An elite programme
The Junior Academy is a highly selective international STEM programme run by the New York Academy of Sciences, with an 8% acceptance rate. Across 2019 — 2020 I led two teams — both of which placed first in their respective competitions.
About The Junior Academy
For more than 200 years, the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) has brought together extraordinary people working at the frontiers of discovery. Among the oldest scientific organisations in the United States, the Academy has become an important and widely- respected contributor to the international scientific community.
Each year, the Academy selects an international cohort of passionate high school students (ages 13 — 17) to become part of The Junior Academy (TJA), who join a dynamic global network of like-minded peers and mentors. Students collaborate virtually as they compete in project-based challenges focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Intelligent Homes & Health · Health Sync
As team leader of six individuals from Sweden, the USA, the Philippines, and Australia, we won this international competition in autumn 2019. Our extensive solution involved incorporating preventative, health-promoting aspects, as well as tracking and monitoring people's health in their day-to-day lives.
The prize for winning was an all-included trip to the STEM Alliance Summit to present the project in summer 2020. However, due to the pandemic the event was cancelled. Nevertheless, I did not lose my spirit — which I'll talk about next.
Combating COVID-19 · United in Crisis
For the Combating COVID-19 competition, my team and I from Sweden, Turkey, and the USA worked together to develop a technology-based solution to address the obstacles faced by governments, healthcare providers, and economies during the pandemic.
Our project, United in Crisis, focused on solving the strain on universal healthcare facilities while addressing the increased unemployment caused by the pandemic. We suggested utilising AI/ML models to analyse the resumes and profiles of unemployed individuals — aiming to best match them with courses or programmes required to change careers into professions in high demand.
The work earned us the Young Innovation in Times of Crisis award, issued by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) in May 2020. The recognition led to invitations to share the project on national television and radio, bringing the work into the national spotlight.