JSHS Status

As you may have heard, the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) is suspended until further notice. See the message on jshs.org.

The Belin-Blank Center is committed to supporting original research conducted by high school students and have decided to launch our own alternative High School Research Symposium (HSRS).

About HSRS

Monday, February 23, 2026
9am - 4:30pm

The HSRS symposium will be a one-day event hosted on the University of Iowa campus that will include:

  • lab tours
  • oral presentations (with UI scholarships up to $3000 for top finishers)
  • lunch
  • poster fair (with smaller UI scholarships available)

The competition is open to high school students in Iowa and surrounding areas who are interested in presenting their original research and learning more about engaging in research.

Important Dates

  • October 27, 2025: Research proposal site opens
  • January 12, 2026 (11:59 PM CST): Research proposal due
  • January 23, 2026: Notification of proposal acceptance
  • February 23, 2026: High School Research Symposium

For questions, please contact students@belinblank.org

How to Participate

Want to join us? We're here to help with all the information you will need in order to participate.

Eligibility

The competition is open to students in grades 9 through 12 in Iowa and surrounding areas who are interested in presenting their original research and learning more about engaging in research.

Any students accepted to deliver an oral or poster presentation, and up to five student delegates (those attending but not presenting), may attend from each school. Interested teacher observers and delegates may register to attend here when registration becomes available in January.

How to Apply

Submit Your Completed Research Paper


Interested students must submit a research paper (be sure it meets the requirements outlined in the HSRS research application handbook) before the deadline. Judges will review research papers and select approximately 10 students for oral presentations and additional students for poster presentations as space allows. Starting in late October, research papers can be submitted at the research paper submission link.

Research Paper Requirements

See the HSRS handbook for specific requirements on the research paper, including all the sections below:

  • A. Title Page
  • B. Abstract
  • C. Acknowledgement of major assistance received
  • D. Use of non-human vertebrates or human subjects
  • E. Table of contents
  • F. Introduction
  • G. Materials and methods
  • H. Results
  • I. Tables and Figures
  • J. Statistical Analyses
    • Descriptive Statistics
    • Inferential Statistics
  • K. Discussion
  • L. Conclusion
  • M. References/Works Cited (Appendix B)
  • N. Appendix

Awards

The Belin-Blank Center will award the following to oral presentation winners:
  • $4,000 first-year University of Iowa scholarship to first place
  • $3,000 first-year University of Iowa scholarship to second place
  • $2,000 first-year University of Iowa scholarship to third place

The poster presentation winner will receive the following:

  • $1,000 first-year University of Iowa scholarship to first place poster winner
Still not convinced? Here are even more reasons to apply for HSRS:
  • Meet like-minded peers
  • Boost your college application
  • Hear nationally-renowned scientists speak on their work
  • Improve your public speaking skills, whether delivering an oral presentation on stage or a poster presentation to a small audience
  • Improve your organization and time-management skills
  • Develop scientific research skills to ultimately prepare for undergraduate and graduate-level research pursuits