Blue Valley junior named winner of eighth annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge

Noor Haideri, a junior at Blue Valley High School, won top honors for the 2023 Breakthrough Junior Challenge.// Photo by Abbas Haideri

Noor Haideri, a high school junior from Overland Park, was named the winner of the eighth annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge.

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a science video competition designed to encourage creative thinking and communication skills around fundamental concepts in STEM. Haideri won top honors for her original video titled “Melanopsin and ipRGCs.”

Her video explores the impact of blue light on photoreceptors in the retina that can disrupt the sleep/wake cycle. Haideri says this is a daily problem that she sees plaguing her classmates.

The award was given to her during a surprise assembly put on by Blue Valley High School and includes the installation of a state-of-the-art science lab at the school and an educational prize of $50,000 to Hiaderi’s inspirational biology teacher Dianne M. Dunn.

Haideri will receive a $250,000 college scholarship, which she aims to put towards the Masters/Doctorate program at Harvard. In the spring, she will also be honored at the gala award ceremony the Breakthrough Prize hosts in Los Angeles.

“I am so excited that my video has been recognized by Breakthrough’s amazing jury and is reaching so many science-curious students,” Haideri says. “I intend to become a physician (like my dad), and a cancer researcher. So winning the challenge is not only an unbelievable honor, but it will help me make my dreams come true—personally, and for my school and teachers. I am so deeply grateful.”

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge was created by science philanthropists Julia and Yuri Milner in 2015. The 2022 challenge had more than 2,400 applicants from over 100 countries. 

Since its launch in 2015, this challenge has reached over 200 countries. It was created to demonstrate young people’s knowledge of STEM subjects and encourage the early pursuit of STEM careers. 

The challenge’s parent organization, the Breakthrough Prize, is renowned as the “Oscars of Science,” recognizing the world’s top scientists. Due to its reputation, some of the top scientists in the field sat on the selection committee for the Junior Challenge. For example, Rachel Crane, the CNN space and science correspondent, and Pascale Ehrenfreund, the president of International Space University.

In Sept., an evaluation panel selected 30 semi-finalists from the 2,400 videos submitted. The semi-finalists then competed in a popular vote on the Breakthrough Prize Facebook page. The public was invited to vote for their favorite submission by liking, commenting, or sharing.

During the 15-day contest, more than half a million people participated in the popular vote. The final videos were reviewed, and a winner was chosen by the selection committee.

The submission period for the 2023 Breakthrough Junior Challenge begins April 1. Any student between the ages of 13-18 is eligible to participate. Guidelines for video submissions can be found on the Breakthrough Junior Challenge website.