High School Research Programs
Providing students with a solid understanding of STEM’s role in addressing many of our most urgent challenges.
The Junior Academy
The Junior Academy is an international network of high school students united by their shared love for utilizing STEM to tackle real-world problems. Our flexible technology platform enables virtual collaboration so that teams of solvers can work together across geographies and time zones to share their ideas, fine-tune designs and put concepts to the test.
Innovation Challenges
High School students are invited to participate in 10-week Innovation Challenges where they form international teams and work with STEM experts who mentor them as they design solutions to real-world problems.
[{"id":18867,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/ethical-ai\/","name":"ethical-ai","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-Fall-Innovation-Challenge-Ethical-AI-1024x683.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Ethical AI","author":{"name":"Kristin Lam","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/klam\/"},"date":"Sep 20, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-09-20 19:29:39","modifiedDate":"2025-01-28 15:12:35","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-01-28 15:12:35","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete-resources-are-available\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete; Resources are Available<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/junior-academy\/' rel='program-category'>Junior Academy<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/learning\/' rel='program-category'>Learning<\/a>","scientific-theme":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/science-in-society\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Science in Society<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":23},"status":"publish","excerpt":"AI is changing the landscape of the world as we know it. It offers opportunities to impact humanity in positive ways by minimizing human error, streamlining data analysis and decision-making, as well as lowering risk to human lives \u2013 to name a few benefits. At the same time, with deep-fakes, biased algorithms and the ethical questions around AI such as art generators and chat-gpt, we as a society must grapple with the challenges of AI. How can we maximize the benefits of AI while also implementing useful boundaries to minimize the disadvantages and dangers? Can we create systems or implement new technology to address ethical issues surrounding AI? In this challenge, you will develop a solution to address one specific issue that AI poses."},{"id":18873,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/upcycling-and-waste-management\/","name":"upcycling-and-waste-management","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-Fall-Innovation-Challenge-Ethical-Upcycling-and-Waste-Management-1024x683.jpg","alt":"Sculpture made of glass bottles"},"title":"Upcycling and Waste Management","author":{"name":"Kristin Lam","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/klam\/"},"date":"Sep 20, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-09-20 19:28:40","modifiedDate":"2025-01-28 15:13:02","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-01-28 15:13:02","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete-resources-are-available\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete; Resources are Available<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/junior-academy\/' rel='program-category'>Junior Academy<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/learning\/' rel='program-category'>Learning<\/a>","scientific-theme":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/sustainable-planet\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Sustainable Planet<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":46},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Imagine you are going to the store and you make some purchases. How much of that purchase will end up in a landfill? Did that product contain recyclable packaging? Now think about all of the waste you produce, food waste, product waste, textile waste\u2026 It can be overwhelming to think about. Do you know how much waste you produce in one day, one month, one year? Is it more or less than what you were expecting? How can you reduce that consumption and encourage others to consume less?"},{"id":18875,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/remediation-in-south-brooklyn\/","name":"remediation-in-south-brooklyn","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-Fall-Innovation-Challenge-Remediation-in-South-Brooklyn-1024x683.png","alt":""},"title":"Remediation in South Brooklyn","author":{"name":"Kristin Lam","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/klam\/"},"date":"Sep 20, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-09-20 19:26:31","modifiedDate":"2025-01-28 15:14:00","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-01-28 15:14:00","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete-resources-are-available\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete; Resources are Available<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/junior-academy\/' rel='program-category'>Junior Academy<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/learning\/' rel='program-category'>Learning<\/a>","scientific-theme":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/science-in-society\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Science in Society<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/sustainable-planet\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Sustainable Planet<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":4},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Offshore wind has the potential to reimagine the cityscape of New York City. With increased summer temperatures and the heavy reliance on an overworked cooling system, New York City will be the new home to a wind farm right in our backyard. The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal will be the new hub for Empire Wind 1 and Equinor\u2019s wind farm. In this challenge you are asked to design solutions that remediate the building of offshore wind renewable energy infrastructure in New York City through the lens of STEM and the community, focusing on land and water preparation."},{"id":9777,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/combating-covid-19\/","name":"combating-covid-19","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/corona-virus-image-shutterstock_1621031059-1-1024x581.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Combating COVID-19","author":{"name":"Brandon Miller","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/brandonmiller\/"},"date":"Feb 20, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-02-20 17:56:04","modifiedDate":"2024-10-07 21:00:46","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-10-07 21:00:46","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/feature\/n-a\/' rel='feature'>N\/A<\/a>","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/learning\/' rel='program-category'>Learning<\/a>","scientific-theme":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/science-in-society\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Science in Society<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/technology-innovation\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Technology & Innovation<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":0},"status":"publish","excerpt":""},{"id":9772,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/tracking-coronavirus\/","name":"tracking-coronavirus","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/webpage-banner-1024x569.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Tracking Coronavirus","author":{"name":"Brandon Miller","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/brandonmiller\/"},"date":"Feb 20, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-02-20 17:39:04","modifiedDate":"2024-10-07 21:01:11","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-10-07 21:01:11","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/feature\/n-a\/' rel='feature'>N\/A<\/a>","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/learning\/' rel='program-category'>Learning<\/a>","scientific-theme":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/science-in-society\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Science in Society<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/technology-innovation\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Technology & Innovation<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":28},"status":"publish","excerpt":""},{"id":8518,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/circular-textiles\/","name":"circular-textiles","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Circular_Textiles_Challenge-1024x579.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"Circular Textiles","author":{"name":"Brandon Miller","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/brandonmiller\/"},"date":"Feb 15, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-02-15 15:26:32","modifiedDate":"2025-01-28 15:02:37","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-01-28 15:02:37","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete-resources-are-available\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete; Resources are Available<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a>","scientific-theme":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/sustainable-planet\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Sustainable Planet<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":2},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Textiles play a vital role in our lives from our clothes, to our homes to everyday products in the background of our TikTok feed. But how often do we think about those textiles \u2013 who made them? How are they made? How do they get from the raw materials to our hands?"},{"id":8517,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/wearables\/","name":"wearables","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wearables_Challenge_Image-1024x579.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"Wearables","author":{"name":"Brandon Miller","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/brandonmiller\/"},"date":"Feb 15, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-02-15 15:25:35","modifiedDate":"2025-01-28 15:03:00","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-01-28 15:03:00","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete-resources-are-available\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete; Resources are Available<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a>","scientific-theme":""},"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":52},"status":"publish","excerpt":"From watches to implants to sensor-enabled clothes, tiny, \u201cwearable\u201d microprocessors are all around us both in consumer and industrial uses. With the explosion of the Internet of Things (IOT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the current and near-future possibilities for wearable technology are only limited by our imagination. Used widely and connected in a network, wearables hold the potential to be powerful tools for responding to some of the world\u2019s trickiest issues."},{"id":5195,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/iot-smart-homes-challenge\/","name":"iot-smart-homes-challenge","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/istock-1273489826-1-1024x507.jpg","alt":""},"title":"IoT Smart Homes Challenge","author":{"name":"Brandon Miller","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/brandonmiller\/"},"date":"Jan 26, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-01-26 12:11:52","modifiedDate":"2025-01-28 15:11:17","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-01-28 15:11:17","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/feature\/n-a\/' rel='feature'>N\/A<\/a>","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete-resources-are-available\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete; Resources are Available<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/learning\/' rel='program-category'>Learning<\/a>","scientific-theme":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/science-in-society\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Science in Society<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/technology-innovation\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Technology & Innovation<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":31},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Design a smart home that integrates technology which collects, processes, and stores environmental and health information. The smart home you design should be sustainable and provide suitable feedback mechanisms for such information to promote sustainable energy use but also the physical and mental health of those living in the home. The design can include new innovations and\/or alterations of existing technology."},{"id":5187,"link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/learning\/high-school-research-programs\/innovation-challenge\/urban-gardening-get-growing\/","name":"urban-gardening-get-growing","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/challenges-2022_istock-1273420368-1024x507.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Urban Gardening - Get Growing!","author":{"name":"Brandon Miller","link":"https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/author\/brandonmiller\/"},"date":"Jan 26, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-01-26 11:35:46","modifiedDate":"2025-01-28 15:08:45","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-01-28 15:08:45","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"","space":""},"taxonomies":{"feature":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/feature\/n-a\/' rel='feature'>N\/A<\/a>","ic-stage":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/ic-stage\/challenge-is-complete-resources-are-available\/' rel='ic-stage'>Challenge is Complete; Resources are Available<\/a>","program-category":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/innovation-challenge\/' rel='program-category'>Innovation Challenge<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/program-category\/learning\/' rel='program-category'>Learning<\/a>","scientific-theme":"<a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/science-in-society\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Science in Society<\/a><a href='https:\/\/www.nyas.org\/scientific-theme\/sustainable-planet\/' rel='scientific-theme'>Sustainable Planet<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":26},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Kigali, Rwanda has been hailed by the United Nations as a \u201cmodel sustainable city\u201d and is considered one of the most food-secure cities in Africa. Nonetheless, drought and competing needs for land-use continue to threaten food security. In the face of climate change and a growing urban population, students who take on this challenge will be tasked with considering how urban gardening can be a part of the solution. The need for low-cost or no-cost innovations will be critical."}]