The Seaborg Award winner was Aditi Avinash of Highlands Ranch, Colorado; Arnav Chakravarthy of Cupertino, California, placed ninth.
The winner of the top prize in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the oldest and most esteemed science and math competition in the United States for seniors in high school, is Achutya Rajaram, 17, of Exeter, New Hampshire. The teen, who is Indian American, won $250,000 and first place for creating an automatic technique that identifies the components of a computer model that are involved in decision-making. This information illuminates the “thought processes” of these algorithms, potentially improving their efficiency, impartiality, and security.
Thomas Cong, 17, of Ossining, New York, took second place for his research on the quick growth of some cancers and whether or not genetic information expression governs metabolism in the main. Third-place winner Michelle Wei, a 17-year-old from San Jose, California, discovered that by rewriting the original problem into a modified form, second-order cone programming problems can be solved more quickly than previously believed.
Based on the scientific rigour of their projects and their potential to become world-changing scientists and leaders, the top 10 winners were selected from a pool of 40 finalists who were revealed in January.
“Congratulations to the Regeneron Science Talent Search winners of this year,” expressed Maya Ajmera, executive publisher of Science News and president and CEO of the Society for Science. We are all inspired by these students’ extraordinary intelligence and inventiveness. Their ground-breaking inventions have been instrumental in revealing the vital answers we urgently require to deal with our most difficult problems.”
Achutya Rajaram’s computer science project, which he submitted to the Regeneron Science Talent Search, was enhanced by his research in automatic visual circuit discovery. His creation of an automated technique for identifying which elements of the algorithms identify what was a major contribution to this endeavour. This information illuminates the “thought processes” of these algorithms, potentially improving their efficiency, equity, and security. He is co-head of the physics, chemistry, and chess clubs at Phillips Exeter Academy. His parents are Nivedita Chevvakula and Rajaram Ramaswamy Kumaraswamy. His love of jazz drumming has allowed him to perform with ensembles of all sizes, from symphonic orchestras to small combos.
Arnav Chakravarthy, a Cupertino, California resident, came in ninth. He received a $50,000 prize for comparing the genetic backgrounds of immune cells known as macrophages in the bone marrow, liver, and brain to discover more about how they self-renew. The majority of cells could be traced back to their embryonic origins, but Chakravathy discovered evidence that some brain cells might also be renewed as we age from our bone marrow. His research could help develop more focused treatments in the future for age-related illnesses like Alzheimer’s. He is the state secretary of the California Future Business Leaders of America and the co-founder and CEO of an AI-powered startup that optimises scientific workflows and research. He is the son of Leena Vakil and Venkatesh Chakravarthy. He has also served as the junior varsity tennis team’s captain at Cupertino’s Homestead High School.
Aditi Avinash, 17, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was named the Seaborg Award winner and given the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Regeneron Science Talent Search Class of 2024. She was selected by the 40 finalists as the student who best embodies both their class and the remarkable qualities of nuclear chemist Glenn T. Seaborg, the 1951 Chemistry Nobel laureate and 30-year member of the Society’s Board of Trustees. She discovered that three different enzymes work together to efficiently break down gluten proteins, and she thinks this could have therapeutic benefits for people who have gluten intolerance or celiac disease. She attends Rock Canyon High School and serves as president of both the Science National Honours Society and the Health Occupations Students of America. Padma and Senthil Avinash are her parents. She is also a five-second Taylor Swift song ID specialist and a classically trained Indian Kuchipudi dancer and singer. In order to integrate her “love of research” with her “clinical compassion,” she aspires to obtain her PhD and MD.
