HS students compete at state-level poster competition
Collin Chan ‘25 and Sid Pruthi ‘25 presented at the Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and Collin advances to the national competition in May.
By Anne Dervan, HS Science Department Chair
Collin Chan ‘25 and Sid Pruthi ‘25 were among a select few students chosen to present posters at the Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium held on the campus of University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Collin presented his work titled “Fusion Pro: A Recurrent Neural Network-Based Program to Accelerate Construction of Fusion Proteins Toward Drug Discovery," and Sid presented his work titled, “Harnessing Adaptive AI Technology to Benefit the Future of Medical Work.”
As part of the symposium experience, participants were treated to exclusive tours of cutting-edge facilities, including the chemistry lab and a manufacturing incubator associated with the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering at UT Knoxville.
The symposium, sponsored by the Department of Defense, also served as a stage for a state-level competition.
Presentations were judged by a panel for four UTK professors, and Collin won first prize in the poster presentation category. He advanced to the national competition which will be held in early May in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Quiz Bowl team traveled to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to face several top teams from across the country at this year's South Warren Tournament. USN's second-place finish earned the team an invitation to the National Academic Quiz Tournaments' National Championships in May.
In an inspiring new initiative, USN's health care career spotlight, organized by Ruchika Ramachandran ’27 and Yvonne Wang ’27, brought a wealth of alumni back to the school for an evening of shared expertise and personal stories. This first-of-its-kind event was a great example of the power of connection, mentorship, and community evident throughout the USN community.
Ahead of the All Bands Winter Concert, students got to play for Larry Clark, the composer who arranged the holiday medley that the band will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 9 in Durnan Auditorium.
USN Mission: University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.