Three IUSD students named semifinalists in fourth annual Broadcom competition

A trio of IUSD students has been selected to advance to the next round in a science, technology and math competition sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation. Jeffrey Wang Xing, an eighth-grader at Jeffrey Trail Middle School; Anita Garg, an eighth-grader at Rancho San Joaquin Middle School; and Alderwood School sixth-grader Michael Wayne Schoenberger are among 300 middle schoolers from across the country to be named semifinalists in the fourth annual Broadcom MASTERS competition.

In less than a week, that group will be narrowed to 30 finalists, who will earn a trip to Washington, D.C. in October to showcase their science fair projects in a four-day STEM competition. The first-place winner gets the top prize of $25,000, presented by the Samueli Foundation. The Broadcom MASTERS -- Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars -- was established in 2011 to spark interest in science and engineering at the middle school level, thereby encouraging students to pursue higher levels of math and science in high school. We’re told more than 2,054 applied to enter this year’s contest, each having met the prerequisite of placing in the top 10 percent of science fairs affiliated with the Society for Science & the Public. Semifinalists were then selected by actual scientists, engineers and educators. Jeffrey of Jeffey Trail submitted a project that documented “The Study of Levitation Distance and Stability Range in Diamagnetic Levitation,” while Rancho’s Anita entered “The Effect of Competition on a Problematic Invasive Species, Brassica nigra.” Michael of Alderwood submitted a project titled, “Storm The Castle with Newton’s Second Law of Motion: Ping Pong Projectile.” "Now in its fourth year, the Broadcom MASTERS is enabling more middle school students of all levels to regard math and science as helping them gain the critical skills that lead to rewarding careers in STEM," said Paula Golden, executive director of the Broadcom Foundation and director of community affairs for the Broadcom Corporation. "We are extremely proud of the thousands of young people who were nominated by their regional and state fairs to compete this year and applaud the 300 semifinalists who now compete for a slot as one of the 30 finalists in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS." To read the news release, click here. To view the complete list of semifinalists, click here.