Announcing the 2022 Pioneer Research Journal

Pioneer Academics announces the 28 original research papers that were selected for the 2022 Pioneer Research Journal, Volume 9, an international collection of certified undergraduate-level research. Published annually, the journal features the most outstanding scholarship generated by the young global scholars enrolled in the Pioneer Research Program, the world’s only fully-accredited online research program providing U.S. college credit for exceptional high school students from around the world. 

The Pioneer Research Journal nomination and selection process is thorough and objective. Each paper was nominated by one of Pioneer’s mentoring professors before undergoing a rigorous double-blind review by a member of the 50-member expert review panel of faculty from top American universities and colleges. This panel evaluated each paper according to four criteria: engagement with scholarship, evidence and analysis, writing and organization, and scholarly contribution. The papers ultimately selected after undergoing this review represent the top 1.9% of the research papers from Pioneer’s 2022 academic year. 

For the scholars whose work will be featured in Volume 9, the publication of their research was the culmination of a transformative experience defined by academic growth and the pursuit of each author’s intellectual passions. Julius Dorsey, a student at Regis High School in New York City, expressed his appreciation for the way in which the Pioneer Research Program allowed him to chart the course of his own academic journey. “The Pioneer Research Program allowed me to freely shape my own learning path,” he said. “This publication is a testament to how much I grew while creating that path.”

The Pioneer Research Journal also demonstrates what young scholars are capable of when given the tools and mentorship to unleash their potential. “With its resources and guidance, Pioneer helped me understand that research is not so inaccessible for high school students,” noted Lingchen Wang, a student at Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School in China. He went on to say, “My Pioneer experience encouraged me to continue to pursue my academic interest in an organized and thorough manner. To be able to contribute something original to a field I’m passionate about was truly meaningful.”

For SaraVotey Mom, from the Liger Leadership Academy in Cambodia, publication in the journal is especially meaningful and reflects Pioneer’s commitment to removing barriers to advanced education for scholars all over the world. “The publication of this research paper extends far beyond in making a theoretical contribution to studies of persuasive marketing,” SaraVotey said when asked to comment on her paper’s selection for the journal, noting that her paper’s publication “is also a reflection showing that a young Cambodian woman’s aspiration” toward academic excellence could be reached. 

The freedom to pursue research topics that speak to their passions within the framework of a research program defined by a rigorous academic system that holds scholars and mentors to the highest academic standards ensures a rewarding experience for Pioneer scholars. By unlocking their intellectual potential and leading them to produce the best possible results, the Pioneer Research Program empowers a global network of scholars to make meaningful contributions to their respective academic disciplines and to develop the skills that will equip them for success as they continue their educational and professional journeys.

We congratulate the scholars listed below on having had their research selected for Volume 9 of The Pioneer Research Journal!

Author: Kate Kim

School: Peddie School, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Architecture

Pioneer Research Concentration: Sustainable Approaches to Architecture Heritage

Pioneer Research Topic: Adaptive Reuse of Temporary Structures for a Humanitarian Purpose: A Case Study of the Jarahieh School

Author: Fengyi Han

School: Blair Academy, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Art History      

Pioneer Research Concentration: The Medieval Mediterranean: Confluence of Cultures

Pioneer Research Topic: Animal Images in Christian Art of the Medieval Mediterranean:

Perceptions of the Cultural “Other”

Author: Khanh Nguyen

School: Saigon South International School, Vietnam

Pioneer Research Area: Art History

Pioneer Research Concentration: The Italian High Renaissance: Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael

Pioneer Research Topic: Michelangelo’s Aesthetic Philosophy: Discovering Divine Beauty

 

Author: Alp Namalan

School: Galatasaray High School, Turkey

Pioneer Research Area: Biology

Pioneer Research Concentration: Cell Biology

Pioneer Research Topic: A Proposal to Implement Cas-CLOVER Technology in the Treatment of Patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Author: Matthew Wang

School: Shanghai High School International Division, China

Pioneer Research Area: Biology

Pioneer Research Concentration: Pandemic: The New Coronavirus

Pioneer Research Topic: Investigating the Mechanism by Which SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a Accessory Protein Mediates Lysosomal Exocytosis

Author: Shuhan Cao

School: German Swiss International School – China-Hong Kong

Pioneer Research Area: Biology/Neuroscience

Pioneer Research Concentration: Modern Topics on Sensory Neurobiology

Pioneer Research Topic: Localizing the Source of Calcium for Slow Adaptation in Cochlear Hair Cells

 

Author: Yuanyuan Xue

School: The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, China

Pioneer Research Area: Biology/Neuroscience

Pioneer Research Concentration: Treatment of Arm Dysfunction After a Stroke

Pioneer Research Topic: The Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in Stroke Rehabilitation of the Upper Extremities: A Scoping Review

 

Author: SaraVotey Mom

School: Liger Leadership Academy, Cambodia

Pioneer Research Area: Business

Pioneer Research Concentration: Persuasive Marketing

Pioneer Research Topic: The Influence of Injunctive Social Norms Appeal on Behavioral Intention to Participate in Blood Donation

Author: Alexis N. Lindenfelser

School: St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Chemistry

Pioneer Research Concentration: Solving Materials Science Problems Using Chemistry

Pioneer Research Topic: Nature Protecting Nature: The Use of Plant-derived Organic Compounds to Produce Superior Sunscreens that are Both Non-toxic to Coral and Present Reduced Health Risks to Humans

Author: Michael Li

School: St. George’s School, Canada

Pioneer Research Area: Chemistry

Pioneer Research Concentration: Computational Organic Chemistry

Pioneer Research Topic: A Computational Study on the Mechanism and the Regio- and Stereoselectivity of Metal-mediated Nucleophilic Addition to Gem-difluoroallene

 

Author: Pranav Virupaksha

School: Lynbrook High School, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Computer Science

Pioneer Research Concentration: Computers That See: Exploring Computer Vision

Pioneer Research Topic: ViT4SF: Vision Transformers for Solar Forecasting

Author: Lucy Lu

School: Shanghai High School International Division, China

Pioneer Research Area: Economics

Pioneer Research Concentration: Macroeconomics/Government Policies in Response to the Pandemic

Pioneer Research Topic: Modeling the Effects of Macroeconomic Policies on Business and Consumer Confidence During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author: Selina Song

School: Irvington High School, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Economics

Pioneer Research Concentration: International Economics

Pioneer Research Topic: Offshoring and the Coronavirus Pandemic

Author: Tianyi Yuan

School: Beijing Etown Academy, China

Pioneer Research Area: Engineering

Pioneer Research Concentration: Engineering Photonic Structures with Multi-Layered Films

Pioneer Research Topic: Engineering of 1-Dimensional Photonic Crystals with Improved Efficiency for Thermophotovoltaics

Author: Yifan Wang

School: High School Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Pioneer Research Area: Engineering

Pioneer Research Concentration: Applied Mathematics for Engineers

Pioneer Research Topic: Airworthiness Analysis of the Blended Wing Body Configuration by Using ANSYS Fluent as an Investigation Tool: SAX-40 as an Example

Author: Xiaohan Zhang

School: Wuhan Britain-China School, China

Pioneer Research Area: Environmental Studies

Pioneer Research Concentration: Water Quality and Global Environmental Health

Pioneer Research Topic: A Review of Non-classic Biomanipulation Experiments at Freshwater Lakes in China and the Factors that Influence their Results

 

Author: Yanzhi Chen

School: Keystone Academy, China

Pioneer Research Area: Environmental Studies/Ecology

Pioneer Research Concentration: Waste or Not Waste, That’s the Question – Solving Major Environmental Problems

Pioneer Research Topic: Dammed Rivers: Hydropower Development Modifies Fish Community Dynamics in the 3S Basin of Mekong

Author: Jeongho Ha

School: Korea International School, South Korea

Pioneer Research Area: Environmental Studies/Economics

Pioneer Research Concentration: Sustainable Development

Pioneer Research Topic: Supply-Sided and Demand-Sided Solutions to Fast-Fashion’s Social Impacts

Author: Nimrat Kaur

School: Mercer County Technical Schools, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Gender Studies/Sociology

Pioneer Research Concentration: What Is a Body? Gender, Power, and the Making of a Human

Pioneer Research Topic: Race, Gender, COVID-19, and Oral Health from a Patient and Provider Perspective

Author: Chujun Liu

School: Grier School, United States

Pioneer Research Area: History/Sociology

Pioneer Research Concentration: In Sickness and in Health: Topics in the History and Sociology of Public Health

Pioneer Research Topic: Patient Centered Medicine: Evolution of the FDA’s Drug Approval Regulations: The Thalidomide Tragedy in 1961 and the AIDS Crisis in the 1980s

Author: Jason Zhuang

School: Shenzhen College of International Education, China

Pioneer Research Area: International Relations/STS

Pioneer Research Concentration: Understanding Global Cyber Power

Pioneer Research Topic: Using Sentiment Analysis, Statistical Analysis, and Neural Network Simulations to Analyze and Simulate the Correlation Between Cyberspace Freedom and Development

 

Author: Lingchen Wang

School: Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School, China

Pioneer Research Area: Literature

Pioneer Research Concentration: The Power of Shakespeare

Pioneer Research Topic: A Discourse on Utopia and the New World: Political Models in The Tempest

 

Author: Weining Wang

School: Tsinghua International School, China

Pioneer Research Area: Media Studies

Pioneer Research Concentration: Media Effects

Pioneer Research Topic: Undisclosed

 

Author: Siddharth Bhagwat

School: Flower Mound High School, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Neuroscience

Pioneer Research Concentration: The Brain Under Attack

Pioneer Research Topic: A Proposal for a Lipidomic Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Patients with Multiple System Atrophy

Author: Jiatong Liu

School: Keystone Academy, China

Pioneer Research Area: Philosophy

Pioneer Research Concentration: Descartes’ Meditations

Pioneer Research Topic: Chained to Knowledge? An Examination of Descartes’ View on Free Will in the Meditations

Author: Ary Cheng

School: BASIS Independent Silicon Valley, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Physics

Pioneer Research Concentration: Fourier Series and Transforms with Applications in Physics and Related Fields.”

Pioneer Research Topic: Theoretical Limitations of FTIR Spectroscopy

 

Author: Julius Dorsey

School: Regis High School, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Political Science

Pioneer Research Concentration: Race, Religion, and Politics

Pioneer Research Topic: A Qualitative Analysis of Social Mobility, Financial Inheritance, and Wealth Accumulation within Black Households

 

Author: Suhh Yeon Kim

School: Beverly Hills High School, United States

Pioneer Research Area: Psychology/Culture Studies

Pioneer Research Concentration: Psychology of Immigration

Pioneer Research Topic: Returning Comfort To “Comfort Women”:  The Effect of Korean Traditional Folk Music on Reactivity and Ethnic Identity