Thea Spellmeyer, a Haddonfield Memorial High School senior, will present “Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement” with five partners at this October’s MIT Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Undergraduate Research Technology Conference.
Her group was just notified that their submission has been accepted. They will present the research they completed at N.J. Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology (GSET) this July. The group analyzed force plate data from NFL youth fitness camps using machine learning. Specifically, they examined athletic performance and injury risk profile in relation to socioeconomic status.
The GSET is an intensive four-week residential summer program that brings together some of New Jersey’s most talented and motivated high school students. Free of grades and official credit, students spend part of the summer following their junior year studying at Rutgers University School of Engineering at no cost to their families.
During the program, students have the opportunity to collaborate with two to four students on a novel research project which is showcased in a conference-style final paper and presentation in front of hundreds of invited guests at our research symposium. Additionally, students may participate in a variety of life skills workshops, make site visits to local corporations, and engage in activities that will help them connect with professors, professionals, and peers from throughout the state.
In addition to research, Spellmeyer took Robotics and Physics courses, Fundamentals of Micro and Nanofabrication course, and a Materials Science and Engineering elective. The scholars took field trips to corporate and industrial sites such as PSE&G’s nuclear power plant and the biopharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb.
Spellmeyer was among 72 New Jersey students invited to participate in this year’s GSET program. Each scholar was selected based on multiple essays, letters of recommendation, academic transcript, class rank, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated interest in STEM.
This highly selective program typically admits fewer than 25 percent of the 300-400 applications they receive, and more than 90 percent of students from previous years’ programs have pursued technical higher education and careers.
The program is funded by some of New Jersey’s top companies, the State of New Jersey, Rutgers University, and some Governor’s School Alumni. It is one of two programs in the Governor’s School of New Jersey, overseen by the state’s Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.
