(NASSAU COUNTY, N.Y.) - Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) joined communities across the 16th District in celebrating Regeneron Science Talent Seach competition finalists Natasha Kulviwat of Jericho High School, Vincent Huang of Syosset High School, and Jacob Gross of Roslyn High School.
Kulviwat, who previously won a $50,000 prize during the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, was recognized in this current competition for her project addressing “The Neurobiology of Suicide: Blood-Brain Barrier Breakdown as a Novel Suicide-Risk Biomarker.” Huang’s work focused on “a smart computer program LauePt4 for recognizing and simulating Laue patterns and its applications,” and Gross investigated “synergistic interactions among SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies.”
These three scholars from Nassau County are part of an elite nationwide field of 40 finalists that were announced on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Each finalist earned a $25,000 award and a trip to Washington, D.C., where they will compete for more than $1.8 million in prizes during the March 6-13 finals. The nation’s top 10 Regeneron finalists are scheduled to be announced on March 12.
“Nassau County’s schools are among the best in the state and our nation, and the success of these outstanding scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search offers yet another example of the importance of public education,” Deputy Minority Leader Drucker said. “It is so inspiring to watch these remarkable young people excel as they confront some of our society’s most daunting issues because I truly believe that they have the power to change the world with the aptitude and drive they have demonstrated. I wish them continued success in this competition and all of their future endeavors!”
Legislative District 16 was well represented in this year’s competition. In addition to this trio of finalists, semifinalists included Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School’s Syon Khatter, Richard Austin Wong and Christina Pan; Syosset High School’s Alex Chen, Griffon Hon and Aryan Nirav Shah; and Jericho Senior High School’s Victoria Tan. Each of the semifinalists won $2,000 in recognition of their scholastic aptitude.