Janele McRae remembers being beckoned to a five-page rendition of various chemical compound structures using the elements of the periodic table.

It was at a recent Decatur High School parent-teacher conference and it was her son’s work.

“Parent-teacher conferences used to be something we dreaded,” she said. “Now, it’s nothing but praises.”

Joshua Bergener’s chemistry teacher told his mother Advanced Placement students would ask about Joshua’s work and were surprised to learn it came from a sophomore.

But what many don’t know is the high-achieving 15-year-old has Asperger’s syndrome, a type of autism that affects social interaction.

“He strives for nothing but the best, he has to pass everything,” McRae said. “That’s part of Aspergers, there is no in-between, you do everything and everything correct.”

Once aspiring to earn a doctorate in mathematics, Joshua now envisions himself as an astrochemist.

“An astrochemist is involved in the chemistry of space,” he said in a phone interview.

McRae describes her son’s new interest in chemistry as a new love. Before he even started high school, Joshua had two high school credits in mathematics. Now, he’s in precalculus and with a PSAT math score between 560-660, people are taking notice.

American astronaut Buzz Aldrin nominated Joshua to attend the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders in Boston, Massachusetts from June 28-30.

The nomination was based off of his high PSAT scores, McRae said.

The event will “honor, inspire, motivate and direct top students in the country who aspire to be scientists and technologists, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal,” according to a news release.

Joshua will represent Decatur High School as he attends the congress, which will include Nobel Laureats, National Medal of Science Winners and deans of the world’s top tech universities.

“This is a crucial time in America when we need more nimble-minded and creative scientists and technologists who are even better prepared for a future that is changing exponentially,” said Richard Rossi, the executive director of the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists. “Focused, bright and determined students like Joshua Bergener are our future and he deserves all the mentoring and guidance we can give him.”

Joshua said he’s really excited he was invited to go and looks forward to the help he’ll get with his educational plan and future opportunities. At this time, he’s still trying to figure out where he wants to go to college.

However, things didn’t always work out well for Joshua.

“At the end of sixth grade, we finally got the diagnosis of Aspergers,” McRae said. “We struggled with him acting out in class and I had a one-on-one relationship with each teacher because they needed to talk to me about how he would break down on things.”

McRae said Joshua was expelled at the end of his sixth grade year because he threatened violence but it was right around the same time his family figured out the diagnosis and that he also had a form of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder).

Joshua agreed to take a class on interpreting and building social skills as well as take some medication that gives him a “few more seconds to think things through before he reacts.”

Now, he’s met every goal his counselor sets.

“He’s a totally different person than he was,” McRae said, noting he participates in the Ignite Program that helps freshman students transition to high school and is on the drum line. “His teachers say nothing but praises about him. The students go to him for help and they all want to work with him.”

McRae said she will provide whatever resource it takes to help her son but can’t deny that the congress will be costly.

“He knows how to search for scholarships,” she said. “But whatever he needs, we’re going to get him there. Whatever goal he has, we will help him achieve.”

McRae currently has a gofundme.com account set up to help pay for lodging, travel, food and other expenses. Although she’s been able to raise money through a medieval reenactment group that’s donated, it was only enough to cover part of the expenses.

To learn more about Joshua or to donate toward his trip to the science congress, visit www.gofundme.com/Josh2FSTLcongress.