Research by YISS Senior Published in Science Journal

On October 4, research conducted by senior Grace K. was published in the Journal of Emerging Investigators. The JEI was established in 2011 by a Harvard graduate student as a scientific journal that provides an opportunity for middle and high school students to publish original research with the guidance of a teacher or advisor. After the research is completed, it is first peer-reviewed before being published in the journal. 

Grace’s research looked mainly at the effects of COVID-19 on students’ academics, social, mental, and physical health. This became an interesting topic to Grace after her own experiences with adjusting to online school and missing out on after-school activities. Through her research, she hoped to find ways schools and educational institutions can change to accommodate students’ needs during dire times like the pandemic, possibly finding solutions to improve the current situation. 

Grace gathered her survey-based research from September 2020 to February 2021. Her survey data came anonymously from high school international students in Korea. Grace then spent time conducting statistical analysis and writing her paper until May. Over the summer, her research was peer-reviewed by three reviewers (one MD candidate at Stony Brooks University, one graduate student at Harvard University, and one postdoctoral candidate at Harvard University). 

You can read her published research here: “A study of South Korean international school students: Impact of COVID-19 on anxiety and learning habits.”