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The five seniors attend Byram Hills High School in Armonk and were chosen from nearly 2,000 students across the nation who entered the competition, which began in 1942. The seniors were among 300 students who were named semifinalists of the competition, which will name 40 finalists on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
The five Byram Hills seniors and their research in the areas of neuroscience, behavior, medicine, and health include:
- Rohini Das, who created a phone application that evaluates and investigates abstract thought in relation to card memory games;
- Remi Matza, who came up with new findings related to diagnosing age-related macular degeneration;
- Samantha Milewicz, who studied a protein involved in tissue damage from traumatic brain injuries;
- Lindsay Miller, who studied aspects of people's behavior in relation to their pupil's responses to light;
- Samantha Schaevitz, who studied a new method to improve brain cancer treatment.
Some of the students said that being named top scholars felt like a culmination of all of their efforts.
"It’s an amazing feeling because this is why I came into the program, to hopefully help at least one person and aid in research. Being in the top 300 is amazing," said Schaevitz.
Miller said that she was honored to have been chosen for studying something she was passionate about.
"It’s such an awesome feeling. The fact that I was recognized for studying something that meant so much to me is such an amazing feeling," she said.
Byram Hills High School Principal Christopher Walsh praised the scholars.
"Congratulations to our five top scholars for this outstanding achievement. Their work represents the best of Byram Hills and the continued strength of the entire Authentic Science Research program," he said.
The school itself will also receive $10,000 from the contest.
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