The prizes took the form of Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Scholarship Awards — which recognize students in grades nine through 12 for producing and presenting quality science and engineering projects, and are given by the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

The honors were distributed at ISEF — one of the world’s largest science and engineering competitions for high schoolers — as part of the Naval Science Awards Program (NSAP), a Navy and Marine Corps program encouraging American students to develop and retain an interest in science and engineering. NSAP celebrates the accomplishments of eligible students at regional and state science and engineering fairs, as well as large ones such as ISEF.

Anthony C. Smith Sr., director of the DoN HBCU/MI Program, which is located at ONR, presented the CNR Scholarship Awards to their respective winners at ISEF. Smith, a captain in the Navy Reserve, also presided over a team of other reservists who were serving as volunteer judges — evaluating student presentations on scientific rigor and potential application to future naval challenges.

“It was an honor and a joy to present the CNR Scholarship Awards to these deserving students,” said Smith. “The sophistication of their research presentations, as well as their passion, attention to detail and inquisitive natures, exemplify what the awards seek to spotlight. Events like ISEF are valuable for discovering the brightest young minds that could potentially strengthen the naval workforce.”

The winners of this year’s CNR Scholarship Awards are:

• Roy Gross (Palo Alto, California) — “Tactical Drone Detection and Tracking Using Machine-Learned Radio Interferometry: Lessons From Ukraine”
• Hanna Matusik (Lexington, Massachusetts) — “A Novel Pneumatically-Actuated Soft Robotic Hand With 3D Vision-Based Teleoperation”
• Jordan Prawira (Mountain House, California) — “Pura Aer 2: Dual-Stage, Energy-Efficient, Modular Air Purifier System, Inspired by Porifera To Improve Air Quality”
• Ethan Zentner (Glendale, Wisconsin) — “Design, Construction, and Testing of a Passenger-Capable eVTOL Hexacopter”
• Rodrigo Valdes (El Paso, Texas) — “Optimizing Aero-Stability in Model Rockets Using Advanced Flight Algorithm and Servo-Actuated Thrust Vector Control”

Through a global network of local, regional and national science fairs, ISEF enables millions of students to explore their passion for scientific inquiry. Each year, a group of these students is selected as finalists and offered the opportunity to compete in the global ISEF science fair for approximately $9 million in awards and scholarships.

Warren Duffie Jr. is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.