Society for Science announced the 30 finalists in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (Thermo Fisher JIC), a national middle school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition. The Thermo Fisher JIC, a program of Society for Science, aims to inspire young scientists, engineers, and innovators who will solve the grand challenges of the future. These students are competing for more than $100,000 in awards.
 
The 30 finalists were selected by a nationwide panel of scientists, engineers and educators from the Top 300 Junior Innovators announced earlier this month. The finalists will participate in Thermo Fisher JIC Finals Week (Oct. 25–30) in Washington, D.C., where a panel of judges will evaluate their scientific research along with their communication, creativity and collaboration skills during team challenges.
 
Among the finalists is Anushka Sable, an eighth grader at Wadsworth Magnet School in Decatur, Ga.

Anushka's project is titled "PS-Risk: Plastic Microparticle Pollution in Human Blood Affects Immune Cells and Leads to Tumor-Like Structure Formation in the 3D Cell Culture Assays."

Anushka says her interest in the immune system began in the third grade when she put her “clean” hands on an agar plate and learned that her body was protecting her from countless microbes. In 2022, she learned that scientists in the Netherlands were detecting microplastics — pieces of plastic far too small to see with the naked eye — in people’s blood. “I wondered if this microplastic pollution might affect our blood cells and health,” Anushka says. She decided to find out what effect microplastics might have on the immune system. 

Working in a lab at Emory University, Anushka looked at the effect of microplastics and nanoplastics — even smaller plastic particles--on human blood immune cells. She showed that the immune cells took up bits of plastic into themselves, especially a type of immune cell called a monocyte. Anushka also looked for signs of inflammation by examining whether the plastics caused the cells to produce molecules called cytokines. They did not, but the microplastics did cause the cells to clump and stick together, forming what Anushka called “tumor-like” structures. She also developed a 3D cell culture model called a “plasticoma” to study whether microplastics might be involved in future development of cancer.

“Congratulations to the Top 30 Thermo Fisher JIC finalists,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science and Executive Publisher of Science News. “Their innovative projects showcase the bright future of STEM. These young people remind us of the importance of nurturing scientific curiosity from an early age and investing in STEM education.”
 
A full list of scientists can be viewed here.