$75,000 Top Award Goes to
17-year-old Robert Sansone for
pioneering invention to improve electric motor efficiency in the
largest international STEM competition for teens
TARRYTOWN,
N.Y. and WASHINGTON, May 13, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Society for Science (the
Society) announced that Robert
Sansone, 17, of Fort Pierce,
FL, won the $75,000 top
award in the 2022 Regeneron International Science and
Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF), the world's largest global high
school competition, for a project that explored high-efficiency
alternatives to induction motors. Other top prizes went to projects
in the fields of energy storage, biomedical engineering and
robotics.
The top winners were honored during two hybrid award ceremonies,
the first of which took place on the evening of May 12 and featured Special Award winners. The
Grand Awards Ceremony was held on the morning of May 13 and featured the announcement of the top
prize of $75,000. In total, awards
valued at nearly U.S. $8 million were
awarded to the finalists, who were evaluated based on their
projects' creativity, innovation and level of scientific inquiry.
The competition featured 1,750 young scientists representing 49
states and 63 countries, regions and territories across the
world.
Robert Sansone won first
place and received the $75,000
George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award, named in honor of the
pioneering drug discoverer and Regeneron co-founder, President and
Chief Scientific Officer. Robert's research improved the torque
(force) and efficiency of synchronous reluctance motors, which are
rugged, efficient, magnet-free alternatives to traditional
induction motors. He hopes his research will lead to
sustainable manufacturing of electric vehicles that do not require
magnets made from strategically important rare-earth elements.
Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, 17, of
Dammam, Saudi Arabia,
received one of two Regeneron Young Scientist Awards of
$50,000 for modifying a
metal-organic material so it could be used to both extract hydrogen
from water and safely store it for clean energy production. Because
the materials he added are relatively inexpensive, his work could
significantly reduce the cost of hydrogen extraction and
storage.
Rishab Jain, 17, of Portland, Oregon, received the second
Regeneron Young Scientist Award of $50,000 for developing an AI-based model to
enable rapid and cost-effective production of drugs, such as mRNA
COVID-19 vaccines, using recombinant DNA technology. His model is
trained to optimize the selection of genetic codes used to instruct
the mRNA.
"Congratulations to the Regeneron International Science and
Engineering Fair 2022 winners," said Maya
Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science and
Publisher of Science News. "Every single Regeneron ISEF
finalist has shown true dedication, passion, and grit. Their
commitment to their research, and perseverance throughout the
continued challenges of COVID-19 are an inspiration to us all. We
are eager to watch the impact they are sure to make in their
communities and chosen fields."
Regeneron ISEF provides a global stage for the best and
brightest young scientists and engineers around the world. Founded
on the belief that advances in science are key to solving global
challenges, Regeneron ISEF supports and invests in the next
generation of leading STEM thinkers who are generating ideas and
acting as catalysts for the change needed to improve the well-being
of all people and the planet.
"These exceptionally talented Regeneron ISEF finalists are some
of the brightest minds from around the world and our greatest hope
for addressing global challenges in the future," said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder,
President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron. "Science is
critical to the survival of our society, and these finalists have
limitless potential to make a positive impact on the world. I
congratulate them for their hard work and am eager to see what they
achieve in their scientific journeys."
For the first time since 2019, ISEF finalists competed in
person. More than half of the finalists gathered in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia World Congress
Center and the remaining finalists participated virtually.
Other top honors from the competition include:
Napassorn Litchiowong, 17; Chris Tidtijumreonpon,
16; and Wattanapong Uttayota, 17, of Mueang Chiang
Mai, Thailand received the
Gordon E. Moore Award of
$50,000 for Positive Outcomes
for Future Generations for their creation of a faster and more
accurate way to diagnose a type of liver fluke infection that can
lead to bile duct cancer in humans. The team built and trained
neural network software to identify the parasite's eggs in
microscopic fecal images with 98% accuracy and then developed a
rapid screening questionnaire that was 91% accurate.
Amon Schumann, 17, of
Berlin, Germany, received
the Craig R. Barrett Award for
Innovation of $10,000 for
developing balloon-borne, light-weight solar-powered instruments
that transmit aerial images, telemetry and climate data to a
website he created. His device can stay aloft for several weeks
circumnavigating the Earth at a consistent altitude and greatly
reduces instrumentation costs.
Rebecca Cho, 17, of
Jericho, New York,
received the H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental
Research of $10,000 for
creating a geological model that incorporates the effects of
changing landscapes, climate, sea level and erosion. Her model can
be used to investigate ecological changes over 20 million years in
the western U.S. and potentially predict the effects of climate
change on the area's biodiversity.
Anika Puri, 17, of
Chappaqua, New York,
received the Peggy Scripps Award
for Science Communication of $10,000 for her low-cost machine learning
software that can analyze night-time infrared videos taken by a
drone flown over the African wilderness to spot elephant poachers
in real time. In tests, her $300
system worked with 91% accuracy, a fourfold improvement over
current systems, without needing high-resolution thermal cameras
that can cost up to $10,000.
More information about the top winners and visual assets can be
found at https://www.societyforscience.org/isef-2022-media-kit/
Asmi Kumar, 18, of Milton, Georgia; Emirhan Kurtulus, 18, of
Istanbul, Turkey; and
Joshua Shunk, 17, of
Gilbert, Arizona received the
Dudley R. Herschbach SIYSS Award, which provides the
finalists with an all-expense paid trip to attend the
Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar, which includes
attendance at the Nobel Prize Ceremonies in Stockholm, Sweden.
Varun Madan, 17, of
Orlando, Florida; and Saan
Cern Yong, 16, and
Shen Ze Yeoh, 15, both of
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, received
the EU Contest for Young Scientists Award, which is
presented to two projects that will represent Regeneron ISEF at the
EU Contest for Young Scientists to be held in Leiden, Netherlands, September
12-18, 2022.
For a full list of finalists who won awards, please visit HERE
and HERE.
In addition to the Top Award winners, 442 finalists received
awards and prizes for their innovative research, including "First
Award" winners, who each received $5,000. The following lists the First Award
winners for each of the 21 categories, from which the Top Awards
were chosen:
Category and
Sponsor
|
Winner
|
Location
|
Animal Sciences,
sponsored by Society for Science
|
Yi-Shan Hung
|
Taipei City,
Taiwan
|
Varun Madan
|
Orlando, FL
|
Behavioral and Social
Sciences, sponsored by Society for Science
|
Asmi Kumar
|
Milton, GA
|
Vivek
Kogilathota
|
Frisco, TX
|
Biochemistry, sponsored
by Regeneron
|
Maya Butani
|
Moorestown,
NJ
|
Biomedical and Health
Sciences, sponsored by Regeneron
|
Jonathan
Crawford
|
Milwaukee,
WI
|
Ambika
Grover
|
Greenwich,
CT
|
Biomedical Engineering,
sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
|
Rishab Jain
|
Portland, OR
|
Emirhan
Kurtulus
|
Istanbul,
Turkey
|
Cellular and Molecular
Biology, sponsored by Regeneron
|
Shivani Babu
|
Auburn, AL
|
Chemistry, sponsored by
Dow
|
Dana Al
Aithan
|
Al Hofuf, Saudi
Arabia
|
Nishant
Lahiri
|
Corning, NY
|
Computational Biology
and Bioinformatics, sponsored by Regeneron
|
Wutthipong
Chongchareansanti
|
Nakhon Pathom,
Thailand
|
Pawit
Kaewnuratchadasorn
|
Nattawin
Yamprasert
|
Kevin Zhu
|
Jericho, NJ
|
Earth and Environmental
Sciences, sponsored by National Geographic Society
|
Rebecca Cho
|
Jericho, NJ
|
Anika Puri
|
Chappaqua,
NY
|
Embedded Systems,
sponsored by Microsoft Azure Sphere
|
James Nagler
|
Garden City,
NY
|
Energy: Sustainable
Materials and Design, sponsored by King Abdul-Aziz & his
Companions Foundation for Giftedness & Creativity
|
Abdullah
Al-Ghamdi
|
Dammam, Saudi
Arabia
|
Engineering Technology:
Statics and Dynamics, sponsored by Howmet Aerospace
Foundation
|
Robert
Sansone
|
Fort Pierce,
FL
|
Amon
Schumann
|
Berlin,
Germany
|
Environmental
Engineering, sponsored by Jacobs
|
Yanbing Jin
|
Shanghai,
China
|
Vedant
Srinivas
|
Sammamish,
WA
|
Materials Science,
sponsored by Howmet Aerospace Foundation
|
Sohi Patel
|
The Woodlands,
TX
|
Mathematics, sponsored
by Akamai Foundation
|
Akilan
Sankaran
|
Albuquerque,
NM
|
Microbiology, sponsored
by Regeneron
|
Shriya Bhat
|
Plano, TX
|
Physics and Astronomy,
sponsored by Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II
|
Ayush Nayak
|
San Diego,
CA
|
Alexander
Plekhanov
|
Hillsboro,
OR
|
Plant Sciences,
sponsored by Society for Science
|
John Benedict
Estrada
|
Fresno, CA
|
Pauline
Estrada
|
Robotics and
Intelligent Machines, sponsored by Siegel Family
Endowment
|
Joshua Shunk
|
Gilbert, AZ
|
Sheng Ze
Yeoh
|
Petaling Jaya,
Malaysia
|
Saan Cern
Yong
|
Systems Software,
sponsored by Microsoft
|
Andrei
Florian
|
Dublin,
Ireland
|
Translational Medical
Science, sponsored by Regeneron
|
Napassorn
Litchiowong
|
Mueang Chiang Mai,
Thailand
|
Chris
Tidtijumreonpon
|
Wattanapong
Uttayota
|
View all the finalists' research here.
About the Regeneron International Science and Engineering
Fair
The Regeneron International Science and Engineering
Fair (Regeneron ISEF), a program of Society for Science for over 70
years, is the world's largest global science competition for high
school. Through a global network of local, regional and national
science fairs, millions of students are encouraged to explore their
passion for scientific inquiry. Each spring, a group of these
students is selected as finalists and offered the opportunity to
compete for approximately U.S. $8
million in awards and scholarships.
In 2019, Regeneron became the title sponsor of ISEF to help
reward and celebrate the best and brightest young minds globally
and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM as a way to positively
impact the world. Regeneron ISEF is supported by a community of
additional sponsors, including Broadcom Foundation, Johnson &
Johnson, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Akamai Foundation, Dow,
Howmet Aerospace Foundation, Jacobs, King
Abdulaziz & his Companions Foundation for Giftedness
& Creativity, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure Sphere, National
Geographic Society, Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II, Rise,
Siegel Family Endowment, Arconic Foundation, Cesco Linguistic
Services, Georgia Institute of
Technology, and Insaco. Previously, Intel sponsored ISEF for
20 years.
ISEF alumni have gone on to have world-changing careers in
science and engineering and earn some of the most esteemed honors,
including National Medal of Science recipients, MacArthur
Foundation Fellows, National Academy of Sciences Members and
National Academy of Engineering Inductees.
Learn more at https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/.
About Society for Science
Society for Science 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 Regeneron
International Science and Engineering Fair, the Broadcom MASTERS,
and its award-winning magazine, Science
News and Science News for Students,
Society for Science 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 nearly 35 years
by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and
consistently translate science into medicine has led to nine
FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in
development, almost 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, pain, hematologic
conditions, infectious diseases and rare diseases.
Regeneron believes that operating as a good corporate citizen is
crucial to delivering on our mission. We approach corporate
responsibility with three goals in mind: to improve the lives of
people with serious diseases, to foster a culture of
integrity and excellence and to build sustainable
communities. Regeneron is proud to be included on the Dow Jones
Sustainability World Index and the Civic 50 list of the most
"community-minded" companies in the
United States. Throughout the year, Regeneron empowers and
supports employees to give back through our volunteering, pro-bono
and matching gift programs. Our most significant philanthropic
commitments are in the area of science education, including
the Regeneron Science Talent Search and Regeneron
International Science and Engineering Fair.
For additional information about the company, please visit
www.regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.
Media Contacts
Ella
Campbell, Regeneron
914-572-4003,
ella.campbell@regeneron.com
Gayle Kansagor, Society for
Science
703-489-1131,
gkansagor@societyforscience.org
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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/high-school-scientists-from-around-the-world-win-nearly-8m-in-awards-scholarships-at-regeneron-international-science-and-engineering-fair-301547131.html
SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Society for Science