CLEVELAND HIGH TEACHER Jeannie Cuervo, center, looks over a listing of students who presented at the Tennessee Junior Academy of Science at Belmont University in Nashville. Grant Currin, right, and Justin Jones, left, both resented at the Academy in April and will have their research papers published. Banner photo, LARRY C. BOWERS
Cleveland High School had two students selected to present scientific papers at the Tennessee Junior Academy of Science in April. The Nashville event was at Belmont University. Remarkably, Grant Currin and Justin Jones, both juniors, were picked to have their biology research and writing documents published by Tennessee’s Junior Academy of Science.
The papers not only survive the critique of a panel of scientists to get selected for presentation, they also survived a second evaluation to get published.
Teacher Jeannie Cuervo said she is proud of not just these two students, but of all 18 students who began the quest to present at Belmont.
“I’m proud of all of them,” she said. “These two, Grant and Justin, will be successful in whatever they choose in life.”
Cuervo said the students’ papers were evaluated by their peers, prior to being sent to Nashville. “They all choose a topic in aquatic biology,” she said.
Twenty-two papers from across the state were selected to attend the scientific meeting, and each of the 22 students (two from CHS) presented before a second panel of scientists. “It was an honor just to be selected,” the students’ teacher emphasized in a recent interview.
Currin was selected to have his entire paper published, while the Academy will include an abstract from Jones.
Currin’s paper and research is about Asiatic clams and factors of their population, and what factors affect their population.
Jones wrote about the five sunfish populations in Mouse Creek, and how the Red Breast sunfish impacts the other four species.
Currin and Jones said a number of the other papers presented in Nashville were very interesting, and they were able to attend all of the presentations. They said one student presented a paper with four years of study.
Cuervo said this is the seventh year Cleveland High students have participated in the competition, and the second time two students have been published. She said a first-year team advanced to this level seven years ago. She said one of those students is now studying biology in graduate school.
Both of this year’s students to advance were asked about their plans for college, although they still have a year of high school remaining. Currin said his plan, at this time, is to study history; Jones said biology is one the considerations for him.
The presentation at Belmont University was a one-day event. The papers selected for publishing will have published versions given to the individual students, and to each students’ school.
Grant is the son of Kim and Barry Currin. Justin is the son of Shandra and John Jones, and he has an older sister, Lindsey, who is a junior in college.
