DVIDS – News – Bright Minds: Students Win CNR Scholarship Awards at International Science Fair

For outstanding achievements in research areas such as rocket engines and autonomous vehicles, the Department of the Navy (DoN) Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Institutions (HBCU/MI) program recently awarded $15,000 scholarship awards to five students participating in Regeneron International Science 2024 competition and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, California.

The awards took the form of Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Scholarship Awards – awarded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to students in grades 9 through 12 for creating and presenting high-quality science and engineering projects.

The awards were presented at ISEF – one of the world’s largest science and engineering competitions for high school students – as part of the Naval Science Awards Program (NSAP), a program of the Navy and Marine Corps that encourages U.S. students to develop and maintain an interest in science and engineering. sciences and engineering. NSAP celebrates the achievements of eligible students at regional and state science and engineering fairs, as well as large ones such as ISEF.

Anthony C. Smith, Sr., director of the DoN HBCU/MI program located at ONR, presented CNR scholarship awards to its winners at ISEF. Smith, a captain in the Navy Reserve, also led a panel of fellow reservists who served as volunteer judges – judging student presentations on scientific rigor and potential application to future challenges at sea.

“It was an honor and joy to present CNR scholarship awards to these deserving students,” Smith said. “The sophistication of their research presentations, as well as their passion, attention to detail and curiosity, exemplify what the awards strive to highlight. Events like ISEF are valuable in discovering the brightest young minds who could potentially strengthen the Navy’s workforce.”

The winners of this year’s CNR scholarship awards are:

• Timucin Erbas (Acton, MA) – “Higher Performance Altitude Adaptive Dynamic Rocket Engine Nozzle”
• Hannah Jansen (Nokesville, Virginia) – “Impact of Toroidal Propeller Design on the Acoustic Signature and Aerodynamic Performance of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle”
• James Nagler (Garden City, New York) – “Project Vision: Assisted Navigation and Landmark Positioning through 3D Mapping”
• Isabella Pinto (West Richland, WA) – “How Magnetic Suspension Tires Using High-Temperature Superconductivity and Electromagnetism Create the Greenest Vehicle”
• Daniel Williams (Newnan, Georgia) – “Zenith Soar X-4: Autonomous Drone for Autonomous Disaster Recovery and Detection Drone”

Through a global network of local, regional and national science fairs, ISEF enables millions of students to discover their passion for scientific research. Each year, a group of these students are selected as finalists and offered the opportunity to compete at the ISEF World Science Fair for approximately $9 million in prizes and scholarships.

Warren Duffie Jr. is the contractor of ONR corporate strategic communications.