JFK Student Wins National Contest, Has Planet Named For Him

Tyler Bissoondial, a freshman at John F. Kennedy High School, placed second in the National Broadcom MASTERS competition held in Washington, D.C. from Oct. 25-30.

As a result, he received a $2,500 award in addition to the $500 he was also given for being named one of only 30 national finalists in September. Bissoondial was also awarded an iPad and had a minor planet named after him.

“Tyler is a very hard working, well-rounded student with a passion not only for science, but for every subject,” said Tami Cruz, his research teacher at Grand Avenue Middle School. “He is an accomplished musician as well, known for his skills playing the violin.”

Under the guidance of Cruz, Bissoondial worked on his research project, “Isolation and Characterization of Salt Tolerant Mutants in Raphanus sativa (Radish),” when he was in eighth grade at Grand Avenue Middle School. It focuses on addressing global soil salinization, which is an emerging problem facing crop productions.

Grand Avenue will also be awarded a monetary prize of $1,000 for his accomplishment.

Broadcom MASTERS is the nation's premier science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition for middle school students. The Broadcom MASTERS, a program founded and produced by the Society for Science & the Public, seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators to solve the grand challenges of the 21st Century.