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.
Students in grades 5-8 and their families can take USN Evening Class 702: Mah and Pah Jong and Me to learn to play a board game together while benefiting USN's need-based scholarship endowment.
The Helen Meador Summer International Fellowship funded a summer of professional development in South America for Lower School Naturalist Carrie Riley. Through this profound experience, she said she plans to bring these lessons into her teaching, grounding her voice in wonder, joy, and a commitment to protecting the natural world, which she loves.
The impact of USN’s Art Department is not confined to art studios in the Christine Slayden Tibbott Center. Students often engage with art in ways that transcend traditional classroom learning, such as at the opening reception for artist Yanira Vissepó's “Fantastical Views.”
Tiger golfers have officially qualified for the region tournament, and our other teams are not far behind. Volleyball sits near the top of the district, finishing up regular season play next week with Senior Night. Girls soccer continues to hold first place in the district after another 9-0 win, and our cross country runners are chasing after some school records. To round it all out, our mountain bike team traveled to Oakfield to continue to improve on their times for the season. There’s plenty more where that came from- so be sure to come out to the River Campus, Sperling Gym, or out on the road to cheer on our Tigers before their seasons end.
Middle School volleyball and tennis teams are nearing the final games of their seasons, with the competition heating up while the Tigers play to determine their HVAC rankings. Cross country was finally able to race at the River Campus despite the heat, and our mountain biking team traveled to Oakfield, Tennessee, for a high-temperature race weekend.
The MTB team returned to the the twisty trails of tranquil Oakfield, TN on Sept 13th to take part in the second race of the season, as part of the 5-race series hosted by the NICA/TICL League.
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.