McLean Student Named Finalist In Regeneron Science Talent Search

MCLEAN, VA—The Society for Science & the Public and Regeneron announced the finalists in their Science Talent Search, the most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. Arlington's Carolyn Beaumont, a student at The Potomac School in McLean, is among the 40 finalists from around the U.S.

Earlier in January, Regeneron STS named the top 300 scholars. The 40 finalists were selected from that pool. Finalists were chosen based on their scientific research and potential as future scientific leaders. Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars have gone on to make significant contributions to science and hold honors including the Nobel Prize and the National Medal of Science.

Finalists will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards with a top award of $250,000. Each finalist will receive a minimum $25,000 award.

Beaumont has been working on her research for the past two years at Potomac School’s Science and Engineering Research Center program. Students in the program have a faculty research advisor and research mentor outside school. Beaumont worked with Dr. George Cody at the Carnegie Institute of Science’s Geophysical Laboratory and Potomac School's Isabelle Cohen.

Upon deciding focus research on geochemistry, she developed a project to examine the way water reacts with magma, with the goal of testing the theory favored by geologists about the interaction and water’s composition during a volcanic eruption.

Her findings turned out to be groundbreaking. The research showed volcanoes react differently depending on the amount of water in the magma. Her project provides a new source of information in the geochemistry field, given that the findings are different from professional geologists' current way of thinking.

"The way water reacts with magma follows a different path from what was accepted," says Beaumont. "That has implications for the properties of magma and the way it’s used in other geochemical models, which is really interesting."

Beaumont and other finalists will undergo final judging for their research in DC on March 7-13. They will have opportunities to meet with leading scientists and members of Congress and display their projects to the public at the National Geographic Society on March 10.

Image via The Potomac School