Wehr gets Washington State Academy of Science Award

Odessa High School and Advanced Science Research (ASR)student Thorsen Wehr has been selected to receive the Washington State Academy of Sciences Award, allowing him to participate in the American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS) Convention in Chicago, Ill., that will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), February 13-17, 2013. AJAS is America’s only honor research society for high-school scientists, and membership is by invitation only. Each state academy of science nominates top local high-school scientists as AJAS delegates.

Thorsen’s is one of the two projects selected from Washington state. This honor comes from Dr. James Krueger, chairman for the WSAS Award Selection Committee. Thor will represent Odessa High School, Educational Services District (ESD) 101 and Washington State as a leader in science research.

His ASR project entitled “Focusing Sound Waves Using a Two-Dimensional Non-Linear System” and the international recognition he has recieved from this research helped him secure this award.

AJAS is a program of the National Association of the Academies of Science (NAAS). AJAS sponsors an annual convention for research-oriented students throughout the United States. The AJAS mission is to introduce, encourage and accelerate precollege students into the world of science, engineering and technology by enabling and integrating their participation into the social, cultural and scientific activities of the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Thorsen and Odessa High-School science teacher Jeff Wehr will travel to the Museum of Flight in Seattle for the Sixth Annual Meeting and Symposium of the Washington State Academy of Sciences as honored guests September 12, 2013, to receive the award.