Long Island Student Is Top 10 Finisher In Regeneron Contest

BELLMORE, NY — Katherine St George, a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, was named one of the top 10 finishers in the Regeneron Science Talent Search this week for her work studying the effects of caffeine and diet in the seizures of fruit flies.

St George, of Merrick, placed sixth overall and won an $80,000 award. She was one of four Long Island high schoolers — and two from JFK High School — to be named one of 40 finalists. For the first time in the awards history, the competition was held virtually to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. The competition was originally scheduled for March, but was delayed.

“I’m amazed by the tenacity of this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists, many of whom are seeking solutions to our greatest global challenges, and who rolled with the punches while competing during an unprecedented global pandemic,” said Dr. Leonard S. Schleifer, co-founder, president and CEO of Regeneron. “Congratulations to the winners, and welcome to the community of Science Talent Search alumni who have displayed remarkable scientific curiosity and leveraged their experience to make a difference in the sciences and beyond.”

The first-place finisher was 17-year-old Lillian Petersen of Los Alamos, New Mexico, who won a $250,000 award for inventing a simple tool to predict harvests early in the growing season. The tool will help improve food distribution planning and could help people who are battling food insecurity around the world.

St George's research into fruit flies found that a high-fat, low-carb diet can reduce seizures, while caffeine can increase them. The research could help inform diet counseling for human seizure patients.

“Congratulations to the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2020 winners,” said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science & the Public, publisher of Science News and 1985 Science Talent Search alumna. “Students like Lillian Petersen are the stewards of our future. The current pandemic has made it clear how important science is to our wellbeing. With these finalists at the forefront of scientific and engineering discovery, I know we are in good hands. They will be solving the world’s most intractable problems.”