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This year, approximately 2,000 students entered the Regeneron STS, where they “submit original research in critically important scientific fields of study.” The organization said that the search is “unique among high school competitions in the U.S. and globally, Regeneron STS focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the nation's most promising young scientists.”
Judges narrowed the field to just 300, based on their research skills, commitment to education, innovate thinking and prospects as a scientist. Now they are down to 40 finalists, more than half of whom are female.
Among the finalists this year is Horace Greeley High School (Chappaqua) Holly Chen, 18, for her project: "Modulating Fetal Globin Levels Using CRISPR/Cas9 in an in vitro Mouse Cellular System."
The finalists already received $2,000 for their schools by being named semifinalists. The finalists will head to Washington, D.C. in March for their final judgment. The finalists will be awarded at least $25,000 and the top 10 will earn between $40,000 and $250,000.
According to the judges, in 2017, Regeneron became only the third sponsor of the Science Talent Search, increasing the overall awards distribution to better reward the best and brightest young minds.
Students typically spend weeks or months working closely with adult faculty members independently.
Finalists' projects span a diversity of STEM-related topics including targeting cancer via signaling pathways, developing a mobile application for stroke diagnosis using deep learning and computer vision and identifying an improved method for trace level arsenic quantification in water.
“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 and their schools to $2,000 each to inspire more young people to engage in science.
"The Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists are the stewards of our future," Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science & the Public, Publisher of Science News and 1985 Science Talent Search alum, said. "These finalists are the top young scientists of our country today and they give me great hope for what lies ahead."
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