About JSHS

  • JSHS stands for Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. It is a Tri-Service – U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force − program of collaboration between the research arm of the Department of Defense and nationwide colleges and universities. JSHS involves individual students competing for scholarships and recognition by presenting the results of their original research efforts before a panel of judges and an audience of their peers. Students have the opportunity to advance through four levels of the symposia: statewide, regional, national and international. At each level, student researchers present their work.


First Round: Westchester-Rockland JSHS Paper

  • You will begin JSHS by writing a research paper about your individual study. This paper will be similar to the WESEF paper, but with a different format and rubric.

  • This is the format for the paper:

    • 8 ½” X 11” page format, One inch margins all around

    • 11point font, 1.5 spacing

    • 20 page limit (Do not count Title page, Acknowledgement of major assistance, Table of Contents, Lists of Figures, References or Citations, Certifications)

    • Most papers will have a minimum of 10 pages with 10 citations from primary sources

    • Each page must include a header with only your last name and page number.

    • The last 3 pages of your paper should be the student certification, mentor certification and teacher certification

  • There are three forms necessary for the JSHS initial submission (found under “certifications” at this link):

    • Student Certification: Asks 5 questions about your research requiring 4-6 sentences per question as well as your signature.

    • Mentor Certification: Asks 2 questions about the originality of the work and how you worked as a student. It also asks for percentages on your level of independence on the project. It requires a signature from your mentor as well as their email, phone number, and affiliation. I suggest you draft this for your mentor as well to limit the amount of work they have to do.

    • Teacher Certification: Asks for a paragraph about the student’s originality, motivation, creativity, and ingenuity in their own project, for one about the student’s initiative and role in a team, and for other comments as well as for the teacher’s signature. Your teacher will have YOU draft the answers to this form and THEY will make final edits and sign off.

Second Round: Presenting

  • A panel of judges will read the research paper submissions to make sure they qualify to participate in JSHS.

    • Local: If a student qualifies for but is not selected for the WRJSHS Regional Speaker Competition, the student will be placed into Local Speaker Session where students will have the opportunity to present to teachers and other volunteer judges. Students will be ranked and the top students will receive a place certificate (1st, 2nd, 3rd). About half of students participate in the local competition.

    • Regional: About half of these students will be selected to advance to the WRJSHS Regional Speaker Competition. Students will be ranked for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place out of their groups of 12 students, thus giving them the opportunity to advance to Upstate JSHS Albany.

  • You will make a 12 minute slideshow presentation about your research project and present to a panel of judges. A moderator will let you know when 10 minutes has passed.

  • There will be 5 minutes of Q&A after your presentation.

    • You are expected to repeat the judge’s question before answering the question.

  • Students are organized into smaller groups based on their research category. There are specific judges for each smaller group and winners in each group (therefore multiple first place winners for each research category).

Third Round: Upstate JSHS at SUNY Albany

  • The next round of JSHS takes place at SUNY Albany, pooling together many smaller JSHS winners from the NY area. There are different ways to participate and qualify for this level of JSHS.

  • Ways to Qualify:

    • 1st & 2nd Place in WRJSHS Regional Speaker Competition: Qualify to compete in the PowerPoint Speaker competition in Upstate JSHS at SUNY Albany. This is the qualifying competition for National JSHS.

    • 3rd & 4th Place in WRJSHS Regional Speaker Competition: Qualify to compete in the POSTER competition in Upstate JSHS at SUNY Albany. Upstate poster competitors are not eligible to advance to the National JSHS, but can win awards in the poster category.

  • Within 72 hours after placing at a sub-regional symposium, presenters must submit the following to the Upstate NY JSHS Coordinator via email (jshs@albany.edu). Failure to do so will result in an alternate chosen instead.

    • JSHS Research abstracts formatted as a Microsoft Word .doc or .docx

    • Research papers in .pdf format (note: research papers will NOT be accepted without hand-signed student, teacher, and scientist mentor certifications).

  • Poster Presenters: During virtual JSHS, Poster presenters submitted an electronic version of their poster along with a narrative describing the research that was showcased. Poster presenters will not formally orally present their work again within JSHS. Only one winner from each category of posters is chosen and that winner receives a prize of $100. The poster details:

    • Poster dimensions are 36" high x 48" wide.

    • Header boards are allowed and must be no larger than 10” high x 36” wide. The Header board should only contain a title.

    • Posters must be viewed as a one-page PDF, with the ability to zoom in and out.

    • JSHS recommends using PowerPoint or GoogleSlides to create your poster, and setting a custom slide size.

    • Save your poster file as “Last Name, First Name – Poster” (Smith, Jane – Poster)

    • Display should be organized and professionally exhibited to enhance the presentation and meaning of the research; however, it should not overpower the scientific content.

  • The Narrative details:

    • Narratives may be any length up to 650 words, but no longer than that.

    • Narratives should not be your abstract, but the abstract may be incorporated into it.

    • Be sure it is clear and concise.

    • The narrative is your chance to sell your poster to an audience of judges.

    • Save your narrative file as “Last Name, First Name – Narrative” (Smith, Jane – Narrative)

  • Speaker Presenters: Speakers will present to judges just like they did in the second round of JSHS. Students will be ranked into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place within each category (no smaller groups this time).

    • Students who are selected to present at the Upstate New York JSHS have an opportunity to win undergraduate, tuition-based scholarships and cash awards from $200 to $2,000. $2,000 to first place; $1,500 to second place; and $1,000 to third place.

    • The first place finalist in each of the five categories will advance to the National JSHS.

Fourth Round: National JSHS

  • The National JSHS brings together 245 high school students.

  • The top two regional delegates will present their research in the oral session to compete for military-sponsored undergraduate tuition scholarships.

  • All other regional delegates will present their research in the poster session to compete for cash awards. The top three students in each category receive recognition and cash awards.

  • Sessions will be organized by categories that are selected by the students during the registration process.

  • National JSHS scholarships are awarded as follows:

    • Eight $12,000 undergraduate, tuition scholarships, awarded to each of the 1st place finalists in the National research paper competition;

    • Eight $8,000 undergraduate, tuition scholarships, awarded to each of the 2nd place finalists in the National research paper competition; and

    • Eight $4,000 undergraduate, tuition scholarships, awarded to each of the 3rd place finalists in the National research paper competition.

Advice to Students Presenting in JSHS:

  • Emphasize Individual Effort: One aspect that distinguishes JSHS from other competitions is the value placed on individual research. JSHS Judges like to see that YOU were the driving force of your study. Make sure that your presentation and research paper shows off your self-motivation and the independent efforts separate from your mentor that went into your research project.

  • Be Enthusiastic: JSHS loves to know that you care about your research. When you are presenting, sound passionate, articulate, and fully engaged. This will engage your judges as well.

Make the Judges Feel Smart: Compliment them on their questions. Make your research as easy to understand as possible (even if it could mean sacrificing some complexity). The judges will remember and appreciate your research more if they feel appreciated themselves and if they understand at least most aspects of your project. The judges are professionals, but they do not have niche expertise on whatever you researched.