The pairing of a Hattiesburg High School Student and a professor at the University of Southern Mississippi was the perfect combination that provided an outlet for further research about the impact of plastics in the environment. And through this collaboration, JeMele Moore competed against 1,7000 students in the 2026 International Science and Engineering fair in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Base Pair Program connecting USM and Hattiesburg High was developed in 2022 to encourage high school with an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics an opportunity to pursue these fields through engaging laboratory experiences with university scientists. The collaboration occurs both on and off campus.
Dr. Olivia McNair, Assistant Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering, worked alongside the student to help him develop and execute the research topic. She said he is passionate about the environment and the impact of plastics as a whole.
“After finding out that you can make polymers from biorenewable feedstock, JeMele and I constructed a project where he could explore one specific material system,” Dr. McNair said. “We spent the summer making and measuring materials to understand how they behave.”
Dr. McNair said JeMele attended lab sessions heavily during the summer of 2025 and continued twice a week during the fall and spring semesters. While working on this research project, graduate and undergraduate students mentored him along with Dr. McNair.
“I am so very proud of his diligence,” she said. Dr. McNair is already working with another Hattiesburg High School student for the upcoming school term.
JeMele placed second in the category of Engineering and Mechanics. His project, “Enhancing Thermal Conductivity of Hexagonal Boron Nitride in Polymer Composites,” was presented along with projects from students around the world. He is a graduate of Hattiesburg High School who to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy with a research role.
In 2024, this collaborative effort earned the Governor’s Award of Distinction by the Mississippi Association of Partners in Education. The Mississippi Base Pair Consortium (MBPC)-Hattiesburg brings together faculty and staff from USM’s Center for STEM Education and School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences to support students at Hattiesburg High School. The university-school partnership and mentoring program includes faculty and staff from across the university working with high school students.
While the program itself has the same structure and goals, it is undergoing some remodeling as Dr. McNair is working to integrate a STEM pipeline through opportunities for Hattiesburg High School Students and graduate students from USM Polymer.
“This pipeline will have an interest in STEM careers and will create outreach opportunities at Hattiesburg STEAM Academy to work with a 6th grade science class,” she said. “The 6th graders and high school students will have opportunities to visit USM Polymer for real experiences with materials and equipment.”
Dr. McNair said these new changes are from a grand funded from NASA and will also conversations between students and career research scientists and other grad students.
More information about the base pair initiative may be found here.
*Photos are courtesy of USM and Dr. McNair
