TORII STATION, Okinawa , Japan – Dr. Nancy Bresell, Director DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS-Guam, is proud to announce the following high school students were selected as winners;

Matthew Guertin                      Osan High School
Lydia Petrenas-Mann             Kubasaki High School
Kathryn Barnes                       Osan High School
Andrew Park                            Osan High School

Mr. Mathew Guertin, Ms. Lydia Petrenas-Mann and Ms. Kathryn Barnes will be traveling to the National Symposium where Matthew and Lydia will present their research projects. Kathryn will serve as a student delegate and Andrew was selected as the alternate.  They will depart for San Diego on April 26 and return on May 2.

Approximately 125 students from the Department of Defense Dependents Schools from across the Pacific participated in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at Tsukuba City from March 20 through March 24.  Tsukuba City is an international research city that is the center of most of Japan ’s prominent research facilities. Students learned about research and experimentation and the importance of research in human affairs.

The symposium helps expose students to academic, industrial and governmental opportunities throughout the week. The main thrust of the symposium is to give students in the Pacific a forum to present their research through poster and oral presentations, with the top high school oral presenters advancing to the national symposium.  At the symposium these students earned scholarships in the amount of  $1500 for first place,  $1000 for second place, and $500 for third place.

Matthew Guertin and Lydia Petrenas-Mann will compete at National Symposium for scholarships ranging from $16,000 for first place to $2,000 for third.

“We are extremely proud of these students and also acknowledge the support from the administrators, teachers, counselors, and parents whose dedication and commitment serve as the foundation of success for these young adults,” said Dr. Bresell.