This page lists all awards presented at the 2026 Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair.

Team Indiana Delegates to the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

Sponsored by Science Education Foundation of Indiana. Entry into International Science and Engineering Fair, including travel and lodging will be paid by the foundation.

• Ayan Arora, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Accelerating Perfusion in Chronic and Diabetic Wounds: A Closed-Loop Isothermal Regulation System via a Flexible Additively Manufactured Matrix
• Beren Uluc, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “How Phone Notifications Impact Students’Typing Performance
• Aditi Ethiraj and Achyut Ethiraj, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “Synthesis and Characterization of Novel pH-Responsive Dual-Layer Chitosan-Alginate Smart Nanogels for Curcumin Delivery with Relevance to Colorectal Cancer and Biological Validation in Drosophila melanogaster
• Atharva Sahu, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Photo-Redox Functionalization of Aryl Bromide Derivatives by N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalysis”
• Abhinav Mortha and Venkata Gummidi, grade – 12 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Photo-Redox Functionalization of Aryl Bromide Derivatives by N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalysis
• Angie Xiu, Alex Mi and Kris Lau, grade – 12 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DermEquity: A Universal Safety Framework for Medical AI Using Worst-Case Bias Certification and Influence-Based Attribution Validated in Skin Cancer Screening”
• Leif Speer, grade – 9 from Terre Haute South Vigo High School with a project titled: “An Ensemble Precipitation Prediction Model for Sub-Saharan Africa using a Dendrochronological Precipitation Reconstruction and Satellite Data
• Christopher Park, grade – 12 from Terre Haute North Vigo High School with a project titled: “Application of Ferrofluid in Radial Bearings for Low Friction Systems
• Frank Yang Cai, grade – 11 from Homestead Senior High School with a project titled: “The Use of Machine Learning in Creating Novel Iron-Based Shape Memory Alloy
• Tara Kim, grade – 11 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Spatial-Textural Machine Learning for Noninvasive Detection of Malarial Anemia Using Conjunctival Images (Year 2)
• Jonathan Davis and Zaid Abuhassan, grade – 10 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DeepFlare: Solar Flare Forecasting and Active Region Monitoring Using Multi-modal Machine Learning”
• Arha Kureti, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “A Burning Reason: Exploring the Flame Retardancy Potential of Agricultural Waste Products and Testing their Ecotoxicological Safety on Daphnia Magna
• Carl Chen, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Dual-Field Microfluidic Chip Integrating Inertial and Acoustic Forces for Label-Free Particle and CTC Separation
• Neo Dong and Laksh Agarwal, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “E.P.A.R (Hepatic Ensemble Predictive Analysis Resource): A Convergent Machine Learning Architecture for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Prediction

Foundation Scholarships

Joe and Reba Weaver Scholarship, sponsored by Science Education Foundation of Indiana, Certificate and a $1,000 non-renewable scholarship. Awarded to Christopher Park, grade – 12 from Terre Haute North Vigo High School with a project titled: “Application of Ferrofluid in Radial Bearings for Low Friction Systems

John and Janet Davis Scholarship, s sponsored by Science Education Foundation of Indiana, Certificate and a $1,000 non-renewable scholarship. Laksh Agarwal, grade – 12 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “H.E.P.A.R (Hepatic Ensemble Predictive Analysis Resource): A Convergent Machine Learning Architecture for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Prediction

Dr. Leslie A Willig Founders Scholarship, sponsored by Science Education Foundation of Indiana, Certificate and a $1,000 non-renewable scholarship. Alexander Roman, grade – 12 from Lafayette Jefferson High School with a project titled: “Overtakes and Collisions on F1 Circuits

IU Indiananapolis Scholarships.

$1000 Scholarship, 4-year renewable, sponsored by IU INDIANAPOLIS School of Science

• Beren Uluc, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “How Phone Notifications Impact Students’Typing Performance”
• Zaid Abuhassan, grade – 10 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DeepFlare: Solar Flare Forecasting and Active Region Monitoring Using Multi-modal Machine Learning”
• Jonathan Davis, grade – 10 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DeepFlare: Solar Flare Forecasting and Active Region Monitoring Using Multi-modal Machine Learning
• Frank Yang Cai, grade – 11 from Homestead Senior High School with a project titled: “The Use of Machine Learning in Creating Novel Iron-Based Shape Memory Alloy
• Abhinav Mortha, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Morphology-Dependent Disparities in Deep Learning-Based Lung Nodule Detection
• Venkata Gummidi, grade – 12 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Morphology-Dependent Disparities in Deep Learning-Based Lung Nodule Detection

$2000 Scholarships, 4-year renewable, sponsored by IU INDIANAPOLIS School of Science

• Ayan Arora, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Accelerating Perfusion in Chronic and Diabetic Wounds: A Closed-Loop Isothermal Regulation System via a Flexible Additively Manufactured Matrix”
• Aditi Ethiraj, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “Synthesis and Characterization of Novel pH-Responsive Dual-Layer Chitosan-Alginate Smart Nanogels for Curcumin Delivery with Relevance to Colorectal Cancer and Biological Validation in Drosophila melanogaster”
• Achyut Ethiraj, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “Synthesis and Characterization of Novel pH-Responsive Dual-Layer Chitosan-Alginate Smart Nanogels for Curcumin Delivery with Relevance to Colorectal Cancer and Biological Validation in Drosophila melanogaster
• Atharva Sahu, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Photo-Redox Functionalization of Aryl Bromide Derivatives by N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalysis
• Kris Lau, grade – 12 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DermEquity: A Universal Safety Framework for Medical AI Using Worst-Case Bias Certification and Influence-Based Attribution Validated in Skin Cancer Screening
• Alex Mi, grade – 12 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DermEquity: A Universal Safety Framework for Medical AI Using Worst-Case Bias Certification and Influence-Based Attribution Validated in Skin Cancer Screening
• Angie Xiu, grade – 12 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DermEquity: A Universal Safety Framework for Medical AI Using Worst-Case Bias Certification and Influence-Based Attribution Validated in Skin Cancer Screening

$3,000 Scholarship, 4-year renewable, sponsored by IU INDIANAPOLIS School of Science

• Leif Speer, grade – 9 from Terre Haute South Vigo High School with a project titled: “An Ensemble Precipitation Prediction Model for Sub-Saharan Africa using a Dendrochronological Precipitation Reconstruction and Satellite Data
• Arha Kureti, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “A Burning Reason: Exploring the Flame Retardancy Potential of Agricultural Waste Products and Testing their Ecotoxicological Safety on Daphnia Magna”
• Carl Chen, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Dual-Field Microfluidic Chip Integrating Inertial and Acoustic Forces for Label-Free Particle and CTC Separation”
• Laksh Agarwal, grade – 12 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “E.P.A.R (Hepatic Ensemble Predictive Analysis Resource): A Convergent Machine Learning Architecture for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Prediction
• Neo Dong, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “E.P.A.R (Hepatic Ensemble Predictive Analysis Resource): A Convergent Machine Learning Architecture for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Prediction

National and International Sponsored Awards

Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge Award, sponsored by Thermo Fisher, Certificate & Entry into national competition awarded to the following.

• Zuoyi Xu, grade – 6 from West Lafayette Intermediate School with a project titled: “Testing Passive Cooling Methods to Reduce Heat Without Electricity
• Sheeyoon Seo, grade – 6 from West Lafayette Intermediate School with a project titled: “How can I keep a rubber band helicopter flying for the longest?
• Avery Marie, grade – 6 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “Paint the Right Way!
• Adeline Niemier, grade – 7 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Impact of Freeze Cycles on CO2 Emissions and Subsequent Algae Growth
• Melody Fei, grade – 8 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Flood Vulnerability Mapping Using Sentinel-1 SAR and GIS”
• Kate Lee, grade – 8 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Automated Analysis of Yeast Fermentation Efficiency Across Carbohydrate Structures”
• Fredy Torres-Valdez, grade – 8 from St Vincent DePaul School with a project titled: “What brand of paper straws proves to be most durable in carbonated drinks?
• Gauravi Meruva, grade – 8 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Mobile AI Assistant for Alzheimers patients

Lemelson Young Inventor Award, sponsored by Lemelson Foundation Certificate and $100 cash award Awarded to

• Wade Martin, grade – 7 from Lafayette Tecumseh Jr High School with a project titled: “A NEAT Algorithm
• Kate Lee, grade – 8 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Automated Analysis of Yeast Fermentation Efficiency Across Carbohydrate Structures
• Gauravi Meruva, grade – 8 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Mobile AI Assistant for Alzheimers patients
• Ashlyn Schafer, grade – 7 from Carroll Middle School with a project titled: “Parametric Prosthetics
• Carter Alves, grade – 6 from Zionsville Middle School with a project titled: “The Effects of Filtration on Pond Water”
• Zuoyi Xu, grade – 6 from West Lafayette Intermediate School with a project titled: “Testing Passive Cooling Methods to Reduce Heat Without Electricity”
• Simon Zhang, grade – 7 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Powerless Flood Detection
• Encarnacion, grade – 8 from Lafayette Tecumseh Jr High School with a project titled: “Make the Blind See?

Naval Science Awards, sponsored by Office of Naval Research – U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps presented with Certificate, Medalion and Gift Card Awarded to

• Sullivan Steenburg, grade – 4 from Trailside Elem School with a project titled: “Hot Pavement Cool Solution: A two part study on paint color and surface temperature”
• Ellis Shaffer, grade – 7 from Frankfort Middle School with a project titled: “Above The Rim”
• Noah DeVreese, grade – 8 from John J Young Middle School with a project titled: “Bridge Angles: Which is the Strongest?
• Yicheng Shao, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Enhancing Transformable Drone Through Redesigned Self-Locking Joint
• Naren Raghavan, grade – 10 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Beyond 45°: Scaling Laws and Machine Learning for Drag-Governed Projectile Motion
• Syed Rizvi, grade – 11 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Bio-inspired Robotics: Adaptive Object Handling Through Cellular Mechanics and Artificial Intelligence

US Air Force Award for Outstanding Science or Engineering Project, sponsored by United States Air Force presented with a certificate and gift backpack with USAF Tech gifts awarded to

• Arjun Khurana, grade – 5 from Tri-State Region Home Schools with a project titled: “Counting Stars in Space: Do Nebula Clouds Cause Miscounts?
• Jonathan Davis, grade – 10 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DeepFlare: Solar Flare Forecasting and Active Region Monitoring Using Multi-modal Machine Learning”
• Zaid Abuhassan, grade – 10 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DeepFlare: Solar Flare Forecasting and Active Region Monitoring Using Multi-modal Machine Learning”
• Mikhail Nosov, grade – 9 from Burris Laboratory School with a project titled: “Planetary Aerodynamics: Lift and Stability of Disc-Shaped Aircraft on Earth, Venus, Mars, and Titan

Award for Achievement in Research in Psychological Science, sponsored by American Psychological Association for Achievement in Research in Psychological Science awarded to

• Natalie Kiefer, grade – 8 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Eyes Have It
• Sophie Xu, grade – 10 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Beyond Screen Time: How Emotional Content Shapes Social Media’s Impact on Youth Mental Health

Stockholm Junior Water Prize, sponsored by Water Environment Federation Certificate of Excellence in water quality research junior division is awarded to the following

• Katherine Johnson, grade – 4 from Stonegate Elementary with a project titled: “Water vs. Wind- Which Makes More Electricity?
• Coral Cosme, grade – 5 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “Small Creatures, Big Clues: Investigating Water Quality with Macroinvertebrates
• Viaan Verma, grade – 6 from Honey Creek Middle School with a project titled: “The Effects of Music on Brainwave Patterns Associated with Calmness and Stress
• Jawed Timuri, grade – 8 from Guidance Islamic School with a project titled: “Sunlight to Safe Water: A Sustainable Solution”

NASA Earth System Science Award, sponsored by NASA Earth System Science Award, Certificate for a project incorporating studies including different spheres of the Earth system, their interactions and change over time.

• Adeline Niemier, grade – 7 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Impact of Freeze Cycles on CO2 Emissions and Subsequent Algae Growth”
• Ayan Arora, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Accelerating Perfusion in Chronic and Diabetic Wounds: A Closed-Loop Isothermal Regulation System via a Flexible Additively Manufactured Matrix

NOAA’s “Taking the Pulse of the Planet” Award, sponsored by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Taking the Pulse of the Planet Award will receive a Certificate and Letter for a project that best exemplifies NOAA’s efforts ot understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts.

• Lewis Speer, grade – 7 from Honey Creek Middle School with a project titled: “Exploring Changes in Severe Storms in Indiana
• Leif Speer, grade – 9 from Terre Haute South Vigo High School with a project titled: “An Ensemble Precipitation Prediction Model for Sub-Saharan Africa using a Dendrochronological Precipitation Reconstruction and Satellite Data

The 2026 Regeneron Biomedical Science Award, sponsored by Regeneron Biomedical Science Award Certificate and $375 for the top biomedical research project Awarded to Achyut Ethiraj and Aditie Ethraj, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “Synthesis and Characterization of Novel pH-Responsive Dual-Layer Chitosan-Alginate Smart Nanogels for Curcumin Delivery with Relevance to Colorectal Cancer and Biological Validation in Drosophila melanogaster

Ricoh Sustainable Development Award, sponsored by Ricoh USA, Inc. The award includes a Certificate & Letter for an outstanding project that addresses social and environmental challenges and a meaningful solution for a more sustainable future. Awarded to

• Cassie Ulrey, grade – 8 from Heritage Hall Inc with a project titled: “That’s So Degrading! Which Bioplastic Degrades the Fastest?
• Arha Kureti, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “A Burning Reason: Exploring the Flame Retardancy Potential of Agricultural Waste Products and Testing their Ecotoxicological Safety on Daphnia Magna”

Society for In Vitro Biology, sponsored by Society for In Vitro Biology the award includes certificate for outstanding achievement showing ability and creativity in In Vitro Biology Awarded to Carl Chen, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Dual-Field Microfluidic Chip Integrating Inertial and Acoustic Forces for Label-Free Particle and CTC Separation”

Junior Division Yale Science and Engineering Association, sponsored by Yale Science and Engineering Association will receive a certificate of recognition for the most outstanding junior division project exhibiting in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Awarded to Melody Fei, grade – 8 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Flood Vulnerability Mapping Using Sentinel-1 SAR and GIS

Senior Division, Yale Science and Engineering Association, sponsored by Yale Science and Engineering Association will receive a certificate of recognition and custom medallion for the most outstanding 11th grade project exhibiting in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Awarded to Mobareji Abejide, grade – 11 from Noblesville High School with a project titled: “OmniSurv: A Multimodal Generalist Model for Zero-Shot Survival Prediction and Molecular Profiling in Rare and Unseen Cancers

U.S. Metric Association, sponsored by U.S. Metric Association Certificate of merit for proper use of the metric system in a science fair project. Awarded to

• Noah DeVreese, grade – 8 from John J Young Middle School with a project titled: “Bridge Angles: Which is the Strongest?
• Cassie Ulrey, grade – 8 from Heritage Hall Inc with a project titled: “That’s So Degrading! Which Bioplastic Degrades the Fastest?
• Paloma Rizzi, grade – 11 from Marian High School with a project titled: “Effect of Lipopolysaccharide on Antibiotic Susceptibility on A. Baumannii
• Naren Raghavan, grade – 10 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Beyond 45°: Scaling Laws and Machine Learning for Drag-Governed Projectile Motion

Awards sponsored by individuals and organizations in Indiana.

Award for Science in Health Promotion and Medical Innovation, sponsored by Ascension Saint Vincent, The Ascension Saint Vincent Award for Science in Health Promotion and Medical Innovation for a project related to health or medicine was awarded to the following.

• Ashlyn Schafer, grade – 7 from Carroll Middle School with a project titled: “Parametric Prosthetics”
• Ayan Arora, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Accelerating Perfusion in Chronic and Diabetic Wounds: A Closed-Loop Isothermal Regulation System via a Flexible Additively Manufactured Matrix”

Cardinal Computing Award, sponsored by Ball State Computer Science Award

Certificate and Cash Award Jr. Division is awarded to

• Melody Fei, grade – 8 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Flood Vulnerability Mapping Using Sentinel-1 SAR and GIS
• Gauravi Meruva, grade – 8 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Mobile AI Assistant for Alzheimers patients
• Syed Rizvi, grade – 11 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Bio-inspired Robotics: Adaptive Object Handling Through Cellular Mechanics and Artificial Intelligence
• Yash Tomar, grade – 11 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “SymQNet: VQE Hamiltonian Estimation for Molecular Optimization with Quantum Computing

Retina Partners Midwest Excellence in Science & Healthcare Award, sponsored by Retina Partners Midwest Excellence in Science & Healthcare Award is presented to Anubhav Biswal, grade – 9 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Rational Development of a Therapeutic Peptide Vaccine Targeting a Tumor-Specific Antigens in Neuroblastoma

Bill & Judy Brett Award for DIY Engineering, sponsored by Bill & Judy Brett, a certificate and cash

Awarded to

• Elliot Corliss, grade – 4 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “When Buildings Fight Back!
• Ashlyn Schafer, grade – 7 from Carroll Middle School with a project titled: “Parametric Prosthetics”
• Winnie Ma, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “StepRevive: 3-DOF Platform Adaptive Ankle Rehabilitation Device”

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Award, sponsored by Friend of SEFI. The awardees received a certificate and cash award for excellence in science or engineering and their embodiment of Dr. Crumpler’s legacy: STEM diversity, perseverance, dedication, and the use of science to solve real world problems.

• Gauravi Meruva, grade – 8 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Mobile AI Assistant for Alzheimers patients
• Tara Kim, grade – 11 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Spatial-Textural Machine Learning for Noninvasive Detection of Malarial Anemia Using Conjunctival Images (Year 2)

Application of 21st Century Tools to Rural Community Problems, sponsored by SEFI Board

Certificate and cash award for excellence in research for a Project that Applies 21st Century Tools to Address Rural Community Problems was presented to the following.

• Zuoyi Xu, grade – 6 from West Lafayette Intermediate School with a project titled: “Testing Passive Cooling Methods to Reduce Heat Without Electricity
• Isaac Hefty, grade – 9 from DeKalb High School with a project titled: “Air Quality on the Farm: Testing Strategies to Minimize Ammonia Release

Excellence in Science Awards, sponsored by National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. The following were awarded a ertificate of recognition for excellence in STEM

• Edith Encarnacion, grade – 8 from Lafayette Tecumseh Jr High School with a project titled: “Make the Blind See?
• Inchara Patil, grade – 8 from Castle North Middle School with a project titled: “Death in the Air
• Cristal Cruz, grade – 8 from Frankfort Middle School with a project titled: “Words With Amigos”
• Mobareji Abejide, grade – 11 from Noblesville High School with a project titled: “OmniSurv: A Multimodal Generalist Model for Zero-Shot Survival Prediction and Molecular Profiling in Rare and Unseen Cancers”
• Janelle Addo, grade – 11 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Surface-Mediated Emission Suppression in Solid Biomass Fuels Using Low-Cost Mineral Additives for Safer Cooking Practices
• Marie Ahmed, grade – 10 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “Modeling of Mesh Communication Utilizing Stress Induced Link Evaluation for Network Tactical Meshes (SILENT- MESH)
• Gargi Tawarmalani, grade – 11 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “PROC-DOT: Prostate Cancer Drug-Pair Optimization via Transcriptomics

Citadel Securities Innovation Prize, sponsored by Citadel Securities Innovation. A prize certificate and cash award for a project that exemplifies ingenuity and innovation systematically utilizing exceptional data analysis techniques

• Adeline Niemier, grade – 7 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Impact of Freeze Cycles on CO2 Emissions and Subsequent Algae Growth
• Ayan Arora, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Accelerating Perfusion in Chronic and Diabetic Wounds: A Closed-Loop Isothermal Regulation System via a Flexible Additively Manufactured Matrix

Best use of Biology in a science project, sponsored by Indiana University – Indianapolis Department of Biology. A certificate and cash award for excellence in a project in the life sciences

Awarded to

• Alexis Bell, grade – 5 from Butler Elementary School with a project titled: “Stomata Density
• Chase Zhou, grade – 10 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Systematic Validation of Using HSP90α as a Lung Cancer Diagnostic Biomarker for Enhanced Clinical Screening”

AAPT Best Use of Physics, sponsored by Indiana Section American Association of Physics Teachers. A certificate and cash award for excellence in a physics related project

Awarded to

• Riley Hillegass, grade – 4 from Saint Joseph School with a project titled: “Weights & Shapes for the Win!”
• Myles Freeman, grade – 7 from Frankfort Middle School with a project titled: “Professor Pressure: Here We Go Again

Best use of biophysics and related sciences in a project, sponsored by BioPhysical Society

Certificate and cash award for a project connecting the sciences of biology and physics

Awarded to Carl Chen, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Dual-Field Microfluidic Chip Integrating Inertial and Acoustic Forces for Label-Free Particle and CTC Separation

Indiana Association of Environmental Professionals Environmental Science Awards, sponsored by Indiana Association of Environmental Professionals. Special recognition awards include a certificate and cash prizes in each division that fall within the broad umbrella of environmental sciences

• Adeline Niemier, grade – 7 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Impact of Freeze Cycles on CO2 Emissions and Subsequent Algae Growth
• Melody Fei, grade – 8 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Flood Vulnerability Mapping Using Sentinel-1 SAR and GIS
• Cassie Ulrey, grade – 8 from Heritage Hall Inc with a project titled: “That’s So Degrading! Which Bioplastic Degrades the Fastest?
• Viosa Hernandez, grade – 9 from Penn High School with a project titled: “The Effects of Wifi from iPhones, iPads and Boosters on the Germination and Growth of Raphanus Sativus and Lepidium Sativum
• Sylas White, grade – 11 from Castle High School with a project titled: “Cu Later: Balancing Copper Ion Release and Antibacterial Performance of Copper Alloys Against Escherichia coli K-12”
• Shivani Wadawadigi, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Creating Sustainable Concrete through Carbon Sequestration”
• Ankur Kapileshwar, grade – 12 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Creating Sustainable Concrete through Carbon Sequestration

Mordan-McCombs Award for Excellence in Science, sponsored by Mordan McCombs Family

Certificate and cash award to recognize student excellence in science research that show solid experimental design , clear communication of methods and results, and creativity in project idea.

Awarded to

• Katherine Johnson, grade – 4 from Stonegate Elementary with a project titled: “Water vs. Wind- Which Makes More Electricity?
• Riley Regan, grade – 5 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Effect of Wheel Material On the Speed of A DC Motorized Car
• Sloka Inukollu, grade – 4 from Perry Hill Elementary School with a project titled: “Can Invisible Forces (Not Ghosts) Help Plants Grow Stronger? Exploring Magnetism as a Sustainable Tool for Farming
• Carter Alves, grade – 6 from Zionsville Middle School with a project titled: “The Effects of Filtration on Pond Water
• Eva Wysong, grade – 6 from St John Lutheran School with a project titled: “Battle of the Bananas
• Aarav Pandey, grade – 6 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Fast relief: which antacid is the MVP”
• Arjun Vegesana, grade – 6 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Fast relief: which antacid is the MVP”
• Kniya Middleton, grade – 6 from Summit Middle School with a project titled: “Does Salt or Sugar Help Water Boil?
• Wade Martin, grade – 7 from Lafayette Tecumseh Jr High School with a project titled: “A NEAT Algorithm
• Adeline Niemier, grade – 7 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Impact of Freeze Cycles on CO2 Emissions and Subsequent Algae Growth
• Jawed Timuri, grade – 8 from Guidance Islamic School with a project titled: “Sunlight to Safe Water: A Sustainable Solution
• Mariam Malik, grade – 8 from Islamic School of Indianapolis, MTI with a project titled: “Acid Attack
• Nilufer Akgul, grade – 8 from Honey Creek Middle School with a project titled: “Mapping Emergency Services: Distribution and Income Analysis in Greater Indianapolis

Honorable Mention, The ASA Excellence in the Application of Statistical Methods Award, sponsored by Central Indiana Chapter of the American Statistical Association for projects demonstrating a superior application and understanding of statistical methods in a research project will be recognized.

• Joyce Tang, grade – 10 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Predicting Pathological Complete Response in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Machine Learning Models”
• Amy Xu, grade – 10 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Predicting Pathological Complete Response in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Machine Learning Models”
• Ankur Kapileshwar, grade – 12 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Creating Sustainable Concrete through Carbon Sequestration
• Shivani Wadawadigi, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Creating Sustainable Concrete through Carbon Sequestration
• Samarth Tomar, grade – 9 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Predicting Urban Air Pollutant Levels using Traffic & Weather Data: A Machine Learning Approach
• Beren Uluc, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “How Phone Notifications Impact Students’Typing Performance
• Sophie Xu, grade – 10 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Beyond Screen Time: How Emotional Content Shapes Social Media’s Impact on Youth Mental Health
• Yash Tomar, grade – 11 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “SymQNet: VQE Hamiltonian Estimation for Molecular Optimization with Quantum Computing

The ASA Excellence in the Application of Statistical Methods Award, Senior Division 3rd Place, sponsored by Central Indiana Chapter of the American Statistical Association Projects demonstrating a superior application and understanding of statistical methods in a research project was awarded to Chase Zhou, grade – 10 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Systematic Validation of Using HSP90α as a Lung Cancer Diagnostic Biomarker for Enhanced Clinical Screening”

The ASA Excellence in the Application of Statistical Methods Award, Senior Division 2nd Place, sponsored by Central Indiana Chapter of the American Statistical Association Projects demonstrating a superior application and understanding of statistical methods in a research project was awarded to Mobareji Abejide and Gargi Tawarmalani, grade – 11 from Noblesville High School with a project titled: “OmniSurv: A Multimodal Generalist Model for Zero-Shot Survival Prediction and Molecular Profiling in Rare and Unseen Cancers”

The ASA Excellence in the Application of Statistical Methods Award, Senior Division 1st Place, sponsored by Central Indiana Chapter of the American Statistical Association Projects demonstrating a superior application and understanding of statistical methods in a research project was awarded to Tara Kim, grade – 11 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Spatial-Textural Machine Learning for Noninvasive Detection of Malarial Anemia Using Conjunctival Images (Year 2)

The ASA Excellence in Data Visualization Award, sponsored by Central Indiana Chapter of the American Statistical Association Projects displaying an outstanding visual representation of their study’s data was awarded to Mobareji Abejide and Gargi Tawarmalani, grade – 11 from Noblesville High School with a project titled: “OmniSurv: A Multimodal Generalist Model for Zero-Shot Survival Prediction and Molecular Profiling in Rare and Unseen Cancers

Junior Division Excellence in Chemistry Award, a certificate, and cash award for a project that best uses principles of chemistry

• Cassie Ulrey, grade – 8 from Heritage Hall Inc with a project titled: “That’s So Degrading! Which Bioplastic Degrades the Fastest?
• Mariam Malik, grade – 8 from Islamic School of Indianapolis, MTI with a project titled: “Acid Attack

Best Chemistry Project 3rd Place – sponsored by Indiana Section of the American Chemical Society. A certificate and cash award recognizing outstanding high school projects that demonstrates exceptional application of chemical principles, creativity in experimental design, and clear scientific reasoning was awarded to Alana Daniel, grade – 11 from Lafayette Jefferson High School with a project titled: “Detecting Amyloidogenesis: Developing Probes to Label Pre-formed Amyloid Protein Fibrils

Best Chemistry Project 2nd Place – sponsored by Indiana Section of the American Chemical Society. A certificate and cash award recognizing outstanding high school projects that demonstrates exceptional application of chemical principles, creativity in experimental design, and clear scientific reasoning was awarded to Kendall Bradley, grade – 11 from Marian High School with a project titled: “Stoichiometric Analysis and Surface Loading of IgG-Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates”

Best Chemistry Project 1st Place – sponsored by Indiana Section of the American Chemical Society. A certificate and cash award recognizing outstanding high school projects that demonstrates exceptional application of chemical principles, creativity in experimental design, and clear scientific reasoning was awarded to Carl Chen, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Dual-Field Microfluidic Chip Integrating Inertial and Acoustic Forces for Label-Free Particle and CTC Separation”

The Analytical Chemistry and Measurement Science Award, sponsored by SISPQ Consulting Certificate and cash award for a project demonstrating exceptional scientific understanding in the design, development or use of analytical chemistry and measurement science techniques was awarded to Ethan Abbott, grade – 11 from Marian High School with a project titled: “Developing a Condensation-Based Biosensor for Non-Invasive, Open Air Cancer Monitoring

Sustainable landscape award 3rd Place, a certificate and cash award for the best project that address restoring the earth through increased biodiversity, resilience, and/or long-term sustainability was awarded to Elin Edwards, grade – 6 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Ferrofluid Fix: Removing Microplastics

Sustainable landscape award 2nd Place, a certificate, and cash award for the best project that address restoring the earth through increased biodiversity, resilience, and/or long-term sustainability was awarded to Adeline Niemier, grade – 7 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Impact of Freeze Cycles on CO2 Emissions and Subsequent Algae Growth

Sustainable landscape award 1st Place, a certificate and cash award for the best project that address restoring the earth through increased biodiversity, resilience, and/or long-term sustainability was awarded to Melody Fei, grade – 8 from West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School with a project titled: “Flood Vulnerability Mapping Using Sentinel-1 SAR and GIS

Best Health Science Project by a Female, sponsored by Women in Lilly Discovery and Development (WiLDD). A certificate and cash award for an outstanding health science project awarded to

• Gauravi Meruva, grade – 8 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Mobile AI Assistant for Alzheimers patients
• Paloma Rizzi, grade – 11 from Marian High School with a project titled: “Effect of Lipopolysaccharide on Antibiotic Susceptibility on A. Baumannii

Awards sponsored directly by the Board of Directors of the Science Education Foundation of Indiana.

Best Abstract awards received a certificate and cash award

• Gauravi Meruva, grade – 8 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Mobile AI Assistant for Alzheimers patients”
• Elin Edwards, grade – 6 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Ferrofluid Fix: Removing Microplastics”
• Ethan Abbott, grade – 11 from Marian High School with a project titled: “Developing a Condensation-Based Biosensor for Non-Invasive, Open Air Cancer Monitoring

Les Willig Spirit of Science awards, received a certificate and cash award

• Sullivan Steenburg, grade – 4 from Trailside Elem School with a project titled: “Hot Pavement Cool Solution: A two part study on paint color and surface temperature
• Luke Pianowski, grade – 5 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “Glow With The Flow: How Temperature Affects Bioluminescence
• Olivia Snell, grade – 10 from Marian High School with a project titled: “Dimensional Stability and Creep Performance of Glass Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Polyurethane as a Recyclable Alternative to Fiberglass Epoxy Composites for Wind Turbine Blade Applications
• Shivani Wadawadigi and Gargi Tawarmalani, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Creating Sustainable Concrete through Carbon Sequestration

Pete Kissinger Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, received a certificate and cash award

• Nilufer Akgul, grade – 8 from Honey Creek Middle School with a project titled: “Mapping Emergency Services: Distribution and Income Analysis in Greater Indianapolis”
• Alana Daniel, grade – 11 from Lafayette Jefferson High School with a project titled: “Detecting Amyloidogenesis: Developing Probes to Label Pre-formed Amyloid Protein Fibrils”

Junior Division Placement Awards.

4th & 5th Grade 3rd Place, awarded to Colton Chambers, grade – 5 from Eastern Hancock Elem School with a project titled: “Real or Fake: Identify the AI

4th & 5th Grade 2nd Place, awarded to Riley Hillegass, grade – 4 from Saint Joseph School with a project titled: “Weights & Shapes for the Win!

4th & 5th Grade 1st Place, awarded to Luke Pianowski, grade – 5 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “Glow With The Flow: How Temperature Affects Bioluminescence

6th Grade 3rd Place, awarded to Venia Drinea, grade – 6 from West Lafayette Intermediate School with a project titled: “How does different background noise affect memory recall?

6th Grade 2nd Place, awarded to Eva Wysong, grade – 6 from St John Lutheran School with a project titled: “Battle of the Bananas

6th Grade 1st Place, awarded to Elin Edwards, grade – 6 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Ferrofluid Fix: Removing Microplastics

7th Grade 3rd Place, awarded to Ashlyn Schafer, grade – 7 from Carroll Middle School with a project titled: “Parametric Prosthetics”

7th Grade 2nd Place, Awarded to Wade Martin, grade – 7 from Lafayette Tecumseh Jr High School with a project titled: “A NEAT Algorithm”

7th Grade 1st Place, awarded to Adeline Niemier, grade – 7 from NIRSEF with a project titled: “The Impact of Freeze Cycles on CO2 Emissions and Subsequent Algae Growth

8th Grade 3rd Place, awarded to Cassie Ulrey, grade – 8 from Heritage Hall Inc with a project titled: “That’s So Degrading! Which Bioplastic Degrades the Fastest?

8th Grade 2nd Place, awarded to Noah DeVreese, grade – 8 from John J Young Middle School with a project titled: “Bridge Angles: Which is the Strongest?

8th Grade 1st Place, awarded to Inchara Patil, grade – 8 from Castle North Middle School with a project titled: “Death in the Air

Junior Division “2026 Top Young Scientist”

Awarded to Elin Edwards, grade – 6 from Woodside Middle School with a project titled: “Ferrofluid Fix: Removing Microplastics

Senior Division Placement Awards.

9th Grade 3rd Place, Awarded to Beren Uluc, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “How Phone Notifications Impact Students’ Typing Performance

9th Grade 2nd Place, awarded to Ayan Arora, grade – 9 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “Accelerating Perfusion in Chronic and Diabetic Wounds: A Closed-Loop Isothermal Regulation System via a Flexible Additively Manufactured Matrix”

9th Grade 1st Place, awarded to Leif Speer, grade – 9 from Terre Haute South Vigo High School with a project titled: “An Ensemble Precipitation Prediction Model for Sub-Saharan Africa using a Dendrochronological Precipitation Reconstruction and Satellite Data”

10th Grade 3rd Place, awarded to Zaid Abuhassan and Jonathan Davis, grade – 10 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DeepFlare: Solar Flare Forecasting and Active Region Monitoring Using Multi-modal Machine Learning

10th Grade 2nd Place, Awarded to Achyut Ethiraj and Aditi Ethiraj, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “Synthesis and Characterization of Novel pH-Responsive Dual-Layer Chitosan-Alginate Smart Nanogels for Curcumin Delivery with Relevance to Colorectal Cancer and Biological Validation in Drosophila melanogaster

10th Grade 1st Place, awarded to Arha Kureti, grade – 10 from Carroll High School with a project titled: “A Burning Reason: Exploring the Flame Retardancy Potential of Agricultural Waste Products and Testing their Ecotoxicological Safety on Daphnia Magna

11th Grade 3rd Place, Awarded to Frank Yang Cai, grade – 11 from Homestead Senior High School with a project titled: “The Use of Machine Learning in Creating Novel Iron-Based Shape Memory Alloy

11th Grade 2nd Place, Awarded to Atharva Sahu, grade – 11 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Photo-Redox Functionalization of Aryl Bromide Derivatives by N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalysis”

11th Grade 1st Place, Awarded to Carl Chen, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Dual-Field Microfluidic Chip Integrating Inertial and Acoustic Forces for Label-Free Particle and CTC Separation”

12th Grade 3rd Place, awarded to Abhinav Mortha & Venkata Gummidi, grade – 12 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “Morphology-Dependent Disparities in Deep Learning-Based Lung Nodule Detection

12th Grade 2nd Place, awarded to Angie Xiu, Alex Mi and Kris Lau grade – 12 from Signature School Inc with a project titled: “DermEquity: A Universal Safety Framework for Medical AI Using Worst-Case Bias Certification and Influence-Based Attribution Validated in Skin Cancer Screening

12th Grade 1st Place, awarded to Laksh Agarwal and Neo Dong, grade – 12 from Carmel High School with a project titled: “H.E.P.A.R (Hepatic Ensemble Predictive Analysis Resource): A Convergent Machine Learning Architecture for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Prediction

Senior Division, “2026 Top Young Scientist”,

Awarded to Carl Chen, grade – 11 from Culver Academies with a project titled: “Dual-Field Microfluidic Chip Integrating Inertial and Acoustic Forces for Label-Free Particle and CTC Separation”