Announcing the Nominees for the 2024 Pioneer Research Journal

Pioneer Academics is proud to announce that 101 papers authored by scholars from the 2024

January 2, 2025

Blog , Journal nomination , News , Pioneer News

Pioneer Academics is proud to announce that 101 papers authored by scholars from the 2024 academic year 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 around the world who participated in this year’s institute.

These scholars come from 78 high schools representing 14 countries and regions. The nominated research papers present innovative analysis and new knowledge in a wide range of academic fields spanning STEM, social sciences, humanities, and pre-professional disciplines.

Pioneer Academics’ research institute is the world’s only fully-accredited online research institute for high school students. These nominated research papers are superlative examples of work conducted in the Pioneer Research Institute in which motivated and exceptional high school students from around the world pursue original research under the mentorship of world class professors in Pioneer’s academic system. The scholars enrolled in the institute meet online with small international cohorts in seminar-style sessions in their research concentration before moving on to work individually with the professor to generate an undergraduate-level research paper on an original topic they are required to develop.

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 101 papers nominated for the 2024 edition of The Pioneer Journal, which marks the 11th volume, comprise the top 5.8% of the papers produced during Pioneer’s 2024 academic year. The nominated papers will next be evaluated in a comprehensive review process which includes a double-blind review conducted by a panel of more than 40 university faculty from leading institutions in the United States.

The Pioneer Research Journal does not function as, nor is it promoted as, a vehicle to enhance college applications. Rather, it is meant to offer audiences interested in the potential of high-school-student scholarship exemplars of outstanding erudition. For that reason, the journal’s selection process prioritizes the equitable double-blind evaluation of all papers under consideration with no regard for the college application cycle.

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/Region (by school)	Pioneer Research Area	Pioneer Research Topic
Ahuja, Arnav	Archbishop Mitty High School	United States	Biology	Identification of Biomarkers and Biological Pathways in Diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis through Machine Learning
Zhu, Ziqing	Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy	China	Biology	Investigating the relationship between the shape and efficiency of heat transfer in CPU heatsinks
Zhu, Libei	BASIS International School of Hangzhou	China	Psychology	The Use of Music Therapy to Slow the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
Zhu, Alex Xuanrui	Concord Academy	United States	Gender Studies	It’s about looking for the effects of dark matter on the orbit of S2
Zholmukhan, Aitore	National School Of Physics And Mathematics	Kazakhstan	Chemistry	Why are they a minority?: An analysis of the commonalities and preferences of female players in action competitive games
Aidarkhan, Amirkhan Alimkhan	Nazarbayev Intellectual School Of Physics And Mathematics Taraz	Kazakhstan	Computer Science	Asylum Policy in the United States: Fixing a Broken System
Akkus, Yigithan	Koc Ozel Lisesi	Turkey	Physics/astronomy	Effects of short sequence nucleotide feature extraction on the RNA-binding protein site prediction using in-vivo RNA secondary structures
Andria, Denis	Istanbul International Community School	Turkey	Economics	Local response to cyanobacteria blooms in Taihu Lake
Zhang, Ruixin (Rui)	Tsinglan School	China	Education	An Overview of Exposure to and Effects of Per- and Polufluoroalkyl Substances on Humans and Select non-Human Species
Antonio, Ingrid	Bard High School Early College II	United States	Philosophy	The Right to Conceive Through the Use of Sperm Donation as a Single Woman
Zhang, Kan (Kevin)	BASIS International School - Park Lane Harbour	China	Philosophy	Nitrogen Pollution in the Mesoamerican Reef: Sources, Impacts, and Mitigation Strategies
Zhang, Haoyun (Richelle)	Shanghai Pinghe School	China	Biology	Mastering the Meaning of Logic: A Meta-Ethical Analysis of Philosophical Pitfalls
Zhang, Hanxi (Tristan)	Montverde Academy Shanghai	China	Computer Science	Statistical Mechanics Derivation of the Asymptotic Formula for Integer Partitions
Arun, Snigdha	Northwood High School	United States	Neuroscience	From structure to function: Neuronal spine morphologies in the context of neurological diseases
Chen, Emily	German Swiss International School	Hong Kong S.A.R.	Neuroscience/Biology	Relative Persuasiveness of Gain-Framed Beneficiary Framing Messages on Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Employee Discretionary Work Effort
Chen, Erica	Mulgrave School	Canada	International Relations	Digitalization's Role in Enhancing Social Efficiency in Microfinance
Xu, Xinyue (Yiyi)	Shanghai United International School Gubei Secondary	China	Sociology	Professional Gamin is Not a Disorder: A comparison of occupations and addiction disorders
Chen, Yifei	Guangdong Country Garden School	China	Mathematics	The Art of Surprise: A Musical Analysis of Select Scores by John Powell from the _How to Train Your Dragon_ Trilogy
Cui, Zijian (Jay)	Shanghai Pinghe School	China	Architecture	Memory in Massacre: Remembrance through Nanjing and Holocaust Memorials
Xu, Jingqi (George)	International School of Beijing, Shunyi	China	Physics	Investigating the effects of induced synthetic lethality through PARP-Inhibitors and ionizing radiation combination therapy in BRCA1/2 mutated breast cancer patients
Xiong, David Zhou	Buckingham Browne and Nichols School	United States	History/STS	Harnessing the Wind: An Analysis of the Feasibility of Offshore Wind Farms in Virginia and Implications for the East Coast
Desai, Ila Gayatri	Brearley School	United States	Political Science	Beauty as Performance: How Image Defines Success in China’s Pop Industry
Fan, Abigail L (Abby)	Diamond Bar High School	United States	Business	Proposal of Replication-Competent Lentiviral Vectors as HIV Treatment
Fan, Yuanxi (Anna)	Beijing City International School	China	Neuroscience	Parameter variation on the dynamics of a relativistic damped Duffing like driven system
Feng, Lucas	Millard North High School	United States	Music	Experimental protocol investigating the role of exercise in advanced ALS rehabilitation
Gao, Yisi (Theresa)	BASIS International School - Park Lane Harbour	China	Chemistry	An Investigation into the Pharmacological Mechanisms of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Qingxin Capsule in Treating Hypertension based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking.
Wang, Guanxi	The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University	China	Environmental Studies	The Effects of Gamification in Flipped Learning on Student Achievement and Motivation in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom
Gutti, Mihira	Irvington High School	United States	Chemistry/Biology	The influence of Xist in Modulating T cell Differentiation and Proliferation to Explain Sex Bias in Autoimmune Disorders
Tang, Rosalyn Yuen Yim	The Independent Schools Foundation Academy	Hong Kong S.A.R.	Chemistry/Biology	Design and Evaluation of GDP366 Analogs for Survivin Inhibition.
Harikrishnan, Vedika	GEMS Wellington School Qatar	Qatar	Psychology	Impact of Strengths-Based Interventions on the Well-Being and Academic Performance of High School Students
Jiang, Carolanne Tiana	Walnut Hill School	United States	Philosophy	Myosin 1c and PIP2 Interact to Regulate Slow Adaptation in Mammalian Inner Hair Cells
Jiang, Ivy	Spence School	United States	Biology	Inhibiting Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and ABC Transporters: A Promising Approach to treat Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Jiang, Yixin (Sophie)	Richmond Secondary School	Canada	Computer Science	“The Unfree Life is Worth Living”
Jiang, Yuning	Guangzhou Foreign Language School	China	Computer Science	The Influence of Tourism on Nutrient Pollution: A Case Study of Park Lane Harbor, Huizhuo
Sun, Ruihan (Andrew)	High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China	China	Sociology	Threat narrative regarding immigrants in Caravans: Partisan differences in YouTube comments
Sun, Qiyao (James)	Keystone Academy	China	Economics	Music therapy and Alzheimer's
Song, Yuri Samantha	Northwood High School	United States	Architecture	Novel Genetic Approach to Solving the Graph Bandwidth Problem using Wave Function Collapse Techniques
Jiang, Zaixin (Kitty)	United Nations International School	United States	Neuroscience	Observing Women in The Aeneid via Foucauldian Lens: A Feminist Reading of Virgil’s Magnum Opus
John, Jasmine Ruth	Garland High School	United States	Business/Psychology	Evaluating and Addressing the Impact of Particulate Matter and Artificial Light At Night Stressors On Plant Physiology And The Urban Ecosystem
Ryu, Hyunjun	The Gunnery	United States	Sociology	Comparison of cyber harassment and free speech jurisprudence in Canada and the US
Kosimjonova, Khadicha	Baldwin High School	United States	Biology	Directed upper motor neurons differentiation by upregulation of the CB1 signaling pathway in an ALS disease model
Kuscer, Devi	UWC Atlantic	United Kingdom	Physics	Investigating the effects of induced synthetic lethality through PARP-Inhibitors and ionizing radiation combination therapy in BRCA1/2 mutated breast cancer patients
Qi, Yinuo	The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University	China	Anthropology	Assessing Corporate Water Stewardship Strategies of Certified B Corps in China Toward Environmental Sustainability based on B Impact Assessment Scores
Lin, Guanming	Guangzhou Foreign Language School	China	Computer Science	Material classification system using inductive tactile sensor and machine learning algorithms
Perlman, Maelis Lishan	Brentwood School	United States	Sociology & Environmental Studies	The Impact of Loan Prime Rate Reforms on China's Financial System
Lin, Jeffrey	The Hotchkiss School	United States	Anthropology / History	"Persistent and Unwavering in the Face of Adversity: Zhiqing’s Self and Collective Enrichment during the Down to the Countryside Movement"
Patil, Ranveer Shekhar	Dhirubhai Ambani International School	India	Biology	Inhibiting Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and ABC Transporters: A Promising Approach to treat Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Pan, Yi Rong (Anita)	York House School	Canada	Literature	The Impact of China's “Qinglang 2024” Campaign on Social Media: Users' Attitudes and Perceptions of Wealth and Its Public Expression
Pan, Xingyue (Georgia)	Suzhou Foreign Language School	China	Anthropology	A Gendered Crisis: Social Constructs of Masculinities on Men’s Attitudes Towards Public Health Recommendations in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Nas, Yigit Efe	Diyarbakir Bahcesehir College Science and Technology High School	Turkey	Political Science/International Relations	Electric Vehicle Adoption in the European Market: Attitudinal Factors Impacting Adoption
Lu, Xingyuan Michael (Michael)	BASIS International School of Hangzhou	China	Physics	Stock Market Forecasting: How Will Competing Relationship Indicate the Stock Price – A Case Study
Martinez Sandoval, Diego Ussiel	Knight High School	United States	International Relations	Better Late Than Never: The Effect of South Korea’s Late Industrialization on its Modern Sustainability Practices
Mehta, Shaan	Dougherty Valley High School	United States	Biology	Youth Advocacy in the Digital Age: Comparative Motivations and Impact of Digital and Grassroots Movements
Ma, Xinran (Cindy)	Spence School	United States	Computer Science/Biology	GEM-CDR: Cancer-Drug Response Prediction Using Graph Neural Networks and Molecular Attention
Moon, Shinyeong (Erica)	Jakarta Intercultural School	Indonesia	Economics	Waste Colonialism in the 21st Century: Import and Export Trends in the Global Waste Trade
Lin, Zixian (Lin)	Yinchuan No 1 High School Ningxia	China	Sociology	Gender Perceptions Differentiation Across Education Levels and Age Groups in China
Lin, Zhiheng (Harry)	Shenzhen College of International Education	China	Economics	The Impact of Monetary Policy Shocks in Major Economies on the Trade Flow in Emerging Economies
Zhang, Luoxuan (Luna)	The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University	China	Gender Studies	Stigma, Agency, and “Whorearchy:” a Post-feminism Neoliberal Discourse Analysis of Sex Work in the Era of OnlyFans
Pattanaik, Zoha	The Buckley School	United States	Gender Studies	Bridging Legacies: A Comparative Analysis of Legal Frameworks for Addressing Gender-Based Violence in India and the United States
Pospesel, Gabriel Luc	International School of Zug and Luzern	Switzerland	Sociology	Partisan Bias in New Coverage of Political Polarization: Assessing Meta-Perceptions and Affective Polarization
Li, Haorun (Rain)	Horace Mann School	United States	Computer Science/ Biology	"Alternate Historical Fiction and the Reflection on Women's Traumatic Cycle in Political Exchanges under Societal Expectations"
Lee, Yeeun (Amy)	Green Level Highschool	United States	Biology	Proposal for the Total Synthesis of (±)-Lingzhilactone B via Semipinacol Rearrangement
Risteska Daskalovski, Teodora (Tedi)	Nova International Schools	North Macedonia	Anthropology	Gender in the 2024 Macedonian Presidential Elections: An Analysis of Online Voter Engagement with Female vs Male Candidates
Rubin, Alexandra Blake (Alex)	Blind Brook High School	United States	Sociology	The Evolution of American Gender Roles and its Impact on Consumption Patterns
Kim, Hayoung (Jhin)	Seoul Scholars International	South Korea	Neuroscience	Using the CRISPR-Cas System for Precision Antimicrobial Treatment (AMR)
Josyula, Rhea R	Henry M Gunn High School	United States	Neuroscience	Science, Slavery, and Society: Maria Sybilla Merian and Hans Sloane in the Colonial Americas
Shang, Xiaomu (Maple)	Suzhou International Academy	China	Architecture	Testing Bekenstein-Hawking Entropy with Gravitational Wave Data Under Microcanonical Ensemble
Jin, Eric Sheng-Yan	Shanghai American School - Pudong Campus	China	Engineering	Brain Computer Interfaces: Challenges, Developments, and Future Implications
Shim, Amanda Charlie (Andie)	Phillips Academy	United States	History	Adaptation of Historic Structures within Tropical Seismic Zones: A Case Study in Calle Real
Sung, Esther	Mount Hebron High School	United States	Biology	Leveraging Emotion Detection to Enhance User Understanding on Social Media
Surve, Ishaan Shailesh	Dhirubhai Ambani International School	India	Biology	Symphony of Survival: The Melodic Strategies of Plants in Avoiding and Recovering Drought-Induced Cavitation
Syed, Abiya	Indus International School - Pune	India	Biology	Uterine Neoplasms: Gene Expression Insights into Gynecological Malignancies
Tam, Justin	Staten Island Technical High School	United States	Economics/Environmental Studies	Bond Girls Or Yimou Girls?: Differences Between Zhang Yimou’s Wuxia and the James Bond Franchise’s Development of Female Characters in the Early 2000s
Hei, Mingyi	Beijing No. 101 High School	China	Music	On Games and Surreal Numbers.
Tang, Caitlyn Hoi Ning	UWC Atlantic	United Kingdom	Film Studies	FROM FISHING VILLAGE TO GLOBAL CITY: TO WHAT EXTENT WAS SHENZHEN’S HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PLANNED DURING ITS TRANSFORMATION INTO A GLOBAL CITY?
Hao, Yeqing (Prince)	Mccallie School	United States	Sociology	The Future of Consumerism: The Rise of the “Consumer-Producer” Model in America
Tuo, Zehao	Haidian foreign language academy	China	Mathematics	Comparing Different Rating Systems in Professional Snooker Matches
Gong, Haoning (Kevin)	George School	United States	Biology	Atrocities Committed in Ethiopia under Fascist Italy during the Interwar Period: A League of Nations’ Failure to Enforce Accountability
Wang, Xiaoyu (Sally)	Beijing International Bilingual Academy	China	Literature	Beyond the Picket Fence: Expectations of Motherhood in Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin
Wang, Yihan (Vicky)	No 2 High School of East China Normal University	China	Anthropology/Environmental Studies	Vision Transformers for Detecting AI-Generated Images
Wei, Renyi (Roy)	YK Pao School	China	International Relations	"Source Localization and Experiences of VR-induced Depersonalization and Derealization: An Interoceptive Predictive Coding Model"
Whang, Sunwoo	Island School	Hong Kong S.A.R.	Physics	The Roles and Mechanisms ofBurst Firing Neurons in the Lateral Habenula Circuit in Depression, and Implications ofTargeted Inhibition by Antidepressants as Potential Treatment
Wu, Alice	Deerfield Academy	United States	Music	Yue Opera of the New Generation: Through Modern Aesthetics
Xu, Mulong	Nanjing Foreign Language School	China	Mathematics	Tiling of a Chessboard
Xu, Raymond Ruiping	Oakton High School	United States	Environmental Studies	Insights from the evaluation of genetic links between endometriosis and autoimmune conditions
Chen, Rachel Ruoxuan	Marlborough School	United States	Mathematics	Impact of Forestry Practices in South China on the Stopover and Conservation of Migratory Forest-Dependent Birds
Xu, Yuechen (Jenny)	Shanghai Soong Ching Ling School	China	Psychology	"Impaired Oligodendrocyte Morphology Regulated by Schizophrenia Rish Factors MAG Gene Leads to Mental Disorder-Like Behaviors in Mice"
Yang, JinRan (Jane)	YK Pao School	China	Music	Power's Eyes: Revitalization of Panopticism in Cyber-Surveillance
Cai, Haolin	Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University	China	Physics	The Effect of Negative Electrode Particle Size Capacity Fade in Lithium-ion Batteries
Cai, Haofan (Daniel)	Saint Margaret's Episcopal School	United States	Business	Applying Adaptive Homeostasis Through Learning from Cautionary Examples and Application to Build a Model for Cash Flow Management in Startup High Growth Companies
Yu, Zixiao	Beijing Number 80 High School	China	Biology	The Varying Impacts of Digitalization on Democratizing Wealth Creation: Inequality and Marketplace Design Implications
Zhang, Mijia (Mirandy)	Beijing National Day School	China	Film Studies	Cocktail gene therapy for neurodegenerative diseases: overexpression of ubiquitin-proteosome system (UPS) components and knock-down of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs)
Zhang, Xiyuan (Ashley)	Hangzhou Number 14 Middle School	China	Computer Science	Using Machine Learning to Detect Toxic Text Online: A Punctuation and Case Aided Approach
Zhang, Zhuxuan	Nanjing Foreign Language School	China	Music	Western Musical Elements in Kun Opera Performances
Zheng, Kaixin (Cassie)	Shanghai American School - Puxi Campus	China	History and Gender Studies	Colonial Legacies: The Impact of European Colonialism on National Identity in Latin American and Caribbean Pageants
Zou, Jason	Dulwich College Beijing	China	Media Studies	Partisan Bias in New Coverage of Political Polarization: Assessing Meta-Perceptions and Affective Polarization
Deng, Addison	Phillips Academy	United States	Literature	A Levinasion Interpretation: The Other and the Self Within the Classical World
Aday, Elkhan	Miras International School - Almaty	Kazakhstan	Mathematics	Double Hexagonal Strip tilings and Corresponding Identities
Liu, Jingyi (Yolanda)	Shanghai Pinghe School	China	Literature	"A Black Woman's Flickering Voice: Periods of Vaancy of Janie's voice in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God."
Feng, Peihe	High School Affiliated to South China Normal University	China	Literature	Athlete, Artemis, and the "American Girl": A New perspective on May Welland in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence
Guo, Maximilian Yufei (Max)	Basis Independent Silicon Valley	United States	History and Literature	Lenin’s Unattainable Utopia: The Incompatibility of Bolshevism and Democracy