By solving real-world problems, students will build both the technical and soft skills needed for the workforce of the future.

“The Anthem Awards were born out of the desire to amplify and celebrate the voices that are creating sustainable change and to inspire others to take action,” said Patricia McLoughlin, Anthem Awards General Manager. “In a year where so much is at stake, it is incredibly important to recognize impact work and celebrate the progress happening globally. Congratulations to all of this year’s Winners.”

About The Anthem Awards

Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. The Anthem Awards was launched in response to the prevalence social good has taken within the national conversation and cultural zeitgeist in recent years. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we’re defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Diversity; Equity & Inclusion; Education; Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate. Founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ.

About The Webby Awards

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites; Video; Advertising, Media & PR; Apps, Mobile, and Voice; Social; Podcasts; and Games. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received more than 13,500 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include Verizon, WP Engine, YouGov, Brandlive, Canva, NAACP, KPMG, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, MediaPost, Podcast Movement, and AIGA.

Innovation Challenges

For over a decade, the Academy has worked with partners across industry, academia, and government to offer Innovation Challenges, virtual competitions that engage student innovators to apply their curiosity and creativity to solve real-world problems. Using the Academy’s unique online platform, Launchpad, participants collaborate on project-based activities while spanning time zones and cultures. Browse our current Innovation Challenges as well as past Challenges below.

Active Challenges

There are currently no active challenges. Learn more about key dates for the Junior Academy.

Previous Challenges with Resources

Living in the Extremes

Our world is constantly changing; with the rise of severe natural disasters mainly due to climate change and our growing world population, we must explore ways to live in more extreme environments. In this challenge, you will focus on one “extreme environment” and propose a comprehensive solution to sustain life there.

Air Quality & Health

Air quality has been a known health issue to people and cultures around the world for hundreds of years. Today air pollution is believed to account for 7 million deaths annually, most of which are the result of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Design a technical solution to address a key source of pollution.

Ethical AI

AI is changing the landscape of the world as we know it. How can we maximize the benefits of AI while also implementing useful boundaries to minimize the disadvantages and dangers? In this challenge, you will develop a solution to address one specific issue that AI poses.

From the Academy Blog

An inside look at our innovation challenges teams and their impressive accomplishments.

The Junior Academy

Students smile and pose together during an Academy event.
Program Overview

“The journey of meeting friends and collaborating as a team to solve challenges is the best part of the Junior Academy.”

The Junior Academy is a project-based learning program where students form international teams and work with STEM experts through an online community platform. Students participate in innovation challenges where they collaborate under the guidance of STEM mentors to design solutions to real-world problems. Students and mentors can participate from anywhere in the world.

Challenges are sponsored by industry-leading companies and are preceded by a kick-off week, which provides preparation for the challenges and builds relevant skills in areas such as research methods, design thinking and data analysis. Once a challenge begins, students self-select into teams and gain access to STEM experts, who serve as mentors, guiding teams throughout the challenge process. Additional STEM professionals serve as judges who score each solution and choose a winning team.  

The Junior Academy connects students, experts and industry leaders through the Academy’s virtual collaborative learning platform, Launchpad. Launchpad is where all of our programming takes place and where we host our in-depth discussions, challenges, expert talks and more. This platform was built specifically to support the Junior Academy network — there’s nothing else like it. The platform is accessible to all, providing students with the support they need to pursue their science curiosity. Community leaders are charged with making sure all students receive the individualized support they need to access our platform.  

Hear From Junior Academy Students

Hear students in the Junior Academy talk about how the program works and their firsthand experience innovating creative ideas to solve real world challenges.

Innovators Like You Around the World

Check out the map below to see where our Junior Academy members are located!

Benefits
The Challenge Process
For Students
For Mentors
FAQ

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Contact Us

For more information, contact education@nyas.org.

Improving Cyber Security through Research and Policy

Winners of the Junior Academy Innovation Challenge Spring 2023: “Cybersecurity”

Published January 11, 2024

By Nicole Pope
Academy Education Contributor

Sponsored by NEOM

Team members: Jessica K. (Team Lead) (United States), Ritwik D. (United States), Neha B. (United States), Bhavya D. (United States), Farah M. (Jordan)

Individuals, businesses, and governments increasingly operate in a digital landscape. But as homes, medical systems, banking services, and key infrastructure connect via complex online networks, cyberattacks have increased exponentially. Developing strong protections against various forms of cyberthreats has become critical.

Enter Cybersafe, the 5-student American/Jordanian collaboration that formed the winning team in the Spring 2023 Cybersecurity Innovation Challenge.

“I’ve been thinking about two things: collaborating with cybersecurity experts and conducting user research,” says Bhavya.

A Focus on Phishing

After thorough research on various cyberthreats, the team evolved to focus on “phishing”, an illegal practice that uses fraudulent emails to manipulate recipients into divulging private information– information used for blackmail, identity theft, embezzlement, and even resale to other criminals.

Email remains the hackers’ easiest route to breaching online security and obtaining sensitive data. The scale of this cyberthreat is staggering: Every day, 3.4 billion fraudulent spam emails are sent around the world, using fake sender addresses to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information. The consequences for victims can be devastating.

In 2022 over 300,000 phishing claims were filed in the United States alone. This is a 61% increase compared to the previous year– with costs estimated at $2.7 billion. Cybercriminals are often hard to trace, particularly because they tend to select victims carefully, focusing on vulnerable, often elderly people. Phishing perpetrators often avoid attracting attention by launching large numbers of small attacks. To coerce and deceive their victims, they keep in touch with trends and constantly adjust their messages and tactics.

A Two-Pronged Solution

Through brainstorming and effective teamwork, the students came up with a two-pronged solution to curb this global scourge.

“I gained a lot of insights from this experience and learned how to work with someone rather than under someone,” says Farah. “I took on various tasks so we could share the workload evenly and efficiently.”

First, they focused on developing software that enables Artificial Intelligence (AI) to interact with and enhance testing systems on smartphones, tablets, and laptops. These systems can automatically analyze emails and attachments in order to detect malicious content.

“One of the most valuable things I learned from this experience was the importance of open communication and collaboration,” says Neha. “I found that by working together and sharing our ideas, we were able to create a stronger end product than we could have individually.”

Advocating for Policy Changes

In addition to this technological solution, the team members advocated for policy changes to better protect the public from cyberhackers. In particular, they suggested new legislation to prevent tactics such as impersonation of co-workers or relatives in order to coerce victims into soliciting private information, clicking on malware links, or downloading harmful attachments.

The law would impose tougher penalties on cybercrime perpetrators, increasing fines and the likelihood of imprisonment. It would also require the most frequently targeted companies and organizations (in 2020: financial services, payment platforms, and webmail) to update their security protocols on a regular basis, implement two-factor authentication, and increase funding for cybersecurity research and development.

The students felt confident in their twofold solution to combat phishing and improve the security of personal devices: 1. With the help of AI, identify and filter harmful emails and alert potential victims, and 2. Enact new legislation to improve cybersecurity and impose harsher punishments on online criminals.

A Dual Approach

Developing this dual approach involved hard work for the Cybersafe team. This was particularly evident when it required coordinating the time zones of two separate continents. It also offered them opportunities to discover new fields and acquire new skills.

“Normally my project revolves around nature and ecologic science, so this was a nice time to try something new and test my recently developed skills,” says Ritwik. “Although I have a very busy schedule outside the Academy, I tried to make the best of my free time and dedicated myself to this project.“

After successfully completing the challenge, the students felt enriched by the experience and proud of their joint achievement– made even sweeter by learning they were the winning team.

“I learned a lot of collaborative skills from this project, including how to lead and participate in a team setting,” says Team Lead Jessica. “Working with this team was a wonderful experience and I look forward to future collaborations.”

Appy Bhattacharya

PhD Scientist
NYU Tandon School of Engineering  

Some of the highlights of my membership in NYAS are being selected for Science Alliance Leadership fellowship, participating in Scientist-in-Residence to mentor middle schoolers and getting them excited about a career in science, and also gaining valuable mentorship through their mentor-mentee pairing program. It’s been an incredible experience!

Guilherme Durvan António Zandamela

PhD student
The Scripps Research Institute

The greatest benefit in joining the Academy was meeting and befriending like-minded people from all around the globe. It has been inspirational to see how the peers I met and I have all grown over the years. I was initially invited to be a young member of the Academy and later chose to remain close because I identified with the academy’s ideals and appreciated the continued impact of its programs on aspiring scientists, problem-solvers, and tactful leaders.

Maitreyi Muralidhar

Student member

Joining the Academy as a young member has truly been a remarkable experience. Through the mentoring platform, I was able to connect with students across the globe and meet amazing mentors who have played a huge part in my life! I am grateful for all the skills I picked up from doing the challenges like scientific reasoning and critical thinking, which will surely go a long way!

A Telemedicine App for Rural Communities

A person sits in a boat in a dried lakebed.

Winners of the Junior Academy Innovation Challenge Fall 2022: “Public Health Impacts of Climate Change.”

Published December 21, 2023

By Nicole Pope
Academy Education Contributor

In Fall 2022, 42 international teams of high school students participated in a Junior Academy Challenge. Their goal was to find innovative solutions for the multiple impacts of climate change on human health.

The winning team, MiHealth — comprised of Betsy D. (United States, Team Lead), Joanna A. (United States), Mehmet A. (United States), Grace Chenxin L. (United States), Brennan C. (United States), and Rowayda A. (Egypt) — opted to focus on the Miami area’s prolonged exposure to heatwaves, chosen because of Miami’s high level of poverty in underserved communities with limited access to quality healthcare. The team worked under the guidance of mentor Raga Krishnakumar (United States).

In particular, the team noted that in the South Florida area, where access to healthcare is acutely below state and national averages, African Americans and Latinos are among the most underserved communities. Southern U.S. states like Florida face a growing number of days in which temperatures reach above 100oF.

Miami Dade county, for example, currently endures 50 very hot days per year. This number is expected to rise to 91 within the next thirty years. According to the Center for Disease Control, exposure to extremely high temperatures increases risks for patients suffering from hypertension, heart disease, angina and stroke.

“I chose this challenge because I intend to pursue medicine and felt that it connected well with climate change,” explains Mehmet. The health risks caused by climate change also resonated with fellow team member Brennan, who was taking part in his third Junior Academy challenge. “I believe health and climate change are a huge problem in the world. Everyone is affected by it and finding solutions as quickly and efficiently as possible should be the world’s priority,” he says.

Developing an App for Underserved Communities

The team designed an ingenious, easy-to-use app called “MiHealth (Miami Health).” The app delivers telemedicine services to underserved communities. Specifically, it aims to serve rural, poor or crowded areas in southern Florida. Here access to quality healthcare is limited. Team Lead Betsy found the experience of cooperating remotely with other students very rewarding.

“I have always been researching and wanting to make a change in the world through science and medicine. These passions have led me to take on the challenge of solving public effects of climate change”, she explains.

Aside from limited access to medical professionals, the team also identified the lack of access to ambulances or air-conditioned transportation as a key issue. Stepping outside in the searing heat may pose a significant danger for vulnerable patients. Cost, too, is a major concern for socio-economically disadvantaged communities.

Developing the app required hard work and intense consultations among team members, supported by their mentor. The app offers pre-hospitalization diagnosis, information on preventative measures, and a telecardiology feature to monitor heat-induced heart disease.

Utility Beyond Southern Florida

It also monitors local temperature and links users to medical resources available in their vicinity. While their project focused on the Miami area, the team believes their innovative approach could be rolled out nationwide to help vulnerable populations gain access to healthcare resources.

“Working on the public health impacts of climate change has greatly expanded my knowledge, particularly about heat waves, their causes, and how they can affect the human body in Miami and other parts of the world,” says Rowayda.

“It’s been an insane journey,” says Joanna. “Through constant zoom meetings, coding sessions, and researching, I’ve not only fostered my current skills, but I’ve learned new ones and created new memories with such amazing people.”

MiHealth team members worked hard throughout the semester. The were delighted when their innovative solution was chosen as the winning project.

“I’m incredibly grateful to NYAS and the Junior Academy for offering a global platform for collaborating on such critical issues,” says Grace. “Knowing that we can change the world together is unbelievable, one-of-a-kind, and empowering!”


The Junior Academy was supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute.

The Junior Academy of The New York Academy of Sciences Honored as a Finalist in the Education, Art, & Culture category for the Third Annual Anthem Awards

The Junior Academy has been named a Finalist in the Education, Art, & Culture category in the Third Annual Anthem Awards, which recognizes mission-driven work.

New York, NY | December 5, 2023 – The New York Academy of Sciences announced today that its highly regarded Junior Academy has been named a Finalist in the Education, Art, & Culture category in the Third Annual Anthem Awards. The Anthem Awards, launched by The Webby Awards in 2021, honors the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies, and organizations worldwide.

“The New York Academy of Sciences is thrilled that our esteemed Junior Academy was selected from the more than 2,000 entries from over 30 countries worldwide as a Finalist for the 2024 Anthem Awards,” said Nicholas Dirks, president and chief executive officer of The New York Academy of Sciences. “Since 2016, over 15,000 students from 100+ countries have participated in the Junior Academy, gaining knowledge but also learning to apply STEM to real-world challenges such as combatting climate change, breeches in cybersecurity, and identifying ways to reduce bias in AI successfully. We thank our sponsors for making the Junior Academy possible.”

As an Anthem Awards Finalist, the Junior Academy will be considered by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Anthem Award and the Anthem Community Voice Award, supported by the online public vote. From December 5th to December 21st, fans can support the Junior Academy on the Anthem Awards’ public voting page HERE. The Third Annual Anthem Awards winners will be announced on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024.

The Relaunch of the Junior Academy

The New York Academy of Sciences Junior Academy was relaunched in 2016 as an online community and collaboration platform. It currently has over 2,500 members from over 80 countries. The platform is designed to directly address the opportunity gap between young people who love STEM but have limited opportunities to participate in work-ready programs such as research experiences and internships. The Junior Academy recruits thousands of high school students worldwide who self-assemble into virtual teams through a custom-designed virtual platform called Launchpad to solve real-world problems using STEM (science, technology, engineering, math).

Using technology to reach students traditionally shut out of science and STEM careers, ensures that any student with internet access can participate in this world-class science program. The goal is to identify and connect the students and give them the tools to solve growing local and global problems. By solving real-world problems, students will build both the technical and soft skills needed for the workforce of the future. These students have not only gained new content knowledge but applied it in a way that shows them the importance of STEM education. In addition to technical skills, they also learn critical work-ready skills such as collaboration, communication, and problem solving.

“Since launching the Anthem Awards in 2021, we’ve seen incredible change and growth in the impact sector,” said Anthem Awards General Manager, Patricia McLoughlin. “The work that we have received in the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards is game-changing. From innovative projects fighting climate change to impactful calls for equal rights across the globe and best-in-class CSR and ESG efforts – the Anthem Community is a bright light in our uncertain world.”

About The Anthem Awards

Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. The Anthem Awards was launched in response to the prevalence social good has taken within the national conversation and cultural zeitgeist in recent years. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we’re defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Diversity; Equity & Inclusion; Education; Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate. Founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ.

About The Webby Awards

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites; Video; Advertising, Media & PR; Apps, Mobile, and Voice; Social; Podcasts; and Games. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received more than 13,500 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include Verizon, WP Engine, YouGov, Brandlive, Canva, NAACP, KPMG, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, MediaPost, Podcast Movement, and AIGA.

A New Approach to Dealing with Oil Spills

A shot of fish swimming in the ocean.

Winners of the Junior Academy Innovation Challenge Fall 2022: “Exploring the Extremes”

Published November 16, 2023

By Nicole Pope
Academy Education Contributor

Sponsored by NEOM

Team members: Ellen B. (Team Lead) (Philippines), Valeria S. (Peru), Joaquin S. (Peru), Smriti K. (Nepal), Tanisha T. (Indonesia)

Mentor: Jasmine P. (United States)

“Exploring the Extremes” required participating teams to offer new solutions to the major issues of our time.

The winning team, “Go Green Sea Blue”, took an ambitious, multi-pronged approach to tackling the complicated problem of oil spills, which pollute our oceans and threaten our marine ecosystems, our wildlife, and even our coastal environments.

“I loved the brainstorming sessions we had as a team and the passion each member showed for their part was transparent,” says Smirti. “As part of the research and game development team, I learned a lot about oil spills, and this strengthened my motivation for this project. Writing articles for our website helped me improve my writing.”

The team members identified key issues in the handling of oil spills, drawing on their diverse skills.

“Our team members came from diverse backgrounds and brought unique skills to the project,” explains Team Lead Ellen, who found the Challenge “an extremely rewarding experience.”

The Challenges

For example, tracking and locating oil spills, and containing their impact, is often difficult. Clean-up methods are insufficient to prevent long-term damage, and governments often struggle to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.

“This project has been a huge opportunity for me. It has changed my opinion on certain topics and made me realize the importance of having different points of view and of diversity,” says Valeria.

Building on the initial research they conducted, team members held long meetings online to develop a comprehensive approach that addresses several of these deficiencies. Jasmine, who mentored the team (and had supported teams in two previous Junior Academy Challenges), was impressed with their approach.

“I felt incredibly fortunate to work with such an organized team,” she explains. “At the first meeting, the team showed me their action plan for the whole challenge. The level of detail and organization from Go Green Sea Blue was absolutely remarkable.”

The students devised a five-point approach to address the devastating impact of oil spills on the oceans and the threat they pose to marine and human life. It wasn’t always easy.

“Though my team faced a lot of setbacks due to time differences and the tight schedule, we pulled together and figured out a way to make it work,” says Tanisha. “We made sure that we put quality over quantity and invested our efforts to do the best that we were able to do.”

The Team’s Process

As a first component of their solution, the high-schoolers proposed the creation of a machine-learning model that relies on satellite images to detect oil spills, using Radarsat Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) technology and Automatic Identification System (AIS) to identify the most likely perpetrators.

Next, they suggested developing a mapping tool that would combine static and real-time data to create a centralized, interactive map for environmental disaster response, improving communication among environmental experts working on ocean pollution. To improve response time, they also proposed developing an eco-friendly mothership that incorporates early warning systems and GPS sensors to track and help clean up oil spills, using mini robots powered by photovoltaic cells that can operate for several weeks.

Raising awareness of the risks posed by oil spills, and the importance of maintaining ocean ecosystems among the population, especially for children, was the fourth element of the team’s extensive solution. To make learning fun and appealing, they devised an interactive game that tests the knowledge of users of all ages.

Finally, the team members proposed a new policy: the creation of a World Association for Marine Oil Spills which would work with existing marine institutions, such as the European Safety Maritime Agency and the Caspian Environmental Program, to improve international cooperation, raise funds for dedicated scientific research, and organize events– and also identify loopholes in existing legislation, and propose new laws.

“We had good times in the meetings– sometimes fun, sometimes just excited by the progress we made day by day,” says Joaquin. “Even though we worked until the late hours of the night and the early hours of the morning on some days, we are very satisfied with the results we have achieved.”