On May 16th, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair awards were announced. Our Indiana student winners were ninth through twelfth graders who earned the right to compete at Regeneron ISEF 2024 by winning at the Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair on April 6, 2024.
The eighteen Indiana students smiling in the photo below enjoyed a week-long event including seminars, symposiums, and social activities like student mixers and hackathons. It even included a trip to Universal Studios in Hollywood. For their exhibits, they have taken their natural curiosity and advanced their understanding in a given area through research, then rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime experience with international networking opportunities.
On the first night of Regeneron ISEF, finalists gathered in Petree Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center to exchange pins representing their home countries, states, and cities. In addition to the enamel pins, some students brought gifts from their home countries, with a few lucky attendees receiving origami cranes from Team Japan, colorful stuffed elephants from Team Thailand, miniature flags from Team Puerto Rico, and shiny new Egyptian pounds. This year, nearly 1,700 finalists from 370 affiliated fairs traveled from 67 countries, regions, and territories to participate in Regeneron ISEF. The pin exchange is one of the first opportunities the finalists have to socialize, spend time together, and meet students from around the world who share their passion for STEM.
NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps spoke to the Regeneron ISEF finalists from space. The Los Angeles Public Library brought two projects for the day: one to teach students about solar power in homes, and the other allowing kids to build a simple flashlight and learn about circuitry. Vivienne said that days like this allow students to “start identifying as part of the STEM community.”
Many “Science Education Foundation of Indiana” (SEFI) board members are long-time participants in ISEF, as chaperones, judges, and administrators. Glen Cook, Executive Director, recommended that all board members attend at least one international fair for a great experience. Cynthia Stauffacher concurred, highlighting the students’ delight in the pin exchange and the camaraderie they developed with the group. Andy Harris and Shelly Blunt, SEFI’s super-hero chaperones, were remarkable with the students, working hard all week to ensure the students had a safe, high-quality, and enjoyable experience. They also used their own ingenuity to help curb the cost of food. Robert Yost and Larry Sernyk served in judging coordination roles for this event.
This prestigious event, which draws the brightest young minds worldwide, saw Indiana students shine brightly, bringing home awards and accolades.
Meet our ISEF 2024 Winners:
Grand Awards:
Fourth Place Award of $500 in the Biomedical Engineering Category – Minran (William) Wang, Culver Academies, IN, FlexiSpine: An Adaptive Robotic Brace for Personalized Spinal Deformity Treatment
Third Place Award of $1,000 in the Biochemistry Category – Rohan Bhosale, Carmel High School, IN, Novel Complementary and Alternative Medicines to Mollify Long COVID and Post-COVID Conditions Studied Using Controlled Environment Agriculture
Second Place Award of $2,000 in the Mathematics Category – Sophia Fu, Carmel High School, IN, Balancing Misclassification Costs (BMC) in Imbalanced Classification
And the most impressive work in the entire world in his category:
First Place Award of $5,000 in the Translational Medical Science Category – Zheng-Chi Lee, West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School, IN, Advancing Early Detection of Kidney Cancer (Year 3): A Novel Automated Workflow for High-Throughput Proteomic Profiling of Urinary Extracellular Vesicles
Special Awards:
China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) Award of $1,200 – Sophia Fu, Carmel High School, Carmel, IN, Balancing Misclassification Costs (BMC) in Imbalanced Classification
National Anti-Vivisection Society Award of $3,000 – Rohan Prakash Bhosale, Carmel High School, Carmel, IN, Novel Complementary and Alternative Medicines to Mollify Long COVID and Post-COVID Conditions Studied Using Controlled Environment Agriculture
The achievements of these students were impressive and their personal and scientific growth was apparent. Their success at ISEF 2024 is a testament to the high-quality education and support provided by schools, teachers, and communities throughout the state. A huge shout-out to all the teachers who attended! They were an essential part of our team, not just on the day of the event but throughout the entire year as you prepared your students for this moment. Their dedication and hard work behind the scenes made all the difference.
Celebrating these great achievements, we hope their stories inspire other young scientists across Indiana. The ISEF 2024 winners have shown that with dedication and hard work, the possibilities are limitless.
One of my favorite quotes related to this year’s fair is from George Yancopoulos:
“Tonight, as we gather at what I truly hope and believe could be a defining point in your scientific journeys, remember: Do not merely inherit the future—go forth boldly and create it.”
We look forward to seeing what the future holds for these talented individuals and other budding scientists in Indiana. Their contributions to science and engineering will undoubtedly shape a better and more innovative future for all. Congratulations to all the participants and thank you for making Indiana proud!