JoCo student was 1 of 2,400 to enter contest. Insomniacs can learn from winning video

Noor Haideri has advice to those who spend sleepless nights scrolling through social media sites or playing Wordle on their phones.

And her research on the impact of electronic devices and blue light on insomnia has paid off for the Blue Valley High School junior. Noor has earned a $250,000 scholarship to the college of her choice.

She found out in February that she won this year’s Breakthrough Junior Challenge. Her win also paid off for her school and teacher. It’s her third attempt at winning the science video contest. She first heard about it in an email from contest partner Khan Academy when she was 12.

Previously, she’s made videos about the immune system and allergies. Each year, she’s inched closer to the grand prize, first landing in the top 10%, then the top 5%.

To get to the top, contestants must go through a peer review process with fellow competitors, in addition to passing muster with a selection committee packed with scientific heavyweights.

“I have a running list of Breakthrough Junior Challenge ideas on my phone. I’m living life, and an idea pops into mind, and I add it to the list,” Noor said.

While looking up information about alertness and circadian rhythms, she found a video by Stanford University professor Andrew Huberman that inspired her to look closer at melanopsin, a light receptor in the eye.

“When I saw the topic she had picked, I was excited by that, because I knew that topic was so relevant to everybody,” said Dianne Dunn, who has taught Noor in both her human anatomy and physiology classes and provided feedback on the previous videos as well as this one.

“Everyone’s on their cell phones all the time. People say you shouldn’t be on electronic devices before you go to bed — you hear that a lot.”

Dunn said that while her student’s project uses a lot of scientific terminology, Noor explains through words and graphics in a way that’s easy to grasp.

Noor did a lot of research before writing a script for her video, then cut it down to the 1-minute, 30-second time limit. To go with her words, she made her own animated illustrations, drawing pictures and making them come alive using PowerPoint.

“It did take some time, but honestly the topic was really interesting. That really helps,” she said.

Her sixth-grader brother and her parents were her test audience.

“If my brother can understand this the first time around, then it’s good. He would point out parts with potential confusion,” she said.

All the information she gleaned from her previous attempts informed Noor’s winning entry.

“I learned a lot from the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, not only about the topic itself but also how to make a video, how to talk in front of a camera, how to communicate a point effectively,” Noor said.

Noor’s triumph isn’t just a boon for her. The school will also get a new science lab from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory worth $100,000, and as her teacher, Dunn will receive $50,000 in prize money.

Dunn has been impressed with Noor’s drive and determination.

“Every year she has put her materials together, she has gotten so much better with her choice of topic and also with her clarity and explanation,” Dunn said. “She didn’t need any constructive criticism this year. I think she had learned so much from years before.”

Dunn, who has taught for 32 years, said Noor stands out among the many students she’s had in the classroom.

“She’s been the student that has kind of blown me away. It’s not just her personality, but it’s her focus, her goals and just the way she approaches things,” Dunn said. “It’s not just about school. She is a genuine kid. She’s just fun to work with. She’s witty, and she’s kind and she’s smart and she’s driven.”

The actual award announcement was a big surprise for everyone. The people running the challenge got in touch with Blue Valley High School principal Charles Golden, and he and another teacher created a fake award that they told Noor and her family she was getting, so that they would attend the all-school assembly.

With all eyes upon her, she found out Feb. 2 that this year’s attempt topped more than 2,400 other entries to win.

The scholarship money will go a long way toward funding her dream of attending an Ivy League school to study in a combined bachelor’s and medical degree program.