For the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors, this final summer before college has been anything but ordinary. Some are continuing the research that brought them to the national stage. Others are teaching younger students, exploring new cultures, reconnecting with family or simply taking time to slow down after an extraordinary senior year.

We caught up with several finalists to learn how they’re spending this brief pause between high school and college, and what they’re most excited to discover next.

Alyssa Yu
Poolesville, Maryland 鈫扢IT

One conversation during the Regeneron Science Talent Search changed Alyssa Yu’s summer.

After connecting with a senior epidemiologist during a finalist event, Alyssa began a computational epidemiology research project at the National Institutes of Health. The experience allowed her to expand beyond the theoretical epidemiology research she conducted for the Science Talent Search and explore a more applied, data-driven side of the field.

鈥淏ecause I am just fresh out of high school, I think it’s really important for me to explore as much as possible,鈥� she says.

This fall, Alyssa is looking forward to more than just classes. She’s excited to meet people with different perspectives, build lasting friendships and continue asking big questions through research.

鈥淚’d like to understand wildly new perspectives, hear about the cool things that other people are building, and share my own journeys with them as well,” she says. “College is a great time to break out of my comfort zone and find new hobbies and passions.鈥�

Linus Chen-Plotkin
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 鈫扨rinceton University

Linus Chen-Plotkin’s summer has taken him from the Indian Himalayas to Tokyo and Italy, but his curiosity hasn’t taken a vacation.

Between international travels, Linus collaborated with an English professor at Johns Hopkins University on a computational analysis of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Middle English. He also submitted his Regeneron Science Talent Search physics paper to a scientific journal and is now revising it in response to peer review.

“I’ve gotten to relax, spend time with friends and family, and indulge my academic interests,” he says.

At Princeton, Linus is especially eager to take his first proof-based mathematics course, one he expects will challenge him while introducing entirely new ways of thinking.

Uma Sthanu
Austin, Texas 鈫扴tanford University

Uma Sthanu intentionally designed her summer around three passions she hopes will shape her future: research, mentorship and entrepreneurship.

She joined Regeneron’s Neurotherapeutics group, applying machine learning to behavioral data. She also returned to MIT鈥檚 prestigious Research Science Institute, this time as a teaching assistant in data science, statistics and research methodology. She also attended Y Combinator’s Startup School to learn how scientific discoveries can become real-world innovations.

Together, those experiences, she says, helped clarify the impact she hopes to make. “My goal is to contribute to meaningful research while also helping build the next generation of curious, capable and ambitious young scientists.”

At Stanford, Uma hopes to continue pursuing groundbreaking research while expanding opportunities for younger students to discover science for themselves.

Khushi Karthikeyan
Ardsley, New York 鈫扷niversity of Chicago

Teaching, research and family have defined Khushi鈥檚 final summer before college. They spent part of the summer teaching coding at a summer camp, gaining valuable work experience while helping younger students develop new skills. At the same time, Khushi鈥檚 been preparing their Regeneron Science Talent Search research for journal submission, hoping to arrive on campus with a publication already underway.

Just as important has been spending time with their parents and sister. “My time at home with them is limited,” they say, “and I want to make good use of what I have left.”

This fall, Khushi looks forward to challenging themselves academically, finding a community of equally passionate students and continuing research in astrophysics, a field that has always captivated them.

Khushi says, 鈥淥ne of the things that excites me most about starting college this fall is the range of new, interesting classes I can take. I deeply enjoy expanding my mind, and I always love learning more about things that fascinate me.鈥�

Finnegan McGill
Tucson, Arizona鈫扷niversity of Arizona Honors College

After a whirlwind senior year, Finnegan McGill made the most of a summer that balanced adventure, family and science.

He traveled to Germany to visit his grandparents, saw Bruno Mars perform at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium and spent time waterskiing with family in Virginia. But for the Regeneron Science Talent Search finalist known as the “bird guy,” summer also meant sending his A-BiRD device back into the Arizona desert to collect additional data.

“If you know me as the ‘bird guy’ from STS, you’ll be happy to know that my A-BiRD device spent part of the summer back out in the Arizona desert collecting additional data!” he says. “It was nice to finally have a summer to relax before college.”

This fall, Finnegan will join the W.A. Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona, where he plans to study molecular and cellular biology on the pre-med track. He’ll also return to his former cancer research lab to help complete experiments for a publication and hopes to shadow physicians as he begins college.

“As I prepare to begin college, I’m most excited to explore… everything!” he says. “I can’t wait to meet new people and take advantage of all the opportunities the university has to offer. I’m also hoping to play intramural soccer鈥攊f I make it through the tryouts. Wish me luck, and Bear Down!”

Natalie Muro
Colorado Springs, Colorado 鈫扖olorado State University

After the fast pace of senior year, Natalie made a conscious decision to slow down. She’s spent the summer paddleboarding, running, catching up on favorite television shows and making memories with friends and family before leaving for college.

“It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to slow down a little,” she says.

Natalie plans to continue the research she submitted to the Regeneron Science Talent Search while exploring new biomedical engineering ideas, joining Formula SAE and discovering all that college life has to offer, including, she jokes, finding her favorite coffee shop!

Sophia Liang
Ellicott City, Maryland 鈫払rown University

For Sophia Liang, this summer became an opportunity to reconnect with family and with a part of her own story. She spent five weeks traveling throughout China, visiting relatives she hadn’t seen in nearly a decade and immersing herself in experiences that broadened her understanding of culture and identity.

“It gave me a very different perspective on not just daily life, but also led to conversations with family on their personal and cultural values that I had never considered before,” she says.

When she arrives at Brown this fall, Sophia is excited to embrace the University’s open curriculum, continue exploring science and discover Providence.

She says, 鈥淲hile I’m certain I’ll continue expanding my knowledge of science, I’m also very open to discovering new interests. I’ve heard Brown offers a wide variety of courses, from Comedy to Meditation, and I’ve been eyeing a club that explores Providence’s cultural scene. I’m excited to see how I’ll grow through these and many other experiences!鈥�

Leanne Fan
San Diego, California 鈫� Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Leanne has embraced what she鈥檚 heard is one of life’s rarest seasons.

She says, 鈥淚 know college is going to be a ton of fun but also a ton of work, so I want to take any chance I can get to reconnect with friends around the world and learn about what they’ve been up to. I’m brushing up on some programming skills as well so they can maybe aid me in future research projects.鈥�

At MIT, she hopes to find an academic community where she feels at home, continue her work in biophotonics and learn from classmates whose experiences differ from her own.

“I’ve been told that this summer before college is a rare point in time where we have few expectations and are kind of floating in this blissful state,” she says. “I’m trying to savor it as much as possible.鈥�

Interested in competing? Learn more about applying to the Regeneron Science Talent Search:听

The post One Last Summer: How Regeneron STS 2026 Finalists Are Spending the Weeks Before College appeared first on 糖心vlog传媒.

For Connor Hill, winner of the top award at the 2026 , a program of 糖心vlog传媒, that question centered on a class of geometric objects known as noble polyhedra. These shapes are defined by symmetry and structure and rooted in mathematical traditions that trace back to Plato and the early study of geometry. What began as an open-ended geometric question ultimately led to a complete classification of noble polyhedra, identifying two infinite families along with 146 isolated examples.

At first glance, this kind of research may feel far removed from the work of developing new medicines. To explore how abstract mathematics connects to real-world discovery, Connor recently spoke with, Executive Director, Development Innovation at Regeneron who is a physician-scientist working at the intersection of biology and medicine. As Connor looks ahead to attending MIT this fall, an opportunity supported partly through his winnings at Regeneron STS this year, their conversation brought a clearer connection into focus.

What links a centuries-old geometry problem to modern medicine is not the shape itself, but the mindset behind it. In both fields, researchers must turn complexity into something finite and solvable. That same approach underpins discovery in biology, medicine and beyond. Dr. Wei and Connor discuss how abstract mathematical ideas can drive real-world breakthroughs, and why curiosity-driven research continues to unlock what鈥檚 possible.

Q&A: Where Foundational Math Meets Clinical Science

Dr. Wei: Connor, what first sparked your interest in mathematics, and how did this research take shape?

Connor: I鈥檝e been interested in math for as long as I can remember. A big part of that is patterns鈥攐nce you start noticing them, you realize they show up everywhere. Math gives you a way to understand those patterns more deeply.

My Regeneron Science Talent Search project didn鈥檛 start as one big breakthrough. I was part of an online community exploring geometry, and I came across this question about noble polyhedra. At first, I thought I might find a few new examples, but over time, step by step, it grew into a full proof.

That鈥檚 how math usually works. It builds on what others have done, or what Newton described as 鈥渟tanding on the shoulders of giants.鈥�

Dr. Wei: For those less familiar, what are noble polyhedra? Why have mathematicians been interested in them for so long?

Connor: They鈥檙e geometric shapes defined by symmetry. All the faces are identical, and all the vertices are identical.听 A cube is a simple example since every face, and every corner is the same. Noble polyhedra extend that idea, but they relax some of the stricter rules found in classical shapes like the Platonic solids.

What makes them interesting is this question of how much can you loosen the constraints while still preserving the structure.

Dr. Wei: Your work introduces the powerful idea of turning an 鈥渋nfinite鈥� problem into a finite one. What does that mean in practice?

Connor: In geometry, there are often many possibilities. For example, there are infinitely many ways to arrange points in space. The challenge is figuring out how to reduce that to something manageable. I connected the geometric problem to algebra鈥攕pecifically, to polynomials. By translating the problem into a different mathematical framework, I could narrow it down to a finite set that could actually be solved.

Dr. Wei, that idea of reduction feels central to scientific discovery. How do you see it show up in your work?

Dr. Wei: In biology and medicine, we鈥檙e constantly working with incredibly complex systems such as how proteins fold, how diseases progress, or how treatments interact with the body.

The challenge is making those systems understandable. When you can reduce complexity in a meaningful way, you move from approximation to something more precise. That鈥檚 where mathematics becomes essential. It gives us a way to focus on what actually matters.

Connor, you鈥檝e said the methods behind your work may be more important than the result itself. Why is that?

Connor: A lot of mathematics ends up being useful in ways you can鈥檛 predict at the time. For this project, the key idea is connecting different areas of math like discrete geometry and algebraic geometry and using that connection to solve problems more effectively.

That kind of approach could apply to many different problems, anywhere you have structure, symmetry, or a large number of possibilities that need to be narrowed down.

Dr. Wei, can you share an example of how that kind of thinking applies to biomedical science?

Dr. Wei: One example is protein structure. Proteins can take on an enormous number of possible configurations, but only a small number are stable or biologically meaningful. The challenge is figuring out which ones matter.

Mathematics helps us reduce that complexity. Instead of trying everything, we can focus on a much smaller set of possibilities. That鈥檚 critical in areas like drug discovery.

Connor: Your conversation also touched on the idea of moving from approximation to exact solutions. Why does that matter?

Dr. Wei: In many areas of science today, especially with machine learning, we rely on approximation through models that can be very good, but never exact. Mathematics gives us another pathway. When you can describe a system precisely, you can sometimes solve it directly rather than estimate it.

That shift鈥攆rom approximation to deeper understanding鈥攊s where breakthroughs can happen.

How do you think about the role of mathematics in solving larger challenges?

Connor: Math is the language that makes scientific ideas usable.

Science gives us the concepts, but math allows us to formalize them and apply them. When we鈥檙e solving big problems, the key is breaking them into smaller pieces that math can address.

Often, breakthroughs happen when someone connects ideas across disciplines.

Dr. Wei: What advice would you give to future scientists?

Connor: Follow what you鈥檙e genuinely interested in. The most meaningful work comes from curiosity, not outcomes. Find people who share your interests and focus on small contributions鈥攖hey build into something bigger over time.

Why Foundational Math Matters

Connor Hill鈥檚 work reflects a broader truth: scientific progress depends on simplifying complexity and connecting disciplines.

Interested in competing? Learn more about applying to the Regeneron Science Talent Search:

The post How one student鈥檚 math research connects to modern science appeared first on 糖心vlog传媒.

This past month, Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of 糖心vlog传媒 and Executive Publisher of Science News, spoke with Shantanu Gaur (ISEF 2003, 2004), co-founder and CEO of , a company developing non-surgical weight-loss technology to address obesity.

Maya began the conversation by asking Shantanu how his experience at ISEF has continued to shape his career more than 20 years later.

鈥淚SEF was really the first time where I saw what exceptional science and engineering look like,鈥� Shantanu said.

Shantanu鈥檚 two ISEF projects were both biomedical research. In one project, he studied a rare genetic mutation in the Afro-Caribbean population of Trinidad and Tobago that is associated with prostate cancer, with the goal of developing a screening tool to identify individuals at greater risk for the disease. For his senior-year project, he investigated a protein involved in the retinal development of chick embryos. While the results weren鈥檛 as positive as Shantanu hoped, he says the work taught him a great deal.

Years later, while attending medical school, a class project evolved into what would become Allurion. 鈥淲e got some traction from people around us鈥攆aculty members who said, 鈥楾his is a really good idea. You should pursue it,鈥欌�� Shantanu said. Maya asked what came next since Shantanu was reaching a pivotal point in his career where he could pursue this business idea or continue the path of being a practicing doctor. After a conversation with his father, he gained some clarity.

鈥淗e sat me down and told me I have two choices,鈥� Shantanu says. 鈥淵ou can become a doctor and that’ll be a very fulfilling career, a very noble career. Or if you go out and build a business around this idea, you have the potential to touch the lives of millions of people.鈥�

He left a lasting question to Shantanu: 鈥淒o you want to maximize your life for impact or not?鈥�

鈥淎t the end of the day, that’s what really drove me toward Allurion,鈥� Shantanu said. 鈥淚 felt like this was an opportunity for me to work on a problem that’s really pervasive and really important for the world.鈥�

鈥淥besity is the health issue of our generation,鈥� Shantanu says. 鈥淲hen you have a chronic disease like obesity, it affects nearly every aspect of your health. A lot of what we’re seeing now in obesity has already happened with things like heart disease and cardiovascular disease; it used to be that if you had a heart attack, you needed surgery.鈥�

Allurion is a non-surgical, less invasive medical device patients use for four months to feel fuller. Like bariatric surgery, the device is a biodegradable polymer balloon patients take in a capsule form and rests in the stomach until it鈥檚 naturally passed by the patient after four months.

鈥淚t’s almost like we’re implanting a meal inside the stomach that stays there,鈥� Shantanu says. 鈥淵ou feel hungry, you eat a meal, and you feel full very fast. We train patients to live life on smaller portions. We don’t kill or suppress the drive to eat. That’s something medications do. We’re really focused on the stomach and helping you feel full.鈥�

While GLP-1s could be deemed as competition for Allurion, Shantanu says it is not.

鈥淲e’re certainly complementary,鈥� Shantanu says. 鈥淕LP-1s are quite effective and safe. When the patient remains on these medications, they will keep the weight off. One issue people are having, though, is that they stop taking these medications.鈥� Shantanu says Allurion can be an alternative, especially if a patient doesn鈥檛 want to be on a medication their entire life.

and is now approved in over 80 countries. Looking ahead, Shantanu envisions future versions of the device that could remain in the stomach for up to 12 months or deliver medications such as vitamins or GLP-1 therapies.

鈥淭here are going to be all sorts of permutations and combinations that people are going to be using to treat obesity,鈥� Shantanu says. 鈥淚 really want Allurion to be at the forefront of that.鈥�

Watch the full Tech Series conversation .

The post How Shantanu Gaur is rethinking obesity treatment with a swallowable balloon appeared first on 糖心vlog传媒.

The fulfilled President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing humans on the moon and returning them safely to Earth. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the lunar surface while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module. While on the moon, the astronauts conducted scientific experiments, collected lunar samples to bring back to Earth and photographed the moon鈥檚 terrain.

As we reflect on this historic achievement, International Moon Day is also an opportunity to consider how much scientific progress has been made over the past 57 years, from returning astronauts to the moon to preparing for future space exploration. Science Talent Search alum (1999), , a former SpaceX flight surgeon, is currently aboard the (ISS) on his first spaceflight. During his eight-month mission, he will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and benefiting life on Earth. Menon will also perform ultrasound using augmented reality and artificial intelligence methods that could eliminate the need for medical support from Earth on future space missions, such as to the moon and Mars.

Take a dive into research projects from this year鈥檚 Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair finalists that are inspired by the moon, spanning categories from Materials Science and Engineering to Astronomy and Software Design.

Springville High School, Springville, Utah
Age 16, junior

Since future space exploration may one day involve human beings inhabiting the moon, manufacturing materials from the moon would be beneficial. Clara researched the possibility of using moon dust or basaltic volcanic ash (BVA) for her Regeneron ISEF project. Using a 3D printer with a BVA-loaded polymer, Clara tested how materials withstood the wide range of lunar temperatures. The tests showed that the 3D-printed materials couldn’t handle the moon’s extreme daytime heat. The materials softened at high temperatures, and the moon dust prints became brittle and crumbly when heated in conditions like those on the moon. These results seek to aid our knowledge for future lunar missions and potential long-term habitation.

Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Florida
Age 15, sophomore

In his Regeneron ISEF project, Ankan developed a compact robot with a flexible frame that can absorb impacts, change shape, and move through tight spaces. He designed the robot so multiple units could eventually work together as a swarm to explore challenging environments. The autonomous mobile robot successfully traversed across a variety of surfaces, including simulated lunar soil (known as regolith), concrete and pavement. It is now being tested in extremely hot and cold temperatures, as well as in a chamber filled with simulated lunar soil, to see how well it could perform in conditions like those on the Moon.

,
Spruce Creek High School, Port Orange, Florida
Age 17, junior

For her Regeneron ISEF project, Reagan used a trained machine learning model and physical models to identify lunar lava flows. This research could be used by scientists to find the most promising landing sites on the moon and learn more about its geological history. Using images of the lunar surface captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Reagan identified surface features with more than 94% accuracy. She also learned that thicker lava flows took longer to cool than thinner ones, providing new insights into how the moon’s surface formed.

Colegio Rosa-Bell, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Age 15, freshman

Eduardo鈥檚 research introduces RegoCrete-BGX, a fiber-reinforced, multi-aggregate concrete made with lunar regolith, basaltic rock and waste glass for future space construction. If we plan on landing on the moon, Eduardo鈥檚 research explores how structures could be built using materials available on the lunar surface. He created concrete blocks using different combinations of these materials and tested how much weight they could withstand after curing for one and two weeks. His findings suggest that simulated lunar soil can be combined with chosen Earth-based materials to produce concrete with strength comparable to traditional concrete. This could help limit the amount of building material that future space missions may need to transport from Earth.

Dr. Pedro Albizu Campus, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Age 17, senior

Jacob researched how farmers can adapt to climate change by using the moon as a point of reference. As climate change makes weather more unpredictable, many farmers can no longer rely on traditional planting calendars. Using his software development system, AgroLunas, Jacob combined modern weather data with insights from lunar cycles to help farmers make more informed planting decisions. Delivered through an interactive platform, the system helps farmers combine ancestral knowledge with modern atmospheric

For more from the fair, watch the !

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Stefan did not set out to write a memoir. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, he welcomed his second child and, just days later, lost his mother. Unable to travel and forced to say goodbye over FaceTime, he began writing as a way to preserve his memories. Those pages weren鈥檛 structured or polished, Stefan explained. They were fragments of recollection. But when he later shaped them into chapters, something shifted. Reading his own story from a distance allowed him to feel compassion for his younger self. For the first time, he found himself rooting for that isolated child on the page.

That realization gave him a purpose: to give that child the voice and witness he never had. Stefan described being homeschooled for four and a half years in near-total isolation with a mother who used her silence as a punishment and had extremely nontraditional teaching methods.

Yet amid that isolation, science became an unexpected path to connection. One of the brightest spots in the memoir came during Stefan鈥檚 high school years when he participated in science competitions, including ISEF. He shared, 鈥淚t seemed like such a fluke that as a freshman I won the regional science fair and was given a gift of time away from a high school experience that had been a catastrophic year.鈥� For the first time, Stefan had found 鈥渉is people鈥�: curious, driven students who shared his passions.

During his conversation with Science News Publisher Michael Voss, Stefan acknowledged that his nuanced portrayal of his mother was central to his memoir. Rather than casting her as a villain, he chose to present her with full emotional complexity鈥攂oth loving and harmful, protective and imprisoning. Stefan shared that he鈥檚 heard back from readers who expressed a great deal of anger on his behalf, but that was never his intention. 鈥淚 think at the heart of this book is a profound ambivalence. And it felt good to me to arrive, almost healing, to make peace with that ambivalence,鈥� he said.

Sharing the manuscript with his family was the most frightening step. For years, his family had unspoken rules about not discussing his mother critically. But when his father finally read the book, his response was unexpectedly tender. Instead of anger, he offered understanding, and it opened the door to deeper conversations and a closer relationship.

Returning to school as a teenager was initially very difficult for Stefan. He was academically behind and socially disconnected. Teachers who believed in him and led him to science fair helped him regain confidence and opened doors to opportunity. He now sees them as pivotal figures; people who quietly pulled him into a larger world when he needed it most.

His ISEF and STS experiences planted the seeds for both his scientific and creative pursuits. Even though Stefan ultimately chose writing over lab research, he credits science with shaping his mindset. The patience, rigor and tolerance for failure required in research, he said, are identical to what it takes to write a novel. 鈥淲riting a book is like running an experiment,鈥� he explained. 鈥淵ou test a hypothesis. Sometimes you spend years discovering you were wrong. Then you start again.鈥�

Stefan鈥檚 path has been anything but linear. After working in research labs at institutions like Yale University, he gradually realized he was sneaking off to write fiction instead of preparing for graduate school applications. Eventually, he committed fully to writing and sold his first novel in his early twenties. Today, in addition to publishing books, he co-owns a community roller skating rink in upstate New York, a joyful, social space that feels like a small corrective to the isolation of his childhood.

When asked what advice he鈥檇 give students navigating uncertain or nonlinear paths, Stefan didn鈥檛 hesitate: persistence. Both science and writing demand faith through failure. 鈥淩elentless persistence is everything.鈥�

The post Finding voice, truth and belonging: A conversation with Stefan Merrill Block appeared first on 糖心vlog传媒.

What are your favorite memories from ISEF?

One of the things I really enjoyed about ISEF was talking to the judges about my work. It was great to talk to people who knew something about what I was doing, were enthusiastic and wanted to hear more.

Was your ISEF project a project in mathematics?

Yes. I participated in a summer program called the Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT, which is where I began my research. After RSI concluded, my RSI mentor Satomi Okazaki connected me to Doug Jungreis, who was then a postdoc at UCLA near my home in Los Angeles, and he continued to mentor me. This enabled me to continue working on the research that became my ISEF project.

How would you describe the central ideas that drive your research?

My research is in algebraic combinatorics. Algebra is the study of things like polynomials, and combinatorics is the study of finite or discrete structures; it often involves counting. As an example, if you give a combinatorialist a cube, they will probably observe that it has six two-dimensional faces, 12 one-dimensional edges, and eight zero-dimensional vertices.

In my Ph.D. thesis, I studied a mathematical object called the positive Grassmannian. There are actually infinitely many positive Grassmannians, and they can have arbitrarily high dimensions, but just like a cube, each one can be decomposed into pieces of different dimensions. My first graduate school theorem was an explicit formula for the number of pieces of each dimension in each positive Grassmannian.

Your work lies at the intersection of algebra, combinatorics and geometry. What happens when those fields collide?

One thing that is useful about being at the intersection of several mathematical fields is that you鈥檝e got a larger set of tools to draw from and a larger set of problems. My work has had unexpected connections to fields even outside of math. A year after I wrote my first paper on the positive Grassmannian, another mathematician named Sylvie Corteel wrote a paper proving that my formulas enumerating could be interpreted as probabilities explaining what happens in a model called the asymmetric simple exclusion process. This model was introduced by biologists to study translation in protein synthesis, and it has also been used as a model for traffic on a one-way street.

At that point I had never heard of the asymmetric simple exclusion process, but all of a sudden I was learning that my polynomials were computing probabilities related to traffic flow and protein synthesis. It was extremely intriguing.

Congratulations on being named a 2025 MacArthur Fellow. How did you feel when you learned you received the award?听

I鈥檒l preface my answer by saying that in May 2025, essentially all of the federal science grants at Harvard were canceled by the government. I had an individual National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for my research, and two NSF conference grants. The grants were all canceled in May鈥夆�斺�塧nd I was supposed to use one of them to organize a conference at Harvard in June! It was an incredibly disruptive, stressful and discouraging experience. Since last spring, it has felt like higher education, and the field of science, was having an existential crisis.

Then in the fall I got a phone call from the MacArthur Foundation telling me I had won one of their awards. This was quite a wonderful shock. It was a real gift to be told that somebody still cares about my research and to be given the resources I needed. The award couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time.

Who inspired you when you were younger and who inspires you today?

When I was younger, I had many wonderful teachers who encouraged me in writing, math and music. I also grew up with three younger sisters, who like me loved math and science. Then when I was a senior in college at Harvard, I met Maryam Mirzakhani, who had just started graduate school at Harvard. We took a class together, and while she was quiet and a bit shy, she was clearly very intelligent and asked penetrating questions. She went on to become the first woman to win a Fields Medal, though tragically she passed away from cancer a few years later.

Today, I have a number of friends who inspire me, many of whom are women. Many are juggling careers with parenting. It鈥檚 inspiring to see women doing amazing work while juggling whatever else is going on in their lives.

What were your favorite books growing up and what are you reading today?

In elementary school my favorite books were the Narnia chronicles, starting with听The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

More recently, I鈥檝e read several inspiring memoirs by female scientists. I read Sara Seager鈥檚 memoir听The Smallest Lights in the Universe, about her work as an astrophysicist as well as her life. I also enjoyed Hope Jahren鈥檚 memoir听Lab Girl, which discusses her life and work as a geochemist.

You recently coauthored a paper called听First Proof, which examined the ability of large language models to solve complex mathematical questions. What prompted this investigation? What did you learn?听

We initiated this project in part because the media surrounding AI and math is so extreme. There are articles saying AI is going to 鈥渟olve math,鈥� as well as articles saying that AI is useless. We wanted to develop an objective test to see how good AI is at proving mathematical statements.

We had to design this test very carefully because if you ask an AI model a math question, and the answer is on the internet somewhere, the model is going to find that solution. We had to identify problems that did not have solutions online. We also didn鈥檛 want to use famous unsolved conjectures, because that wouldn鈥檛 tell us anything. We needed to develop solvable open questions whose solutions were not on the internet: We concluded that we should use research questions from our own work that we had recently solved but not yet published. Our initial paper听First Proof听consisted of 10 problems from different areas of math. We made this paper public on February 6, and revealed the solutions on February 14, to allow for a 鈥渃ommunity experiment鈥� during the eight days in between. During this time many companies and individuals took on the challenge and tried to solve our problems.

What did you learn from this experiment?

In our testing of a few publicly available AI models, before we publicly released the problems, we found that if we gave the model one shot to answer each question, as opposed to interacting with the model and giving feedback on intermediate solutions, the model could solve two of our 10 problems. During the community experiment, several companies shared more impressive results using their internal, but not publicly available, models. We didn鈥檛 specify any strict protocols for the community to follow, like the one shot rule, making it difficult to come to any definitive conclusions or compare the outcomes. We are now busy preparing to release a second more formal round of problems.

There are many challenges facing the world today. What keeps you up at night?

I would say one of the things keeping me up at night is worrying about the state of higher education and funding for science research in general. Recently, the government has been trying to cut as much funding as possible for basic scientific research, including graduate and postdoctoral fellowships.

Another thing I鈥檓 thinking about is how we, as mathematicians, can best use tools such as AI. While AI models can be very helpful, when it comes to math research, the models often output a wrong answer with a great deal of confidence. We need better tools for determining whether an AI-generated solution is correct.

What gives you hope for the future?

My students give me hope. I teach a freshman seminar every year, and it鈥檚 always a wonderful experience for me to get to know these very bright 18-year-olds who are arriving at Harvard full of hope and dreams. Their excitement and enthusiasm keep me feeling young and optimistic.

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Their promise as scientific leaders is reflected not only by the quality of their research and their unquestionable ability. But their potential is also written in the stories of the finalists who have stood in their shoes over the last 84 years.

This year, 听finalists heard from one such STS alum, Marcian 鈥淭ed鈥� Hoff (STS 1954), 听the twelfth employee at Intel and inventor of the microprocessor. 听He is a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and a recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Ted sat down with the finalists for a fireside chat, where he shared his journey and answered finalists鈥� questions. Below are some excerpts from the conversation.

When you began at Intel, what problem were you trying to solve that led to the invention of the microprocessor?

鈥淲hen I first got involved with that project, we had agreed to build a set of custom chips for a calculator company. Three engineers came from Japan with a design they wanted built, and the more I looked at it, the more concerned I became. They had separate control chips for the keyboard, display, printer, memory and arithmetic.

“The idea I came up with was that instead of building all these different chips, we could make a general-purpose processor and put the complexity into memory, instead of wiring it into the chip itself. You can write the code for that memory on a piece of paper, and then there鈥檚 a standard way of putting it into the memory, so you don鈥檛 need a new chip layout every time.

鈥淭hat meant the same hardware could be used for many different applications. What started as a solution to designing the calculator turned out to have many other uses. One thing I learned is that ideas often come from things you did earlier that didn鈥檛 seem connected at the time. Some of these disconnected experiences can turn out to be very useful in the long run.鈥�

As someone who laid the foundation for modern computing, what questions and considerations do you think are most urgent as we advance AI systems today?

鈥淲e鈥檙e building more powerful processors, smarter processors, where the artificial intelligence can get well beyond the typical human intelligence. An important question becomes, 鈥榃hat is the role of the human in that society?鈥�

鈥淚 think one of the things future generations really have to think about is not just what we can do, but the impact of what we do. There are many problems in the world, and it isn鈥檛 always obvious what the best solution is. You have to be careful about putting technology into use before it鈥檚 ready. It may be a great development eventually, but when something is introduced before all the details are worked out, that can be hazardous.

鈥淲hen I went to engineering school, Rensselaer, was an all-male school. I think the year I graduated, there were only two women in the entire school body,鈥� Ted said. 鈥淲ell, our youngest granddaughter is now at Cal Poly, studying mechanical engineering.鈥�

He pointed to that contrast with today, where far more women are entering and leading in 糖心vlog传媒. For Ted, that shift underscores the importance of 鈥渂roadening the view,鈥� and bringing more perspectives to not just what we build, but how we think about its impact.

How did it feel to join Intel when it was still a very young company, and what advice do you have for navigating risk or the unfamiliar?

鈥淲hen I joined Intel, there was definitely some risk. I was at Stanford at the time in what looked like a very secure position, supported by government research contracts, and things seemed to be going well. Leaving that to go to a brand-new company was not an obvious decision. Sometimes you have to make your best guess and accept that there are no guarantees.

鈥淚nterestingly, not long after I left, there were protests at Stanford about government-supported research, and the university decided to move a lot of that work off campus. If I had stayed, I might have been looking for a job anyway.

鈥淭hat was eye-opening. Things that seem secure may not be, and things that seem risky can work out very well. My advice is to make the best decision you can with the information you have, and don鈥檛 be afraid of something simply because it鈥檚 new or uncertain. That鈥檚 often where the most interesting opportunities are.鈥�

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This Women鈥檚 History Month, 糖心vlog传媒 is applauding the women who have pushed the barriers open in 糖心vlog传媒 and helped inspire today鈥檚 young scientists. We spoke with several top winners in the 糖心vlog传媒鈥檚 flagship competitions. They reflect on their research, the women who inspire them, and the role they hope to play in encouraging the next generation of women in 糖心vlog传媒.

We had a chance to hear from the winners in the 2025 Thermo Fisher JIC, including Camila, Pranshi, Christine and Alice who were recognized for their innovative research and teamwork during a week of rigorous challenges.

鈥淭o me, being a woman in 糖心vlog传媒 means being confident, determined and having the courage to pursue 糖心vlog传媒 fields with curiosity. It also means inspiring other women and encouraging people to believe in their abilities and pursue their dreams with confidence.鈥�

鈥淢y woman in 糖心vlog传媒 inspiration is my mother, Kenira Thompson. She taught me the basics of research and showed me what science truly is. Since I was young, all I can remember is her hard work and dedication toward her pursuit of science, and how much she pushed herself to achieve her goals. In turn, she inspired me to try my hardest to achieve my own goals, whether it be in 糖心vlog传媒 or in life.鈥�

Pranshi Mehta
鈥淲omen’s History Month is a powerful reminder that progress in 糖心vlog传媒 has always been fueled by persistence, resilience and the courage to challenge the status quo. I am deeply grateful to the mentors, teachers and peers who have encouraged me to pursue ambitious research questions and to never shrink from the challenges along the way. As we celebrate this month, I hope that more young girls begin to see themselves not merely as participants in science, but as the innovators, leaders and changemakers actively shaping its future. The next great breakthrough could come from any one of them.鈥�

Christine Wang
鈥淢y woman in 糖心vlog传媒 inspiration is Fei-Fei Li, whose groundbreaking work in AI has transformed computer vision. She inspires me not only through her intellect but also through her dedication to expanding opportunity and representation in AI. As I pursue 糖心vlog传媒, I hope to follow her example and help shape a future in technology that is both innovative and open to everyone.鈥�

Abigail Qi and Siyaa Poddar, participants in the 2025 Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio, reflect on overcoming adversity in science. 听听

鈥淪o many women have worked to pave the way for me to be afforded the opportunities I have now. It is our responsibility as women in 糖心vlog传媒 to keep that momentum up! There are too many creative minds and too many problems to be solved for us to limit ideas purely based on whose mouth they come out of. I am so grateful to be a part of such a strong community and am excited to continue perpetuating听the innovative, creative and determined mindset of the women before me.鈥�

鈥淲hen it comes to 糖心vlog传媒, I鈥檝e never thought of myself as different from any guy. I鈥檝e never thought something would be harder to achieve because I鈥檓 a girl, and I鈥檝e never limited myself because of my gender. At their core, science and mathematics don鈥檛 depend on gender. For example, bacteria don鈥檛 grow differently depending on who inoculates them. That mindset has allowed me to approach challenges as just challenges, not as proof that I didn鈥檛 belong.

I think this perspective is incredibly important for girls in any subject, especially in 糖心vlog传媒. If you internalize the idea that you鈥檙e at a disadvantage before you even begin, you鈥檙e fighting two battles: the material itself and your own doubt. But if you see yourself first and foremost as a capable learner, it鈥檚 amazing what you can achieve.

This doesn鈥檛 mean barriers and bias don鈥檛 exist. However, you can acknowledge challenges without letting them define your limits. In 糖心vlog传媒, where confidence often determines who speaks up and who takes on leadership roles, refusing to self-limit is essential. In my opinion, the most important mindset is realizing you don鈥檛 need to prove you deserve your seat at the table more than anyone else. You belong because you鈥檙e willing to learn, to do the work and love what you do.鈥�

Around this time last year, Rivka Lipkovitz and Ava Grace Cummings won top awards in the Regeneron Science Talent Search for their research in mathematics and health.

Ava Grace Cummings
鈥淥ne of my women in 糖心vlog传媒 inspirations is Mary Golda Ross. She was the first Native American female engineer and spent time working in statistics for the Bureau of Indian Affairs before working as an engineer for Lockheed Martin in the 1940s. As an Indigenous woman pursuing engineering, I find her story and resilience very inspiring. She also spent much of her career educating and giving back to her community, which I believe is one of the most important aspects of breaking barriers within 糖心vlog传媒 fields. In 2019, she was also featured on the $1 coin!鈥�

Rivka Lipkovitz
鈥淎lthough most universities today have a roughly even gender split in enrollment, I still sometimes walk into a classroom and see only one or two other women. I鈥檓 glad that we鈥檝e made so much progress over the past century, especially in K鈥�12 education, but I still think there鈥檚 room to improve. I hope that one day it feels completely normal to see women everywhere in 糖心vlog传媒. I don鈥檛 feel threatened being one of a handful of women, but I do think there are many women who would enjoy math if they had more opportunities to be exposed to it and encouraged early on. I want to study mathematics and conduct research in economics. At my university, only about 10% of the economics faculty are women. I hope that having one more woman in the room can make it easier for others to enter and feel that they belong.鈥�

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Now a freshman at MIT, Rivka is continuing to pursue the kinds of quantitative questions that first drew her to research. Outside the classroom, she鈥檚 also a competitive speedcuber who can solve a Rubik鈥檚 Cube in under 10 seconds.

We asked Rivka about her advice for this year鈥檚 finalists, what she learned through her research, and what she鈥檚 been exploring during her first year at MIT.

What advice would you give this year鈥檚 STS finalists about exploring new topics or trying unconventional approaches in their research?

鈥淢y advice to this year鈥檚 finalists would be to stay curious throughout your time in college. Even if your academic focus stays mostly the same, go to seminars outside your niche and explore adjacent fields.鈥� Rivka says that approach has already shaped her own academic interests. 鈥淚 stayed in quantitative social science, but branching out a bit made me realize that I鈥檓 increasingly interested in labor economics.鈥�

Your project analyzed trends in voter turnout using statistical modeling. What did you find most interesting about the patterns you discovered?

鈥淭his project made me appreciate how rarely policy impacts are clear-cut,鈥� Rivka said. Turnout appeared to increase in midterm elections after voter ID laws were implemented, 鈥渂ut only in some models.鈥�

Because of that complexity, she focused on what the data could reliably support rather than drawing sweeping conclusions.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 conclude that voter ID laws increase turnout. Instead, I used this information to conclude that it鈥檚 very unlikely they decrease turnout in midterms.鈥�

She was also surprised by how much the timing of the laws mattered.

鈥淚 was surprised by how much the effects seemed to depend on when a state adopted the laws, which suggested that context matters a lot. More broadly, when the results aren鈥檛 definitive, the best we can do is weigh the evidence carefully and make the most reasonable decision based on what we know.鈥�

Rivka continued refining the project after the competition and submitted it to a journal, where it was published this past December.

What was your most memorable experience from the Regeneron Science Talent Search?

鈥淥ne of my most memorable moments was the very first day, when the finalists from my region arrived and we all met in person,鈥� Rivka recalled. 鈥淚t felt surreal to be in D.C. with people I鈥檇 only known online before the competition.鈥�

She also remembers how quickly the finalists fell into deep conversations.

鈥淭he dinner conversation was really lively,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were debating big questions, like whether AI could create bioweapons and what a workable regulatory framework would be if that scenario became plausible.鈥�

You moved from San Francisco to Cambridge to attend MIT. What has the transition been like, and what have you been exploring so far?

鈥淭he transition was easier than I expected,鈥� Rivka said. 鈥淏oston is similar to San Francisco in that both are large cities on the water.鈥�

She quickly built a community with classmates and dormmates.

鈥淚鈥檝e been fortunate to make friends in my dorm and classes, and we鈥檝e spent some weekends exploring Boston.鈥�

The biggest adjustment has been the weather. Like fellow STS 2025 top ten winner, Logan Lee, Rivka is 鈥溾�till getting used to needing a heavy jacket and gloves,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t the same time, playing in the snow is fun, and we even had a blizzard last week that was severe enough that we built a huge igloo and hung out together inside for an hour.鈥�

Academically, she has been taking both core requirements and more advanced courses. 鈥淚鈥檝e been taking some of my graduation requirements, such as chemistry and physics, along with more specialized electives, including graduate probability and labor economics.鈥� The probability class in particular pushed her mathematically. 鈥淧robability was one of the most abstract and challenging classes I鈥檝e taken, and it linked together almost all of the math I had learned previously. At the same time, completing the problem sets was very rewarding, and I feel the class helped me grow into a more capable mathematician.鈥�

She has also begun assisting with research on applying machine learning to causal inference with MIT econometrician Whitney K. Newey.

If you could have dinner with any 糖心vlog传媒 professional, living or past, who would it be and what would you want to ask them?

Rivka says she would choose American economist Thomas Schelling, whose work she encountered in an class during her first semester at MIT. Schelling, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his work applying game theory to understand conflict and cooperation, stood out to her for the way he approached economics almost like a natural science.

鈥淲hat I found so compelling about Schelling is how he explained complex social outcomes using really simple assumptions about human behavior,鈥� Rivka says. 鈥淔or example, small preferences, like not wanting to be in the minority, can end up producing large patterns such as segregation and often inefficient equilibria.鈥�

If she had the chance to speak with him, Rivka says she would want to explore how those ideas apply today. 鈥淚鈥檇 want to ask what modern problems he thinks are still driven by these kinds of population dynamics,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd then brainstorm what it would look like to design policies that could shift systems toward better equilibria.鈥�

To learn more about this year鈥檚 incredible finalists and their hard work, join us on Sunday, March 8, at the Conrad Hotel from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for the听Public Exhibition of Projects听during STS Finals Week.听 More information about the students can also be found听here.

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Featured in , as well as , Logan came in fourth place overall during the 2025 competition, winning $100,000 that is to be used towards education. For his project, Logan studied ways to better control invasive mosquitoes in Hawaii, where avian malaria has led to the extinction of more than 30 native bird species. Current efforts release reproductively incompatible male mosquitoes that produce nonviable eggs, but these sterile males often struggle to survive in the wild. Logan boosted their survival by inoculating them with beneficial bacteria from wild mosquitoes, helping them grow faster and withstand colder conditions. In the process, he also identified a potentially novel bacterium adapted to the mosquito midgut in Hawaii.

Below, let鈥檚 hear more from Logan and his reflections on college life and scientific discovery.

Looking back on your Regeneron STS experience, what advice would you give to this year鈥檚 finalists?

Logan encourages this year鈥檚 finalists to approach the week with openness. 鈥淚 would tell this year’s finalists to frame finalist week as one of growth, both individually and as a collective,鈥� he says. 鈥淓ach new day is one of transformation as you explore new areas of science, conversations with your fellow finalists, and discussions with professional scientists.鈥�

For Logan, the impact of STS did not end when the week was over. The relationships he built continue to shape his life in college and beyond. 鈥淚n particular, the connections that I formed with finalists are ones that I continue to cherish to this day,鈥� he adds. At Yale, he often spends time in the Native American Cultural Center with fellow finalist Ava Cummings and he has also reunited with Melody Hong and in Boston and New York City.

How has your experience at Yale been so far?

鈥淚 have loved my time at Yale,鈥� Logan says. The biggest adjustment has been the weather. In November and December, he watched the temperature drop lower and lower until he could not leave his dorm without a heavy coat and at least two layers underneath. What has made the transition easier, he says, are the people. Through clubs like WYBC, Yale鈥檚 college radio station, and time spent in the Native American Cultural Center, he has found community. As he wrote his responses, he was sitting in the radio station beside friends, almost able to forget the blizzard outside.

What have you been studying and working on recently, both academically and in your research?

鈥淏eing at Yale has allowed me to expand my wings, both scientifically and otherwise,鈥� he says. Logan will double major in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Statistics and Data Science. 鈥淎cademically, double majoring will let me pursue my scientific interests while also exploring other fields through Yale鈥檚 liberal arts curriculum, including classes like Introduction to Native American Studies and Canadian Literature.鈥�

In addition to his coursework, Logan serves on the research and development team at Simplex Sciences, a biotechnology nonprofit that produces single-stranded DNA ladders and organizes educational events in New Haven.

鈥淓xposure to this alternate side of biological research has been particularly enriching to me, as well as the community that comes with it,鈥� he says.

Outside the lab, he remains deeply involved on campus. 鈥淵ale has provided me with a place to both re-establish old interests and explore new ones,鈥� Logan says, noting his work in sound engineering for the college radio, weekly SAT tutoring and science lessons for local students, serving as a poetry editor, supporting campus events and productions and acting as treasurer for YAISES, Yale鈥檚 Indigenous 糖心vlog传媒 group.

You played a key role in renaming Discoverers鈥� Day to Indigenous Peoples鈥� Day at your high school. What was it like to see that change happen, and what did you learn from being on the planning committee? Why was this important to you?

鈥淪eeing this change happen at my school was incredible,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a common misconception that administrative changes such as renaming holidays are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but I view them as a reframing to celebrate underrecognized communities.鈥�

For Logan, the shift was about more than a name. It was about visibility and acknowledgment.

鈥淭o see my culture be commemorated in this way, bringing both its rich traditions and modern struggles to light, and knowing that I contributed to the change, brought me immense pride,鈥� he says. 鈥淪maller initial changes are what allow for the biggest transformations later.鈥�

If you could teach a computer to feel one human emotion, which would it be, and why?

When asked what human emotion he would teach a computer, Logan does not hesitate: 鈥淚 would teach a computer how to feel compassion,鈥� he says.

For him, research is fundamentally about making a tangible change for communities. 鈥淚f a computer were able to feel compassion, it would understand the why behind what is being done and form an understanding of the broader expanse of the research.鈥� He believes compassion could help address the disconnection that pervades society. 鈥淚 think that this would address one of the most prevalent issues in the modern landscape of research: a disconnect from the issue being researched,鈥� he explains. Too often, he says, research is conducted without fully grasping its reach or consequences. 鈥淭o perform meaningful research is to fully understand the significance of it, at all levels.鈥�

To learn more about this year鈥檚 incredible finalists and their hard work, join us on Sunday, March 8, at the Conrad Hotel from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for the听Public Exhibition of Projects听during STS Finals Week.听 More information about the students can also be found听here.

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