After Mark Massie, a Junior Science and Humanities alumni from the early 1970's, received an invitation to join the JSHS Alumni Network, he responded with an e-mail that included a fond remembrance of a teacher who had "sparked" him: Sister Clarice Lolich. Sister Clarice led the regional JSHS in Southern California when Mark was a participant. Her career at the Museum of Science and Education, NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory earned her NASA's Lifetime Achievement Award from the Aerospace Education Services Program. Along the way, this science educator and innovator co-founded a new sisterly order, the Community of Holy Spirit, whose members hold regular jobs as part of their service. Her 80th birthday leap out of an airplane (see photo) was preceded by a 75th birthday bungee jump. Although officially retired from her "Sister Clarice" tours at the JPL, she continues to spark minds both young and old with new educational outreach programs at NASA.

Deborah Paulin, Florida JSHS regional director, and Jennifer Schur, a college freshman majoring in engineering, have tremendous respect and admiration for each other, and so it is with affection that Deborah labels Jennifer a "sneaker" for attending the symposium reserved for high school students when Jennifer was a mere sixth grader. This spark that caught fire early attended the Florida JSHS as an observer accompanied by her teacher because as a science-oriented eleven-year-old (see photo), Jennifer had begun research experiments in her garage and needed more exposure to the possibilities available to her. Her initial visit to JSHS led to poster presentation competitions at future symposia culminating in the award for top poster in the junior division when she was an eighth grader. Once in high school, this former "sneaker" earned her way to JSHS with projects on marine organisms and, after a summer lab experience at the University of Florida in microbiology research (see photo), with a new project in that field. Six Advanced Placement courses in her senior year kept her too busy to present, but coming full circle, she attended JSHS as an observer last year just as she had as a sixth grade "sneaker." Jennifer has taken her spark for science and research to the Georgia Institute of Technology where she is on a full scholarship.

Jennifer Staple, Connecticut JSHS participant in 1999 to the national in San Diego and current Yale sophomore majoring in Biology and Anthropology, completed clinical research in ophthalmology and diabetic research at the Yale Medical School this past summer. Last academic year Jennifer founded Unite For Sight (www.uniteforsight.org), an organization whose mission it is to prevent blindness through free vision screening, vision education programs, a speakers series, and an eyeglass drive. Jennifer and Unite For Sight are planning a ScEYEnce Fair in New Haven for January 17, 2002.