Broadcom MASTERS

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

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.

As of 2014, the awards that are given out to the 30 finalists are:

The Samueli Foundation Prize

Eleanor Wren Sigrest, 13, Woodbridge, VA for Rockets and Nozzles, and Thrusts, Oh My

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement

Aria Eppinger, 15, Pittsburgh, PA for Roundup's Effect on Human Gut Bacteria

Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation

Kaien Yang, 14, Chantilly, VA for iDiagnostic: Invention of an Early Detection Tool for Major Depressive Disorder

Lemelson Award for Invention

Nathan Deng, 14, San Marino, CA for Drop by Drop: Manipulating the Surface Tension of Water to Find the Best Way of Cleaning

STEM Science Award

First place: Ananya Ganesh, Sandy Springs, GA for Bruxism: Using Myoelectric Signals to Treat a Common Health Problem

Second place: Cynthia Chen, Cupertino, CA for A Novel Method for Reducing Water Consumption in Germinating Seeds

STEM Technology Award

First place: Adishree Ghatare, San Jose, CA for A Software Application as a Learning Platform for Increasing Memory Retention of Definitions of Words

Second place: Shreya Ramachandran, Fremont, CA for The Effect of Soap Nut Grey Water on the Environment

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