CEE Alumni Win 4 of the Top 10 Regeneron Science Talent Search Awards

 

McLean, VA (March 14, 2018) —Four of the top ten Regeneron Science Talent Search winners are alumni of the Research Science Institute (RSI) program sponsored jointly by The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) and MIT, where the program is hosted in Cambridge, Massachusetts. CEE, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, nurtures high school and university scholars to careers of excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and encourages collaboration between and among leaders in the global community.

CEE’s RSI alumni Isani Singh placed third winning $150,000; David Wu landed in fifth place winning $90,000; Vinjai Vale earned seventh place winning $70,000, and Syamantak Payra ranked ninth winning $50,000. All four winners are RSI 2017 alumni.

Singh is a Cherry Creek High School student from Greenwood Village, Colorado. Her research looked into the genetics of women with Turner Syndrome, a gene abnormality in which the second sex chromosome is missing. Singh stated that CEE’s RSI program made an enormous contribution to her academic and research abilities.

“CEE's RSI was the most influential 6 weeks of my life. I was able to conduct my entire research project from start to finish and received guidance from some of the best scientists around the world. RSI gave me the resources to make my passion for helping those with rare diseases a reality, and in the process, I gained friends and mentors that inspire me to make the world a better place. I could not be more thankful for RSI and the enormous contribution it had in my selection as a Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalist.”

Wu’s project focused on the patterns of sequential prime numbers. A student at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD, Wu said CEE’s RSI prepared him. “CEE’s RSI program challenged me in ways that I never expected,” he stated.

Vale, a student at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH, created a system that may improve the ability of convolutional neural networks to understand complex scenes.He said CEE’s RSI program challenged him. “The 6-week RSI summer research program expanded my interdisciplinary thinking exponentially, put a spotlight on my untapped potential, and inspired me to show through research that what may seem impossible today is, in fact, possible.”

Payra, a student at Clear Brook High School in Friendswood, TX said CEE's RSI program opened up unparalleled opportunities for him. “The insights I gained strengthened my connections to my peers as well as to the scientific research that I perform myself. RSI was a formative experience that has served not only to hone my skills but also to show me new ways to look at the world and solve problems.” His research focused on creating a smart bionic leg brace that bends the knee automatically as the wearer walks.

“I’m so proud of all the competitors and I’m especially impressed that four RSI alumni are represented among the top ten winners of such a prominent academic and research competition,” said Maite Ballestero, CEE Executive Vice President of Programs.

Forty Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists were selected from a pool of 1,800 highly qualified entrants based on their projects' scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientific leaders. Ten of the 40 finalists are RSI alumni. Finalists each receive a minimum of $25,000 to put towards educational purposes.

About the Center for Excellence in Education

The Center for Excellence in Education was founded in 1983 by the late Admiral H.G. Rickover and Joann P. DiGennaro, President of the Center. The Center's mission is to nurture high school and university scholars to careers of excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and to encourage collaboration between and among leaders in the global community. CEE’s programs include the Research Science Institute (RSI), the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), and the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP).