Recognizing their hard work, determination and curiosity, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, science research teachers and students celebrated the high school seniors selected as scholars in the 2019 Regeneron Science Talent Search competition. In a ceremony at Regeneron’s Tarrytown campus, the 27 Scholars from 14 Westchester County school districts were presented with certificates of merit and congratulatory banners to display in their schools. Latimer honored the students for their resolve and commitment to academics and research.
“I am inspired by these remarkable students and this astounding accomplishment,” said Latimer. “I have no doubt these students hold promising futures and careers. We should all be very proud of not only the students, but also their parents, science research teachers, and the impressive school districts we have here in Westchester County.”
The Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars were selected from 1,964 applications, from 601 high schools nationwide, two U.S. territories and eligible students living in seven other countries. The semi-finalists were selected based on their exceptional research skills, innovative thinking and promise as scientists. Next week, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists, and will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where they will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards provided by Regeneron.
“I’m proud to congratulate the 27 Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars from Westchester County, as well as the teachers and schools who have supported their important work,” said George Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron and Science Talent Search winner (1976). “Both I and Regeneron’s CEO Len Schleifer are alumni of this prestigious competition, and we credit it with setting us on the path to success in the sciences. These scholars are the future leaders of tomorrow and are applying rigorous research and innovative thinking to major global problems. We hope their achievements will inspire other young people in our community and beyond to engage with STEM and make the world a better place.”
This year, 27 Westchester County High school seniors from 14 school districts were among those selected as scholars. Seven students from Byram Hills High School, in Armonk, led this year’s field. They are:
Byram Hills High School (Armonk)
Samantha Abbruzzese, 17. Examining the Role of Transcription Factors, Nr4a1, Foxp1, and Olig2, in the Development of Medium Spiny Neurons from the q175 Mouse Model of Huntington’s Disease
Alan Chang, 17. Utilizing a Novel Machine Learning Pipeline for Single-Cell Transcriptomic Characterization of a Remodeled Tumor Microenvironment
Rachel Chernoff, 17. Characterizing the Source of Microglia Proliferation Following Ischemic Preconditioning
Alessandra Colella-Albino, 18. Examining Variability Across Neuropsychological Test Results as an Indicator of Post- Treatment Cognitive Change in Cancer Patients Over Time
Ethan Jacobs, 17. Optimizing and Applying Environmental DNA (eDNA) Detection Methods to Analyze the Presence of River Otters in the Northeast
Brent Perlman, 17. Human Photosynthesis: Functional Chloroplast Sequestration in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Jonah Schwam, 18. Elucidating the Role of Muscle Stem Cell Correction in Regenerating Muscle in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: The Development of a Novel CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Knock-in System
Other Westchester High School Regeneron Scholars
Briarcliff High School – Anna-Samsara Daefler, 17. Mesoderm Formation and Nodal Signaling in Zebrafish Embryos and Blastoderm Explants
Horace Greeley High School (Chappaqua) – Chirag Kumar, 17. A Machine Learning Approach to Estimating the Error in Satellite Sea Surface Temperature Measurements; Aditi Singh, 17. Descriptive and Normative Accounts of Color Localization Performance in Visual Short-Term Memory; and Anna Zhang, 17. Design and Analysis of an Artificial Intelligence Based System for Real-Time Detection of Texting and Driving
Walter Panas High School (Cortlandt Manor) – Riti Bhandarkar, 17. Phylogenetics and Diversification of Pipreola riefferii, an Andean Fruiteater
John Jay High School (Cross River) – Heather Sherr, 17. The Correlation of Sodium Palmitate Acetate to Metabolic Memory via Reactive Oxygen Species in Hyperglycemic Neonatal Rat Ventricular Myocytes
Croton-Harmon High School (Croton-on-Hudson) – Melissa Stok, 18. Printing the Path: Studying a Gelatin-Alginate Composite Hydrogel for Translation of 3D Bioprinting Research
Irvington High School – Jacob Dunefsky, 17. WellPATH: A Mobile Application to Reduce Suicidal Ideation in Seniors; and Annie Horowitz, 18. Elucidating New Species of Distichopathes (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia)
Somers High School (Lincolndale) – Rachel Joseph, 18. Optimization of Thermal Hydrolysis for Increased Biogas Generation in Wastewater Treatment
Ossining High School – Emma Montgomery, 18. Improved Base Editors and a Novel Sensor Assay Advance Gene Editing Technology; John Sukumar, 17. Elucidating the Factors that Induce Hyperfocus in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Through the Use of a Novel Time-Constrained Stroop Task; and Elliot Ocheltree, 17. Designing Aerodynamic Shapes Through the Novel Combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics, Pressure Difference Minimization and Erosive Techniques
Pelham Memorial High School – Caitlin Wong, 17. Assessing the Plasticity of Pain Through the Lens of People with Limb Loss
Edgemont High School (Scarsdale) – Angie Jang, 18. Investigating the Role of Cell Cycle State During Convergent Extension in D. rerio
Lakeland Senior High School (Shrub Oak) – Jothi Ramaswamy, 17. A Machine Learning Approach to Classifying Brain Cell Types Based on Functional Connectivity in the Primary Visual Cortex
Yorktown High School – Sayli Satpute, 17. A Validation of Sepsis Prediction Scores for Poor Outcome; Shrila Shah, 17. Improving Lung Cancer Treatment Planning and Delivery Using an Artificially Intelligent Real-time Quantification of Lung Lobe Structures from CT; and Diane Yang, 18. Varying Aspect Ratios of Self-Sustaining Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters
Ardsley High School – Alexandra Rivera, 17. A Step in Understanding Glacial Flow: Exploring the Effects of Entrained Insoluble Debris on Mechanical Properties of Polycrystalline Ice.
