Ten Stony Brook University Faculty Mentor Regeneron STS Scholars
Eleven high school students from across the country who worked with 10 Stony Brook University faculty mentors have been named among the top 300 scholars in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) competition.
Several of the semifinalists are alumni of Stony Brook University’s Simons Summer Research Program, which teaches high school students how to conduct college-level research. Since 1997, nearly 600 semifinalists have been mentored by faculty at Stony Brook.
Regeneron STS is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors, recognizing exceptional young scientists and engineers who demonstrate creativity, leadership, and a commitment to tackling significant global challenges.
The semifinalists were selected from a pool of nearly 2,500 applicants representing 795 high schools across 48 states, Washington, D.C., and 14 other countries. Each scholar and their respective high school will receive a $2,000 award. On January 23, the competition will announce 40 finalists who will compete for over $1.8 million in awards during a week-long event in Washington, D.C., from March 6-12.
Stony Brook Faculty Mentors:
Xiaojun Bi, associate professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) Department of Computer Science, worked with Kaiyan Ling, Cherry Hill High School East in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on “Model Touch Pointing and Detect Parkinson’s Disease via a Mobile Game.”
Agnieszka B. Bialkowska, associate professor in the Renaissance School of Medicine Department of Medicine, worked with Emma Wen, John L. Miller Great Neck North High School in Great Neck, New York, on “AUM-302, A Novel Triple PIM/PI3K/mTOR Inhibitor, Offers Promising Potential in Reducing the Growth of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Spheroids and Organoids.”
Elizabeth Boon, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry, worked with Natalie Osorio, H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square, New York, on “Biophysical Investigations Into the Structure and Function of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Nitric Oxide Signaling System.”
Brian Colle, professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, worked with Dean Chen, Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, New York, on “Improving the Precipitation Distribution Around Synthetic Tropical Cyclone Tracks Using Radar, P-CLIPER Precipitation Model and Deep Learning.”
Yuefan Deng
, professor in the CEAS Department of Applied Math and Statistics, worked with Daniel Dali Liang, Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, New York, on “Radiomic Feature Engineering for Automated Colorectal Polyp Classification Using Deep Learning Architectures.”
Benjamin Hsiao, distinguished professor in the Department of Chemistry, worked with Richard Chai, Smithtown High School East in Saint James, New York, on “Optimizing the Nitro-Oxidation Process To Convert Lignocellulosic Waste Into Fertilizers and Nanocellulosic Materials.”
Hsiao also worked with Mengnan Sun, Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove, California, on “Sustainable Hydrogel Beads for Removal and Recovery of Phosphate From Wastewater.”
Minos Kritikos, senior research scientist in the Program in Public Health, worked with Lauren Hedges, Kings Park High School in Kings Park, New York, on “Antemortem Associations Between Grey Matter Volume and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Item Scores in a Sample Stratified by the Presence of Postmortem Lewy Body Pathology.”
Ji Liu, assistant professor in the CEAS Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, worked with Susie Lu, Sammamish Homeschool in Sammamish, Washington, on “Fast Consensus Topology Design via Minimizing Laplacian Energy.”
Miriam Rafailovich
, distinguished professor in the CEAS Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, worked with Evan Xie, Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts, on “Fine-Tuning Dual Single-Atom Metal Sites on Graphene for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity.”
Wei Yang, associate professor in the Renaissance School of Medicine Department of Pathology, worked with Daanish Baasi, Smithtown High School East in Saint James, New York, on “Assessing Novel RIPK2-MKK7 Interaction Inhibitors in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines.”
About the Regeneron STS
Administered by the Society for Science, the Regeneron STS has been identifying and celebrating the nation’s most promising young scientists since 1942. The competition challenges students to present original research on critical scientific issues and recognizes their contributions to advancing knowledge in fields ranging from biomedical science to environmental sustainability.
“Congratulations to the 300 scholars in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search,” said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of the Society for Science. “These exceptional young scientists and engineers represent the best in the nation. We are thrilled to celebrate their ingenuity, hard work, and passion for STEM.”