TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --
Finalists to Compete for More Than $1.8 Million in Oldest and Most Prestigious U.S.
STEM Competition for High School Seniors
Over $3 Million Awarded
Throughout Full Competition
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Society
for Science & the Public today named 40 finalists in the
Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation's oldest and most
prestigious 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.
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.
"The Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists are our country's
most promising young scientists, and I'm thrilled to congratulate
them on this outstanding academic achievement," said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., President
and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron and Science Talent Search
winner (1976). "I will never forget how participating in the
Science Talent Search back when it was sponsored by Westinghouse
changed my life and gave me the inspiration and confidence to
pursue a career in science. I can only hope these amazing young
scientists build on their success in this year's event and go on to
use their scientific talents to address the many urgent challenges
we face as a society, from climate change to disease."
"This year's Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists are
helping to advance solutions to some of our world's most
intractable challenges," said Maya
Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science & the
Public and Publisher of Science News. "I'm so
impressed by the hard work and brilliant thinking these 40
exceptional students have demonstrated in their research projects.
I look forward to meeting them in D.C., and I am excited to see how
their passion for science will impact our world."
Regeneron Science Talent Search 2019 Fast Facts
- The Regeneron Science Talent Search 2019 finalists are from 34
schools in 17 states.
- Forty finalists were selected from 300 scholars and nearly
2,000 entrants based on the originality and creativity of their
scientific research, as well as their achievement and leadership
both inside and outside of the classroom.
- Finalist projects cover disciplines of science including
behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, bioengineering,
cellular and molecular biology, chemistry, computational biology
and bioinformatics, computer science, earth and planetary sciences,
engineering, environmental science, genomics, materials science,
mathematics, medicine and health, physics, plant sciences and space
science.
- For a list of this year's finalists, visit
https://student.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts-2019-finalists.
About the Regeneron Science Talent Search
The
Regeneron Science Talent Search, a program of Society for Science
& the Public since 1942, is the nation's oldest and most
prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.
Each year, around 2,000 student entrants submit original research
in critically important scientific fields of study and are judged
by leading experts in their fields. Unique among high school
competitions in the U.S. and around the world, the Regeneron
Science Talent Search focuses on identifying, inspiring and
engaging the nation's most promising young scientists who are
creating the ideas that could solve society's most urgent
challenges.
In 2017, Regeneron became only the third sponsor of
the Science Talent Search, increasing the overall awards
distribution to better reward the best and brightest young minds.
Through its 10-year, $100 million
commitment, Regeneron nearly doubled the overall award distribution
to $3.1 million annually, increasing
the top award to $250,000 and
doubling the awards for the top 300 scholars and their schools to
$2,000 each to inspire more young
people to engage in science.
Program alumni include recipients of the world's most coveted
science and math honors, including 13 National Medals of Science,
five Breakthrough Prizes, 19 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, two
Fields Medals and 13 Nobel Prizes.
Learn more at
https://student.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts and
https://medium.com/regeneron-science-talent-search.
About Society for Science & the Public
Society for
Science & the Public is dedicated to the achievement of young
scientists in independent research and to public engagement in
science. Established in 1921, the Society is a nonprofit whose
vision is to promote the understanding and appreciation of science
and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Through its
world-class competitions, including the Regeneron Science Talent
Search, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and
the Broadcom MASTERS, and its award-winning
magazine, Science News and Science
News for Students, Society for Science & the Public is
committed to inform, educate, and inspire. Learn more
at www.societyforscience.org and follow us
on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat
(Society4Science).
About Regeneron
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a
leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming
medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for 30
years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and
consistently translate science into medicine has led to
seven FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates
in development, all of which were homegrown in our laboratories.
Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye
diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer,
cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neuromuscular diseases,
infectious diseases and rare diseases. We believe that scientists
should be the world's heroes and are committed to fostering the
next generation of scientific talent through STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Math) education efforts. For additional
information about the company, please
visit www.regeneron.com or follow Regeneron
on Twitter and Facebook.
Media Contacts
Alex
Bowie, Regeneron
202-213-1643, alexandra.bowie@regeneron.com
Gayle Kansagor, Society for
Science & the Public
703-489-1131, gkansagor@societyforscience.org
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/forty-of-the-nations-most-brilliant-young-scientists-named-finalists-in-regeneron-science-talent-search-2019-300782452.html
SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.