Orinda Student Named Semifinalist for Prestigious Science Award

LAMORINDA, CA — An Orinda high school student has been named a semifinalist in the Regeneron 2017 Science Talent Search.

Miramonte High School senior Sophia Li, 17, was chosen as one of just 300 semifinalists, or Scholars, nationwide. She is now in the running to be named as one of 40 finalists that will head to Washington, D.C. in March to compete for the top prize of $250,000. The finalists will be announced on Jan. 24.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search (formerly run by Intel) is one of the most prestigious science competitions for high school students in the country. More than 1,700 applicants submitted their projects this year.

Li’s project: Engineering Microdent Structures of Bone Implant Surfaces to Enhance Osteogenic Activity in Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
Congratulations to the semifinalists!

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- Patch editor Justin Heinze contributed to this report