Trisha Tsundupalli ‘21

With this year’s faculty changes in the science department, a few reforms have been made for the 2019-2020 season of PJAS. Founded in 1934, the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, or PJAS, is a statewide competition for students starting in seventh grade. This program, which starts in Upper School at EA, allows for the individual exploration of a chosen scientific topic, performed throughout the winter season as a fitness option. Anya Kohli ‘21 states, “It is a really great opportunity to study something that you are really passionate about and that is what the future is- you study what you love and dive deeper into your passions. PJAS, in this aspect, is a good model for the real world, scientifically.” 

Katalin Malcolm, the new faculty advisor for PJAS and Upper School Biology teacher, explains: “This is my first year doing PJAS. Before coming to Episcopal, I was a college professor so I was doing research with graduate and undergraduate students. We would also occasionally have some high school research students that would join us over the summer.” She goes on to say, “I am most looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with. There are a lot of great ideas and everyone is really excited about where their projects are going to take them.” Each project in PJAS is an expression of student’s interest outside of the normal curriculum, yielding stellar results at the competition phase in past years. Sharing her excitement for the program’s upcoming year, she says, “There’s such a strong community of students that have been involved with PJAS in the past, and they are certainly able to contribute their expertise towards the betterment of [the program].” 

Malcolm will be joined by Cheryl Cossel, Upper School chemistry teacher, in advising PJAS. As a whole, opting to join PJAS provides an outlet for students to immerse themselves in the scientific community. “In school, in the normal science classes or in any class for that matter, kids don’t really get the opportunity to choose their own study and to go with the interests that they have and eventually turn those ideas into a long term project,” affirms Kohli.