Newark Academy Student Nabs National Junior Innovators Challenge Award

Sophia Hou, a freshman at Newark Academy — a 6-12 independent school in Livingston, NJ — received the second place Engineering Award in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC), the nation’s premier middle school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition.

Sophia’s second place nod for her eighth grade Newark Academy science fair project, “The Effect of Methylcobalamin on Vigna radiata Germination Under Heat Stress,” makes her one of the top 30 finalists of the entire program out of nearly 2,000 applicants from 48 U.S. states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Winners were selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers and educators.

“I am honored to be a JIC finalist!” Sophia says. “I’m so grateful I had an opportunity to share my research and become friends with other amazing innovators from around the nation.”

Sophia’s project has roots in her personal life — she used to grow mung bean (Vigna radiata) sprouts with her grandmother. In her project, she tested whether methylcobalamin, an activated form of B12, could help plants respond to stress.

Sophia’s accomplishment garnered her $3,125 in prize money as well as an additional $1,000 grant for Newark Academy to support STEM programming.

Learn more about Sophia’s project here and view her presentation poster here.