27 From Westchester 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.

Of the scholars, 27 came out of Westchester, with three in Putnam, and one in Dutchess.

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 possess 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 the Hudson Valley, along with their projects:

Westchester County

• Niharika Bhattacharjee, Yorktown High School. Project Title: Digital Dental Triage: Automated Digital Diagnosing System for Dental Cavities Using Artificial Intelligence;
• Malik Bradford III, Ardsley High School. Project Title: Exploring Novel Regulators of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress Through Cell Signaling and Unsupervised Machine Learning Methods;
• Charles Brown, Ossining High School. Project Title: The Validation of Electrodermal Activity as an Objective Measurement of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents;
• Tyler Burden, Harrison High School. Project Title: Evaluating the Effects of Dance Improvisation on Brain Activity Using a Battery Cognitive Tests;
• Nicole Camilliere, Ossining High School. Project Title: Year-Long Salinization of Groundwater and Surface Waters of Hudson River Watersheds due to Chronic Road Salt Application;
• Olivia Canter, Byram Hills High School. Project Title: Birds of a Feather Age Together: Telomere Dynamics and Social Behavior Predict Lifespan in Female Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica);
• Elizabeth Chun, Ardsley High School, Project Title: Combating Familial Alzheimer’s Disease: A Study of Resveratrol’s Effects on a Presenilin Model of Drosophila melanogaster;
• Mia Dittrich, Byram Hills High School. Project Title: Epigenetic Editing of Cdk5 Leads to Sexually Dimorphic Stress Responses;
• Alexandra Fitzgerald, Horace Greeley High School. Project Title: Standardization of Plastic Particle Extraction and Analysis from Seafloor Sediment;
• Bailey Goldstein, Byram Hills High School. Project Title: Investigating Differences in the Relaxation of Non-Photochemical Quenching and its Implications for Crop Photosynthetic Efficiency;
• Ali Hafez, Byram Hills High School. Project Title: Using Artificial Neural Networks to Accurately Simulate Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors;
• Jared Ilan, Byram Hills High School. Project Title: Modulus of Elasticity of the Ideal Decellularized Plant Material Scaffold for the Production of Cultured Meat;
• Raquel Kanner, Byram Hills High School. Project Title: How do Others Perceive Me? An Exploration of the Influence of Self-Disclosure Statements on Viewer Perceptions of Emerging Adults who Stutter;
• Victor LaVaglia, Ossining High School. Project Title: Open Office Noise Disrupts Worker Focus, Satisfaction, and Perception of their Productivity: A Quasi-Experimental Field-Study;
• Linlee Mangialardi, Ossining High School. Project Title: Reciprocal Synthesis and Degradation of Trehalose and Glycerol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Analysis Using a Consensus Genome Scale Metabolic Model;
• Celeste Paerels, Hastings High School. Project Title: Up in Smoke: Recent Influences on Adolescent E-Cigarette Usage;
• Michael Pavelchek, Ossining High School. Project Title: Swap70 and Myc Promote Sequential Switching to High Affinity IgE in Allergic Asthma;
• Sean Reichbach, Somers High School. Project Title: Does the American Political System Harm United States Representative Democracy?;
• Leela Roye, Ossining High School. Project Title: Race vs. Emotion: Evaluating Which is the More Predominant Bias When Using an Attentional Task;
• Meagan Ryan, Ossining High School. Project Title: Discovering Long-Lasting Novel Epigenetic Mechanisms Associated with Cocaine Addiction: The Role of the SWI/SNF Remodeling Complex in the Nucleus Accumbens;
• Sam Savitt, Blind Brook High School. Project Title: The Suitability of Vibration Data Loggers for the Development of a Condition-Based Maintenance System for Aircraft and Rotorcraft Operations;
• Lori Saxena, Horace Greeley High School. Project Title: Circadian Process in Prostate Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes;
• Jack Sendek, Briarcliff High School. Project Title: Interactive Multiple Model Filter for Inertial Sensor Drift Correction in GPS-Denied Target Drone Waypoint Flights;
• Christian Spadini, Harrison High School. Project Title: Political Geographical Bias in Congressional House Elections: A Quantitative Analysis of the Real Gap Between the Popular Vote and Electoral Outcomes;
• Marie-Hélène Tomé, Ardsley High School. Project Title: On the Use of Statistical Measures and Density Maps Generated from CT Scans for the Detection, Classification, and Monitoring of COVID-19 Cases;
• Scott Weitman, Yorktown High School. Project Title: Emotional and Social Impact of Autoimmune Diseases;
• Maya Weitzen. Sleepy Hollow High School. Project Title: High-Throughput Discovery and Validation of Cancer-Testis (CT) Antigen and Neoantigen HLA-Presented Peptides in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinomas (NSCLC).

Putnam County

• Rebecca Monge, Carmel High School. Project Title: Polar Amplification in CMIP6 Models: Projections, Mechanisms, and Regional Patterns;
• Emma Silverman, Putnam Valley High Schoo. Project Title: Examining Differences in Blood Calcium, Phosphorus, and T4 Levels in Various Breeds of Canines: A Study on its Association Between the Age of Spay/Neutering, and Osteopathic/Neurological Diseases;
• Alliyah Steele, Putnam Valley High School. Project Title: A Visual Cortex Examination: Familiarity and Selective-ROI BOLD signal Differences Between Scenes and Objects, Behaviorally and Neurologically.

Dutchess County

• Hayden Housen, Pawling High School. Project Title: Lecture2notes: Summarizing Lecture Videos by Classifying Slides and Analyzing Text.

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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