Three Kern Students Named Among Nation’s Top 300 Young Scientists
Thursday September 10, 2026
Three Kern County students are among the nation’s top young scientists after being selected as Top 300 Junior Innovators in the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. The national competition, organized by Society for Science, is considered the nation’s premier STEM research competition for middle school students. This year’s Top 300 were selected from nearly 2,000 applicants representing 47 states and five territories.
All three Kern County students advanced to the national competition through the Kern County Regional Science Fair, where their projects earned first-place honors.
The three students are tackling distinctly different challenges, from traumatic brain injury and extreme urban heat to agricultural water conservation. Their selection also places them among a strong contingent from California, one of the states with the most students represented in this year’s Top 300.
The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge reaches approximately 60,000 students each year through affiliated science fairs across the country. The competition is designed to recognize middle school students who use science, technology, engineering and math to investigate real-world problems and develop innovative solutions.
The competition now gets even tougher.
On Sept. 16, Society for Science will narrow the field from 300 students to 30 national finalists. Those students will compete for more than $100,000 in awards, including the $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award.
Congratulations, students!
Alekha Goldberg, a student at Peak to Peak Mountain Charter School, was recognized for her project: “Blue-reak! Investigating Methylene Blue as a Neuroprotectant for Traumatic Brain Injury Using a Novel In Vivo Drosophila Model.”
Saanvi Narwal, a student at Earl Warren Junior High School, was recognized for her project: “Hydrogel Enhanced Soil: A Strategy for Agricultural Water Conservation.”
Benson Kim, a student at Ronald Reagan Elementary School, was recognized for his project: for “Cooling Bakersfield: Time-To-Burn Regressions and Passive Mitigation of Urban Heat Islands.”
By Robert Meszaros
Rob Meszaros is Director of Communications for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, where he has served since 2012. In his role, Meszaros oversees media relations, internal and external communication strategies, publications, Marcom, branding, and multi-media content creation. Before joining KCSOS, Meszaros was the PIO for CSU Bakersfield and earlier worked for seven years at The Bakersfield Californian.