Hendrick Hudson High School Senior Named Regeneron Finalist

CORTLANDT, NY — Hen Hud High School senior Jonathan Chung has been named one of 40 finalists across the country in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Society for Science & the Public announced Tuesday.

Chung’s project was conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Matthias Quick at Columbia University Presbyterian Hospital. He investigated the influences of probiotics on the Dopamine transporter, which could provide a novel explanation of the effects of probiotics on mental health conditions.

Hendrick Hudson High School’s Science Research Program is a rigorous program taking place over three years, generating authentic research at the level of graduate studies.

With the honor, Chung receives an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. for the final round of the competition, where the young scholars will vie for a top prize of $250,000.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious math and science competition for high school seniors. Now in its 75th year, the competition once called the Intel is administered by the Society for Science and the Public and is sponsored by Regeneron. This year, 300 Scholars were selected from more than 1,700 applicants worldwide.

This year's crop of Scholars were announced earlier this month. The semifinalists were selected from 1,749 applicants in 46 states and seven American and international schools overseas. They were chosen based on their exceptional promise as scientists, academic achievement and recommendations from teachers and other scientists. The 300 scholars will receive $2,000 each, with an additional $2,000 granted to their school.

At the final round in Washington in March, Chung and the 39 other contestants will display their projects and meet with noted scientists. Alumni of the program hold more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including the Nobel Price and National Medal of Science, according to the Society for Science & the Public.

Advancing are:

• Chung, Jonathan H Hendrick Hudson High School, Montrose, NY Interaction of Circulating Gut Microbiota-generated Metabolites with the Function and Expression of SLC6A3, the Dopamine Transporter
• Hord, Blake Dobbs Ferry High School, Dobbs Ferry, NY High Mass Planet Spiral Shocks as a Source of Infrared Emission from Protoplanetary Disks
• Saltzman, Audrey Byram Hills High School, Armonk, NYSwift XRT and UVOT Investigation of Low-mass X-ray Binary 1RXS J180408.9-342058