Lakeside Student Is Finalist In Regeneron Science Talent Search

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lakeside High School senior Zoe Weiss is a finalist for a national science and math competition. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Society for Science & the Public has named 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest science and math competition for high school seniors. The competition, known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search from 1942-1997 and the Intel Science Talent Search from 1998-2016, is designed to engage and inspire the next generation of scientific leaders. Alumni have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, found successful companies and invent groundbreaking medical treatments.

Weiss' project was entitled "A New Cell Type Detection via a Universal Single-Cell Gene Expression Algorithm." Finalists were selected from a pool of nearly 2,000 highly qualified entrants, all of whom completed an original research project and extensive application process.

Earlier this month, the Society and Regeneron named the top 300 scholars. The finalists, who were selected based on their projects’ scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientists, were selected from that pool.

Finalists’ projects span a diversity of STEM-related topics and this year include building new models to predict refugee migration in Burundi, identifying novel therapeutic approaches to potentially improve precision care for leukemia, and developing an automated 3D printed IoT (Internet of Things) sensor to detect arsenic in groundwater.

The finalists will travel to Washington, D.C. from March 7-13, 2019, where they will undergo a scrupulous judging process and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards. They will also have the opportunity to interact with leading scientists, meet with members of Congress and display their projects to the public at the National Geographic Society on March 10.

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 2019 winners will be announced at a black-tie gala awards ceremony at the National Building Museum on March 12. In total, more than $3 million in awards will be distributed throughout the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Previously, each of the top 300 scholars received $2,000 with an additional $2,000 going to their school.

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