Several Indian-American high school seniors in final round for top prize of $250,000 in prestigious STEM competition

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Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Society for Science (the Society) on Jan. 21, 2021 named 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

The seven Indian-American Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists were selected from 1,760 entrants, all of whom completed an original research project and extensive application process, according to a press release by the Society.

Earlier this month, the Society and Regeneron named the top 300 scholars out of which 69 were of Indian origin. (https://www.newsindiatimes.com/at-least-69-indian-american-high-school-students-named-regeneron-scholars/)

The finalists were selected based on their projects’ scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientists and leaders, said the release.

The finalists are each awarded at least $25,000, and the top 10 awards range from $40,000 to $250,000. The top 10 Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021 winners will be announced during a live-streamed virtual awards ceremony on March 17.

Finalists will participate in a virtual competition from March 10-17, 2021, where they will undergo a rigorous virtual judging process to compete for more than $1.8 million in awards. They will also have an opportunity to interact with leading scientists and display their projects to the public during a virtual event on March 14.

Usually held in person in Washington, D.C., the 2021 competition will take place virtually in order to keep the finalists and their families safe during the ongoing pandemic.

Finalists’ projects span a diverse range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-related topics, including diagnostic imaging to help assess the severity of COVID-19, examining the impact of e-cigarettes on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) development, and creating a new way to filter toxins more effectively from wastewater.

In total, more than $3 million in awards will be distributed throughout the Regeneron Science Talent Search, which includes awards to finalists as well as $2,000 provided to each of the top 300 scholars and their schools.

“Finalists are the top young scientists and engineers in the United States who will someday solve some of the world’s most vexing problems. They have persevered through a tumultuous year and we look forward to celebrating the students’ achievement in a special way,” Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science is quoted saying in the press release.

Indian-American finalists with their projects:

Laalitya Acharya, 17, William Mason High School

Project Title: Nereid: Using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) Approach, an AI Technique, to Rapidly and Accurately Detect Microbial Contamination that May Cause Water-Borne Diseases

Akhilesh Balasingam, 17, Archbishop Mitty High School

Project Title: A Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulator for Multi-Terminal RRAM Devices with Applications to Brain-Inspired Computing

Gopal Goel, 17, Krishna Homeschool

Project Title: Discrete Derivative Asymptotics of the β-Hermite Eigenvalues

Vedanth Iyer, 17, Sunset High School

Project Title: First-Principles Characterization of a Novel Chromium Doped Vanadyl-Oxide Based Cathode for Higher Energy and Efficiency Lithium-Ion Batteries

Eshani Jha, 17, Lynbrook High School

Project Title: Thiol Functionalized and Manganese Dioxide Doped Biochar for the Removal of Toxic Organic and Inorganic Contaminants from Water

Anushka Sanyal, 17, Homestead High School

Project Title: Intronic RNA Lariats Protect Against Neurodegenerative Disease Related Protein Aggregation

Alay Shah, 17, Plano West Senior High School

Project Title: Identifying Eye-Movement Patterns in Neurological Disorders to Assess Cognitive and Motor Function