Prathik Naidu, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., is one of the 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, nation’s best-known and most competitive science fairs. His project examines the DNA in cancer cells.
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The 40 finalists of the Regeneron Science Talent Search who will arrive in the District next month represents the pinnacle of science research among teens. Their projects may translate into important developments in science and medicine.
Four of them are from the Washington area: Prathik Naidu, of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County; David Rekhtman, of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda; and Sambuddha Chattopadhyay and Rohan Dalvi, both of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring.
The Intel Science Talent Search, has a new name and a new principal sponsor. Regeneron, a biotechnology company, that was started by two talent-search finalists.
Fellow finalist Emily Peterson, 17, of New York, conducts research at the Living Skin Bank, in the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. Peterson’s research examines a protein that appears to be critical for wound repair and hopes that her research can be used to improve how doctors treat burn victims.
“We are looking for the future scientific leaders of this country,” said Maya Ajmera, the president and chief executive of the Society for Science & the Public, which produces the science talent search.
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Many of the teens in the competition work in part-time jobs and throw their skills and time into volunteering. Some have nonprofit organizations dedicated to classical language and computer science. Half of them are athletes and several edit student publications.
“The kids are incredibly well-rounded. They not only do science research, but they are involved in all aspects of the world around them,” Ajmera said. “They want to make the world a better place, and they see this as a steppingstone.”
All finalists will receive $25,000 scholarships. The top prize comes with a $250,000 scholarship.
By Premji
