By Matt Hoover
USD 475 Communications Coordinator
USD 475 has announced that Junction City High School juniors Steven Berrey and Kai Walsh recently claimed the 2024 Regional Night at the Lab competition sponsored by the KU Medical Center. “I am so proud of the time and energy Kai and Steven clearly put into their presentation. Their presentation over concussions was informative as well as creative,” said Kent Smith, JCHS Health Science Teacher and HOSA Advisor.
By winning the regional, the duo, who are one of only six regional winners out of 87 total submissions from throughout the state, will now attend the state-wide competition on the campus of the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, beginning on Dec. 9.
The Night at the Lab is a research-based competition held in the fall amongst teams of Kansas high school students. Teams were given a random subject related to orthopedics and sports medicine health care, which they then had to research, create a visual display, and make a 4-to-6-minute-long presentation, which was judged by the KUMC faculty and staff.
Together, Berrey and Walsh were able to gain valuable experience in both research skills and professional presentation skills. The six teams advancing to the state-wide competition will be rewarded with hotel accommodations, meals, and a tour of some of the research departments at the KU Medical Center