41 From Long Island Named Regeneron Science Scholars

The 300 scholars were chosen out of 1,760 applications that were received from 611 high schools across 49 states. The 300 hail from 193 American and international high schools, Puerto Rico, and two other countries.

Each of the scholars chosen and their schools will receive $2,000 for their school

According to the Society for Science, “scholars were chosen based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking and promise as scientists.”

The talent search is designed to provide students with a national stage to present original research and “celebrates the hard work and discoveries of young scientists who are bringing a fresh perspective to significant global challenges.”

This year’s projects include topics from bioinformatics to public health and energy efficiency.

“The remarkable drive, creativity, and intellectual curiosity that each one of these scholars possesses represent a hopeful outlook for our future and our collective wellbeing,” Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science said, noting that not even the COVID-19 pandemic stopped them from completing their projects.


“At a time when many students’ educational experiences are being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am incredibly humbled to see gifted young scientists and engineers eager to contribute fresh insights to solving the world’s most intractable problems,” she added.

Regeneron Scholars chosen from Long Island, along with their projects:

• Mir Zayid Alam, Manhasset High School. Project Title: Identification of Genetic Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using an Automated Microarray-Based Pipeline and Pathway Enrichment
• Ashley Alcantara, Brentwood High School. Project Title: Farming Biodegradable Packaging Using Pleurotus ostreatus Mycelium
• Christopher Alexander, Elmont Memorial High School. Project Title: Avian Paramyxovirus Serotype 4 (APMV-4) Promotes Greater Rates of Apoptotic Cell Death & Stimulated Immune Responses in Malignant Melanoma and Relapse Cancers in Respect to Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV): The Characterization of a Novel Oncolytic Virus
• Manav Bansal, The Wheatley School. Project Title: Metformin and Mannose Inhibit Human Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation and Proliferation: Implications for Anti-Fibrotic Therapies in Patients with MPI Deficiency and Chronic Liver Disease
• Alex Breslav, George W. Hewlett High School. Project Title: Evaluating the Specificity of Novel Monoclonal Antibodies for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
• Callie Burns, John F. Kennedy High School. Project Title: Student Discipline in Nassau County High Schools: Comparing Distinct Layers of Law Enforcement and Disparity in Student Punishment
• Anya Chabria, The Wheatley School. Project Title: A New Look at Writing: Using Fractal Geometry to Evaluate Whether SLV Affects the Readability of Written Works
• Tara Fusillo, John F. Kennedy High School. Project Title: Predicting Health Disparities in Regions at Risk of Severe Illness to Inform Healthcare Resource Allocations during Pandemics: Observational Study
• Animesh Ghose, Ward Melville High School. Project Title: Prognosis and Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease Using Graph Convolutional Neural Networks
• Aryan Ghotra, Syosset High School. Project Title: Mathematical Models of Quaternary Body Equilibria
• Priva Halpert, Stella K Abraham High School. Project Title: Harnessing the Colorimetric Changes due to the Antenna Effect for Detection of Aliphatic Alcohols in 2-HP-BETA-Cyclodextrin Solutions
• Zen Ho Sang, Central Islip Senior High School. Project Title: Covariant Study of the Coronavirus Spike Protein
• Alicia Hsu, George W. Hewlett High School. Project Title: The Challenging Nature of Maternal Empathy: An Investigation of Maternal Empathy and Its Relationship to Self-Esteem
• Danielle Kacaj, John F. Kennedy High School. Project Title: Retinal Ganglion Cell Dysfunction is Associated with Macular Microvascular Abnormalities in Pre-Perimetric Glaucoma
• Jordyn Krinsky, John F. Kennedy High School. Project Title: The Combinatorial Effects of Diet and Caffeine Mitigate Parkinson’s disease in a Drosophila melanogaster System
• Hope Lane, Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School. Project Title: Optimizing the Interconnectivity of the Liver Allocation Network to Minimize Death and Inequality Using LivSim
• Noah Loewy, Paul D Schreiber High School. Project Title: Developing an Empirical Model to Forecast United States Presidential Elections: A Machine Learning Approach
• Julia Levine, John F. Kennedy High School. Project Title: Reduced Fasciclin 2 Expression in Drosophila melanogaster Leads to Impaired Locomotor Function and Abnormal Stress Response Following Dietary Alterations of Carbohydrates in a Celiac Disease Model
• Danny Li, Jericho Senior High School. Project Title: Astragalin and Antirrhinin: Novel Plant-Derived Ligands to Attenuate the Multifactorial Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s
• Victor Li, The Wheatley School. Project Title: Acoustic Analysis of Laser-Induced Graphene: Development of Quantitative Indicators for Direct Determination of Quality and Microstructure Morphology
• Catherine Liu, Jericho Senior High School. Project Title: Individual and Combined Treatments of Berberine and Estrogen Mitigate the Cytotoxic and Inflammatory Effects of DSS and LPS Induced Colitis Project
• Emily Ma, Manhasset High School. Project Title: Optimizing the Efficiency of Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells
• Lucia Martin, North Shore High School. Project Title: The Effect of Political Division on Compliance with COVID-19 Health Guidelines
• Rithika Narayan, Elwood John Glenn High School. Project Title: Machine Learning on Crowd-Sourced Data to Highlight Coral Disease
• Rhea Rasquinha, Herricks High School. Project Title: Identifying the Prognostic, Tumor-Suppressive and Immunologic Roles of IRF5 in Breast Cancer
• Julia Savino, Smithtown High School West. Project Title: Using the Sea Anemone, Nematostella vectensis, to Probe the Mechanism of Excitotoxicity
• Vyom Shah, Jericho Senior High School. Project Title: Linking Diet and Cancer: Arachidonic Acid Augments Stemness via Canonical Wnt and Hippo Signaling
• Justin Shen, Jericho Senior High School. Project Title: L-Theanine: Neuroprotective Against Trichloroethylene-Induced Parkinson’s disease Hallmarks
• Zoya Unni, Paul D. Schreiber High School. Project Title: Shelter-in-Place, Connect Online: What Trending TikTok Content Reveals about Social Media use During the Early Days of the U.S. COVID-19 Pandemic
• Isabella Souza, Syosset High School. Project Title: Seeing Through the Scan: The Impact of fMRI Evidence on Juror Satisfaction and Verdicts
• Maiya Raghu, Syosset High School. Project Title: The Effect of Blue Light and Epigallocatechin Gallate on Oxidative Stress in Caenorhabaitis elegans
• Eric Wang, Syosset High School. Project Title: Investigation of Novel Anti-Cancer Effects of Oxymatrine and Deferoxamine on Neuroblastoma
• Giselle Rasquinha, Syosset High School. Project Title: Novel Strategies Targeting Entry and Membrane Fusion Steps in the Viral Life-Cycle to Enhance Potency and Stability of HIV-1 Inhibitors and Inactivators
• Tyler Ruvolo, Plainedge High School. Project Title: A Regression-Based Investigation Into Presidential Public Approval as a Factor of Political and Economic Policy
• Julia Salatti, Kings Park High School. Project Title: Utilizing MR Imaging to Analyze Tumor Texture and Its Effects on Long Term Survival in Patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme
• Emma Wang, Manhasset High School. Project Title: Investigating Potential Agro-Economic Benefits of Solar Pollinator Habitats
• Mia Wang, Great Neck South High School. Project Title: Assessing the Impacts of Social Determinants on Adult Obesity Rates in New York
• Kate Weseley-Jones, North Shore High School. Project Title: Parenthood: Penalty or Premium? The Effect of Parental Status and Gender on Perceptions of Physicians
• Zheheng Xiao, Phillips Exeter Academy. Project Title: On Real Forms of Dubrovin-Ugaglia Poisson Brackets
• Julius Yoh, Manhasset High School. Project Title: The Optimization of Desalination and Ion-Removal Rate Through the Engineering of Novel Turbulent Modular Designs in an Electrodialysis System
• Lucy Zha, The Wheatley School. Project Title: Investigating the Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin and Capsaicin: A Comparative Study on Neuroblastoma and Hypothalamic Cells

On Thursday, Jan. 21, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. From Wednesday, March 10 through Wednesday, March 17 all 40 finalists will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards provided by Regeneron.

“An exceptional group of student leaders and innovators comprise this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars, with an array of projects that demonstrate the power of science,” Hala Mirza, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Citizenship at Regeneron said in a statement.


“We are honored to celebrate the next generation of young scientists and inventors who can elevate the STEM community and our broader society through their high-quality research and novel discoveries,” she added. "These are the inspiring problem solvers who will help address the current and future challenges facing our world.”

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