PWC teen who wants to be the first on Mars now a member of an honor research society

Eleanor Sigrest, whose goal is to the first person on the planet Mars, has been inducted as a lifetime fellow of the American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS), America’s only honor research society for high school scientists. 

The indiction took place in Austin, Texas, where Sigrest, now a freshman at Forest Park High School, was attending the American Association for the Advancement of Science Conference. Sigrest was invited to the conference because of her winning best research award at the 2017 Virginia Junior Academy of Science Symposium, earned as an eighth-grader at Benton Middle School.

Debra Peterman, Benton Middle eighth-grade science teacher, who accompanied Sigrest to the five-day conference, called her “one of a kind” student.

A highpoint of Sigrest’s experience, she said, was attending a lecture about research experiments on the International Space Station given by Dr. Ellen Ochoa, a former NASA astronaut. After the lecture she had the pleasure to meet Dr. Ochoa and snapped a selfie.

“I want to be the first person on Mars, and AJAS helped me connect to my goal. Meeting professionals in my area of research, talking with them, and building relationships with them was so much fun,” Sigrest said. “Everywhere I went at AJAS, there were people just like me; other kids who were passionate about STEM. I made lifelong friends and created exciting, scientific and awe-inspiring memories.”

Sigrest presented her own research and discovered new interests that include bioengineering, Nano mechanics and optics while touring the University of Austin. She also saw innovations in artificial intelligence such as how the technology programs itself and teaches itself new jobs and tasks.