Earlier this month, upper school students took three out of five top spots in the The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal’s (THURJ) Research Competition. The competition invites students to write a research article in a field of their choice and submit it for publication, with mentorship provided by Harvard researchers.

Junior Disha Gupta took first place with her paper on reducing the global breast cancer rate through early diagnosis that is both accurate and low-cost. Second-place winner Aditya Shivakumar, also grade 11, wrote his article on how to better analyze cosmic distances through accurately classifying Cepheid variable stars. Senior Saanvi Bhargava’s article explored machine learning models that can grade vocal pitch to help singers refine their technique through accurate performance feedback. All of the students’ papers can be read on the THURJ website.

Founded in 2007, The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal is Harvard University’s only peer-reviewed journal for undergraduate research. Published twice a year, the journal features original undergraduate research in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.