Joshua Kim
As he sat in the Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center on the morning of May 16, dressed in his McCallie blue blazer and blue and white striped tie, Joshua Kim did not need to hear his name called to know he had won fourth place in the Biochemistry division of the 75th annual International Science and Engineering Fair sponsored by Regeneron.
"They said, 'From Tennessee...' and I already knew I was the only person from Tennessee in that category," recalled Kim last week from the bottom floor of Walker Hall. "It was quite a thrill. Just to know that all the work I'd put in had paid off."
That work was a project Kim had fine-tuned for more than a year. Its title alone—Optimization of One-Component Ionizable Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimer Design for Enhanced Dendrimersome Nanoparticle mRNA Delivery—explains all one needs to know about why Kim finished fourth internationally, though one cannot help but wonder if that might have been a bit low.
Still, it was the second year in a row Kim won his way to the ISEF international round, reaching Los Angeles last summer for a project about machine learning breast cancer detection using hormonal biomarkers. That project also received a special award from a university sponsor, which came with a full scholarship to attend their summer research program.
Making the week in Columbus all the better was that, unlike LA, Kim was not the only McCallie rising senior to reach the international round. Anthony Xian joined Kim in Columbus for his project "Unveiling the Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Self-Cognition and Its Impact on Working Memory." And though they did not compete in Columbus, McCallie students Nishanth Basava '25, Akhil Giddaluri '26, and Nikhil Giddaluri '26 were observers to Kim's award.
To better understand the enormity of Kim's honor, the ISEF this summer included 1,657 young people from 62 countries competing in 22 categories. Only the top four in each category were recognized in the closing awards ceremony, and no one knew if they had won until that time.
"It was a grueling process," said Kim. "You meet with a dozen judges on judging day. It starts at 8 a.m. and runs until around 5 p.m. Interview after interview. These judges are very bright. Sometimes they wouldn't even ask about my project. They didn't want to know what I did (for the project), but who I was and what I wanted to do down the road."
Along the way he had a chance to have a conversation with Regeneron co-founder George Yancopoulos, who shares Kim's passion for biochemistry and medical research.
"An amazing week," said Kim. "I'll never forget it."
McCallie science teacher Dr. Ashley Posey will tell you this was the student she thought she was getting after Kim left Normal Park for McCallie in middle school.
"I knew as soon as I met him for the first time he would be a big part of our research program," said Posey. "We couldn't get him in it his first year, but he's been a huge part of it ever since. A lot of the ideas that Joshua comes up with are high-level stuff. But he also isn't afraid of 'No.' You run into a lot of 'No's,' a lot of walls in research. Very rarely do you have a student as tenacious as Joshua at getting past that, at staying the course. He just has that drive. It's nothing I've taught him. 'No' will not deter him. I hope he never loses that."
Posey may be averse to taking any credit for Kim's success, but he cannot thank her enough.
"I messaged her as soon as I won," he said. "I couldn't have done any of this without her. Dr. Posey would come in to help me whenever I asked. She'd make sure I had the supplies I needed. She missed dinners at home if I needed to stay late. I have bothered her a lot, but she's always been there to help."
Posey also says she is not so hung up on her students getting awards as she hopes, "We're fostering a love of science. Obviously, we couldn't be prouder of Joshua, but seeing these kids stay after school to work on their research projects, to embrace the process, is what makes me most proud."
The level of intelligence and hard work needed to complete these projects makes it easy to forget that these are still kids. Asked what he most enjoyed about his week in Columbus beyond meeting other bright students from across the world, Kim smiled and mentioned a food court near his hotel.
"There was a Vietnamese restaurant that was really good, and the Japanese ramen was great," he said.
And how did he celebrate when he returned to the Scenic City?
"My family and I went to Boathouse," he said of the popular restaurant on the Tennessee River. "I had the voodoo chicken and oysters on the half shell."
Having reached the international stage of the ISEF competition the past two years, will Kim compete for a three-peat next summer, when the convention moves to Phoenix?
"I hope," he said. "To do a research continuation of last year's research. It will be more hands-on, more laboratory extensive."
But whatever happens next, Kim intends to continue to embrace research going forward.
"I definitely want to pursue research in cellular and molecular biology in college," he said, noting that applications to Harvard and Caltech will almost assuredly be submitted as options for that goal.
Before that, however, he wants everyone to know of his appreciation for McCallie and Dr. Posey.
"I was so proud to represent McCallie, and for all Dr. Posey has done for me to make the ISEF award possible," he said. "I'm tremendously grateful for her support, and I hope the award makes the next generation of McCallie students realize that world-class research is available to them right here in Walker Hall."
And perhaps world-class research awards if they learn to learn from the word "No."