Shoreline student wins $3500 scholarship to STEM summer camp

Andrew Sun-Zhuang presented with First Place in Engineering Category
Photo courtesy Society for Science

Andrew Sun-Zhuang, 14-year-old student from Shoreline, Washington, won first place in the Engineering Category Award, as part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, the nation's leading middle school STEM competition, hosted by the nonprofit organization, Society for Science.

Andrew won a $3500 scholarship to a STEM summer camp.

Andrew plays baseball, and he’s constantly trying to improve his batting performance. But he’s been less than impressed with pitching machines. 

“Because they cannot vary pitch location to simulate real-game conditions, batters can anticipate pitch placement and achieve unrealistically high contact rates,” he explains. 

His hit rate is 95 percent against a batting machine, but only 35 percent in real life. And most batters, Andrew included, can’t practice against a real pitcher every day. He decided to train an AI to produce a better pitching machine.

Photo courtesy Society for Science

Obviously, Andrew likes baseball, and started in Little League when he was five. Last summer, he played both All-Star Majors baseball and water polo. 

“I love baseball because of the connections I build with my teammates and the challenges I face during games,” he says. “The pressure of competition pushes me to stay focused, build resilience, and constantly strive to become a better player.” 

Andrew also enjoys robotics and has participated in several robotics programs. “I have a deep passion for robotics because it is an active, hands-on blend of STEM that can solve real-world problems,” he says.

The 30 finalists, who were selected from nearly 2,000 applicants representing 47 states and five territories, collectively received more than $100,000 in awards at an annual ceremony in Washington, D.C.