Seven Stony Brook University faculty members mentored eight semifinalists and one finalist in the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) competition, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school students.
Since 2004, Stony Brook University faculty has mentored 567 semifinalists and 67 finalists.
The top 300 scholars were selected from a group of over 1,900 entrants received from over 600 high schools, and were chosen based on outstanding research skills, commitment to research and academics, innovative thinking, and promise as scientists. Each scholar is awarded $2,000 with a matched award of $2,000 for the scholar’s school.
Of the over 1,900 entrants, 40 students were selected as finalists. Finalists are selected for the originality and creativity of their scientific research, as well as their achievement and leadership inside and outside of the classroom. Finalists competed for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition. Each finalist was awarded at least $25,000. The finalists also received $2,000 each for their schools for being named semifinalists.
The following are the Stony Brook faculty mentors:
Christine DeLorenzo, Professor, Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering, worked with Samir Batheja from Half Hollow Hills High School, Dix Hills, New York, on “Association Between Sleep and Fatigue in Depression: Role of GABA and Glutamate.”
Yuefan Deng, Professor, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Y. Zhu, visiting research scholar, Medicine, P. Zhang, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and M. Rafailovich, Distinguished Professor, Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, worked with Amit Saha, William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, Great Neck, New York, on “Deep Learning Accelerated Lattice-Boltzmann Simulations for Multiscale Modeling of Thrombosis.”
Benjamin Hsiao, Distinguished Professor, Chemistry, worked with Ashley Lam from Herricks High School, New Hyde Park, New York, on “Novel Zinc Oxide/Nanocellulose Composite as a Photocatalyst for Water Purification” and also worked with Anna Liu, Rancho Bernardo High School, San Diego, CA, on “A Selective Removal of Carboxylated Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) via Silver-Assisted Coagulation.”
Taejin Kim, Professor, Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, worked with Regeneron STS finalist Emily Kim from Jericho High School, Jericho, New York, on “The Dual Roles of Activated Carbon as an Adsorbent and Photocatalyst for Azo Dye Removal.”
Mary Kritzer, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior, worked with Holy Mary Zaher, Smithtown High School East, Saint James, New York, on “The Correlation Between Peroxisome Levels and Short-Term Memory Loss in a PINK1 -/- Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease.”
Howard Sirotkin, Associate Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior, and Amalia Napoli, PhD student, Neurobiology and Behavior, worked with Hiral Chavre from George W. Hewlett High School, Hewlett, New York, on “NMDA Receptor Mutation and KCC2 Inhibition Induce Changes in Brain Development Associated With Neurodevelopmental Diseases” and also worked with Kiele Morgan from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, on “The Effect of NMDA Receptor Blockade on Neurogenesis and Neural Crest Development.”
Susu Xu, Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering, worked with James Hou from The Bishops School, LaJolla, California, on “Near Real-Time Seismic Human Fatality Information Retrieval From Social Media With Few-Shot Large-Language Models.”
About the Regeneron STS
Started in 1942 as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, the Regeneron STS competition recognizes and empowers the nation’s most promising young scientists. Each year, over 1,900 students enter the competition, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study. The Regeneron STS provides students with a national stage to present original research and celebrates the hard work and novel discoveries of young scientists who offer a fresh perspective on significant global challenges.
— Beth Squire
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