There is no doubt that two accomplished middle school science students are well on their way to being the next scientist, engineer or innovator who will solve the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.

Jacob Morrison, a seventh grader at Whitewater Middle, and Marc van Zyl, a seventh grader at J.C. Booth Middle, have been named among the top 300 competitors in the eighth annual Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars), the nation’s premier science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition for middle school students. They are the only students from Fayette County named to the top 300, and are among just seven from Georgia earning the honor.

Marc’s project, called the Automatic Magnivision, is a hands-free magnifying headset that adjusts using head gestures; Jacob’s project, called Collision Chaos, sought to find if the use of certain materials could decrease concussions in sports and child’s play. Both were invited to enter the competition after their projects finished in the top 10 percent at the 2018 Georgia Science and Engineering Fair.

Jacob and Marc were selected from among 2,537 applicants from across the nation who took top placements at their regional or state science fairs. The top 300 MASTERS are selected by a nationally ranked panel of scientists, engineers and educators.   

Broadcom MASTERS, a program of Society for Science and the Public, is the only middle school STEM competition that uses Society-affiliated science fairs as a critical component of the STEM talent pipeline.