May 02, 2017

Nicholas DiStefano, a sophomore at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, won the 2017 People’s Choice Award.  His presentation, The Effects of Dietary Supplements on SKN-1 Activation in C. elegans, received the most out of 3,250 votes.  People's Choice Award is selected by a public vote based solely on the merit of a presentation's video and abstract.  The award consists of a certificate and a $250 cash prize. 

Student Research Showcase is a science communication competition for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. From April 3–April 10, 2017, judges evaluated presentation websites from participants and selected division winners as well as winners of each research area's section.  Division winners receive $500 from Sigma Xi and a nomination to Associate Membership in Sigma Xi.  All participants receive feedback from judges and a certificate of participation.  Additionally, high school participants are invited to submit research papers to Sigma Xi's journal for pre-collegiate research, Chronicle of The New Researcher.  Congratulations to this year's participants!