Announcing the 2019 Pioneer Journal Nominees

Pioneer Academics is proud to announce that 109 scholars from the 2019 program have been nominated for the Pioneer Research Journal, an annual publication that showcases a collection of outstanding, undergraduate-level research written by high school students. These students come from five continents, 11 countries, and 81 high schools around the world, and their research papers present innovative analysis and new knowledge  in a wide range of academic fields across engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. 

Pioneer Academics’ research program is the world’s only online research system granting US college credits for high school students. These research papers nominated form the capstone of the Pioneer Research Program, an academic research program offered in two terms each year that gives motivated, gifted high school students from around the world the chance to generate undergraduate level academic research. As part of the Pioneer Research Program, students meet online with classmates from around the world in small, seminar-style courses with a university professor. They then work individually with their professor to generate their own research paper on a topic of their choice. 

In 2019, over the course of the research program all of the papers completed by the students from 28 countries underwent rigorous academic oversight.  Each paper represents a milestone in original exploration and discovery. Among those, 109 were chosen as exceptionally outstanding and nominated for potential publication in the 6th Annual Pioneer Research Journal. The nominated papers represent the top 16% of research papers submitted in the 2019 Pioneer Research Program. The process of selecting papers for publication from those nominated involves a comprehensive, double-blind review conducted by a reading committee of over 40 university faculty from over 30 academic fields. In 2018, only the top 4.6% of papers were selected as finalists. The Pioneer Research Journal is edited by the dean of the college of arts and sciences at Oberlin College & Conservatory.

Nominated students were understably very excited and honored to receive nomination. Sample student reactions include:

Victor Guely, Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle London, United Kingdom:
“Thank you for your email.  I am very happy to hear that my paper has been nominated, that’s really exciting!”

Zitian Ye, Beijing National Day School, China:
“I’m honored to have my research paper nominated for publication in the 2019 Pioneer Research Journal, and I want to thank you for the recognition of my work.”

Saara Bhatia, Jayshree Periwal International School, India:
“I wanted to thank you again for this amazing opportunity! I had the best time with the Pioneer Program and writing my research paper was a blast!”

Ansh Nagwekar, Bellarmine College Preparatory, United States:
“Thank you for the nomination for publication in the Pioneer Journal. I truly appreciate this opportunity.”

For a comprehensive view of the students nominated for the 2019 Pioneer Research Journal, including their school, country, Pioneer course topic, and research paper title, please see the chart below.

Nominee	School	Country	Research Area	Pioneer Paper Title
Janae-Rose Fageyinbo	Charlotte Country Day School	United States	Anthropology	An Investigation of Male Dominance in Professional and Casual Environments
Tianrui Xia	The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University	China	Anthropology/ Culture Studies	Japanese Animation-Based Communication in a Chinese Youth Community
Yinan Miao	Nanjing Foreign Languages School	China	Anthropology/ Culture Studies	Sentiment and Resistance: An Observation of Women’s Voice and Social Status from Jiangyong Nüshu
Yining Yan	Shenzhen College of International Education	China	Anthropology/ Culture Studies	Words and Bodies: A Genealogy of Homosexuality in China
Lucy Brenner	Scarsdale High School	United States	Anthropology/ Culture Studies	Transcendence through Thangkas: The Power of Tibetan Art to Communicate Religious Beliefs
Junwen Huang	California High School	United States	Anthropology/ STS	Digging Deeper into the Vaccination Controversy: A Scientific Disagreement as a Cultural Phenomenon
Su Min Yoon	School for the Talented and Gifted	United States	Anthropology/ STS	The Invisible Culture of Pain and the Opioid Crises
Shuyu Chen	WHBC of Wuhan Foreign Languages School	China	Art history	Comparative Analysis of Leonardo da Vinci’s Santa Maria Della Neve and Huang Gongwang’s The Remaining Mountain
Yuening Huang	Nanjing Foreign Languages School	China	Art History	Dura-Europos Synagogue and Its Interaction with Other Cultural Groups in Dura-Europos
Annalise Selden	Pine Crest School	United States	Art History	The Ceiling of the Cappella Palatina: Norman Sicily’s Diversity and Artistic Style Under Roger II
Gaoyuan Zang	The Kiski School	United States	Art history	A Consideration of Renaissance and Mannerist Paintings on the Same Biblical Subject
Daria Chadiuk	Appleby College	Canada	Astronomy	Neural Networks Find Patterns in Transit Photometry Data
Hui Lan	International School of Beijing	China	Biology	The Relationship Between Gut Microbiome, Hormones, and Acne Vulgaris Disease Presentation
Leyi Qiu	Chengdu Shude High School	China	Biology	Downregulating the Genes SETDB1 and HDAC2 to Restore Functional PR Expression in Endometrial Cancer Cells
Boyang (Bobby) Xiao	Walt Whitman High School	United States	Biology	Efficacies of Reactive Balance Intervention on the Fall Prevention of Different Levels of Impairment in Individuals Post-Stroke
EmmaRose Lowery	Carondelet High School	United States	Biology	Virtual Reality: The Future of Stroke and Parkinson’s Rehabilitation
Yeongju Lee	James M Bennett High School	United States	Biology	Effectively Evaluate the Progression of Parkinson’s Disease and Improve Gait Impairments Using Wearable Sensors and Augmented Reality Devices
Yuting Huang	Culver Academies	United States	Biology	Macrophage Migration Inhibition Factor: A cancer Promoter, Potential Prognosticator and Chemotherapeutic Target
Zhao Tang	International Department, The Affiliated High School of South China Normal University	China	Biology/ Engineering	CRISPR/dCAS9 Systems for Cytokine Release Syndrome Control
Jinyuan Zeng	Shenzhen College of International Education	China	Business	By Analyzing the Data Between 2009-2017 to Determine Which Factors Have Contributed to Angola Having the Highest Total Entrepreneurship Activity (TEA) Rate in the World in 2018
Mingyuan Zhou	YK Pao School	China	Business	Impact Valuation of Shanghai Young Bakers
Tianhao Li	Beijing National Day School	China	Business	Comparison of Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intentions in China and the USA
Yuwei Wu	Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School	China	Business	Entrepreneurial Education in the United States and Its Impact on Entrepreneurship
Zhanhao Zhang	Shen Wai International School	China	Business	Impact of Entrepreneurial Activities and Innovation on the United States’ Economy from 2011 to 2018: Using Statistics from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Global Innovation Index, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the World Bank
Seungmin Suh	Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies	South Korea	Business	Social Media Strategy and its Effect on Sustained Virality: Differential Audience Response to Five Crafting Channels
Nicole Gou	Saint Francis High School	United States	Business	How Should Firms React to Celebrity Scandals?
Elis Sõõrd	Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific	Canada	Chemistry	Would Limiting Animal Product Consumption Be an Effective Public Health Strategy? The Role of Industrial Farming in the European Union as a Catalyst for Foodborne Disease Resulting from Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria
Minyi He	Ulink College, Guangzhou	China	Chemistry	Human Health Risk Assessment of Methylmercury and Sulfonamides to Fish Consumers at Ulink Colelge
Xinyi Wang	Shanghai East Foreign Language School	China	Chemistry	Understanding the Mechanism of Luteolin as Antioxidant, Radicals Scavengers, and Anti-Inflammatory Agent
Yiyi Yang	High School Attached to Shanghai Jiao Tong University	China	Chemistry	Electrical Properties of Lithium Nanowire as Precision Resistors
Ashley Kim	Monta Vista High School	United States	Chemistry	Linear Carbon Chain Nanowires: Patterns in the Efficiency of Generating Current and Chain Length
Huy Huynh	Stevenson School	United States	Chemistry	Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater of the Rural Districts of Hanoi, Vietnam, and a Possible Remediation Method by Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron
Haozhen Wu	Shenzhen College of International Education	China	Computer Science	Music Symbol Detection Method Based on Multiple Lightweight Target Detection Neural Networks
Mingxiao Song	Dalian No.24 High School	China	Computer science	K-means Clustering with Canopy and Generative Art
Yuxing Zhou	Nanjing Foreign Languages School	China	Computer Science	Towards Better Real-Time Human Segmentation in Videos
Vikhyath Mondreti	The International School Bangalore	India	Computer Science	A Complex Networks Approach to Analysing the Erdos-Straus Conjecture and Related Problems
Tian Gan	Camberwell Girls Grammar School	Australia	Culture studies/ Ethnomusicology	Expressing Regional Cultures through Music: Shaanxi Folksinger Ma Fei and Tibetan Rap Group ANU
Ruochen Jin	The Woodlands High School	United States	Culture studies/ Ethnomusicology	A Blended Culture: Greater Houston Area’s Native American Children’s Contest Powwow
Fengyi Ou	Branksome Hall School	Canada	Economics	Adverse Selection in the Chinese Healthcare System: Reducing Information Asymmetry to Optimize the Utilization of Hospital Capacity
Lunchen Song	The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China	China	Economics	Political Governance and Economic Performance: A Comparison of Two Special Economic Zones in Africa
Xinshi Ma	BASIS International School Shenzhen	China	Economics	An Institutional Analysis of the Military’s Role in the Egyptian Economy
Yudong Chen	Beijing National Day School	China	Economics	Topic Undisclosed
Bhavya Visal	Inventure Academy	India	Economics	Restricted Versus Free Internal Migration Policies: Case Studies of India and China
Saara Bhatia	Jayshree Periwal International School	India	Economics	What is the Role of Incomplete Information in Optimal Decision Making, When Used in an Unconventional Manner, Such as Knowing Private Information About Others Instead of Oneself
Victor Guely	Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle	United Kingdom	Economics	Can Game Theory Solve Brexit?
Aitong Zhong	The Webb Schools	United States	Economics	The Development of Robo-Advisors in Global Markets
Ryan Xie	Phillips Exeter Academy	United States	Economics	Customer Behavior in Online Marketplaces: Attentiveness to Price Framing on Amazon
Justine Kum	Dulwich College Seoul	South Korea	Education	Social Media and its Effects on the Foreign Language Curriculum for Undergraduate University Students
Yifei Chen	WHBC of Wuhan Foreign Languages School	China	Engineering	How Has Drip Irrigation Evolved to Contribute to the Elimination of Poverty and Starvation
Irene Chen	Leland High School	United States	Engineering	A Comprehensive Monte Carlo Simulation of the Single-Electron Transistor
Mehmet Eren Aldemir	Bahcesehir High School for Science and Technology	Turkey	Engineering	Modular and Affordable Crop Monitoring System
Yunfan Yang	The Miami Valley School	United States	Engineering	Arduino Wireless Mailbox Notifier
Yixuan Zhao	Shenzhen College of International Education	China	Engineering/ Biology	Computational Modeling and Simulation of Vulnerable Plaque in the Femoral Artery
Harshika Jalan	Modern High School for Girls	India	Environmental Studies	The Fate of Coral Reefs
Ziang Tong	Nanjing Foreign Language School	China	Environmental Studies/ Engineering	Design of a New Water Treatment Plant for Tongtan New Countryside Neighborhood
Zilong Wang	WHBC of Wuhan Foreign Languages School	China	Film Studies	The Fear in the Neo-Noirs-Noirs
Haiming Sun	Jinan Foreign Language School	China	History	Protestant Influence on Supreme Court Decisions Regarding Church-State Separation
Gayatri Sharma	United World College of India	India	History	How Was Ethnic Identity Constructed in the Balkans During the Yugoslav Wars in Former Yugoslavia?
Sarah Liu	The Kent School	United States	History	Science in Women’s Cosmetics of 17th Century Europe
Derek Jia Yu Zeng	St. John`s School	Canada	International Relations	Political Risk of Japan
Shiyu Zhu	WHBC of Wuhan Foreign Languages School	China	International Relations	Understanding the Impact of Membership in the European Union on Italy: To What Extent Does Membership in the EU Contribute to the Economic Slowdown Since the 1990s
Wei Zhou	Keystone Academy	China	International Relations	Political Risk of UK
Aditya Waddodagi	Greenwood High International School	India	International Relations	Political Risk of Sri Lanka
Neha Seshadri	Mira Loma High School	United States	International Relations	Political Risk of Venezuela
Sarah Sophie Schwarzhappel	ERG Donaustadt	Austria	Literature	The Concept of Home and Loss of Home as a Reality and a Metaphor in the Literature of Syrian Authors in Exile in German-Speaking Countries of Europe
Quan Zhou	Beijing No.4 High School	China	Literature	Love and Politics in The Tempest
Zichen Zhou	Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School	China	Literature	Shakespeare’s Allegory: Sins and Retribution in The Tempest
Cheng Qian	High School Attached to Tsinghua University	China	Mathematics	An Investigation in Tournaments with Bidirectional Arcs
Ziqian Jin	The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University	China	Mathematics	Tetranacci Identities with Squares, Dominos, and Hexagonal Double- Strips
Ziyang Zheng	The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University	China	Mathematics	Blockchain: Building Path to Utopia
Ronit Singhi	Jayshree Periwal International School	India	Mathematics	A Study on Graph Ramsey Numbers and Their Bounds
Michael Tulskikh	East Mountain High School	United States	Mathematics	Tilings of 2 × n Rectangular Strips Using Dominos and L-shaped Trominos
Bojun Jiao	Beijing No.80 High School	China	Media Studies	Chinese Parents: A Little Reunion or a Tremendous Breakdown? Discovering Chinese Families’ Relationships under the Gaokao System in Media
Yuanyuan Hao	Beijing World Youth Academy	China	Media Studies	Uses and Gratifications Research: Beijing Private High School Student’s WeChat Use
Xiyuan Zhao	Fresno Christian School	United States	Media Studies	Examining the Communication Styles of Chinese Vloggers and the Relationship Between the Public and the Vlogging Platform
Zitian Ye	Beijing National Day School	China	Music	Observations and Thoughts on Tchaikovsky’s Romance in F Minor
Sahana Prasanna	Monta Vista High School	United States	Music	Human Intuition, Perception, and Execution of a Five-Beat Versus a Seven-Beat Rhythmic Cycle
Fanyue Xia	Nanjing Foreign Language School	China	Neuroscience	Effects of Tactile Stimulation on Cognitive and Emotional Deficits in Alzheimer Patients
Leidan Chen	Shenzhen Middle School	China	Neuroscience	The Relation Between the Big Five Personality Traits and Pleasure Perception as Conveyed to the Brain by C-Tactile Nerve Fibers
Qiyang Wang	Beijing No.80 High School	China	Neuroscience	Crying and laughing: Factors Affecting Emotion Perception
Thao Pham	Science Hill High School	United States	Neuroscience	Adult Human Neurogenesis : Music Alleviates Clinical Depression by Stimulating Hippocampal Neurogenesis Augmenting Antidepressants Healing Effects
Victoria Che	The Loomis Chaffee School	United States	Neuroscience	Personality Differences and Dopaminergic Pathway in Addiction: A Proposal for Possible Preventative Measures
Zhiyun Zhao	Proctor Academy	United States	Neuroscience	The Collective Consciousness of Ants During Exploratory Behavior
Dihan Niloy	DPS STS School Dhaka	Bangladesh	Philosophy	Why Descartes Failed to Prove the Certainty of Any Knowledge
Yiyan Hao	The Experimental High School Attached To Beijing Normal University	China	Philosophy	Prioritizing the Meaning of Life: A Metaethical Analysis of Euthanasia
Zeyu Liu	Keystone Academy	China	Philosophy	Justice to Ren: The Self and Society in Ancient Greece and China
Xiaoyu Qiu	Pegasus California School	China	Physics	Visible Light Communication with the Application of Digital Filters
Zhechen Zhao	The High School Attached to Renmin University of China	China	Physics	Automated Measurement of the Fresnel Curve
Arush Ramteke	Global Indian International School, Punggol Smart Campus	Singapore	Physics	Evaluation of Atomistic Simulations in Considering Alloying Effect on Strength-Toughness Trade-Off of Aluminum Alloys
Aditya Bhardwaj	Monta Vista High School	United States	Physics	A Comparison of Linear Combination Fitting and Deconvolution Methods in an Analysis of Sulfur K-Edge XANES Spectra for Asphaltenes
Damian Musk	Ad Astra School	United States	Physics	Simulating the Computational Differences Between the Discrete Fourier Transform and Quantum Fourier Transform
Ling Qin	The Church Farm School	United States	Physics	Comparison of Edge Enhancement Techniques on Angiograms
Langqing Yi	Vanke Meisha Academy	China	Physics/ Astronomy	Using LIGO Data to Plot a Map for Multiple Events
Kaize Wu	WHBC of Wuhan Foreign Languages School	China	Political Science	How Should the Chinese Government Change the Mode of Eldercare Service Provision in China and Wuhan City?
Achint Das	John P. Stevens High School	United States	Political Science	Understanding the 2018 Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Causes and Remedies
Paul Meadors	Lakeland High School	United States	Political Science	Young American Activists: Why American Youth Have Become Politicized
Meihan Lu	Capital Normal University High School	China	Psychology	Psychological Expectations and Stress Reduction: Examining the Contributing Role of Mindfulness
Yihan Chen	WHBC of Wuhan Foreign Languages School	China	Psychology	The Mediating Effect of Self-Focused Attention on Gender Difference in Depression
Jiaqi Feng	Providence Day School	United States	Psychology	A Comparison Study of the Effectiveness of Interpersonal Therapy for Dysthymic Adolescents
Katie Reveno	Groton School	United States	Psychology/ Education	How Boys and Girls Complete Homework Differently
Ashley Lin	Union High School	United States	Psychology/ Environmental Studies	Students as Environmental Activists: A Scholarly Review
Juan Suarez	Gimnasio La Montaña	Colombia	Psychology/ Neuroscience	An Interpretation Account of the Motion Silencing Illusion
Tianwen Chen	Nanjing Foreign Languages School	China	Sociology	Topic Undisclosed
Ting Lin	International Department, The Affiliated High School of South China Normal University	China	Sociology	Escape the Corset As a Counterpublic: Beauty Standards, Radical Feminism and Collective Action in South Korea
Carnell Zhou	St. George`s School	Canada	STS	A Tale of Two Astronomers: The Disparate Legacies of Thomas Harriot and Galileo Galilei
Qihang Xu	St. George`s School	Canada	STS	Virtual Reality: Applications and PTSD Treatment
Guankai Zhai	Jining Confucius International School	China	STS	Cockpit Instruments: A Historical Study of the Ergonomic Considerations in Aircraft
Ansh Nagwekar	Bellarmine College Preparatory	United States	STS	How Search Engines Affect the Exchange of Quality Information Across the Internet
Jingxing Gao	Western Reserve Academy	United States	STS	The Reality in Virtual Reality