Brandon Bonamarte, senior at Oak Ridge High School (ORHS), placed third at the 63rd Annual National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) held on April 22-26, 2025. The event welcomed 239 of the brightest high school STEM students from across the country, their teachers, and JSHS university partners. Esteemed judging panels of scientists from the Department of Defense selected the top presenters in each of the eight categories. Brandon was awarded a scholarship for his placement in the oral presentation category.
Bonamarte presented his research experience building a program to diagnose patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder based on data from the Social Responsiveness Scale. Bonamarte and his research partner, ORHS Senior Cailyn Lawson, worked with Dr. Rick Archibald at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to determine that SRS is a good predictor of an ASD diagnosis.
“Our program has the potential to streamline the diagnostic process by reducing the amount of data required to make an accurate diagnosis,” said Bonamarte. “This research experience played a significant role in inspiring me to pursue the study of mathematics and its real-world applications in college.”
Bonamarte and Lawson were able to conduct research at ORNL as part of the Math, Science Thesis course at Oak Ridge High School under the guidance of thesis advisors Deanna Pickel and Jessica Williams.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to be part of a unique, STEM-focused community where our students are provided the opportunity to work alongside some of the nation’s leading scientists,” said Williams. “We are grateful for our longstanding partnership with ORNL and their willingness to enrich student learning in this way.”
Bonamarte is the son of Robert and Joy Bonamarte, and Lawson is the daughter of Justin and Carol Lawson all of Oak Ridge.
About JSHS National Symposium
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) is a Department of Defense sponsored STEM program (U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force) that encourages high school students to conduct original research in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and publicly recognizes students for outstanding achievement. By connecting talented students, their teachers, and research professionals at affiliated symposia and by rewarding research excellence, JSHS aims to widen the pool of trained talent prepared to conduct research and development vital to our nation.
