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 Academics proudly announces the publication of 26 original research papers selected for the 2021 Pioneer Research Journal.
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: Irene Chen grew up in the United States and attended Leland High School in San Jose, California
The Research:
Since transistors, the foundation of modern electronic devices, became commercially available in the 1960s, “Moore’s Law,” which states that the number of transistors that can fit into an integrated circuit doubles every two years, has applied. In the last couple of years, however, progress has slowed considerably. Nanotechnology is emerging as a new way to enhance transistor speed. Pioneer scholar Irene explores the possibilities of this new technology by creating a simulation of a single-electron transistor. She develops an algorithm for one particular single-electron model, demonstrating that such a transistor is possible, and describes promising paths for further research.
About the Scholar: Kevin Li grew up in the United States and attended Naperville North High School in Naperville, Illinois
The Research:
The “efficient market theory” hypothesizes that professional investors at major financial institutions are less prone to make trades influenced by emotion than individual “noise traders” and retail investors. Kevin observes that the collapse of the tech bubble showed that this theory “became null and void during the bubble.” His paper identifies two major factors that hampered professionals from doing their job: the consistent overvaluation of potential earnings, failing to value stocks fairly; and the failure to rein in the volatility of trading. The conclusion is that market professionals acted from emotion, despite guidelines meant to prevent such behavior.
Oberlin College introduces the collaboration philosophy and scope on its website.
