When students think of scientific research, images of upperclassmen hunched over complex lab reports and petri dishes of bacteria usually come to mind.

However, freshman Emilia Topp-Johnson has been researching the interactions between a fungal pathogen of maize called Ustilago maydis and five otherfungal endophytes since she was twelve. These are fungi that live inside plants, defending them from pests without causing adverse symptoms.

Afters years of hard work and commitment, she has become a 2014 Broadcom MASTERS competition semifinalist. The Broadcom MASTERS competition is affiliated with the Intel Science and Engineering Fair, and only the top 10 percent of middle school projects from science fairs across the United States are invited to apply for it.

Topp-Johnson’s application was one of 300 selected to advance to the semi-finalist stage. On the Dec. 17, she will learn if she’s one of 30 finalists to receive on an all expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. and compete in the Broadcom MASTERS National Science Fair.

Topp-Johnson is excited and honored to participate at all stage of the competition. She is passionate about her research, saying, “I find more joy in scientific research than I do in almost anything else. I love finding things out through isolation of variables.Research is something I want to do for the rest of my life.”

This article was originally published in the September 2014 Print issue of The Rubicon.  The story can be seen in its original form by clicking on the “In Print” tab or at ISSUU.com.