Twelve-year-old Jonathan Dorminy said his interest in amateur radio began nearly two years ago.

  “For Christmas of 2017, I received a book about amateur radio,” said Dorminy, of McDonough. “I studied the book, and in January of 2018, I took my first amateur radio license test. Since then, I earned my general and extra amateur radio licenses.”

  Dorminy, a homeschooled seventh-grader, was recently named one of the Top 300 Broadcom MASTERS, an acronym for “Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars.” The list, compiled by Broadcom Foundation and the Society for Science & the Public, comprises the nation’s premier middle-school students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) competition.

  Students were selected from a pool of 2,348 applicants in 37 states, and the District of Columbia. Dorminy is one of nine homeschoolers to make this year’s list.

  “It’s a huge honor and I’m very glad to have it,” said Dorminy. “I hope to fully represent that honor with my project. I was a little surprised. I didn’t expect it, but I’m very happy. I hope to maybe make the top 30 someday.”

  Dorminy entered a regional science fair earlier this year, winning first place for his project titled “Text Messaging Radio for Emergency Use.”

  In March, he was named the top sixth grader at the State Science Fair for 2018-19.

  “I built a text-messaging radio, but instead of your phone using a cell tower, it was directly between my two text-messaging units,” said Dorminy.

  Following his win at the regional level, he and his project were sent to the State Science Fair in June. He said his passion for amateur radio led to his success in the competition.

  “I enjoyed learning about the radio frequency engineering behind my device,” said Dorminy. “In order to build my device, I had to learn how radio frequencies interact in certain mediums. I had to learn more about how to implement the knowledge I gained from studying for my amateur radio licenses in order to build this radio.”

  Dorminy is the youngest of six children, all of whom have enjoyed significant educational achievements over the years. His mother, Ann, said she was intrigued when Jonathan told her about his plans for the project.

  “I thought it was a wonderful idea,” said Ann Dorminy. “One of his running buddies is in the Army Reserve, and he told us about the conditions in Puerto Rico when he was deployed after Hurricane Maria [in 2017]. I think Jonny was inspired by this to use his radio knowledge to help people in similar situations.”

  Ann Dorminy said she is proud of Jonathan’s latest accolades, both  locally and from the Broadcom Foundation.

  “Jonny was nominated for this recognition from both Henry County Regional Fair and the Georgia Science Fair,” said Ann Dorminy. “Not only was he in the top 10 percent at the county level, but he was in the top 10 percent at the state level. I was just amazed by that. This was his first science fair project. I’m thrilled with how much work he put into this. I’m happy that they’re able to recognize him for it.”

  Maya Ajmera is the president and chief executive officer of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News. Ajmera congratulated students on the MASTERS list.

  “Middle school is a time of exceptional change and growth, and we are thrilled to be able to provide encouragement and support to these students as they continue their education and develop their interest in STEM,” said Ajmera.

  As for Jonathan Dorminy, he isn’t quite ready to rest on his laurels.   Instead, he is already planning to take his amateur-radio knowledge to the next level.

  “For the 2019-20 science fair, I’m going to be doing a continuation of this project,” he said. “There’s a lot I can improve, and I hope to improve it to the point that I can use it in emergency situations like what happened with Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and Florida.”