Brookings School District is celebrating the success of one of its own. Sanhita Tummala, now a freshman at Brookings High School, has been named to the 2025 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) Top 300, the nation’s premier STEM competition for middle school students.
The Junior Innovators Challenge, presented by the Society for Science and Thermo Fisher Scientific, recognizes the top 300 middle school students nationwide for their research and innovation in science, technology, engineering, and math. This year’s honorees were selected from nearly 1,900 entrants across 34 states and Puerto Rico.
Sanhita earned her spot in the Top 300 through her award-winning project at the 2025 Eastern South Dakota Science and Engineering Fair held last March at South Dakota State University. Competing as an eighth grader from George S. Mickelson Middle School, she was awarded the Grand Prize in the Junior Division for her project, “A Novel Self-Sustainable Kit to Combat Rural Vitamin A Deficiency During Pregnancy and Early Childhood.”
On September 17 at noon, the Top 30 finalists will be announced. Those students will advance to compete for more than $100,000 in awards and prizes.
The Junior Innovators Challenge seeks to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and problem solvers to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges. Sanhita’s recognition places Brookings on the national stage for STEM excellence.