Announcing the 2021 Pioneer Research Journal Nominees

Pioneer Academics is proud to announce that 118 papers authored by scholars from the 2021

December 15, 2021
Journal nomination , News , Pioneer & News
The Pioneer Research Journal is an annual publication of the best research papers that high school students can accomplish before they go to colleges

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

India

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

United States

STS

Race in the Eugenics Movement and the Progressive Era, 1910-1939

Ashlesha Bhojane

Hollis-Brookline High School

United States

Psychology / Neuroscience

A Healthy Body Is a Healthy Brain When It Comes to Alzheimer's Disease

Bao Nguyen

Punahou School

United States

Chemistry

A theoretical study into the stepwise mechanism of the McLafferty rearrangement of 2-pentanone

Brian Fan

Appleby College

Canada

Economics/Mathematics

Game Theory: Red Packet Game

Brian Nguyen

Northside College Prep High School

United States

Film Studies / Media Studies

Film’s Portrayal of Mental Illness and Violence: Schizophrenia, DID, and PTSD

Caroline Greenstone

Greenhill School

United States

Philosophy

Making Decisions in a Crisis: The Ethics of Scarce Resource Distribution Policies During COVID-19

Catherine He

Ridley College

Canada

International Relations/Political Science

Myanmar Risk Analysis

Charisma Chen

Westridge School for Girls

United States

Economics/Political Science

Eliminating the Inefficiencies of the Current Car Resale Market Through Startup “BuyoutALease”

Chong Tin

Eton College

United Kingdom

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

United States

International Relations/Political Science

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

United States

Music/Music Theory

The Role of K-pop in Modern East Asian-American Cultural Identity and Mental Health

Connor Lee

La Cañada High School

United States

Criminology/Sociology

An Analysis on the Value of Self-Control in Committing Crimes

Daeyong Kwon

Centennial High School

United States

STS/Computer Science/History/Political Science/Culture Studies

Distinct Minorities’ Relationships with Political Ideology in Baltimore City

Daniel Zhu

Dougherty Valley High School

United States

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

United States

Sociology/Political Science

Vietnam: Disillusioned Equality for Ethnic Minorities

David Li

William P. Clements High School

United States

Computer Science

Using Networks and Supervised Machine Learning to Analyze and Predict the Results of Team Sports Games

Dhun Nishchal

Heritage Xperiential Learning School

India

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

United States

Economics / Political Science / International Relations / Sociology

Private Companies Dictating Public Purpose: Aadhaar in India’s Digital Welfare Revolution

Dorothy Chan

Brooklyn Technical High School

United States

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

United States

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

Turkey

Computer Science

Analyzing Generalized Harary’s Tic-Tac-Toe Using Automated Algorithms

Elise Pham

Lawrence Dale Bell High School

United States

Biology

Mechanisms of Inhibition for β-lactam Resistance: A Novel Investigation of Therapeutic Efforts against Gram-negative Bacteria

Emory Sun

International School of Beijing

China

Mathematics/Physics

Representations of a natural number as the sum of four of eight squares

Enzo Banal

North Hollywood High School

United States

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

Turkey

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

Turkey

Business

Exploring the Entrepreneurial Differences Between Immigrant and Local Populations within the Context of Necessity and Opportunity Entrepreneurship

Hanqi Su

Culver Academies

United States

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

China

Chemistry

Formation of Umami Taste in Furu: The Role of Fermentation and Associated Health Benefits

Haoyu Wang

International Department of the Affiliated High School of South China Normal University

China

Cultural Studies/Anthropology

Communication and Trade Between African and Chinese Merchants in Guangzhou, China

Inyoung Lee

Seoul Foreign School

South Korea

Economics / Political Science / International Relations / Sociology

Civil Society and Democratization: The Role of the Labor Movement in South Korea’s Democratic Transition

Irene Lin

Homestead High School

United States

Music/Music Theory

Complexity Within Minimalism: Rhythmic Perception of Steve Reich’s Clapping Music

Isaac Lowry

Granville High School

United States

Biology

A Proposal to Facilitate Endogenous, Physiological Adrenal Steroidogenesis in 21-OHD CAH Patients via Recurrent Enzyme Replacement Therapy-

Isabella Lashley

The Chapin School

United States

International Relations/Political Science

Along a Post-Colonial Spectrum: Considering Theory through an Analysis of Jordanian and Lebanese Identities

Ivy Jiang

Stuyvesant High School

United States

Psychology

The Curious Mind of Self-Deception: The Effects of Personality and Its Influence on Academic Achievement

Jeffrey Chen

Niskayuna High School

United States

Chemistry

Skin-Inspired Semiconducting Polymers and Sulfur­Nitrogen Containing Porous Polymer Networks

Jiali Yu

Hangzhou Foreign Languages School

China

Mathematics/Computer Science

Impact of Fans on Home Court Advantage in the NBA

Jiaxi Wei

Shenzhen Middle School

China

Physics/Chemistry

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

China

Cultural Studies/Anthropology

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

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

China

Architecture/Art History

“War” at “Home“: The Feminist Narratives of Martha Rosler’s Photomontages

Jiyul Shin

Korea International School

South Korea

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

Seoul Foreign School

South Korea

Economics

Advancement during Crises in Developed Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Economic Growth of Germany and Italy

Junfei Sun

United World College Changshu China

China

Computer Science / Biology / Neuroscience

A more efficient cell segmentation network with SkipNet

Kathryn Beistle

Gilbert Classical Academy

United States

Economics/Political Science

Overproduction and Inefficiency in the Fashion Industry: A Proposal for Creative Destruction

Kayla Wanahita

United World College of South East Asia - Dover

Singapore

Film Studies / Media Studies / Sociology / Culture Studies

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

United States

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

United States

Mathematics/Physics

A Proof of the Asymptotic Formula for Partitions

Kyra McKauffley

Churchill High School

United States

History/Culture Studies/Political Science

“Everything for Them, Nothing for Us”: Slogans and the “Us versus Them” Relationship of the 2006 and 2011 Chilean Education Protests

Lara Buruk

Robert College

Turkey

Economics

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

China

Business

How friendship and shared leadership impact team performance

Manya Lalwani

Flintridge Preparatory School

United States

Anthropology/ STS

Do the Incarcerated Have Rights? The Impact of Covid-19 in America’s Prisons

Michael Jacob

Research Triangle High School

United States

Physics

Modeling the Frequency Shift of Light Emitted from Stars Orbiting Around Black Holes

Michelle Liu

Chinese International School

China-Hong Kong

Psychology

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

China

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

United States

Philosophy

Trans Selfhood, (Mis)recognition, and Post-identity Resistance

Munachimso Isabel Ohakamma

L.V. Hightower High School

United States

Psychology

Collective Memory Within the Black Community

Naisha Agarwal

Saratoga High School

United States

Computer Science

Recommendation Algorithms to Encourage Equal Access to Influencers in a Network

Nanru Dai

BASIS International School Guangzhou

China

Mathematics

A Brief Introduction to Fractional Coloring with Applications to Graph Products

Nathaniel Chapman

St. Paul`s School

United States

Philosophy

An Examination of Descartes’ Doubt and the Foundations of Certain Knowledge

Paridhi Latawa

Liberal Arts and Science Academy

United States

Mathematics

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

Shenzhen College of International Education

China

Psychology

The Relationship Between Religious Practice and Depression: Intrinsic Religiousness as Moderator

Rheem Abbas

West Ashley High School

United States

Political Science/International Relations

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

India

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

China

Biology

Introducing probiotics or probiotic polysaccharide A to complement Nivolumab’s antitumoral activity in colorectal cancer

Ryan Hsi

Mercer Island High School

United States

Music/Music Theory

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

China

Biology

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

United States

History / Sociology / Biology

The Illegitimate Defenses of Nazi Physicians

Sangwon Shin

The SMIC Private School, Shanghai

China

Chemistry/Biology

Structure-based mixed cannabinoid design presents new opportunities for fibrosis treatment

Sean Liu

Dulwich College Beijing

China

Engineering

Automatic Flood Barrier for Protecting Urban Underground Facilities

Seungmo Ku

Korea International School, Jeju Campus

South Korea

Computer Science

Arbitrary Length and Arbitrary Quality Audio Steganography

Shiv Kampani

Dhirubhai Ambani International School

India

Engineering

Swarm and Search Systems An Application of Swarm Robotics to the Exploration of Fireground Environments

Shivani Menon

Oakridge International School Bangalore

India

Literature/Philosophy

The Representation of Untouchables as Others in Indian Literature

Siddharta Laloux

Sevenoaks School

United Kingdom

Physics/Computer Science/Mathematics

Epidemic Propagation in Multilayered Networks

Simratpal Deol

Ithaca Senior High School

United States

Environmental Studies

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

India

Computer Science

Learning predictive models of entity-threat relationships in cybersecurity from distributed representations of knowledge graphs

Songpei Li

Rutgers Preparatory School

United States

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

United States

Political Science

The Impact of Female Political Representation in State Legislatures on Abortion Policy in the United States

Tianyi Wang

Shanghai Pinghe School

China

Biology/Neuroscience

Effectiveness of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) on Upper Extremity for Stroke Patients: A Scoping Review

Ugochukwu Osondu

Federal Government Academy, Suleja

Nigeria

Mathematics

Tiling the [n × n] square with (1 × 1) squares and (n − 2) × 2 rectangles

Veer Gokhale

German Swiss International School

China-Hong Kong

Physics

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

China

Economics/International Relations

Trade liberalization, capital stock, sectoral growth and urban-rural inequality: evidence from China

William Kim

Seoul Foreign School

South Korea

Economics

UAI and Economic Development: A Case Study of Singapore and South Korea

Xiaohan Wang

The Webb Schools

United States

STS/Media Studies/Political Science/Philosophy

Conspiracy Theory as a Technology of Power

Xiaoyi Shi

Shanghai Foreign Language School

China

Biology

Mutability and Function of SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b

Xinran (Cici) Xu

Saratoga High School

United States

Environmental Studies

Expanding Intergovernmental Water Markets Between Colorado River Basin Tribal Countries and Western States as a Response to Socioeconomic Drought

Xintong Chen

York School

United States

Psychology

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

China

Gender Studies/Sociology

A Tale of Two Model Minorities: A Critical Analysis of Saving Face

Yage Xin

Shenzhen College of International Education

China

Science, Technology & Society (STS)*/Anthropology/ Sociology

"I Have Autism": Uses and Misuses of Autism as Internet Slang in China

Yan Shu

SMIC High School

China

Literature/Film Studies

The Madness of Indifference: Literature and Film on the Comic Insanity of 20th Century Warfare

Yanxi Ren

Shenzhen Middle School

China

Neuroscience

Light and Photoreceptors Beyond Vision

Ying Hu

Rutgers Preparatory School

United States

Education/Sociology

Trends of Chinese Given Names and the Reflective Female Gender Stereotypes

Yixuan Huang

Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School

China

Literature/Film Studies

As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing: the Psychotherapeutic Effect of Comedies

Yong Jie Chou

St. Paul`s Co-educational College

China-Hong Kong

Sociology/ Media Studies

#Challenge Accepted for Women in Turkey: Trending Instagram Participation or Collective Feminist Activism?

Yue Yu

Teensen Genesis School

China

Physics/Biology

Realistic Kinetic Properties for Oxygen-Sensitive K+ Channels in Gloms Cells of the Carotid Body

Yueqi Mei

Guangdong Country Garden School

China

Psychology/Gender Studies/Sociology

How Parent’s Perceptions of student’s academic performance are affected by gender and gaming behavior

Yukino Sakai

Dulwich College Beijing

China

Engineering/ Mathematics

A Mathematical Model of Rocket Staging and Staging Optimization

Yuqian Qiu

Vanke Meisha Academy

China

Environmental Studies/Engineering

A Pilot Wastewater Treatment Plant Designed to Target the Removal of Nanoplastics using Acoustic Radiation Force (ARF)

Yushan Yuan

Tabor Academy

United States

Environmental Studies

Apply Systematic Evalation in Anti-Plastic Programs

Yuxiang Zhang

The Thacher School

United States

Astronomy/Physics

Is GW170817A Real? Investigating the Detection Confidence of GW170817A

Zane Mogannam

De La Salle High School

United States

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

Turkey

Art History/Architecture

Change of Byzantine Art Programs through Iconoclast Era

Zhefei Cao

The Ethel Walker School

United States

Mathematics

Further Hops in Toads and Frogs

Zihao Gao

McCallie School

United States

Business

EDU Valuation: A New Era for Private Education or the Beginning of the End?

Ziyu Zhou

BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour

China

Economics/International Relations

Migration’s Effect on the Sending Country: The Case of Poland

Zoey Duan

Punahou School

United States

Psychology

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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