22 students named to Regeneron science semifinals

Noah Manskar
From left: Herricks High School seniors Alan Chen, Natalie Tan, Nora Koe, Setu Mehta and Bongseok Jung. (Photo courtesy of Herricks Public Schools)

Twenty-two North Shore high school seniors were named semifinalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search on Wednesday, more than double last year’s number.

Six students from Great Neck South High School, six from Paul D. Schreiber High School, five from Herricks High School, three from Manhasset High School, one from Great Neck North High School and one from Roslyn High School are among 300 from across the country who qualified as “scholars” in the competition, formerly sponsored by Intel.

Westchester County-based Regeneron, a medical science and technology company, this year took over sponsorship of the contest recognizing top science research projects from high-schoolers around the country.

The 22 North Shore students were picked as semifinalists from among 1,749 applicants based on their promise as scientists, academic performance and recommendations from teachers and other professional scientists, according to a news release from the Society for Science & the Public, which co-sponsors the competition.

The semifinalists include 58 from Long Island.

“We are thrilled to recognize such a variety of scientific achievements and join Regeneron in welcoming these young innovators to the Science Talent Search family,” Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and publisher of Science News, said in a statement. “We cannot wait to see where their curiosity and passion takes them.”

The 300 semifinalists each get a $2,000 award. Forty finalists to be named Jan. 24 will compete for $1.8 million in awards in Washington, D.C., in March, with winners named at a March 14 gala. The top winner will get $250,000.

Ten North Shore students were among 44 from Long Island who made the semifinals in 2016.

This year’s honored research projects focus on topics in astronomy, biology, medicine, physics and social sciences.

Twenty-five North Shore students, including 15 from Manhasset, made the semifinals of the 2016 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology this fall, another major contest for high-caliber science research students.

Natalie Tan of Herricks High School and Jaysen Zhang of Great Neck South High School made the semifinals in both competitions.

The other local Regeneron Science Talent Search  semifinalists include Patrick Gao of Great Neck North High School; Lynn Hlaing, Matthew Ko, Olivia Lundelius, Rubin Smith and Yujia Su of Great Neck South High School; Riya Gilja, Michael Lee and Parker Van Roy of Manhasset High School; Alan Chen, Bongseok Jung, Nora Koe and Setu Mehta of Herricks High School; Samantha D’Alonzo, Maria Kogan, Dylan Langone, Michael Nachman, Lauren Seidman and Allison Winter of Paul D. Schreiber High School; and Yena Kim of Roslyn High School.

Reach reporter Noah Manskar by e-mail at nmanskar@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @noahmanskar and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.

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