Pioneer Academics proudly announces the publication of 26 original research papers selected for the 2021 Pioneer Research Journal.
Pioneer alumni often connect with each other during online events, but also meet up in person! In this series, we share some examples of past “Pioneer on Campus” events, organized by Pioneer alumni.
Pioneer Scholars who elected for early action or early decision share where they will be headed for college this fall.
Resubmitting an application to Pioneer has become very common as admission to Pioneer has grown increasingly competitive. Read what the alumni who successfully reapplied to Pioneer shared for their insights and tips.
Pioneer Academics is committed to the highest standards in academic advancement. It earned institutional backing for its academic system and standards which led to its collaboration with Oberlin College & Conservatory. This groundbreaking collaboration created an unprecedented online education model which has enabled outstanding high school students to conduct accredited research following concrete, holistic standards.
About the Scholar: Nabo Yu attended The Webb Schools in Claremont, California, in the United States.
The Research:
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the accuracy of tests was so variable that some countries chose not to use tests at all, but instead isolate symptomatic individuals. Pioneer scholar Nabo thought computer simulations could shed light on the effects of testing accuracy on the spread of the disease. His SIR model computational calculations confirm that higher testing accuracy can result in reduced disease spread, and show that even lower accuracy testing is useful in slowing the transmission rate. According to Nabo, the model “has possibly offered a basic method of determining acceptable levels of testing accuracy based on the level of social isolation.”
About the Scholar: Ruochen Jin grew up in Canada and attended The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, USA.
The Research:
Most Native American communities value passing on their traditions to their children, who are mostly immersed in today’s technological American culture. Contest powwows are one way to do this. To examine how these events balance the two cultural influences, Pioneer scholar Ruochen not only consulted previous research on the topic, but also attended a Children’s Powwow in the Greater Houston area and later interviewed a representative sample of the participants. Her observations were that at least at this powwow, the balance is maintained by preserving the sacred aspects of the event, while permitting cultural fusion of other aspects.
About the Scholar: Zijun Zhang grew up in China and attended The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University
Tissue engineering encourages the body to replace damaged tissues or organs with tissues grown in the body from laboratory-generated cells. Three-dimensional scaffolds guide cellular growth and support new tissue formation. Scaffolds made from chitosan, derived from the exoskeletons of crustaceans, work best, but require the addition of PVA and sometimes other additives for strength and durability. The experiment Zijun proposes in this paper is designed to determine if a particular molecular weight of chitosan, combined with PVA at a 1:1 ratio, can produce optimal results, identifying molecular weights that are most suitable for use as scaffolds without additional additives.
About the Scholar: Alesha Wong Yun Ying grew up in Malaysia and attended Tenby International School in Setia Eco Park, Malaysia
The Research:
When Singapore and Malaysia became separate countries in 1965, Singapore was tiny and underdeveloped, had no natural resources, and was populated by recent immigrants. However, although both Singapore and Malaysia have flourished over the subsequent 50 years, Singapore is now one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Alesha tracks four key economic indicators and analyzes some of the factors that led to Singapore outperforming Malaysia. She concludes that Singapore’s leaders made some wise decisions regarding infrastructure, sound government, and the environment, while Malaysia has been held back by government corruption, policies that create inequality, and a higher birth rate.
Oberlin College introduces the collaboration philosophy and scope on its website.
