Broadcom MASTERS

Broadcom MASTERS, a program of Society for Science & the Public, is a national science competition for U.S. middle school students.^[1] The Broadcom Foundation launched the competition in 2010 and pledged $6 million over the next 6 years.^[2] In 2014, approximately 6,000 middle school students were eligible for entry and 2,054 students completed and submitted the application.

Overview

Each year, the top 10% of students from certain SSP-affiliated regional and state science fairs across the nation are eligible for entry in the Broadcom MASTERS competition. The first stage is an online application that consists of project information and other essays. The project described in the application must be the same as the one presented at the qualifying fair. On the basis of the online application, 300 semifinalists are selected and announced. The 30 finalists are selected from the pool of semifinalists; no additional information needs to be sent in between semifinalist and finalist stages. The 30 finalists are then invited for finalist week, to meet and compete with the other finalists in-person. From 2011 through 2014, finalist week has occurred in Washington DC. There is no pre-ranking prior to finalist week. Judging occurs over three days and consists of project judging as well as a variety of STEM challenges. The STEM challenges are done in teams, but judges weigh individual performance much more than combined team performance. There are six teams of five students each. ^[3]

Awards

As of 2014, the awards that are given out to the 30 finalists are:^[4]

• Samueli Foundation Prize: $25,000 Grand Award for the top STEM student
• Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: $10,000 Award for the top innovator with engineering skills and a project in electrical engineering
• First Place STEM Awards: $3500 and iPad. These awards are given to the top student in each area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
• Second Place STEM Awards: $2500 and iPad. These awards are given to the second best student in each area of STEM.
• Rising Star Awards: Trip to observe Intel ISEF. These awards are given out to the top 6th and 7th graders (at time of project application) that show the most promise.
• Team Award: An iPod Nano is given out to each member of the team that performs the best during the STEM challenges.

Winners

2014

• Samueli Foundation Prize: Holly Jackson (San Jose, CA) ^[5]
• Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: Sahar Khashayar (San Diego, CA)
• STEM Awards (First and Second places respectively)
  • Science: James Roney (Santa Barbara, CA) and Daniel Bruce (San Diego, CA)
  • Technology: Aditya Jain (Portland, OR) and Nikhil Behari (Sewickley, PA)
  • Engineering: Chythanya Murali (Little Rock, AR) and Annika Urban (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Math: Rajiv Movva (San Jose, CA) and Jonathan Okasinski (Harleysville, PA)

2013

• Samueli Foundation Prize: River Grace (West Melbourne, FL)^[6]
• Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: Eitan Acks (San Diego, CA)^[7]

2012

• Samueli Foundation Prize: Raymond Gilmartin (South Pasadena, CA)^[8]
• Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: Jessika Baral (Fremont, CA)^[9]

2011

• 1st Place: Daniel Feeny (Woodside, CA)^[10]
• 2nd Place: Benjamin Hylak (Oxford, PA)
• 3rd Place: I-Chun Lin (Plano, TX)^[11]

References

1. SSP website
2. Broadcom Foundation launches $6 million science contest, OC Register
3. SSP Website FAQ
4. Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public Announce 2014 Broadcom MASTERS National Science Fair Winners
5. Recent Results, SSP website
6. Lim, Andrew (October 3, 2013). "Freshman wins $25,000 in Broadcom MASTERS". The Roar. West Shore Junior/Senior High School.
7. "Broadcom MASTERS 2013". Student Science. Society for Science and the Public. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
8. "South Pasadena student wins national science fair". Pasadena Star News. October 2, 2012.
9. "Broadcom MASTERS 2012". Student Science. Society for Science and the Public. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
10. Wood, Barbara (Oct 21, 2011). "Daniel Feeny, 15, of Woodside wins $25,000 science prize". The Almanac.
11. "Broadcom MASTERS 2011". Student Science. Society for Science and the Public. Retrieved 15 October 2014.