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.
Allison Van Konynenburg returns to USN as Interim HS Dean of Teaching and Learning. Taking on additional responsibilities this academic year, Justin Fitzpatrick is now Interim HS Dean for Academic Affairs and Laura Snow is the High School Academic Operations Manager.
Please join us in welcoming to USN: LS Spanish Teacher Connor Mitchell, LS Music Teacher Marisa Frank, LS Learning Support Specialist MacKenzie Grant, Fourth Grade Teacher Alexis Novotny, Second Grade Teachers Cara Bishop and Lindsay Moates, First Grade Teachers Marisa Depke and Molly Roth '10, and Kindergarten Teacher Ellen Haber '00. Also, Naturalist Carrie Riley transitions to LS from the HS Science Department.
Learning Specialist Rachel Harley has over a decade in middle school education. Her office is located in room 1171 on the first floor of the Gordon Wing, in the former Middle School conference room.
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.