Syosset Senior Named Regeneron Finalist

A Syosset High School student is among five students from Long Island who were named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists.

Senior Thomas Lam is among the 40 finalists selected from 300 semifinalists, known as Scholars, who were selected from more than 2,000 entrants from across the country. Regeneron said that the finalists were chosen based on the scientific rigor of their projects and their potential to "become world-changing scientists."

Lam was recognized for creating a game named The Number Rotation Puzzle, which is played on a square or rectangular grid of scrambled numbers. According to Syosset Schools, "the goal of the game is to restore the numbers back into order by rotating square blocks of numbers of a set size. For all possible sizes of the board and all possible sizes of the rotating square blocks, players determine for what initial positions of the numbers the puzzle is solvable. Three-cycle algorithms, which are essential to solving these types of combination games, were found using a computer program in order to solve this focused problem. The results were then extended and special cases in which the general solving algorithm failed were handled."

Each finalist will receive a minimum $25,000 award, with a top award of $250,000.

Other Long Island finalists include:

• Eish Maheshwari, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park: "Design of a Red Blood Cell-Based Drug-Delivery Platform for Improving Curcumin Pharmacokinetics and Bioavailability via Reengineered Silica Nanoparticles"
• Ahmad Perez, Brentwood High School - Sonderling Center, Brentwood: "Assessing Marsh Degradation in Two Long Island Salt Marshes and a Method for Restoration"
• Justin Schiavo, Roslyn High School, Roslyn Heights: "The Effect of the Aerospike Nozzle on the Hybrid Rocket Engine"
• Madhav Subramanian, Jericho High School, Jericho: "ETM* is Indispensable to Endothelial Behaviour During Tumor Angiogenesis"

The finalists will now travel to Washington, D.C. to compete from March 7 through 13. Just by merit of being named finalists, each of the students will be awarded at least $25,000. The top 10 winners will receive awards ranging from $40,000 to the top prize of $250,000. That is in addition to the $2,000 each student received for being named a Scholar, which also included $2,000 for each of their schools.

"The Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists are our country's most promising young scientists, and I'm thrilled to congratulate them on this outstanding academic achievement," said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron and a Science Talent Search winner in 1976. "I will never forget how participating in the Science Talent Search back when it was sponsored by Westinghouse changed my life and gave me the inspiration and confidence to pursue a career in science. I can only hope these amazing young scientists build on their success in this year's event and go on to use their scientific talents to address the many urgent challenges we face as a society, from climate change to disease."

Image via Syosset Schools

• Regeneron STS finalist Thomas Lam.
  
• Thomas Lam with Research Facilitator Veronica Ade.
  
• Thomas Lam is congratulated by, from left, Superintendent Dr. Rogers, Science Coordinator Raymond Loverso, Math Teacher Erin O’Rourke, Research Facilitator Veronica Ade, and Principal Dr. Durante.