Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science

[2] PJAS is a statewide organization of junior and senior high school students designed to stimulate and promote interest in science among its members through the development of research projects and investigations.

[4] Dr. Otis W. Caldwell from Columbia University served as an official delegate of AAAS and welcomed the new group as Pennsylvania joined Indiana, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, and others that already established junior academies of science.

The 2021 State Meeting was held in a virtual format due to the lasting effects of the pandemic, requiring students to pre-recorded their presentations.

Consists of projects aimed to solve practical problems, focused in electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering.

Each of the 12 PJAS regions hold a private science competition between January and March of each year where students present their research to a panel of judges.

With the exception of honorable mention awards, students earn a small bar that is colored to reflect their performance.

PJAS judges presentations individually against a rubric instead of comparing projects like a normal science fair.