T.C. Williams Student Wins $250,000 In National Science Contest

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A student at T.C. Williams High School has won first place and $250,000 in the nation’s most prestigious science competition, the Alexandria school system announced Thursday.

Ana Humphrey, a senior, surpassed more than 2,000 other students in the nationwide Regeneron Science Talent Search. She is the first Hispanic student to receive the award in 20 years, according to the school system.

Ana won first place for her mathematical model to determine the possible locations of exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.

The competition's judges said "that Ana’s research could aid mankind’s understanding of the formation of planets and inform our search for life in outer space," the school system said in a statement.

Ana developed her skills through a science research class for students in grades 10 through 12 at T.C. Williams.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search, a program of Society for Science & the Public since 1942, is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. This year projects tackled important global issues, such as management of infectious diseases, more efficient air travel and refugee migration patterns.

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