iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Seventy-eight students of Indian origin are among 300 scholars honored with the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The Society for Science (the Society) announced the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024 on January 10. The 300 scholars will be awarded $2,000 each and their schools will be awarded $2,000 for each enrolled scholar.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars were selected from 2,162 entrants from 712 high schools across 46 states, Puerto Rico, and 10 other countries – the highest number of entrants since 1969 and an increase of over 200 from 2023. The young scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions, and demonstration of exceptional promise as leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through original, independent research projects, essays, and recommendations.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search, a program of the Society for Science since 1942, is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Each year, more than 2,000 student entrants submit original research in critically important scientific fields of study and are judged by leading experts in their fields. Unique among high school competitions in the U.S. and around the world, the Regeneron Science Talent Search focuses on identifying, inspiring and engaging the nation’s most promising young scientists who are creating the ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges.
In 2017, Regeneron became only the third sponsor of the Science Talent Search to help reward and celebrate the best and brightest young minds and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM as a way to positively impact the world. Through its 10-year, $100 million commitment, Regeneron nearly doubled the overall award distribution to $3.1 million annually, increasing the top award to $250,000 and doubling the awards for the top 300 scholars to $2,000 and their schools to $2,000 for each enrolled scholar to inspire more young people to engage in science.
The 300 scholars hail from 196 American and international high schools in 36 states and China. “Congratulations to the top 300 scholars in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News. “We received a record-breaking number of applications this year; interest in this prestigious competition is at an all-time high. I am truly impressed by the quality of the projects and the ingenuity that each student brings to the competition. Their diligence, passion, and perseverance should be celebrated.”
Society for Science, established in 1921, is a champion for science, dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. The society is best known for its world-class science research competitions for students, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, and its outreach and equity programming that seeks to ensure that all students have an opportunity to pursue a career in STEM.
On January 24, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. The finalists will then compete for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition in Washington, D.C., taking place March 6-13, 2024.
For over eight decades the Science Talent Search has rewarded talented high school seniors who dedicate countless hours to original research projects and present their results in rigorous reports that resemble graduate school theses. Collectively, Science Talent Search alumni have received millions of dollars in scholarships and won Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals, MacArthur Fellowships, and many other accolades.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search recognizes and empowers the most promising young scientists in the US who are generating innovative solutions to solve significant global challenges through rigorous research and discoveries. The competition provides students with a national stage to present new ideas and challenge conventional ways of thinking.
Now in its 102nd year, the society has played a significant role in educating the public about scientific discoveries as well as in identifying future leaders in STEM. Regeneron has sponsored the Science Talent Search since 2017 as part of its efforts to support young scientists and future scientific innovation.
This year, research projects cover topics from artificial intelligence, machine learning assistance, and detection to climate change prevention for wildfires, floods, and drug discovery. Other students chose to focus on ways to tackle other pressing societal issues like teen mental health, anxiety, and suicide. With a total of 19 research categories, the top 5 categories among scholars’ projects this year include Environmental Science, Medicine & Health, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Computational Biology, and Behavioral and Social Sciences.
“Congratulations to the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024 scholars, whose exceptional projects demonstrate their ability to use science to improve the world,” said Christina Chan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Regeneron. “In partnership with the Society, we are proud to provide this prestigious national platform that recognizes, celebrates, and rewards students for their curiosity and innovation and encourages them to push the boundaries of science to tackle society’s most pressing issues.”
Important Dates for 2024:
Top 40 Finalists Announced: January 24, 2024
Regeneron STS Finals Week: March 7-13, 2024
Public Exhibition of Projects: March 10, 2024
Winners Announced at Awards Ceremony: March 12, 2024
Teen scientists of Indian origin
Nikita Agrawal, Age: 18
Whitney Young Magnet High School, IL
Project Title: A Novel Approach for Predicting Large Wildfires Using Machine Learning Toward Environmental Justice via Environmental Remote Sensing and Atmospheric Reanalysis Data Across the United States
Shaurya Agrawal, Age: 17
Adlai E. Stevenson High School, IL
Project Title: Combinatorial Optimization and Machine Learning To Predict Optimal Cell-State Conversion Paths
Ishan Ahluwalia, Age: 18
Jesuit High School, OR
Project Title: NeuroMotus: An Intelligent Exoskeleton System To Improve Cerebral Palsy Patient Mobility Using Brain Computer Interface
Saraswathy Amjith, Age: 18
Tesla STEM High School, WA
Project Title: A Novel Integrated Machine Learning Approach Utilizing Radar and Satellite Imagery for Selective Logging Remote Sensing Detection and Accompanying AI-Logging Map-Generating Webtool
Aarav Arora, Age: 18
Del Norte High School, CA
Project Title: A Mechanistic Basis for the Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Severity
Aditi Avinash, Age: 17
Rock Canyon High School, CO
Project Title: Model Validation and Preclinical Testing of Digestive Enzymes for Gluten Breakdown: A Move To Cure Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease
Harshil Avlani, Age: 17
BASIS Chandler, AZ
Project Title: Analyzing the Effect of Mid-Circuit Measurement (MCM) on Spectator Qubits
Reyansh Bahl, Age: 17
Green Level High School, NC
Project Title: Mapping Soil Organic Carbon for Regenerative Agriculture and Reducing Atmospheric Carbon Using Multispectral Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning
Kunal Samir Bham, Age: 18
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, VA
Project Title: Discovering Hidden Pathways: A Network-Centric Approach Reveals Novel Pathways Impacted by Prader-Willi Syndrome
Arav Bhargava, Age: 18
The Potomac School, VA
Project Title: Low-Cost, 3D-Printed, Universal-Fit, Transradial Socket for Amputees in Developing Countries
Soumyadeep Bhattacharjee, Age: 15
Williamsville East High School, NY
Project Title: EM²GeM: Explainable Multiview Multimodal Behavioral Modelling for Generalized Mental Health Analytics
Aditi Bhattamishra, Age: 18
Amity Regional High School, CT
Project Title: The SFSA Ankle: A Novel Smart Fluidic Servo Actuator With Real-Time Environment Sensing for Low-Cost, Low-Power, High-Efficiency Transtibial Bionics
Neil Bhavikatti, Age: 17
Cherry Creek High School, CO
Project Title: On Algorithmic Cache Optimization
Arnav N. Chakravarthy, Age: 18
Homestead High School, CA
Project Title: Leveraging Mitochondrial DNA Mutations for Macrophage Lineage Tracing in Primary Human Tissues
Yash Dagade, Age: 17
Eden Prairie High School, MN
Project Title: SkyWindFarm: Harnessing High-Altitude Wind Power in a Scalable Manner
Rohan Keyur Dalal, Age: 17
Johns Creek High School, GA
Project Title: Neuromesodermal Progenitor Cells Give Rise to Blood Through a Myoblast/Hemangioblast Bipotential Intermediate
Arnav Garg, Age: 18
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, NC
Project Title: Treating Anorexia Nervosa Using Fluoxetine and Olanzapine in the Model Organism Caenorhabditis elegans
Ria Garg, Age: 17
Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, TX
Project Title: Early Diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Nurses Based on Physical Behavior and Circadian Rhythm Modeled by a Recurrent Neural Network
Priya Ghanta, Age: 18
Pine Crest School, FL
Project Title: Soluble Plasma Proteins of Tumor Necrosis Factor and Immunoglobulin Superfamilies Reveal New Insights Into Immune Regulation in People With HIV and Opioid Use Disorder
Ishani Ghosh, Age: 18
Centennial High School, MD
Project Title: Saturated Lipid-Mediated Abrogation of Neurogenesis: A New Paradigm for Therapeutic Implication in Traumatic Brain Injury Among Obese and High Lipid-Indexed People
Vikram Srinivas Goddla, Age: 17
Detroit Country Day School, MI
Project Title: Optimal Policy Sparsification and Low-Rank Decomposition for Reinforcement Learning
Sarang Goel, Age: 18
Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, TX
Project Title: IVY – Intelligent Vision System for the Visually Impaired: Innovative Low-Cost, AI-Based Eyeglasses To Help the Visually Impaired Overcome Mobility Limitations Through Navigational Assistance and Object Avoidance Algorithms and an Intuitive Vibration and Audio Guidance System
Nira Goyal, Age: 17
Martin County High School, FL
Project Title: Quantification of Macrophomina phaseolina Survival After Organic Soil Treatments Under Multiple Temperature Regimes
Aanya Gupta, Age: 17
Bergen County Academies, NJ
Project Title: Initiating Astrocyte to Neuron Transdifferentiation Through MiR-124a: Implications in Neurodegenerative Disease
Aditya Gupta, Age: 18
William Fremd High School, IL
Project Title: Agri-GNN: A Novel Genotypic-Topological Graph Neural Network Framework Built on GraphSAGE for Optimized Yield Prediction
Gautam Gupta, Age: 17
Briarcliff High School, NY
Project Title: Predicting Future Internal Migration Patterns Within the United States Resulting From Shifts in Temperature and Precipitation
Ishan Milind Joshi, Age: 17
Amador Valley High School, CA
Project Title: Development of a Mycorrhizae-Assisted Plant Microbioelectrochemical Fuel Cell for Optimized Bioelectricity Production and Copper Sulfate Mycorrhizoremediation
Amanrai Singh Kahlon, Age: 17
Sanford School, DE
Project Title: Enhancing Wearable Gait-Monitoring Systems: Identifying Optimal Kinematic Inputs in Typical Adolescents
Rohan Kalahasty, Age: 18
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, VA
Project Title: Hybrid Plasticity: Adaptive, Brain-Like Artificial Intelligence via Prefrontal Cortex-Inspired Meta-Learning
Ashwin Kaliyaperumal, Age: 18
Tesla STEM High School, WA
Project Title: A Quantum Optimization Algorithm To Efficiently Route Public Transportation in Cities
Saathvik R. Kannan, Age: 18
David H. Hickman High School, MO
Project Title: Revolutionizing Cancer Drug Discovery With DrugGen: Identifying a Novel Drug for DNA Polymerase θ
Isha Kapoor, Age: 18
Mayo High School, MN
Project Title: Overcoming Melphalan Resistance in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma — Year 2
Shraman Kar, Age: 17
duPont Manual Magnet High School, KY
Project Title: Dynamic Layer Pruning and Quantization Using Proximal Policy Optimization: A Synergistic Approach for Efficient Deep Learning Models
Nema Khan, Age: 17
Bronx High School of Science, NY
Project Title: The Impact of Media Attention to Gun Violence on the Elevation of Mass Shootings: The Rise of Copycat Shooters
Rania Khan, Age: 18
Charles E. Gorton High School, NY
Project Title: Combined Sewer Overflow Neutralizing Agent Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl) Ramifications on the Vitality of the Tetraselmis Population Within the Hudson River
Syon Khatter, Age: 18
Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, NY
Project Title: Investigating Impacts of Sucralose on Hedonic Feeding Behaviors in C. elegans as a Model for Prevention and Treatment of Obesity and Eating Disorders
Alexandra Mahajan, Age: 17
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, MA
Project Title: A Novel Method To Determine Precise Stellar Radii and Temperatures of Low Mass Stars Using JWST Transits and Occultations
Bhuvi Mamtani, Age: 18
BASIS Phoenix, AZ
Project Title: Identifying Potential Markers To Combat Afatinib Resistance in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
Meghna Manjith, Age: 18
Wiregrass Ranch High School, FL
Project Title: Preventing Surgical Site Infections: Designing a Novel Post-Surgical Treatment Using Silver Nitrate and Ayurvedic Extracts in Combination With DNA Sequence Analysis
Siddharth Maruvada, Age: 18
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, NC
Project Title: Design, Synthesis and Testing of Novel Small Molecule Interleukin-6 Inhibitors for the Amelioration of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Simran Mattikalli, Age: 17
Winston Churchill High School, MD
Project Title: Deep Learning Segmentation of Hip Radiographs for Guiding Opportunistic Management of Osteoporotic Bone Fractures
Arnav Meduri, Age: 18
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, NC
Project Title: Deep Learning-Based Detection of Posterior Vitreous Opacities for Retinal Tear Prediction
Akansha Mehta, Age: 17
American Heritage School, FL
Project Title: Quorum Quenching Potential of Novel Phytochemicals on Chromobacterium violaceum Quorum Sensing
Aryan Mhaskar, Age: 18
Mills E. Godwin High School, VA
Project Title: Hybrid Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Deep Brain Stimulation in the Presence of an Implantable Pulse Generator
Ekansh Mittal, Age: 17
Westview High School, OR
Project Title: Harnessing Machine Learning and 3D Spheroid Cultures To Identify Biomarkers for Combating Drug Resistance in Breast Cancer.
Maya Mohanty, Age: 18
American Heritage School Boca-Delray, FL
Project Title: Utilizing Caulobacter crescentus To Target the NF-κB-Bcl-2 Pathway and BH3-Only Proteins To Induce Apoptosis in Nasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Kiran C. Myneni, Age: 17
James Madison High School, VA
Project Title: Public Health Strategies for Disease Mitigation in the SIR Model
Rashmi Rajeev Narayanan, Age: 17
Briarcliff High School, NY
Project Title: Understanding Pathological Structures of Pyroglutamate Modified Amyloid-β (Aβ) in Alzheimer’s Disease
Tej Parekh, Age: 17
Paul D. Schreiber High School, NY
Project Title: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence for Categorizing Wildfire Origins Through Satellite Image Analysis
Heemali Kalpeshkumar Patel, Age: 17
Herricks High School, NY
Project Title: Visualizing Correlational Trends Between Average Monthly Temperature and Total Monthly Precipitation With Amphibian Populations in Canadian National Parks: A Linear Regression Approach
Smruti Patil, Age: 17
William G. Enloe High School, NC
Project Title: Design and Synthesis of ATPase Inhibitors To Target the Activity of Rix7 in the Ribosome Assembly Pathway
Sruti Peddi, Age: 17
BASIS Scottsdale, AZ
Project Title: FloodCast: Real-Time Flood Mapping and Prediction in Southeast Asia Using Remote Sensing Data
Aayush Prakash, Age: 18
Half Hollow Hills High School, NY
Project Title: Understanding the Cis-Regulatory Code of Mammary Epithelial Cells
Ankur Raghavan, Age: 17
Bethpage High School, NY
Project Title: The Reduction of Agricultural Water Consumption Through the Utilization of Wireless Sensor Arrays
Achyuta Rajaram, Age: 17
Phillips Exeter Academy, NH
Project Title: Automatic Discovery of Visual Circuits
Rhea Rastogi, Age: 18
Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School, AL
Project Title: Understanding How the Maternal Epigenetic Reprogramming Function of LSD1 Contributes to Inherited Developmental Disease
Aadita Roy, Age: 17
Pelham Memorial High School, NY
Project Title: Pro-Inflammatory Macrophages Induce Pyroptotic Death of β-Cell; Modeling Macrophage-Mediated Pancreatic Endocrine β-Cell Damage Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Vascularized Macrophage-Islet Organoids
Arjun Saha Choudhury, Age: 18
Millburn High School, NJ
Project Title: MELODY: Exploring the Characteristics of Music That Helps Relieve Stress
Amrita Saini, Age: 18
Peak to Peak Charter School, CO
Project Title: Investigating Hydrogels To Sustain Pyrocystis fusiformis for Natural Lighting and Carbon Dioxide Removal
Rohan Sampath, Age: 17
Geffen Academy at UCLA, CA
Project Title: Synthesis and Characterization of PEDOT:AlgS — Biomacromolecules for Boosting Hydrogel Conductivity
Krrishika Saxena, Age: 17
Eleanor Roosevelt High School, CA
Project Title: Development of a Simple, Affordable Zinc Oxide-Zeolite Chemiresistor VOC Sensor To Detect Colorectal Cancer From the Exhaled Breath: A Solution for the Underserved Communities
Aryan Nirav Shah, Age: 17
Syosset High School, NY
Project Title: Analyzing the Effects of Different Types of Gerrymandering on Congressional Representation Across the 2010 Redistricting Cycle
Kishan Shanmugananthan, Age: 17
Herricks High School, NY
Project Title: Investigating the MSI2 Germline Variance Effects on Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP)
Rishit Arnav Shaquib, Age: 17
Vanguard High School, FL
Project Title: Bi-Directional Hygiene: Evaluating the Use of Artificial Microbiomes of Commensal Bacteria To Combat Nosocomial Infection
Harsh Singh, Age: 17
Edward S. Marcus High School, TX
Project Title: TNF Ligand Promotes Angiogenesis in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Through Activation of Inflammatory Regulatory Networks
Sanskriti Singh, Age: 17
BASIS Independent Silicon Valley, CA
Project Title: CheX-Nomaly: Segmenting Lung Abnormalities From Chest Radiographs Using Machine Learning
Bliss Singhal, Age: 17
Issaquah High School, WA
Project Title: Unveiling Intractable Epileptogenic Brain Networks With Deep Learning Algorithms: A Novel and Comprehensive Framework for Scalable Seizure Prediction With Unimodal Neuroimaging Data in Pediatric Patients
Ishaan Sinha, Age: 17
South Brunswick High School, NJ
Project Title: Characterizing West Nile Virus Dynamics With Explainable Machine Learning
Aarohi Sonputri, Age: 18
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences & the Arts, AR
Project Title: Small Molecule Stabilization of the CARD11 G-quadruplex Represses Transcription: Developing a Therapeutic Target for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Hari Srikanth, Age: 18
Mira Loma High School, CA
Project Title: Multimodal Computer Vision and Novel Reinforcement Learning for Robot Navigation in Fires
Maya Gabrielle Aler Srinivasan, Age: 18
Notre Dame High School, CA
Project Title: Optogenetically Examining Channelrhodopsin and CsChrimson-Stimulated Locomotive Behavior To Classify “Moonwalker” Stalling in Drosophila melanogaster
Arjun Praphulla Suryawanshi, Age: 17
Unionville High School, PA
Project Title: ArmLev — A Low-Cost, Wearable and Dual-Mechanism Arm-Stabilizing Device Aimed To Mitigate Tremors
Riya Tyagi, Age: 16
Phillips Exeter Academy, NH
Project Title: Using Computer Vision To Disentangle Features Enabling AI To Learn Self-Reported Race and Ethnicity From Medical Images
Kosha Upadhyay, Age: 17
Bellevue High School, WA
Project Title: MemSpark: Artificially Intelligent Virtual Reality System for Non-Intrusive Therapy and Evaluation of Dementia
Maruthi Mukhesh Vemula, Age: 17
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, NC
Project Title: Mitigating Information Asymmetry in Governmental Policies: An AI-Driven Approach
Srilakshmi Venkatesan, Age: 17
Hopkinton High School, MA
Project Title: Utilizing Hypermagnesemia To Understand the Impact of Neuromuscular Blocking Agents on Caenorhabditis elegans: A Safe Novel Model for Paralytic Drug Testing
Avi Verma, Age: 17
Palo Alto High School, CA
Project Title: Novel Neural Network Models for Predicting Mental Health Outcomes in the U.S. Youth Population
Srikara Vishnubhatla, Age: 18
Math and Science Academy, MN
Project Title: An Exploratory Analysis of Mosaic Chromosomal Aberrations in the Canine Genome: Toward a Comparative Genomics Model
