American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS)
The American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS) is the only national honor society recognizing America’s premier high school students for outstanding scientific research. The AJAS mission is to introduce, encourage, and accelerate pre-college students into the professional world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each state’s Academy of Science nominates high school students as AJAS delegates. The chosen delegates are then invited to attend the AJAS annual conference, which is held in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting. During the conference, AJAS delegates tour local institutions of scientific importance, share their research with their peers and with other scientists, attend conference sessions, and are inducted as lifetime Fellows into the American Junior Academy of Science.
Each state’s Academy of Science determines the guidelines by which their AJAS delegates are chosen. In Washington, the WSAS K-12 Education Committee selects delegates after an application process that takes place each summer. WSAS invites eligible high school students, who have competed in state or regional science fairs and who have placed highly and/or have been selected to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), to apply. WSAS sponsors delegates to attend the AJAS and AAAS meetings, covering all expenses including travel, registration, meals, and lodging. Each year, WSAS attempts to sponsor all qualified applicants.
Our AJAS delegates have been supported by community grants from The Boeing Company, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Vulcan, and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.
About AJAS
AJAS is a National Honor Society for students who have completed exemplar scientific research projects while attending high school. It the only honor society for pre-college research scientists. Each affiliated (city, state, or regional) Academy of Science nominates their top high school science researchers and these students are invited to our conference.
The AJAS conference gives students a chance to share their research and discuss science topics with the leading scientists of our time at the AJAS Breakfast with Scientists; and to present their research at poster, PowerPoint, and oral presentation sessions. AJAS is not a competition. The AJAS mission is to introduce, encourage and accelerate pre-college students into the social, cultural, intellectual, and professional world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Former AJAS Delegates from each year can be found below. To view available student papers, posters, and/or slide decks, click on the title of their project.