$250,000 top
award goes to Matteo Paz in
America's longest running and most distinguished science and
math competition
TARRYTOWN,
N.Y. and WASHINGTON, March 11,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. and Society for Science (the Society) announced that
Matteo Paz, 18, of Pasadena, California, won
the top award of $250,000
in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the U.S.'s oldest and
most prestigious science and math competition for high school
seniors.
Now in its 84th year, the competition celebrates and
rewards young innovators who are applying their Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) talent and leadership
skills to push the boundaries of discovery and address today's
pressing challenges.
Forty finalists, including Matteo, were honored this evening
during an award ceremony at the National Building Museum in
Washington, D.C, where they were
awarded more than $1.8 million in
prizes for their groundbreaking research, exceptional
problem-solving skills and potential to shape the future of
STEM.
- Matteo Paz, 18, of
Pasadena, California, won
first place and $250,000 for
designing machine-learning algorithms to efficiently comb through
200 billion entries of raw NEOWISE infrared full-sky data. By
analyzing tiny changes in infrared radiation, the AI sorted the
objects into 10 classes. He found 1.5 million new potential
objects.
- Second place and $175,000
went to Ava Grace
Cummings, 18, of Smithfield, North Carolina, for creating a
fruit fly model of STAC3 disorder, or Native American myopathy (a
rare genetic muscle disease). She found that the common nettle
herb, alone or combined with the experimental drug Tirasemtiv,
improved movement in both adult flies and larvae.
- Third place and $150,000
went to Owen Jianwen
Zhang, 18, of Bellevue,
Washington, who solved a long-standing math problem
about objects called 3-uniform hypergraphs. He proved a maximum
value for how many 3-uniform hypergraphs can have similar
structures but differing connections. Owen's results have
applications in computer science.
"Congratulations to the winners of this year's Regeneron Science
Talent Search," said Maya Ajmera,
President and CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher,
Science News. "The remarkable creativity and dedication of these
students bring renewed hope for our future. Driven by their
ingenuity, these young scientists are developing groundbreaking
solutions that have the potential to transform our world and propel
society forward."
The Regeneron Science Talent Search provides a national platform
for high school seniors to showcase original, innovative STEM
research that proposes novel solutions to real-world issues.
Finalists are evaluated for their scientific rigor, originality,
critical thinking, leadership potential and commitment to drive
meaningful impact across crucial STEM fields.
"The Science Talent Search changed my life. At my high school,
STS winners were treated like star athletes, and I never imagined I
would belong in such an amazing group of kids who were operating at
a whole different level than I had ever seen," said George D. Yancopoulos, co-Founder, Board
co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron and a
1976 Science Talent Search finalist and top winner. "The experience
of competing in STS and being named a top winner gave me the
confidence to devote my life to science. So, congratulations to
this year's finalists and winners, you are America's best and
brightest. I hope this moment inspires you to push boundaries,
challenge assumptions and use your brilliance to change the
world."
Other top honors from the competition include:
- Fourth Place: Logan
Lee, 18, of Honolulu,
Hawaii received a $100,000
award for helping sterile male mosquitoes survive in the wild.
These males are important in mosquito control. Logan improved their
survival by giving them a transplant of wild mosquito bacteria. His
transplant helped the sterile mosquitoes grow faster and survive
better in the wild.
- Fifth Place: Rivka
Lipkovitz, 18, of San
Francisco, California received a $90,000 award for using statistical modeling to
study U.S. voter ID laws. She found that presidential election
turnout dropped by 2.4% in states that passed strict laws after
2008. Turnout for midterm elections increased. Knowing how laws
affect turnout can help shape future policies.
- Sixth Place: Melody Heeju
Hong, 17, of Wantagh, New
York received a $80,000
award for developing a powerful, flexible statistical model for
mapping sites called trans-methylation quantitative trait loci
(trans-mQTL) within the human genome. These sites are key to
understanding the interplay between genes and environment in
disease and aging.
- Seventh Place: Kevin
Shen, 18, of Olympia,
Washington received a $70,000 award for building a custom flight
computer to control a 3D-printed airplane with oblique wings. These
aircraft can be more fuel-efficient but are hard to control. His
oblique-wing aircraft and flight computer improved flight
efficiency by 9.2%.
- Eighth Place: Minghao
Zou, 18, of Santa Clara,
California received a $60,000 award for simulating protons to probe
environments that produce subatomic particles called neutrinos. He
created an algorithm mimicking extreme astrophysical conditions,
such as electromagnetic and gravitational forces and interactions
with nearby particles. He verified it using known cases of particle
motion.
- Ninth Place: Thanush Patlolla, 17, of
Cary, North Carolina received
a $50,000 award for approximating the
density of electrons using a finite nuclear model. Using a
mathematical strategy called a density function, he created a model
to map electrons in a nuclear simulation. The map increased the
accuracy of energy distribution predictions by 0.6%.
- Tenth Place: Ray
Zhang, 17, of Chantilly,
Virginia received a $40,000 award for studying how to better treat
drug-resistant Fusarium fungal infections. Ray studied how the
fungus builds sticky communities of cells that resist drug
treatment. He also found that using a combination of drugs better
controlled the fungus.
- Akilan Sankaran, 17,
of Albuquerque, New Mexico was
named the Seaborg Award winner and selected to speak on behalf of
the Regeneron Science Talent Search Class of 2025. The 40 finalists
chose Akilan as the student who best exemplifies their class and
the legacy of nuclear chemist Glenn T. Seaborg, who won the Nobel
Prize for Chemistry in 1951 and served on the Society's Board of
Trustees for 30 years.
All other finalists received $25,000. All 40 finalists join a distinguished
group of Science Talent Search alumni, many of whom have gone on to
achieve world-changing careers in STEM, with some earning esteemed
honors, including the Nobel Prize, National Medal of Science, and
MacArthur Fellowship. In total, Regeneron awarded $3.1 million in prizes, including $2,000 to each top scholar and their school.
Learn more about Regeneron Science Talent Search at
https://www.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts/ and learn
about all their research projects at our Virtual Public
Showcase.
For media resources, visit
https://www.societyforscience.org/2025-regeneron-science-talent-search-media-kit
About Society for Science
Society for Science is
a champion for science, dedicated to promoting the understanding
and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human
advancement. Established in 1921, Society for Science is best known
for its award-winning journalism through Science News and Science
News Explores, its world-class science research competitions for
students, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and the Thermo
Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, and its outreach and
equity programming that seeks to ensure that all students have an
opportunity to pursue a career in STEM. A 501(c)(3) membership
organization, 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, develops and
commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious
diseases. Founded and led by physician-scientists, our unique
ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into
medicine has led to numerous approved treatments and product
candidates in development, most 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, 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 disease, 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 U.S.
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 the Regeneron International Science and Engineering
Fair (ISEF).
For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow
Regeneron on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or X.
Media Contacts
Joseph
Brown, Regeneron
386-283-1323,
joseph.brown2@regeneron.com
Gayle Kansagor, Society for
Science
703-489-1131,
gkansagor@societyforscience.org
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SOURCE Society for Science
