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
Doing research is commonplace.
