2 JFK Students Named Regeneron Science Contest Finalists

Four Long Island high schoolers — including two from John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore — have been named finalists in the prestigious 2020 Regeneron Science Talent Search. They will now head to Washington, D.C. to compete for nearly $2 million in awards.

The four students are among just 40 finalists selected from the 300 semi-finalists, or Scholars, that were announced earlier this month. There were nearly 2,000 entrants from across the country for this year's competition.

“This year’s finalists are part of the next generation of brilliant minds who – through the pursuit of science and innovation – can address many of society’s most urgent challenges and help improve our world,” said Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, and a Science Talent Search top winner from 1976. “These students are joining a community of highly talented STS alumni who have gone on to make incredible contributions to their chosen fields and our society. If one, two or even a handful of these impressive young scholars make discoveries that impact our world, that could make all the difference.”

The Long Island finalists are:

Andrew Brinton, 17, John F. Kennedy High School, Bellmore
Project: Marsh Restoration: Ribbed Mussels (Geukensia demissa) as a Revival Mechanism to Rebuild the Coastal Salt Marshes of Long Island, New York.

Kyra McCreery, 17, North Shore High School, Glen Head
Project: Associations between the Slowdown in North Atlantic Tropical-Cyclone Translation Speed and Intensifying Storm Precipitation.

Katherine St George, 17, John F. Kennedy High School, Bellmore
Project: The Ketogenic Diet Ameliorates The Effects of Caffeine in Seizure Susceptible Drosophila melanogaster.

Ella Wesson, 17, Manhasset High School, Manhasset
Project: Engineering One Layer of a Two-Dimensional Acoustic Band Gap Material and Reconstructing the Sound Pressure Field using Acoustic Holography.

“These kids gave up parts of their summers and school years, all with a specific problem they had in mind to solve,” Brinton said. “For me, that was damage caused by hurricanes. Accolades and what people outside of the [school's Advanced Science Research] program see is a lot different than what goes on in it; completing my own research was daunting, but seeing others around me pouring their hearts and souls into research, and even be published, is inspiring.”

"I was initially interested in influenza, and while reading about it I found that people with epilepsy are particularly vulnerable during flu outbreaks,” said St George. “I began to read more about epilepsy, and was so intrigued by the nutritional therapies for the disorder such as the ketogenic diet. I decided to investigate the impact on seizure susceptibility if an organism is exposed to caffeine while on the ketogenic diet.”

The students will now head to Washington from March 5 through 11 to be judged for their studies and compete for awards. They will meet with scientists who are leads in their fields, as well as members of Congress.

Just for being named finalists, each student will receive at least $25,000. The awards for the top 10 finishers range from $40,000 to $250,000. The top winners will be announced at a glack-tie gala at the National Building Museum on March 10.