JRI students rock the Los Angeles and California State Science Fair
May 15, 2008
Five weeks prior to the Los Angeles County Science Fair, JRI and Ribet Academy students Haixiang Huang and Sukyeon Jung approached Dr. Sanza Kazadi of the Jisan Research Institute with a question. "Can you find a project for us to compete in the Los Angeles County Science Fair with?"
Dr. Kazadi told them he'd think about it, but the prospects weren't that great, as the time was so short.
After several days, Dr. Kazadi called Haixiang and Sukyeon at home, excited. "I think I've got a project for you! I want to talk to you about it tomorrow. Can you come to JRI?"
Over the following several weeks, Haixiang and Sukyeon worked on a project in a new field invented at JRI called swarm economics. In swarm economics, the general rules for how a specific economic system can be built are created. These rules are aimed at determining ways of guaranteeing a specific global outcome despite the nonlinear way in which agents interact. This is a hard problem to solve because even simple interactions between agents can lead to somewhat unpredictable global outcomes.
The problem that Haixiang and Sukyeon examined was the way in which a simple economic system consisting of vendors and consumers behaved in the face of interference by "rogue" agents. Building on work by JRI students John S. Lee, Joshua Lee, and Paul Kim, who earlier demonstrated that a similar system could be built in which inflation was eliminated without government supervision, Haixiang and Sukyeon set out to determine what happens to such a controlled system when badly behaving "rogue" agents exist in the system. These agents do not follow the same behaviors as the rest of the group, but rather, do what they can to disrupt the group's behaviors. Under these conditions, the students pondered, can one still guarantee the group dynamic of limiting prices?
What the two found is both encouraging and discouraging. Under certain conditions, the agents in the system can react in such a way as to limit effect of the rogue agents. This means that the rogue agents can be nullified as long as the individual normal agents in the system react correctly. However, despite this encouraging news, which tells us how to control the effect of the rogue agents, their results also indicated that the effect had limitations. If there are too many rogue agents, too few vendors, or if the normal agents do not react strongly, the effect of the rogue agents will win and the system will go into unlimited inflation. The research has important implications for worldwide economic systems.
The research project, though quickly achieved, required a significant amount of work. The two young researchers needed to create a new computer simulation which simulates the interaction between the three types of agents. This was accomplished in the space of two weeks after which the young scientists examined the effects of the various parameters of the system. Three weeks later, the two emerged, exhausted, and competed in the LA County Science Fair. Here, they won a gold medal and advancement to the California State Science Fair. Weeks later, they again competed at the California Science Fair, where their project was again received well, winning top honors and $1,000.00.
Nobody was more surprised than the two young researchers at their success. "We only wanted a project to compete with that we could complete very quickly," commented Haixiang. "Dr. K said our project should be 'very competitive'. Who knew we'd take it all the way!"
Students at the Jisan Research Institute are often encouraged to enter the Los Angeles County Science Fair, very often winning top honors and money. "This last year, we competed against professional scientists at a scientific conference and won a top paper honor. It stands to reason, then, that we would do well in a high school science fair. Students have fun, stand out, and sometimes make money for college."
JRI students have also won honors in other science competitions including the Intel Science Talent Search, America's most prestigious science competition. "Our research is in an area that does not traditionally compete well in these competitions. Nevertheless, two of our students have won semifinalist status in the Intel competition. Our future students will eventually do better."
The Jisan Research Institute moves to Alhambra, CA
March 20, 2008
So what do you guys do, anyway? is a typical question fielded by the Jisan Research Institute's (JRI) Dr. Sanza Kazadi. It's easy to see why the question is so common. JRI is not your common company or research program.
By day, the Jisan Research Institute is like most other small research laboratories. A handful of researchers examine a number of different problems, both computational and engineering. From time to time the work seems like that of a machine shop, with small, table-top mills and lathes grinding away at stock material. Other times, it seems like a computer bank, with researchers running programs on data for days, trying to generate data that increases understanding of one system or another.
After school hours, the laboratory transforms itself from a mild mannered research laboratory to a life changing experience for young people wishing to participate in science. Every weekday except Mondays, during the hours of 4-7 p.m., the Jisan Research Institute becomes a classroom for anywhere from three to thirty youngsters wishing to explore scientific research. The students work with instructors and scientists, building skills needed for research and participating in research programs.
While most research programs attach students to existing research projects that are being actively pursued by PhD students and scientist, JRI students create their own research programs under the guidance of PhD scientists or students. This means that they must review the field, decide what they're going to do research on, decide how they will proceed, carry out the research, and write up the results. Rather than being added to the author list out of the goodness of the researcher's heart, these students actually carry out every part of the projects they work on. Many high school research students working in laboratories become laboratory technicians while in university laboratories. Jisan students are generally much better prepared and informed when they finish the program.
For some students, the Institute has changed their lives. Many students have transformed themselves from`B/C' students to 'A' students while at Jisan. Others have found their way out of violent street gangs in favor of careers in research. Finally, others have participated in generating new technologies that are poised to bring world changing improvements about.
Now, the Jisan Research Institute is moving to Alhambra, California. JRI's new location boasts a much larger engineering lab workspace as well as the traditional classroom space that Jisan students have come to expect. Located only one mile from the 10 freeway, the new office is located near commercial areas, making it convenient for parents and students alike.
For Alhambra residents, the move makes it much more convenient to take advantage of the Jisan program. Tommy Hyunh and Chris Lee both plan to bike to the lab, rather than being driven. Since the laboratory is within walking distance of Alhambra High School, many students at the school may conveniently travel to the laboratory after school. For other JRI students, the easy freeway access makes it nearly as convenient to travel to Alhambra as to travel to Pasadena.
For Dr. Kazadi, the move has a more personal significance. Alhambra is a nice place to live. I feel at home here. It's nice to be able to bring my company to the same city that has made me feel more welcome than I have since leaving Illinois for Caltech, nearly 18 years ago. says Dr. Kazadi. For JRI, it's something of a homecoming, since I started the Institute in my apartment here in Alhambra when I was a student.
JRI Summer Program Planned
February 11, 2008
The Jisan Research Institute is proud to announce the creation of the 2008
Summer Precollege Research Program. This program, which is scheduled to
take place between June 16, 2008 and August 11, 2008, is intended for students
who wish to have a relatively brief research experience which will give them
a meaningful introduction to the research world.
This year will build on the success of the 2007 Summer Precollege Research
Program. During that year, three high school seniors (Alex Park, Andrew Kim,
and Nalee Kim) designed and constructed a water pump. The pump has no moving
parts, no specialized materials, is completely solar powered, and purifies water
as it pumps it. It is currently capable of pumping and purifying one to two
gallons of water daily, but will be able to increase that to between sixteen and
twenty gallons of water when planned upgrades are completed. The project
started four years ago when Dr. Kazadi proposed the pump mechanism to his
students as a demonstration of swarm engineering methodologies.
The new program information is available
here. Out of state students will be required to find lodging accommodations
nearby the JRI office, and transportation to and from the laboratory may be
arranged upon request. Questions may be addressed to the
JRI general email or may be answered by calling the main office at (626) 458-0000.
JRI is looking forward to another exciting and successful summer research
program. Students may expect to participate in developing new technology based
on JRI's existing or emerging research!
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