Two students from Northern Virginia have been named among the 40 finalists of the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the “oldest and most prestigious” science and math competition for high school seniors.
The two finalists from Northern Virginia schools are Emily Ocasio from the New School of Northern Virginia, a private Fairfax school, and Ethan Zhou from McLean High School, according to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Society for Science.
“We are thrilled to welcome this inspiring and highly talented class of Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists,” said Maya Ajmera, the president and CEO of the Society for Science and the executive publisher of Science News.
“I am certain these extraordinary students will be following in the footsteps of our many accomplished alumni who are the forefront of breakthrough discoveries. The 2023 finalists will be using their leadership, intellect, creativity, and STEM skills to solve our world’s most intractable challenges.”
In order to compete, students conducted an original STEM-focused research project on a subject of their choosing. From 1,949 applicants, a panel of judges selected 40 finalists based on the creativity and academic rigor of their research, as well as their demonstrated achievements and leadership in and out of the classroom.
In her project titled “Demographic Correlates of Humanizing Language in Media Coverage of Crime: Evidence from the Boston Globe, 1976-84,” Ocasio used artificial intelligence to analyze hidden biases in news coverage of homicide victims by comparing FBI documents to archival news articles. The biases involved the races, genders, and ages of the victims.
Zhou’s project was titled “Online Learning of Smooth Functions.” It examined the mathematical theory behind a type of machine learning called online learning, and the way it performs when “predicting something very unpredictable.”
Ocasio and Zhou were among finalists from 34 schools in 14 states, competing for a top prize of $250,000.
Each finalist will be awarded at least $25,000 to be used for educational purposes, and prizes for the top 10 winners will range from $40,000 to $250,000.
Finalists will compete in a week-long competition in March to determine the top 10 winners, and the results will be announced in a livestream on March 14.
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