Forty finalists have been named in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, and among them are three students who were mentored by faculty at Stony Brook University. The Regeneron competition (formerly known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search from 1942-1997 and the Intel Science Talent Search from 1998-2016) is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. It is designed to engage and inspire the next generation of scientific leaders.
The finalists mentored at Stony Brook — Ella Feiner, Horace Mann School, Bronx, NY; Kavya Kopparapu, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, Alexandria, VA; and Chiu Fan Bowen (Leo) Lo, Jericho High School, Jericho, NY — were part of the University’s Simons Program. They were selected as finalists from a pool of highly qualified entrants based on their projects’ scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientific leaders.
Feiner worked with Biochemsitry and Cell Biology Professors Benjamin Martin and David Matus on the project “Exploring Posterior Growth in D. rerio Using a Live Cell Cycle Biosensor.” Kopparapu was mentored by Computer Science Professor Fusheng Wang on “GlioVision: A Platform for the Automatic Assessment of Glioblastoma Tumor Features, Molecular Identity, and Gene Methylation from Histopathological Images Using Deep Learning K.” Lo worked with Physics and Astronomy Professor Mengkun Liu on the project “Near-Field Nanoscopy Simulation by Incorporating Harmonic Demodulation and Cone-Shaped Probing Tip.”
From March 8 through March 14 all the finalists will be in Washington, DC, where they will undergo a rigorous judging process and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards. They will also have the opportunity to interact with leading scientists, meet with members of Congress and display their projects to the public at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on March 11. Each finalist is awarded at least $25,000, and the top 10 awards range from $40,000 to $250,000. The top 10 Regeneron Science Talent Search 2018 winners will be announced at a black-tie gala awards ceremony at the National Building Museum on March 13.
“The Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists are tomorrow’s scientific leaders, and their projects address some of the most urgent challenges we face as a society,” said George Yancopoulos, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron. “I look forward to what the finalists will achieve as they add to the list of world-changing accomplishments by Science Talent Search alumni before them.”
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