She earned the award for her science research project on alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive pediatric soft tissue cancer, according to a release from Pleasantville Union Free School District.
Malfa and six other first-place winners were selected to participate in the International World (Engineering Energy Environment) Project Olympiad (ISWEEEP) in Houston, Texas, May 3 - 8. They received awards from Regeneron that will cover the costs of the event.
Earlier this year, she was one of 300 students nationwide to be named a scholar (semifinalist) in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the release said.
Two other PHS seniors who presented at WESEF received fourth-place awards in their categories: Silpaa Gunabalan in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Vincent Ferraiuolo in Mathematics.
WESEF, a showcase for the best high school science research students in Westchester and Putnam counties, is the regional version of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
This year, more than 550 students presented their multi-year research projects in 15 categories.
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