"Critical thinking and problem solving are essential skills that everyone can and should learn. And people should not wait to enter college to learn theses skills. The best way to acquire these solving skills is to engage in scientific inquiry at a young age. When young high school students learn to design an experiment to address a very specific question, conduct the experiment, include important controls, collect, analyze and interpret the data, trouble shoot when things do not work, and finally present their results to their peers, teachers and professional scientists whom they need to convince of the accuracy of their experiments and interpretation, they learn to think critically, they learn to be organized, rigorous and precise, and to problem solve. The earlier these skills are acquired the more likely they will develop into intellectual habits and second nature that will become available in situations that are new, difficult, complex, or stressful. Therefore individuals who manage to learn and practice these skills will be successful in whatever career they choose to pursue. Therefore We as parents, teachers and professionals need to expose every student to the process of scientific methods and inquiries and help them acquire problem solving skills before they graduate from high school. We also need to encourage and promote science competitions. Attending the annual AJAS convention is one of the great rewards for students who have sacrificed leisure time and dedicated their efforts working on a science project. This is precisely why the AJAS annual convention exits: to acknowledge and encourage these young people."