Seven SBU Faculty Mentored Regeneron Science Competition Scholars – SBU News

Seven Stony Brook University faculty members mentored eight semifinalists and one 2023 finalist Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) competition, the country's oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school students.

Since 2004, Stony Brook University faculty have mentored 567 semifinalists and 67 finalists.

The Top 300 Scholars were selected from a pool of over 1,900 entrants from over 600 secondary schools and were chosen based on outstanding research ability, commitment to research and academics, innovative thinking and promise as a researcher. Each scholar is awarded $2,000 with a matching award of $2,000 for the scholar's school.

Of the over 1,900 participants, 40 students were selected as finalists. The finalists are selected for the originality and creativity of their scientific research, as well as their achievements and leadership in and out of the classroom. Finalists competed for more than $1.8 million in prizes 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 Stony Brook faculty mentors:

Christine DeLorenzoprofessor, psychiatry and biomedical engineering, worked with Samir Batheja of Half Hollow Hills High School, Dix Hills, New York, on the “Association Between Sleep and Fatigue in Depression: Role of GABA and Glutamate.”

Yuefan Dengprofessor, applied mathematics and statistics, Y. Zhu, visiting 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 of 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 Kimprofessor, materials science and chemical engineering, worked with Regeneron STS finalist Emily Kim of Jericho High School, Jericho, New York, on “The Dual Roles of Activated Carbon as Adsorbent and Photocatalyst for Azo Dye Removal.”

Mary KritzerSUNY 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, Neurobiology and Behavior, worked with Hiral Chavre of 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 of the Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, on “The Effect of NMDA Receptor Blockade on Neurogenesis and Neural Crest Development.”

Susu Xuassistant professor, civil engineering, worked with James Hou of The Bishops School, LaJolla, California, on “Near Real-Time Seismic Human Fatality Information Retrieval From Social Media With Few Shot Large-Language Models.”

About Regeneron STS

Started in 1942 as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, the Regeneron STS competition recognizes and awards the nation's most promising young scientists. Each year, over 1,900 students participate in the competition, submitting original research in critically important areas of scientific study. Regeneron STS gives students a national stage to present original research and celebrates the hard work and new discoveries of young researchers who offer a fresh perspective on significant global challenges.

— Beth Squire