The following Sparks that Caught Fire, Dan Weitz and Dr. Kathy Seggerson, made significant contributions last fall to a special report prepared by the Academy of Applied Science for the Army, Navy and Air Force sponsors of the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium titled "Encouraging the Future Generation of Scientists and Engineers."

Dan Weitz, three-time National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium participant from the Northern New Jersey Regional and three-time winner, was also the moderator of the JSHS Alumni panel at the April 2002 40th Symposium held in San Diego.
He emphasized in the special report that "the format of the JSHS permitted me exposure to student research in virtually every field. I walked away from each symposium intoxicated not only by what I had learned, but what I had been exposed to. I suspect that few scientists have the privilege of such interdisciplinary exposure, particularly at such a young age. I was taught that research was enormously rewarding and that risk-taking was an essential element of good science."

Sparked by his JSHS experience, Dan completed Princeton with a B.S. and is now at Brown in a master's program in Environmental Studies. Dan's goal is to continue at Brown for his Ph. D. focusing on eco-system bio-diversity issues. Dan credits his JSHS experience for giving him the ability to see his own work (plasma physics and fusion during his JSHS research years) in the context of both other scientists and society as a whole. The exposure to a range of disciplines that JSHS fosters gave him the ability to speak of his work to scientists outside his field and to recognize the synergy between his work and theirs. This Spark that Caught Fire followed his own advice when it came to summer research opportunities: he took his physics background from high school to the labs at Merck near his home in Morristown, N. J. where he's done research at their request in molecular biology for the last six years.

Dr. Kathy Seggerson is currently working in a post-doctorate program at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. As a biochemistry and genetic researcher, she is specializing in Ribo Nucleic Acid (RNA) processing. Dr. Seggerson participated in the Kentucky JSHS for three years during high school at Notre Dame Academy and went on to the National JSHS in both 1985 and 1987.

In describing the impact JSHS had on her for the special report to the military, Kathy noted, "Attending the state and national symposia was a fun and exciting reward for the hard work I had done during the year on my science project. The experience of meeting other kids interested in science was enriching and encouraging. These things probably encouraged me to pursue science when I attended college."

For Kathy, undergraduate studies were at Notre Dame University where she earned a B.S. in Chemistry, followed by Yale and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. After research experience at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and before Colorado University at Denver, Kathy undertook post-doctorate work in the lab of Dr. Tom Blumenthal at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

Kathy's teaching experience ranges from tutoring science and math at the South Bend Juvenile Facility during her freshman year of college to chemistry instructor at Manor College in Pennsylvania during the summer of 1999. She sees full time college teaching in her future.