17 Indian Americans make it to Regeneron Science Talent Search finals

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17 Indian Americans among a group of 40, were selected as finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Society for Science & the Public.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors and was formerly known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search from 1942-1997 and the Intel Science Talent Search from 1998-2016. Some alumni of this competition have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

Calling the finalists “some of the best and brightest young scientists and mathematicians in our country,” Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science & the Public, and publisher of Science News, said in a press release, “Their projects demonstrate the remarkable power of scientific curiosity, commitment and the desire to make the world a better place. We are eager to see how they shape the future of STEM in our country and impact people all across the globe.”

Finalists, who are awarded at least $25,000 each, were selected from a pool of highly qualified entrants based on their projects’ scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientific leaders, the press release said.

They will travel to Washington, D.C., from March 8-14, where they will undergo a rigorous judging process and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards while also have the opportunity to interact with leading scientists, meet with members of Congress and display their projects to the public at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on March 11.

The top 10 Regeneron Science Talent Search 2018 winners will be announced at a black-tie gala awards ceremony at the National Building Museum on March 13 and their awards will range from $40,000 to $250,000.

“The Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists are tomorrow’s scientific leaders, and their projects address some of the most urgent challenges we face as a society. Our world has no greater or more important resource than these bright young minds,” George D. Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron and Science Talent Search winner (1976), is quoted saying in the press release.

List of Indian American finalists and their projects:

Sidhika Balachandar
Buchholz High School, Gainesville, Florida
Picoscale Mechanics of Atomically Engineered Materials

Kavya Kopparapu
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia
GlioVision: A Platform for the Automatic Assessment of Glioblastoma Tumor Features, Molecular Identity, and Gene Methylation from Histopathological Images Using Deep Learning

Rohan Mehrotra
Lynbrook High School, San Jose, California
On-Demand Electrically Controlled Drug Release from Resorbable Nanocomposite Films

Rajiv Movva
The Harker School, San Jose, California
SNPpet: Computational Dissection of the Noncoding Genome Reveals Regulatory Sequence Patterns and Disease-Causing Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

Chythanya Murali
Centennial High School, Ellicott City, Maryland
CAR-NK-Cell Therapy: Raising the Tail of the Survival Curve

Nitya Parthasarathy
Northwood High School, IRVINE, California
Evaluation of Gender Bias in Social Media Using Artificial Intelligence

Mihir Patel
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia
Automating Limb Volume Measurements of Lymphedema Patients Through Computer Vision

Advait Patil
Lynbrook High School, San Jose, California
A High-Throughput Multi-Omics Framework for Global Identification of Novel Molecular Interactions and Genome-Scale Modeling of Multicellular Ecosystems

Syamantak Payra
Clear Brook High School, Friendswood, Texas
A Smart Bionic Leg Orthosis: The Design, Development and Evaluation of an Orthotic Device for Comprehensive Restoration of Gait Characteristics Across Everyday Mobility Scenarios

Abilash Prabhakaran
Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colorado
Selective Transfection Using DiBAC4(3)

Muhammad Rahman
Westview High School, Portland, Oregon
A Smart Burn/Spill Proof “SAFE” Microwave That Spares the Salad: A Novel Application of Levenberg-Marquardt Algorithms and Machine Learning for Real-time Thermodynamic Modeling

Shuvom Sadhuka
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Searching for Topological Bubbles for Phononic Honeycomb Lattice

Haniya Shareef
Lincoln Park Academy, Fort Pierce, Florida
Molecular Characterization and Enhanced Efficacy in the Development of a Novel Host-Specific Bioherbicide Candidate for Cyperus rotundus

Isani Singh
Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colorado
Investigating the Developmental Requirements of Sex Chromosome Genes Affected in Turner Syndrome

Marissa Sumathipala
Broad Run High School, Ashburn, Virginia
Reinventing Cardiovascular Disease Therapy: A Novel Dual Therapeutic with FOXO Transcription Factor and AMP Kinase

Vinjai Vale
Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire
A New Paradigm for Computer Vision Based on Compositional Representation

Teja Veeramacheneni
Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, California
A Novel 3D Wavelet-Based Co-Registration Algorithm with Improved Accuracy for Fusion of PET and MRI Brain Scans