Kalispell student Keanu Ng made the cut as one of the top 300 students competing in the Broadcom MASTERS.

Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) is a middle school science, technology, engineering and math competition. For the competition, students are tasked with conducting independent research projects that tackle every day challenges.

Ng, a Flathead High School student, entered the competition as a Kalispell Middle School eighth-grader with his project “Microplastics: A Macro Problem.” He will receive a $125 award.

The top 300 were selected from 3,476 students around the country and Puerto Rico entered the competition. This year, the competition was opened up to any student who registered to compete in a Society for Science & the Public-affiliated science fair.

Previously, only students who were named in the top 10% of an affiliated science fair were eligible to enter the competition. The eligibility criteria changed when science fairs around the country began canceling competitions last spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The change, however, brought in the largest pool of applicants the competition has seen according to a press release.

Thirty of the top 300 Broadcom MASTERS will be selected as finalists by a panel of scientists, engineers and educators from around the nation on Sept. 16. Finalists will compete for more than $100,000 in prizes.

The Broadcom MASTERS, a program of the Society for Science & the Public, seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators to solve the grand challenges of the 21st century, according to the societyforscience.org.