RSI welcomes 82 Top Scholars to 2019 Summer STEM Institute

Top U.S. and International High School STEM Students Selected
for the 36^th annual Research Science Institute

82 high school students from 34 states and 14 countries convene at MIT for prestigious six-week summer academic research program

McLean, VA (June 24, 2019) –  The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) welcomed the 82 top achieving U.S. high school and international scholars to the 36^th annual Research Science Institute (RSI), jointly sponsored with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). RSI is an intensive, six-week program that gives students the opportunity to conduct original, cutting-edge science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research in state-of-the-art university laboratories, hospitals and corporate research facilities in Boston and Cambridge, MA. 

“The Research Science Institute offers top academic math and science students the opportunity to experience graduate-level research and camaraderie with other talented STEM scholars,” said Joann P. DiGennaro, CEE President. “RSI has 2,800 successful alumni with a STEM career retention rate of 80 percent.” In addition to their individualized research, the students—dubbed “Rickoids” after the late Admiral H.G. Rickover, father of the Nuclear Navy and founder of the Center with DiGennaro—also study pure and applied mathematics, physical and biological science, economics and humanities. 

RSI scholars also learn about the careers, achievements and challenges of STEM through presentations and dialogue in RSI’s Distinguished Guest Lecture Series. Recognized STEM leaders will share their experiences with RSI scholars, including:

• Jeremy Wolfe, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology & Radiology, Harvard Medical School and Visual Attention Lab, Department of Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital
• Noam Elkies, PhD, Professor, Mathematics, Harvard University
• Scott Kominers, PhD, RSI '04, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School, Entrepreneurial Management Unit
• Philip Tan, RSI '93, Research Scientist, MIT Game Lab
• Tom Leighton, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO, Akamai Technologies
• Jinger Zhao, Managing Director, Quantitative Research, Two Sigma
• Wolfgang Ketterle, PhD, Nobel Laureate, Physics, MIT
• Sandor Lehoczky, Managing Director and Partner, Jane Street Capital, LLC
• Pardis Sabeti, MD, DPhil, Professor, Harvard University, Institute Member Broad Institute MIT and Harvard         
• Aaron S. Kesselheim, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital

RSI is offered cost-free by CEE to competitively selected top achieving students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students are selected by CEE’s committee of professional educators and RSI alumni based on high school records, personal essays, standardized test scores, teacher recommendations, research experience, potential for leadership, and honors and awards in math and science.

The RSI annual summer program (June 23 to Aug. 3) consists of one week of theoretical classroom work, followed by four-and-a-half weeks of high-level research under the mentorship of leading scientists, engineers, and researchersin the students’ respective areas of interest. In their final week, students demonstrate their research work through written academic papers and oral presentations to their peers and a panel of judges.

Dr. Amy Sillman, an RSI ’84 alum, will lead the Institute this summer. RSI’s 2019 academic professors include:

• Dr. Christopher Skinner, RSI ’88, Princeton University (Mathematics)
• Dr. Forrest Michael, RSI ’90, University of Washington (Chemistry)
• Dr. Rebekah Rogers, RSI '01, University of North Carolina, Charlotte (Biology)
• Dr. Jason Nielsen, RSI ’89, University of California, Santa Cruz (Physics)
• Dr. Steven Leeb, MIT (Engineering)
• Mr. Lance Rhoades, University of Washington (Humanities)

In addition to 52 U.S. high school rising seniors, 30 international students will participate from Bulgaria, Canada, China, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey at RSI 2019.

 
Research Science Institute 2019 U.S. Students

Alaska Michael Fraczek, Robert Service High School, Anchorage	Mississippi Edward Hu, Oxford High School, Oxford
Arizona Devrath Iyer, Hamilton High School, Chandler	Nevada Jason Liu, The Davidson Academy of Nevada, Reno
California Cynthia Chen, Harker School, San Jose Swati Goel, Henry M Gunn High School, Palo Alto Shloka Janapaty, Presentation High School, San Jose Ethan Shaotran, Henry M Gunn High School, Palo Alto Andrew Yang, Harvard – Westlake School, Studio City	New Hampshire Katherine Duan, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA Jocelyn Koelb, Homeschool, Auburn
Colorado Austen Mazenko, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village	New Jersey Dylan Raphael, Princeton High School, Princeton
Connecticut Dawson Byrd, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH Hiba Hussain, Greenwich High School, Greenwich Jamison Meindl, Brunswick School, Greenwich	New Mexico AnaMaria Perez, Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque
Delaware Alexander Zhu, Charter School of Wilmington, Wilmington	New York Serena Zhao, Manhasset High School, Manhasset Naomi Kenyatta, Horace Mann School, Bronx
Florida Daniel Fein, Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Miami Helena Jiang, Buchholz High School, Gainesville Subhash Kantamneni, Suncoast Community High School, Riviera Beach	North Carolina Koushik Sridhar, North Carolina High School-Science/Math, Durham Sahil Pontula, Enloe Magnet High School, Raleigh
Georgia Caitlin vanZyl, McIntosh High School, Peachtree City Jacqueline vanZyl, McIntosh High School, Peachtree City	Oklahoma Landon Estes, Latta High School, Ada
Idaho Brynne Coulam, Boise High School, Boise	Oregon Rupert Li, Jesuit High School, Portland
Illinois Sarosh Nagar, Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook	Pennsylvania Rhea Malhotra, Moravian Academy, Bethlehem
Indiana Iris Yan, Carmel High School, Carmel	South Carolina Lauren Chen, Dutch Fork High School, Irmo Julia Zhu, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA
Iowa Amulya Pillutla, Pleasant Valley High School, Bettendorf	Tennessee Victoria Ouyang, St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Memphis
Louisiana Grace Sun, Caddo Parish Magnet HS, Shreveport Krishna Pochana, Baton Rouge Magnet HS, Baton Rouge	Texas Emilio Ahuactzin, Harmony Innovation Ft Worth, Fort Worth
Maryland Nadine Meister, Centennial High School, Ellicott City Bryan SebaRaj, James M. Bennett High School, Salisbury	Utah Emma Sun, Waterford School, Sandy
Massachusetts Sidharth Anantha, Lexington High School, Lexington Aditya Saligrama, Weston High School, Weston	Virginia Benjamin Kang, Thomas Jefferson HS for Science & Technology, Alexandria Anusha Puri, Mills E. Godwin High School, Richmond
Michigan Pratham Soni, Troy HIgh School, Troy	Washington Savitha Srinivasan, Interlake High School, Bellevue
Minnesota Hemanth Asirvatham, Century High School, Rochester	Wisconsin Ahmad Abdel-Azim, Appleton North High School, Appleton Afiya Quryshi, University School, MIlwaukee

 

Research Science Institute 2019 International Students

Bulgaria Dimitar Chakarov, High School in Mathematics, Acad. Kiril Popov, Plovdiv Antoan Georgiev, MSHS St Kliment Ohridski, Montana	Lebanon Salim Hashisho, Rafic Hariri High School, Saida Hadi Khalaf, Hariri High School 2, Beirut
Canada Grace Pearcey, Holy Heart of Mary High School, St. Johns, NL Braden Wilson, Ashbury College, Ottawa, ON	Saudi Arabia Basheer AlDajani, Dhahran Ahliyya School, Dammam Osama DAbbousi, Dhahran High School, (International Schools Group), Dhahran Eastern Province
China Zhifei Yu, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA USA Chenxi Zeng, The First High School of Chagsha, Changsha, Hunan Province	Singapore Jeilene Ho, National Junior College, Singapore Jia Qing Lim, River Valley High School, Singapore Smin Ng, River Valley High School, Singapore Emily Ngya Kee, Raffles Institution, Singapore Matthew Tham, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Singapore Chun En Yau, Saint Mark School, Southborough, MA - USA
India Keerthana Senthil Nayagam, PSBB (Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan), Senior Secondary School, Chennai, Tamil Nadu	Spain Roc Bellostas, Joan Oró Secondary School, Lleida, Catalonia Victor Conchello Vendrell, Institut Jaime Vicens Vives, Girona Ignasi Segura, Aula Escola Europea, Barcelona, Catalonia
Ireland Richard Beattie, The Kings Hospital, Dublin	Sweden Erik Göransson, Procivitas Helsingborg, Helsingborg Hugo Hamilton, Internationella Engelska, Gymnasiet Södermalm, Stockholm
Kazakhstan Assylbek Olzhabayev, Nazarbayev Intellectual School for Physics and Mathematics, Almaty Diyar Tulenov, Nazarbayev Intellectual School for Chemistry and Biology, Almaty	Switzerland Lennart Horn, Kantonsschule Solothurn, Solothurn
Republic of Korea Iris Kim, Middlesex School, Concord, MA - USA Jaehyun Lee, Seoul Science High School, Seoul	Turkey Arman Aydin, Usdukar American Academy, Istanbul Azra Haseki, Robert College, Istanbul

 

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). 

Media Contacts:	Tom Flavell, (703) 448-9062 ext. 237

Resources:	Joann P. DiGennaro, CEE President, (703) 448-9062 ext. 239
	Maite Ballestero, CEE Executive VP, (703) 448-9062 ext. 235

Related websites:

Center for Excellence in Education: https://www.cee.org/
Research Science Institute: https://www.cee.org/research-science-institute