3 Yorktown, Somers Students Named Regeneron Scholars For 2021

YORKTOWN, NY — The top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021 were announced Thursday by the Society for Science, and three of the scholars go to school in Yorktown and Somers.

The 300 scholars and their respective schools will be awarded $2,000 each.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation's oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors, according to a spokesperson.

The scholars were selected from 1,760 applications received from 611 high schools across 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 10 countries. They were chosen based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking and promise as scientists, and hail from 198 American and international high schools in 37 states, Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei and Singapore.

In the Hudson Valley, there were 33 Scholars chosen for 2021.

The local Scholars are:

• Niharika Bhattacharjee, Yorktown High School; Project Title: Digital Dental Triage: Automated Digital Diagnosing System for Dental Cavities Using Artificial Intelligence
• Scott Weitman, Yorktown High School; Project Title: Emotional and Social Impact of Autoimmune Diseases
• Sean Reichbach, Somers High School; Project Title: Does the American Political System Harm United States Representative Democracy?

The Regeneron Science Talent Search provides students with a national stage to present original research and celebrates the hard work and discoveries of young scientists who are bringing a fresh perspective to significant global challenges. This year, research projects cover topics from bioinformatics to public health and energy efficiency.

Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science, said the scholars represent a hopeful outlook for the future.

“At a time when many students’ educational experiences are being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am incredibly humbled to see gifted young scientists and engineers eager to contribute fresh insights to solving the world’s most intractable problems,” she said.

On Jan. 21, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. From March 10-17, all 40 finalists will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards provided by Regeneron.