A former Ft. Clarke Middle School student who is now a freshman at Gainesville High School has been named one of the Top 300 Junior Innovators in the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, considered one of the premier STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) competitions for middle school students in the nation.

According to a news release from the Society for Science, which runs the competition, Aung Pyae and the other Top 300 Junior Innovators were selected from nearly 2000 applicants across 47 states and five territories. To be eligible, students had to be among the top performers in their local science fair.

Pyae qualified as an 8th grader at Ft. Clarke with a project titled ‘Celestial Geometry: A Mathematical Approach to Modelling Patterns and Periodic Variations in Lunar Orbital Distance.’ In layman’s terms, the project involves tracking the distance between the earth and the moon.

“I read a book at the beginning of 8th grade that was pretty interesting, and I wanted to dive deeper into the topic,” said Pyae, referring to the 400-page The Smithsonian Atlas of Space: A Map to the Universe from the Big Bang to the Future

Pyae’s project previously took first place in the Alachua Region Science and Engineering Fair and third place in the statewide fair.

“I was pretty happy about making it to the top 300,” said Pyae of the Junior Innovators Challenge. “It gives me confidence in my science skills.”

As a freshman in Gainesville High School this year, Pyae is a member of the school’s band, STEM Club and DECA, an organization that prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and business management. After high school he’s considering pursuing engineering and or business in college.

“This year’s Top 300 are taking on challenges that will shape our future by questioning assumptions and testing new ideas,” said Karen Nelson, Chief Scientific Officer for Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Their passion and bold thinking make us optimistic about the impact this next generation of innovators will have on the world.”