Jisan research institute
The Jisan Research Institute (JRI) is a nonprofit organization located in Pasadena, California, with one satellite branch in Fullteron, California. JRI is notable for giving high school and middle school students an opportunity to pursue a research project in the subjects of engineering, science, economics, and mathematics, amongst others. The Jisan Research Institute is part of a greater collective known as the Jisan Institutes, which comprises the Jisan Writing Institute, Jisan Prep, and JiTech.
Background
The JRI is a pioneering research environment made up of three principal groups of people. The first group is a set of senior researchers composed primarily of PhDs known as Senior Research Fellows, drawn from a variety of sources. These scientists make up the core of JRI, producing and managing research projects in a variety of fields. The second group is made up of junior scientists known as Junior Research Fellows. These students are drawn from undergraduate and graduate programs, and have shown an aptitude for research through their completion of one or more projects. The third group at JRI is made up of younger students. These students are hand-chosen from among top high school students or undergraduate students for their innate ability, and are trained in the art of doing science by carrying out real publishable research under the direction of the Research and Junior Research Fellows.
JRI is a valuable resource for a number of different groups of people. Researchers at universities or in industry may propose research projects to JRI for study. If the proposal is accepted, JRI will assemble a research team, with no cost to the proposing party 1 , and the research team will conduct the study. This provides an extremely useful outlet for those researchers who have not yet secured funds for a new research project, or whose other commitments PReVENT the researcher from completing the study. Ownership of any developed technology is shared by the JRI research team. This condition serves to assure potential Research Mentors that they will retain own ownership of their original contribution, and share in ownership of any further developments based on that contribution.
JRI also represents a unique and unparalleled educational opportunity for young scientists who wish to learn the art of doing science. Laboratories used by students are identical to those used by research scientists, and in many cases are the very same labs. The projects students investigate are the same as those under investigation by research scientists elsewhere. The eventual goal of JRI for these students is to give them the ability to carry out good research independently, making them a valuable asset to whatever organization they eventually become a part of. JRI has had extraordinary success to date in placing its students in laboratories and universities.
History
The Jisan Research Institute was founded by Dr. Sanza Kazadi. Dr. Kazadi started JRI in February 1995 while still he was still an undergraduate at Caltech University. The Institute continued to be built over the next five years. After completing his graduate work at the California Institute of Technology in 2000, Dr. Kazadi became the first full time employee of the Institute and transformed it into a nonprofit research laboratory.
During the first twelve years, high school students at the Jisan Research Institute developed and completed more than thirty-two scientific studies in areas including computer vision, swarm engineering, evolutionary computation, fuzzy logic, power generation, and power distribution. Five new technologies were created including methods of transporting water over long distances using non photovoltaic solar systems and magnetically suspended bearing systems.