IB students named as US top science scholars

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Eighteen International Baccalaureate (IB) students from across the United States have been chosen as top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023.

Started in 1942, The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The competition recognizes and empowers promising young scientists who are developing ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges. The top 300 scholars were chosen from a pool of 1,949 applications from 627 high schools across 48 states, Washington, D.C., and five other countries.

 

We invited the students to share their thoughts and feelings about being selected as top 300 scholars:

Columns

  • Shivani Babu

    Auburn High School
    Auburn, Alabama

    “Since joining Auburn High School’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in 2021, I have gained distinct experiences through a wide breadth of courses within the curriculum, from inquiring origins of thought in the Theory of Knowledge to learning multifaceted cultures in Spanish B. The program has provided me with a developed acumen and strong collaborative skills, both of which augmented my selection as one of America’s Top 300 Teen Scientists in the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search.”

  • Thaddaeus Kiker*

    Sunny Hills, High School
    Fullerton, California

    “It is such an incredible honor to be selected as a finalist for this year's class of Regeneron STS finalists! This award makes me feel so proud of my research. I have been very fortunate to take two IB classes at my high school: IB Russian B and IB Theory of Knowledge. These have definitely been my two favourite classes in high school, and in addition to all our compelling discussions in TOK, I have numerous fond memories of discussing everything from post-scarcity economics to my Regeneron STS research project with my TOK teacher.”

Columns

  • Nishant Lahiri

    Corning-Painted Post High School
    Corning, New York

    “Being awarded this designation as an STS Scholar is a testament to the skills that I have gained being involved with the full IB curriculum. Writing my Internal Assessments for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Computer Science has grown my familiarity with scientific writing and critical thinking. I was able to transfer those skills outside of the classroom to my research on carbon capture and it has afforded me opportunities that I would have never thought were possible.”

  • Pinyu Liao

    Inglemoor Senior High School
    Kenmore Washington

    "Joining the IB at Inglemoor was one of the greatest decisions I made in high school. It helped me change the trajectory of what I thought I was capable of. Through the IB curriculum that encouraged a deep exploration of topics and questioning ideas, IB sparked my inspiration to begin exploring new projects through research and beyond, such as my project for STS, where I learned to create using the resources I had at home with a laptop computer."

Columns

  • Sruthi Sentil

    James S Rickards High School
    Tallahassee, Florida

    “To me, being an IB student has transformed my perception as a learner entirely. The IB's programmes fuelled my desire to engage in inquiry beyond a definite studying sense, taking on research projects to explore my niche interests. Being named a Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar, I’m honored that my research efforts have been recognized, bringing a satisfying conclusion to a passion project I hold close to my heart. I hope that this backing gives me the platform to enact true change supporting sustainable agriculture.”

  • Armaan Srireddy

    Westwood High School
    Austin, Texas

    “I was at a loss for words when I learned I was chosen as a Regeneron STS Scholar. I am deeply honored and humbled by the chance to share my research with my peers and experts nationwide. Seeing my research recognized at STS reaffirms the notion that I can make a difference. The core values that IB instilled in me have been crucial when conducting independent research. Overall, the IB program has been an instrumental part of my growth as a learner, researcher, and scientist, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to partake in it.”

Shloke Patel

Hillsborough High School
Tampa, Florida

“Rigor and breadth of IB education made me a critical thinker, inquisitive problem solver, and collaborative researcher.”

Congratulations to the following scholars:

Student

School

Location

Shivani Babu

Auburn High School

Auburn, Alabama

Angela Huang

Sebring High School

Sebring, Florida

Amav Khambete

Coppell High School

Coppell, Texas

Thaddaeus Kiker*

Sunny Hills High School

Fullerton, California

Remington Kim

Bergen County Academies

Hackansack, New Jersey

Sugmin Kim

Bergen County Academies

Hackansack, New Jersey
Veda Kutagula

Allen High School

Allen, Texas

Nishant Lahiri

Corning-Painted Post High School

Corning, New York

Pinyu Liao

Inglemoor Senior High School

Kenmore, Washington

Amishi Mittal

Bergen County Academies

Hackansack, New Jersey

Shloke Patel

Hillsborough High School

Tampa, Florida

Sonya Savelyev 

Bergen County Academies

Hackansack, New Jersey
Ambica Sharma

Washington-Liberty High School

Arlington, Virginia

Armaan Srireddy

Westwood High School

Austin, Texas
Divyash Virah Shah

Bergen County Academies

Hackansack, New Jersey

Yue Wang

George School

Newton, Pennsylvania

Temmie Yu

Bergen County Academies

Hackansack, New Jersey

*Thaddaeus Kiker was chosen as one of the top 10 finalists in the competition. He received a $40,000 award for developing a machine-learning approach to predict the presence and properties of quasi-periodic oscillations in black holes and packaging his software into an “open source” library so other scientists can build on his methods.