Horace Greeley HS Student Named Regeneron Scholar for 2022

CHAPPAQUA, NY — The top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2022 were announced Thursday by the Society for Science and one of them is a student at Horace Greeley High School.

Anika Puri will receive $2,000 while Horace Greeley High School will also receive $2,000.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation's oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The contest provides students with a national stage to present their original research and celebrates the hard work and novel discoveries of the young scientists who are bringing a fresh perspective to important global challenges.

The scholars were selected from 1,804 applications received from 603 high schools across 46 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and eight other countries. Scholars were chosen based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking and promise as scientists as demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendation. The 300 scholars hail from 185 American and international high schools in 37 states, China, Switzerland, and Singapore, including three homeschools.

“Amid an unprecedented and ongoing global health crisis, we are incredibly inspired to see such an extraordinary group of young leaders who are using the power of STEM to solve the world’s most intractable challenges,” said Maya Ajmera, the President and CEO of the Society for Science, Publisher of Science News and 1985 Science Talent Search alum. “The ingenuity and creativity that each one of these scholars possesses has shown just how much intellectual curiosity and passion can thrive, even in difficult times.”

“Congratulations to this year’s 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars for their remarkable contributions and discoveries in the STEM field,” said Christina Chan, Senior VP of Corporate Communications & Citizenship at Regeneron. “We are honored to celebrate this new generation of problem solvers who have demonstrated the depth of their innovative thinking, commitment to continuous learning, and ability to tackle global challenges in creative ways.”

Later this month, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists who will then compete for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition taking place in March.

Here's the list of local winners and their projects, by high school:

Byram Hills High School

• Araki-Kurdyla, Derek, 17. Elucidating the Role of Environmental Context in Carbon Sequestration and Preservation of Seagrass Sediment Carbon through Analysis of Sediment Grain Size and Carbon Lability
• Bachmann, Edith, 18. Tell Me a Story: The Effects of Storytelling vs. Story-Reading on the Executive Functions of Fourth Graders
• Levy, Sydney, 17. Revealing the Mechanosensitive-ATP-Purinergic Signaling Pathway that Underlies Fibrosis Resulting From Mitral Valve Prolapse
• Pizzorusso, Emily, 17. Color My World: Identifying Differences Between Females and Males in Types and Clusters of Synesthesia

Carmel High School

• Doherty, Ryan, 17. The Effects of Race and Other Social Determinants of Health on HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Use: A County-Level Analysis Using the PrEP-to-Need Ratio

Horace Greeley High School

• Puri, Anika, 17. ElSa: A Novel Real-Time Wildlife Poacher Detection Solution Leveraging Machine Learning-Driven Spatio-temporal Analysis of Nighttime UAV Thermal Infrared Videos

Eastchester High School

• Keating, Riley Gabrielle, 17. Simulating the Impacts of Climate Change on Hurricanes Using the Columbia Hazard (CHAZ) Model
• Tsapatsaris, Ava, 17. Project ScanVan: Mobile Mammography Services to Decrease Socioeconomic Barriers and Racial Disparities Among Medically Underserved Women in New York City

Edgemont High School

• Uppuluri, Nishi, 17. Developing the Writing Skills of Elementary Schoolers Using Computational Linguistics Techniques

Harrison High School

• Blaustein, Mai, 18 Identification of Chemical Contaminants in Spiked Beverages With the Use of Infrared Spectroscopy through Development of an Inexpensive and Inconspicuous Device to Identify Date Rape Drugs
• Pflieger, Katherine Sirotkin, 18 The Addition of Functional Groups to the BNM-III-170 Molecule to Improve the Efficiency of its Inhibitory Abilities by Decreasing the Effectiveness of the CD4 Receptors on the gp-120 Molecule
• Vaswani, Keelan Mitin, 17 Patterns in Cognitive Distortions Among High School Students: An Analysis of How Social and Achievement Situations Influence Types of Thinking

Hastings High School

• Walsh Fuchs, Oliver Sebastian, 17 Examining the Associations Between Historical Redlining Maps and Asthma Emergency Department Visits Across New York City

Irvington High School

• Dunefsky, Brooke Ann, 18. A Novel Device that Utilizes Neuroplasticity for the Rehabilitation of Stroke Victims

Somers High School

• Dodd, Emily, 18 Altered Homer1b/c and mGluR1/5 Volumes and Colocalization in Parkinson's DiseaseLinked LRRK2 G2019S Mice

Mamaroneck High School

• Orans, Jerry, 18. Development of a Multi-Terrain RHex Leg for Swimming, Running, and Climbing

North Salem High School

• Takken, Mark, 18. Transferring Go AI to New Topological Surfaces Without Additional Training

Ossining High School

• Calman, Natalie, 17. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training Improves the Emotional Well-Being of Adolescents
• Cioffi, Rose, 17.Chronic Exercise Paired With Immersive Virtual Reality Reduces Stress and Improves Cognitive Performance in Adolescents
• Nyoni, Nyasha, 17. Unhealthy Scrolling: Instagram Influencers Endorse More Unhealthy Food and Beverage Products Compared to Celebrities
• Song, Aaron Min, 17. Elucidating Terrestrial Optical Refrigeration through Transpiration in Rhizophora mangle and Chlorophyll a Fluorescence in Low-Polarity Mediums
• Takmil, Cameron Ali, 17. Effects of Virtual Learning on Education: Disparities

Pelham Memorial High School

• Kelly, Andrew Robert, 18. The Purification of Oleic Acid and the Effect of Oleic Acid Purity on the Size of CdSe Nanocrystals
• Liu, Ann, 18. Investigating Strategies for Retinal Regeneration in Mammals via a Meta-Analysis of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Datasets

Rye High School

• Graseck, Maggie, 18. Oysters and Crabs: Comparing the Eating Habits of Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Panopeus herbstii

Scarsdale High School

• Ahmed, Armaan, 17. Design of a SHERLOCK-Based Low Resource Screening Assay for HIV-1 Drug Resistance