Pioneer Academics is proud to announce that 118 papers authored by scholars from the 2021 program have been nominated for publication in The Pioneer Research Journal, an annual publication showcasing the most outstanding undergraduate-level research and writing generated by the high school students from 48 countries and regions who participated in this year’s program.
The scholars whose work has been nominated hail from five continents, 13 countries and regions, and 104 high schools. The nominated research papers present original research in a wide range of academic fields spanning STEM, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Pre-professional disciplines.
The Pioneer Research Program is the world’s only online research program granting U.S. college credit for high school students. These nominated research papers form the capstone of the Pioneer Research Program, in which exceptional high school students from around the world follow Pioneer’s strict process to conduct original research. The scholars enrolled in the program meet online with small international cohorts to develop deep knowledge in their research concentration before moving on to work individually with the professor to generate an undergraduate-level research paper on a topic of their own.
All of the research papers completed by Pioneer Scholars undergo rigorous academic oversight, each one representing a significant achievement in original exploration and discovery and held to the highest academic standards. The 118 papers nominated for the 2021 edition of The Pioneer Journal, which marks the 8th volume, comprise the top 10% of the papers produced during Pioneer’s 2021 Spring and Summer terms. The nominated papers will now be evaluated in a comprehensive review process which includes a double-blind review by a panel of more than 40 university faculty experts from leading universities and colleges.
We look forward to announcing the papers selected for publication shortly after the start of the new year. In the meantime, we congratulate the authors of all the nominated papers, each of whom exemplifies the academic rigor embodied by the Pioneer system. For a complete list of nominated papers and authors, please see the chart below.
Scholar Name
Scholar School
Scholar country and regions (by school)
Pioneer Research Area
Pioneer Research Topic
Aadvik Shukla
The Shri Ram School Moulsari
India
Sociology/Political Science
The Uttar Pradesh Anti Conversion Ordinance, 2020 - Deconstructing the stated neutrality of legislative material in the BJP’s populist, majoritarian India.
Aanya Bhalla
International School of Hyderabad
Chemistry/Biology
Developing Alectinib-based Small-Molecule Antagonists to Treat Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Aaron Lu
West Point Grey Academy
Canada
Business
Casper Sleep Valuation: Are Investors Sleeping on Casper’s True Value?
Amena Hussain
South Brunswick High School
United States
Neuroscience
Dopamine signals reward prediction error and action selection
Anna Kassim
Croydon High School
United Kingdom
Philosophy
Being’s Chain, God’s Death, and Atlas’ Shrug: How meaning is blurred and deferred in the consideration of godlessness and freedom
Anna Song
Seoul Foreign School
South Korea
Film Studies / Media Studies / Sociology / Culture Studies
Instagram: A Tool for Maintaining Sex: Comparative Objectification in Young Women
Anruo Wang
Shenzhen College of International Education
China
Education
The academic implications of out-of-school tutorials on Chinese and American students’ high-stake test performance
Ariane Vidal
San Francisco University High School
STS
Race in the Eugenics Movement and the Progressive Era, 1910-1939
Ashlesha Bhojane
Hollis-Brookline High School
Psychology / Neuroscience
A Healthy Body Is a Healthy Brain When It Comes to Alzheimer's Disease
Bao Nguyen
Punahou School
Chemistry
A theoretical study into the stepwise mechanism of the McLafferty rearrangement of 2-pentanone
Brian Fan
Appleby College
Economics/Mathematics
Game Theory: Red Packet Game
Brian Nguyen
Northside College Prep High School
Film Studies / Media Studies
Film’s Portrayal of Mental Illness and Violence: Schizophrenia, DID, and PTSD
Caroline Greenstone
Greenhill School
Making Decisions in a Crisis: The Ethics of Scarce Resource Distribution Policies During COVID-19
Catherine He
Ridley College
International Relations/Political Science
Myanmar Risk Analysis
Charisma Chen
Westridge School for Girls
Economics/Political Science
Eliminating the Inefficiencies of the Current Car Resale Market Through Startup “BuyoutALease”
Chong Tin
Eton College
Cultural Studies/Environmental Studies
A Contemporary Perspective on the Health of the Great Barrier Reef and the Wellbeing of the Torres Strait Islanders
Christopher Buyalos
Calabasas High School
New Wars in Yemen? Classifying Debates around post-Cold War Conflict and Tracing the Emergence of New Wars in Yemen
Claire Liu
Naperville North High School
Music/Music Theory
The Role of K-pop in Modern East Asian-American Cultural Identity and Mental Health
Connor Lee
La Cañada High School
Criminology/Sociology
An Analysis on the Value of Self-Control in Committing Crimes
Daeyong Kwon
Centennial High School
STS/Computer Science/History/Political Science/Culture Studies
Distinct Minorities’ Relationships with Political Ideology in Baltimore City
Daniel Zhu
Dougherty Valley High School
Biology
Does IL-10 induced upregulation of the NKG2A receptor in NK cells result in lymphopenia of NK cells in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2?
Dat Chau
Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School
Vietnam: Disillusioned Equality for Ethnic Minorities
David Li
William P. Clements High School
Computer Science
Using Networks and Supervised Machine Learning to Analyze and Predict the Results of Team Sports Games
Dhun Nishchal
Heritage Xperiential Learning School
Physics/Chemistry
Identification of the different chemical structures present in an unknown sulfur sample using K-edge X-ray absorption near end structure (XANES) data analysis
Divya Mamidi
Mira Loma High School
Economics / Political Science / International Relations / Sociology
Private Companies Dictating Public Purpose: Aadhaar in India’s Digital Welfare Revolution
Dorothy Chan
Brooklyn Technical High School
Environmental Studies
Imagining a carbon-neutral future through Standard Oil’s Four Sisters standing: Beyond Petroleum, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell
Duru Unsal
Alameda High School
International Relations
“Democracy as a Choice:” Weimar Civil Society and the Rise of the Nazi Party
Efe Uğurlu
Robert College
Turkey
Physics/Astronomy
Putting Constraints on the Dark Matter Density at the Center of our Galaxy from the Most Recent Observations of GRAVITY
Ege Kabasakaloğlu
Bahcesehir High School for Science and Technology
Analyzing Generalized Harary’s Tic-Tac-Toe Using Automated Algorithms
Elise Pham
Lawrence Dale Bell High School
Mechanisms of Inhibition for β-lactam Resistance: A Novel Investigation of Therapeutic Efforts against Gram-negative Bacteria
Emory Sun
International School of Beijing
Mathematics/Physics
Representations of a natural number as the sum of four of eight squares
Enzo Banal
North Hollywood High School
Media Studies/Political Science
A Photo Finish Amidst a Hurricane: Why Election Outcomes Have Been Consistently Narrow Despite Institutional Bias
Ezgi Erzincan
Saint Joseph Istanbul
Political Science/International Relations
The Consequences of Urbanization on Access to Housing and Education in Turkey: Struggles and Coping Strategies of Syrian Refugees
Faruk Ecirli
NUN Schools
Exploring the Entrepreneurial Differences Between Immigrant and Local Populations within the Context of Necessity and Opportunity Entrepreneurship
Hanqi Su
Culver Academies
History/Culture Studies/Political Science
Liberation Through the Imperial Imagination: Garveyism in Nigeria, 1919-1922
Hao Jiang
International Department of the Affiliated High School of South China Normal University
Formation of Umami Taste in Furu: The Role of Fermentation and Associated Health Benefits
Haoyu Wang
Cultural Studies/Anthropology
Communication and Trade Between African and Chinese Merchants in Guangzhou, China
Inyoung Lee
Civil Society and Democratization: The Role of the Labor Movement in South Korea’s Democratic Transition
Irene Lin
Homestead High School
Complexity Within Minimalism: Rhythmic Perception of Steve Reich’s Clapping Music
Isaac Lowry
Granville High School
A Proposal to Facilitate Endogenous, Physiological Adrenal Steroidogenesis in 21-OHD CAH Patients via Recurrent Enzyme Replacement Therapy-
Isabella Lashley
The Chapin School
Along a Post-Colonial Spectrum: Considering Theory through an Analysis of Jordanian and Lebanese Identities
Ivy Jiang
Stuyvesant High School
Psychology
The Curious Mind of Self-Deception: The Effects of Personality and Its Influence on Academic Achievement
Jeffrey Chen
Niskayuna High School
Skin-Inspired Semiconducting Polymers and SulfurNitrogen Containing Porous Polymer Networks
Jiali Yu
Hangzhou Foreign Languages School
Mathematics/Computer Science
Impact of Fans on Home Court Advantage in the NBA
Jiaxi Wei
Shenzhen Middle School
Sulfur K-edge XANES Study of Determining the Proportion of Known Structures in an Unknown Element
Jiayuan Jiang
The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University
A Temporary Gender Indexical : How Female Mandarin Serves as a Constructive Force on Modern Female Identity in Beijing Society
Jingru Yang "Jenny"
United World College Changshu China
Anthropology / Psychology / Culture Studies
An Examination of Urban-Rural Differences in Maternal Child-Rearing Strategies: Using Data from Shanghai and Sui-Ning
Jingyuan Zhang
The Experimental High School Attached To Beijing Normal University
Architecture/Art History
“War” at “Home“: The Feminist Narratives of Martha Rosler’s Photomontages
Jiyul Shin
Korea International School
Literature/History
Secret of the Grotesque: Exploring the physical and fantastical realms of Nikolai Gogol’s The Nose and E.T.A. Hoffman’s Little Zaches called Cinnabar
Josephine Lee
Economics
Advancement during Crises in Developed Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Economic Growth of Germany and Italy
Junfei Sun
Computer Science / Biology / Neuroscience
A more efficient cell segmentation network with SkipNet
Kathryn Beistle
Gilbert Classical Academy
Overproduction and Inefficiency in the Fashion Industry: A Proposal for Creative Destruction
Kayla Wanahita
United World College of South East Asia - Dover
Singapore
What Are the Differences of White and Black Women's Actions Within America's Political Structures During and Following the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
Kenedy Quandt
Sierra Canyon High School
Biology/Neuroscience
Effectiveness of Virtual Reality on the Arm Following Stroke
Kosta Barsov
Nova International Schools
Macedonia
Environmental Studies/Engineering
Efficient Wastewater Treatment through Smart Stormwater Management
Kyle Tignor
Dallastown Area High School
A Proof of the Asymptotic Formula for Partitions
Kyra McKauffley
Churchill High School
“Everything for Them, Nothing for Us”: Slogans and the “Us versus Them” Relationship of the 2006 and 2011 Chilean Education Protests
Lara Buruk
The Effect of Culture on How Emotions Influence Spending Decisions
Laura Zhang
Ravenswood School for Girls
Australia
Sociology/Political Science/History
Opening Our Hearts: An Analysis of How Noel Pearson Reframes the Debate Through Irony and Identification
Luojia Liu
Shenzhen Foreign Languages School
How friendship and shared leadership impact team performance
Manya Lalwani
Flintridge Preparatory School
Anthropology/ STS
Do the Incarcerated Have Rights? The Impact of Covid-19 in America’s Prisons
Michael Jacob
Research Triangle High School
Physics
Modeling the Frequency Shift of Light Emitted from Stars Orbiting Around Black Holes
Michelle Liu
Chinese International School
China-Hong Kong
The Efficacy of Practicing and Expressing Gratitude Interventions for Improving Well-Being in Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong
Minghan Gao
Qingdao No. 58 High School
Media Studies
The Comparison Between BBC News and Myanmar Times: How Do Different Frames Express Racial Grievances of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar?
Moxuan Xiong
Rutgers Preparatory School
Trans Selfhood, (Mis)recognition, and Post-identity Resistance
Munachimso Isabel Ohakamma
L.V. Hightower High School
Collective Memory Within the Black Community
Naisha Agarwal
Saratoga High School
Recommendation Algorithms to Encourage Equal Access to Influencers in a Network
Nanru Dai
BASIS International School Guangzhou
Mathematics
A Brief Introduction to Fractional Coloring with Applications to Graph Products
Nathaniel Chapman
St. Paul`s School
An Examination of Descartes’ Doubt and the Foundations of Certain Knowledge
Paridhi Latawa
Liberal Arts and Science Academy
Applications of Convolutional Codes to DNA Codes and Error-Correction
Peter Tizora
USAP Community School
Zimbabwe
Engineering
Investigating the Advantages of Battery Swapping For Increased Adoption of Electrical Vehicles
Qianyu Liang
The Relationship Between Religious Practice and Depression: Intrinsic Religiousness as Moderator
Rheem Abbas
West Ashley High School
There is no 'Ancient Egypt.' There is Only Nubia: The Shifting Role of Grade School Education in the Shaping of Sudanese National History
Rishika Gupta
Amity International School, Saket
Sociology/ International Relations/Political Science/Gender Studies
Gendered Nature of Art & Resistance in Kashmir
Rizabek Alpamys
Atyrau `Bilim-Innovation` lyceum
Kazakhstan
Engineering/ Computer Science
Facial Edge Extraction Using Quantum Hadamard Edge Detection Algorithm
Ruby Tseng
The Primacy Collegiate Academy
China-Taiwan
Literature
Resurrecting Dead Voices
Ruomin Xin
Shanghai United International School Gubei Campus
Introducing probiotics or probiotic polysaccharide A to complement Nivolumab’s antitumoral activity in colorectal cancer
Ryan Hsi
Mercer Island High School
Background and Analysis of Fugues No. 3, No. 5, and No. 7 in Nikolai Kapustin’s 24 Preludes and Fugues, OP. 82: The Life and Compositional Mind of Nikolai Kapustin
Ryan Su
Concordia International School Shanghai
The Potential of Linoleic Acid as an Anti-biofilm Agent Paired With Antibiotics to Target P. Aeruginosa Biofilms
Samantha Shah
San Ramon Valley High School
History / Sociology / Biology
The Illegitimate Defenses of Nazi Physicians
Sangwon Shin
The SMIC Private School, Shanghai
Structure-based mixed cannabinoid design presents new opportunities for fibrosis treatment
Sean Liu
Dulwich College Beijing
Automatic Flood Barrier for Protecting Urban Underground Facilities
Seungmo Ku
Korea International School, Jeju Campus
Arbitrary Length and Arbitrary Quality Audio Steganography
Shiv Kampani
Dhirubhai Ambani International School
Swarm and Search Systems An Application of Swarm Robotics to the Exploration of Fireground Environments
Shivani Menon
Oakridge International School Bangalore
Literature/Philosophy
The Representation of Untouchables as Others in Indian Literature
Siddharta Laloux
Sevenoaks School
Physics/Computer Science/Mathematics
Epidemic Propagation in Multilayered Networks
Simratpal Deol
Ithaca Senior High School
Exploring the Adverse Health Effects Associated with Atrozene and Whether More Substantial Restrictions are Required in the United States
Soham Dasgupta
Mallya Aditi International School
Learning predictive models of entity-threat relationships in cybersecurity from distributed representations of knowledge graphs
Songpei Li
Economics / History / Poltical Science / International Relations
The Impact of the 2008 Financial Crisis on JPMorgan Chase and its future Implications
Sophia Lao
Cosumnes Oaks High School
Political Science
The Impact of Female Political Representation in State Legislatures on Abortion Policy in the United States
Tianyi Wang
Shanghai Pinghe School
Effectiveness of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) on Upper Extremity for Stroke Patients: A Scoping Review
Ugochukwu Osondu
Federal Government Academy, Suleja
Nigeria
Tiling the [n × n] square with (1 × 1) squares and (n − 2) × 2 rectangles
Veer Gokhale
German Swiss International School
A Study of Prompt and Non-Prompt J/psi production at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV via the mu+mu- channel using data from Compact Muons Solenoid (CMS) Experiment
Wangruoxi Liang
Keystone Academy
Economics/International Relations
Trade liberalization, capital stock, sectoral growth and urban-rural inequality: evidence from China
William Kim
UAI and Economic Development: A Case Study of Singapore and South Korea
Xiaohan Wang
The Webb Schools
STS/Media Studies/Political Science/Philosophy
Conspiracy Theory as a Technology of Power
Xiaoyi Shi
Shanghai Foreign Language School
Mutability and Function of SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b
Xinran (Cici) Xu
Expanding Intergovernmental Water Markets Between Colorado River Basin Tribal Countries and Western States as a Response to Socioeconomic Drought
Xintong Chen
York School
Comparing the Response Rate, Remission Rate, and Effective Age Range of High-Frequency Left Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (HFL rTMS) and Low-Frequency Right Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (LFR rTMS) in Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Xueyin Yang
Shanghai American School Pudong
Gender Studies/Sociology
A Tale of Two Model Minorities: A Critical Analysis of Saving Face
Yage Xin
Science, Technology & Society (STS)*/Anthropology/ Sociology
"I Have Autism": Uses and Misuses of Autism as Internet Slang in China
Yan Shu
SMIC High School
Literature/Film Studies
The Madness of Indifference: Literature and Film on the Comic Insanity of 20th Century Warfare
Yanxi Ren
Light and Photoreceptors Beyond Vision
Ying Hu
Education/Sociology
Trends of Chinese Given Names and the Reflective Female Gender Stereotypes
Yixuan Huang
Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School
As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing: the Psychotherapeutic Effect of Comedies
Yong Jie Chou
St. Paul`s Co-educational College
Sociology/ Media Studies
#Challenge Accepted for Women in Turkey: Trending Instagram Participation or Collective Feminist Activism?
Yue Yu
Teensen Genesis School
Physics/Biology
Realistic Kinetic Properties for Oxygen-Sensitive K+ Channels in Gloms Cells of the Carotid Body
Yueqi Mei
Guangdong Country Garden School
Psychology/Gender Studies/Sociology
How Parent’s Perceptions of student’s academic performance are affected by gender and gaming behavior
Yukino Sakai
Engineering/ Mathematics
A Mathematical Model of Rocket Staging and Staging Optimization
Yuqian Qiu
Vanke Meisha Academy
A Pilot Wastewater Treatment Plant Designed to Target the Removal of Nanoplastics using Acoustic Radiation Force (ARF)
Yushan Yuan
Tabor Academy
Apply Systematic Evalation in Anti-Plastic Programs
Yuxiang Zhang
The Thacher School
Astronomy/Physics
Is GW170817A Real? Investigating the Detection Confidence of GW170817A
Zane Mogannam
De La Salle High School
Chemistry/ Biology
A Comparative Analysis of Three Nucleoside Analogue Inhibitors as Antiviral Therapeutics Against SARS-CoV-2 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
Zehra Gundogdu
Bahçeşehir High School for Science and Technology
Art History/Architecture
Change of Byzantine Art Programs through Iconoclast Era
Zhefei Cao
The Ethel Walker School
Further Hops in Toads and Frogs
Zihao Gao
McCallie School
EDU Valuation: A New Era for Private Education or the Beginning of the End?
Ziyu Zhou
BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour
Migration’s Effect on the Sending Country: The Case of Poland
Zoey Duan
Comparing Mediated Effects: Child Language Brokering Frequency and Family Obligation on the Association between Disaster Severity and Acute Stress Disorder Symptoms
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