Inside the Super Bowl of Science: The 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search

Figure 1: Regeneron STS 2023 winners: Emily Ocasio, Neel Moudgal, and Ellen Xu. (Source: Society for Science)

High school science fairs have come a long way from Lego robots and model volcanoes in the gymnasium. Today, high-stakes competitions award young scientists millions of dollars in scholarships, research grants, and other prizes. Placing at a national competition can be a launching pad for extraordinary academic and career opportunities. These events give students the chance to interact with some of the world’s most talented scientists and academicians, as well as employers scouting the next generation of STEM leaders.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search

The Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. It also offers the highest cash prizes; the first-place award is an astonishing $250,000. Established in 1942, the Regeneron STS is America’s oldest science and math competition. Originally known as the Westinghouse STS, Intel became the sponsor in 1998. Regeneron took the mantle in 2017 with a 10-year, $100 million commitment. (Regeneron is a global biotech company that develops life-transforming medications for serious diseases.) The program itself is managed by the Society for Science, a non-profit that has worked towards scientific literacy, scientific research, and access to STEM education since 1921.

Figure 2: Regeneron STS logo. (Source: Society for Science)

The Process and the Prizes

The STS is open only to high school seniors who complete an original research project. Competition is intense, and the application process is extensive. (The official rules and entry instructions run 43 pages.) A panel of Ph.D.-level scientists then evaluate and score entrants based on criteria including Research Report and Scientific Merit, Academic Aptitude and Achievement, and Overall Potential as a Future Leader of the Scientific Community.

Of the nearly 2,000 annual entries, only 300 will be recognized as STS Scholars. Each Scholar is awarded $2,000 for STEM programs at their home high school. Forty STS Finalists receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. for the weeklong in-person competition. Tenth-place to first-place awards range from $40,000 to $250,000 (see Figure 3), and the remaining 30 students receive $25,000. Awards are paid to the winners for their education or directly to the college or university of their choice.

Figure 3: Regeneron STS Awards (Source: Society for Science)

Meet the 2023 Winners

Results were announced on March 14, 2023 (Figure 1). First-prize winner Neel Moudgal (17, Saline, Mich.) developed a computer model that rapidly and reliably predicts the structure of various RNA molecules to facilitate the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutic drugs for diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, and viral infections.

Second place went to Emily Ocasio (18, Falls Church, Va.) who used an AI model to match publicly available FBI data with archival Boston Globe articles. Her project demonstrated hidden biases in news coverage of homicide victims based on race, gender, and age.

Ellen Xu (17, San Diego, Calif.) took third place for her computer model of a convolutional neural network (a subset of machine learning) to improve the diagnosis of Kawasaki Disease, a rare heart condition in very young children.

Other top honors included Max Misterka (16, Harrisonburg, Va.), who received $100,000 for studying q-calculus and developing a version of his own called “s-calculus.” He hopes it will be useful in the field of quantum physics. Linden James (17, Durham, N.C.) investigated the benefit of using the T3 thyroid hormone to treat traumatic brain injuries in humans, and Ambika Grover (17, Greenwich, Conn.) engineered an injectable microbubble therapy designed to break up blood clots in stroke victims.

Considering the creativity and motivation of Regeneron STS participants, perhaps it’s not surprising that alumni include 13 Nobel Prize winners, 11 National Medal of Science recipients, two Fields Medal winners, and dozens of MacArthur Foundation Fellows, Sloan Research Fellows, and Academy of Sciences inductees.

Bridging the STEM Gap

About 75% of middle school girls show a strong interest in STEM, but this number drops significantly when they enter high school. By college, men vastly outnumber women in most STEM disciplines, and today women make up just 28% of the STEM workforce. Nurturing girls’ enthusiasm for science throughout their high school years seems essential to closing this gap. The camaraderie and mentorship found at competitions like the Regeneron STS are helping to do just that. Indeed, women took first place in three of the last five STS competitions, and more than half of the 2023 finalists are female.

Christine Ye, 2022’s first-prize winner, is using her $250,000 scholarship at Stanford University. Her winning project analyzed gravitational waves emitted from the massive collisions between neutron stars and black holes. She is currently a physics major with a focus on astrophysics and has already had a research paper published in the prestigious Astrophysical Journal.

Applications for the 2024 Regeneron STS open June 1, 2023. The deadline is in early November.

References:

1 – Society for Science (2023, March 14). Students Win More Than $1.8 Million at 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search for Remarkable Scientific Research on RNA Molecule Structure, Media Bias, and Diagnostics for Pediatric Heart Disease. www.Societyforscience.org. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

2 – Association of American University Women (n.d.). Closing the STEM Gap. www.aauw.org. Retrieved March 15, 2023.