Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair Winners

May 9–15, 2026, Phoenix, Arizona

Photo Credit: Lisa Fryklund/Licensed by Society for Science

Each year, APA participates as a special award organization at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition, which brings together nearly 2,000 finalists from about 70 countries. As a special award organization, APA recognizes the top seven psychological science projects.

The 2026 APA Special Awards at ISEF recognized student projects spanning key themes, including human-AI interaction and its implications for moral reasoning, links between debate experience and creativity, and the use of AI to enhance classroom engagement. Additional awarded work highlighted technology-based approaches to attention and fatigue, multi-sensory cognitive stimulation for neurodegenerative conditions, strategies to reduce smartphone use and improve social presence, and the effects of accent familiarity on memory and social perception.

First award of $1,500

• How AI speaks changes how people think: Framing AI advice to keep moral reasoning human, Aadi Mishra, The Waterford School, Salt Lake City, UT

Second award of $1,000

• Debaters and creators: How debate experience relates to creativity, Aadith Kacholia, American School of Bombay, Mumbai, India

Third award of $500

• The neurocognitive and social impact of accent familiarity: An investigation into memory recall and perceptual bias, Amanat Jain, Garden City High School, Garden City, NY

• Designing for presence: A randomized controlled trial comparing incentive structures to reduce smartphone use during social interactions, Atiksh Bhan, Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School, Woodbridge, VA

• Cognitive stimulation via multi-sensory integration: Testing the impact of childhood multimedia tools on engagement in Alzheimer's and dementia patients, Victor Ramos, John B. Alexander High School, Laredo, TX

• AI companion for attentional fatigue: Detection of facial features to anticipate attentional fatigue coupled with sonic stimuli to mitigate inattention, Mahie Patil, Orlando Science High School, Winter Garden, FL

• AI-based system for analyzing and supporting student engagement in the classroom, Abdul Rahman Al Balushi & Ibrahim Al Zarouni, Saad Bin Abi Waqqas School, Shinas, Oman

May 10–16, 2025, Columbus, Ohio

First award of $1,500

• Engaging minds, Debunking lies: Using moral foundations to fight misinformation, Aadi Mishra, The Waterford School, Salt Lake City, UT

Second award of $1,000

• Healthy gut! Healthy you! Preclinical validation of a novel enzyme therapy for improving generalized anxiety disorder and overall gastrointestinal health in Rattus norvegicus, Vanya Lavu, The Classical Academy–North, Colorado Springs, CO

Third award of $500

• Harmony Plus: A user-adaptive system for neurocognitive rehabilitation with genetic personalization and real-time cognitive load monitoring in bipolar disorder, Sahar Ashraf Mahmoud Ahmed, City Schools, Sohag, Egypt
• Developing a screening instrument for Arabic speaking children with reading dyslexia, Sima Omar Saleh Al-Shaghnobi, Bunat Alghad Academy, Amman, Jordan
• The impact of puzzle-solving on memory retention and concentration: A study of cognitive enhancement, Nazifa Arna, Upper Darby High School, Upper Darby, PA
• Personalized nature virtual reality (PnVR): A novel personalized virtual reality nature therapy via a triple combination computational software for worldwide mental health benefit, Matthew Hutcherson Casavant, John Jay High School, Cross River, NY
• Memory board: An eidetic neuro-training complex with digital integration for cognitive development, Iryna Korynevska, Boryspil Academic Lyceum, Boryspil, Kyiv, Ukraine

May 11–17, 2024, Los Angeles, California

First award of $1,500

• Harmony: A remote AI-based monitoring and prediction system for manic and depression episodes in bipolar disorders, Sahar Ashraf Ahmed, City Schools, Sohag, Egypt

Second award of $1,000

• Differential empathy, social dominance orientation, and the limitations of social science research, Sierra Anne Sun, The Waterford School, Sandy, UT

Third award of $500

• Concentration-dependent effects of dietary niacin and NAD+ in longevity, memory, and motor function of Drosophila melanogaster, Olivia Saun So, Harvard-Westlake Upper School, Studio City, CA

• Rhythms and blues: Examining potential health hazards of blue light-induced circadian disruption in Drosophila melanogaster, Rania S. Lateef, Governor’s School at Innovation Park, Manassas, VA

• Searching for “magic pill”: A novel adenosine modulator in the treatment of schizophrenia and stress-related disorders, Shao-Chieh Fu, Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Yu-Pin Tsao, Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School, New Taipei City, Taiwan

• ArabLexify: Elevating early dyslexia diagnosis in Arabic-speaking children ages 6–12 by utilizing accessible digital screening tool, Mohamed Ahmed Sakr, Obour STEM School, Cairo, Egypt

• The recursive relationship between personalized music choice and adolescent mental wellness: An empirical study, Aanya Gupta, Horace Mann School, New York, NY

May 13–19, Dallas, Texas

First award of $1,500

• Assessing abnormalities in spatial awareness of patients with Alzheimer’s disease through the line quadrisection test, Yurim Jin, Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea

Second award of $1,000

• Occupational stress and mental health outcomes among the emergency medical services population, Mikayla Schwartz, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Port Washington, New York

Third award of $500

• DysDiag: A novel risk assessment and screening tool for learning disorders in children, Spurti Nimbali, Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram, New Delhi, India
• Little mermaid: Improving social communication level for mildly autistic children using video call-based mobile application game, Sama Nooh and Shahd Nooh, Sharkya STEM School, Belbies, Sharkia, Egypt
• The effects of environmental disparities on the environmental awareness of high school students in the greater Birmingham area, Joscelyn Kalani and James Peterson, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, Alabama
• Die Verwante Woord Project: Learning Afrikaans using HD-tDCS, Garrett Michael Goulstone, Hellgate High School, Missoula, Montana
• Determining whether the onset age of bilingualism enhances cognitive control, Michelle Choi, Iolani School, Honolulu, Hawaii

May 7–13, Atlanta, Georgia and Virtual

First award of $1,500

• SuiSensor: A novel, low-cost machine learning system for real-time suicide risk identification and treatment optimization via computational linguistics: Siddhanth Pachipala, College Park High School, The Woodlands, Texas

Second award of $1,000

• BREATH analysis: Improving community readiness outcomes for native Hawaiian students in K-12 education: Carolyn Clebsch, Kealakehe High School, Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi

Third award of $500

• The effect of virtual learning on student long term self-esteem: Sarah Garfield, Palm Beach Central High School, Wellington, Florida
• Neurocognitive tasks: Novel markers to predict and prevent adolescent suicidal behavior: Natasha Kulviwat, Jericho High School, Jericho, New York
• Cognitive profiling and personalized therapy recommendation for dementia through a language-aware multi-model artificially intelligent system: Kosha Upadhyay, Bellevue Senior High School, Bellevue, Washington
• The transgenerational effects of the synergy of nicotine, atomoxetine, and buspirone on egg laying habits, gene expression, and oxidative stress levels in C. elegans: Malcolm Owusu, American Heritage School, Plantation, Florida
• High school students’ psychological difficulties in online learning: Meghan Pasala, Spring Valley High School, Columbia, South Carolina

May 2021, Virtual

First award of $1,500

• Autest: Culturally adapted risk assessment game for autism spectrum disorder: Anwesha Das, Delhi Public School, Kalyanpur, Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India; and Aranyo Ray, Kalyani Public School, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Second award of $1,000

• Digital phenotyping sutism: Investigating objective vocal and movement quantification for characterizing autism severity: Emilin Maria Mathew, American Heritage School, Davie, Florida

Third award of $500

• Jewish identity formation processes within reform adolescents: Rachel Elizabeth Buksbaum, Wiregrass Ranch High School, Wesley Chapel, Florida
• Optimizing students’ working memory capacity with binaural beats: An experimental study on SMA Negeri 28 Jakarta students: Athifah Qonita Millati and Noor Naila Imtinan Himam, SMA Negeri 28 Jakarta, Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta, Indonesia
• Using response times to investigate the face recognition mechanism in developmental prosopagnosia: Tanvi Palsamudram, The International School of Bangalore (TISB), Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• SMART CUBES: Interactive tactile and sound set for blind children: Aleksei Shremzer, Gymnasium #32, Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, Russian Federation
• High school students’ psychological difficulties in online learning: Mai Phuong Vu and Phuc Viet Hoang, Lao Cai High School for Gifted Students, Lao Cai, Lao Cai, Viet Nam

Honorable mention

• Video game reward systems and their impact on players’ behavior in the Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma: Madeline Audrey Santoso, West Linn High School, West Linn, Oregon
• Don’t trip; TRIPP! The effect of a virtual reality meditation environment on stress and mindfulness: Stefan Alek Salaices, Colleyville Heritage High School, Grapevine, Texas
• Application for screening attention deficit disorder (Inattentive ADHD (ADD)): Jood Faisal Mohammed and Zeina Ahed Al Sharavdeh, Jubilee School, Amman, Jordan
• Seeing through the scan: The impact of fMRI evidence on juror satisfaction and verdicts: Isabella Souza, Syosset High School, Syosset, New York

May 12–17, Phoenix, Arizona

First place award of $1,500

• iSense: Artificial intelligence based early detection tool to identify linguistic biomarkers of mood disorders and recognize at-risk individuals: Divya Nori, Milton High School, Milton, Georgia

Second place award of $1,000

• Real-time analysis of emotions for neurological disorder patients: Shreya Ramesh, Milton High School, Milton, Georgia

Third place award of $500

• Combating stuttering via an empowered multi-modal neural network based on facial and audio recognition data: Ronald Xu, Winter Springs High School, Winter Springs, Florida
• The neural mechanisms underlying the other race effect for expression perception: Tsung-Tien Hsiung, Taipei First Girls High School, Taipei, Taiwan
• Effect of bilingualism on stroop interference: Cameron Niedhard, Carroll High School, Dayton, Ohio
• Fruggie: Building healthy food pyramids with technology: Annika Huprikar, Deerfield High School, Deerfield, Illinois
• Treating Parkinson’s neurodegeneration in diabetic, paraquat-exposed Drosophila by increasing caffeine intake: Jessica Goldstein, Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, Plainview, New York

Honorable mention

• Clinical approach to predict cognitive disorders in multiple sclerosis: The use of biomarkers generated by eye movement disorders: Lana Alakhras and Raseel Scwaiki, Al-Hasaad Al-Tarbawi School, Amman, Jordan
• DRAWIT: Predicting children physiological state, behavioral tendencies and personality characteristics using guided drawing: Dania Almubiden, Al Ridwan Schools, Amman, Kalda, Jordan
• Sensory integration in adolescents with a history of multiple concussions: Giovanni Santucci, Ossining High School, Ossining, New York
• Diagnosing autism with machine learning: Binary classification for eye movement in virtual reality environment: Rhythm Garg, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, Denton, Texas
• Evaluating the relationship between concussion knowledge and reporting tendencies in high school athletes: Joseph Atherall, Yorktown High School, Yorktown Heights, New York
• A card and board game to reduce gender-based implicit biases using perspective-taking and counter stereotyping and other methods of influence: Prena Magon, Police DAV Public School, PAP, Jalandhar, Punjab, India
• Anxiety disorder detection and EDMR treatment using optical PCCR eye tracking: Abhinav Gundrala, Nicole Gunderson, and Rachel Freeman, Olympia High School, Olympia, Washington

May 13-18, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

First place award of $1,500

• Alterations in Oligodendroglia Lineage Cells and their Impact in Major Depressive Disorder: Matthew Ryan Mullahy, Smithtown High School, East St. James, New York

Second place award of $1,000

• The Effect of Altering Drosphila Gut Microbiata on Mate Choice, Immunity, Memory, and Aggression: Natalia Nicole Murillo and Rebecca Volkov, Pascack Hills High School, Montvale, New Jersey

Third place award of $500

• A Rapid Prediction Method for Epileptic Seizures Using Machine Learning Algorithms: Suraj Modi, Mountain View High School, Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Using Python to Develop Twitter Personas: Adam Joseph Rilatt and Daniella Feistritzer, Central York High School, York, Pennsylvania
• Improving Communication for the Visually Impaired Through an Innovative Arabic Writing System: Taala Fahad Aboalnaja, Third Intermediate School in Dhahran, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
• The Effect of Metformin on Post Traumatic Brain Injury Learning and Learning Disabilities: Emma Elizabeth Bilton and Hannah Rose Bilton, Yorktown High School, Yorktown Heights, New York
• Treating Parkinson’s Neurodegeneration in Diabetic, Paraquat-exposed Drosophila by Increasing Caffeine Intake: Ephraim Oyetuni, American Heritage School, Miramar, Florida

Honorable mention

• Better Decision Making: Forecasting or Surrogation?: Alyssa Knowles, Friendswood High School, Friendswood, Texas
• Externality Framing Effects on Cognition: Emma Grace Sun, The Waterford School, Sandy, Utah
• Assessment of Fall Risk Associated with High Heeled Footwear Utilizing Computerized Dynamic Posturography: A Two-Phase Study: Alexis McFeely, St. John Paul II Catholic High School, Hampton Cove, Alabama
• A Quantifiable Method to Detect and Monitor ADHD: The Use of Facial Motion-Based Behavioral Cues Analysis Using Deep Neural Network and RGBD Data: Ishaan Maitra, Ardrey Kell High School, Charlotte, North Carolina
• The Impact of Emotionally Targeted Branding on Social Behavior: Phoebe Mae Yates, Institute for Collaborative Education, Brooklyn, New York
• Investigating the Relationship Between Polling Building Type and Voting Results: A Study in Priming: Noah Ball Robinson, Bangor High School, Bangor, Maine
• Improving Facial Expression Recognition in Parkinson’s Disease Using Meditation: Ben Weiss and Kaitlynn Weiss, Kalaheo High School, Kailua, Hawaii
• Unplugged: Quantifying the Effects of Technology on Adolescent Sleep and Mood: Louise Aehyun Hostrup Kim and Spencer Lee Yueh, Breck School, Golden Valley, New Mexico
• Can a Preventative Social Media UI Break “Fake News?”: Ryan Miles Beam, Scotts Valley High School, Scotts Valley, California

May 14–19, Los Angeles, California

First place award of $1,500

• Education on Stereotypes: Are Children More Receptive than Adults?: Deepa Bhuvanagiri, Eureka High School, Eureka, Missouri

Second place award of $1,000

• The Effect of Highway Font Type on Readability of Text Under Blurred Conditions: Jacob Hall, H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Arlington, Virginia

Third place award of $500

• RoboGlove: A Design for Engagement and Hedonic Motivation with Visual-Spatial for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children, Phase II: Hiba Muhyi, Arrowhead Park Early College High School, Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Effects of Cellular Devices on Teen Driving: Karen Scharlau and Makenna Gabel, Cochrane-Fountain City High School, Fountain City, Wisconsin
• Evaluating Autism Connectivity Abnormalities Through Functional Fingerprinting: William Snyder, Severna Park Senior High School, Severna Park, Maryland
• Suggested Memory Therapy: A Novel Treatment for Psychological Inflexibility: Ben Weiss, 17, Kalaheo High School, Kailua, Hawaii
• Kemotions: Keys to Emotional Cues: Sapna Patel, Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Florida

Honorable mention

• Self Image of Athletes with Disability: A New Meaning: Isabela Dombrady, Colegio Giordano Bruno, Brazil

May 8–13, Phoenix, Arizona

First place award of $1,500

• MeEmo: An Autism Destroying Avatar, Year Two: Sapna Patel, Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Florida

Second place award of $1,000

• Redefining the Neurological Basis of Fluid Intelligence: Investigating Connection Strength and Network Strength of Resting State functional Connectivity: Jessica Huang, Jericho High School, Jericho, New York

Third place award of $500

• Making the Mind Matter: Stress Mindset Effects on Sleep Quality, Stress Response, Emotion and Cognition in the Developing Adolescent Brain and the Role of the Prefrontal-Amygdala Circuit: Kashfia Rahman, Brookings High School, Brookings, South Dakota
• Individual Neural Network Activity Patterns Underlie Complex Cognitive Task Performance: An fMRI With Clinical Implications: Sarah Fendrich, Ossining High School, Ossining, New York
• CRANIOMETRIX: Developing Innovative Cognitive Tests to Diagnose Alzheimer's Early, Year Four: Nikhil Sanjay Patel, Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Florida
• A Study of Biases in Perception: Sophia Alexandra Hawley, West Salem High School, Salem, Oregon
• Cognitive and Brain Measures in Middle-Aged Autistic Spectrum Disorder Individuals: Where Are the Differences?: Divya Vatsa, BASIS Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona; and Emily Wood, Xavier College Preparatory, Phoenix, Arizona

May 10–15, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

First place award of $1,500

• Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones: Middle School Students' Perceptions of Bullying: Aansh Shah, Roslyn High School, Roslyn, New York

Second place award of $1,000

• Stay Tuned! Comparing the Effects of Long and Short-Term Auditory Stimulation for Increasing the Sensitivity of a Person’s Hearing: Alexandra Zoe Garth, Redeemer Baptist School, North Parramatta, Australia

Third place awards of $500

• The Effect of Multitasking on Reading Comprehension in Teens: Colter Norick and Colin Norick, Columbia Falls High School, Columbia Falls, Montana
• Game Theoretic Model of Genetic Discrimination: Margaret Caroline Steiner, Academy of Science and Technology, The Woodlands, Texas
• Constructing a Carcinogen Indicator Application Based on Statistical Analysis of Statewide Cancer Incidences in Relationship with Graphical Consumer Data: Sarah Asfari and Yousuf Asfari, Al-Huda School, College Park, Maryland
• Intranasal Insulin Enhances Spatial Memory and Cognitive Adjustment: Tran Minh Hieu and Le Hoang Nhat, Lam Son High School for the Gifted, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam
• TALK—An AAC Device: Converting Breath into Speech for the Disabled: Arsh Shah Dilbagi, DAV Public School, Panipat, India

May 11–16, Los Angeles, California

First place award of $1,500

• Adolescent Loss of Lis1 Results in Defective Hippocampal Morphology and Distinct Behavioral Deficits Resembling a Schizophrenic-Like Phenotype: Leighton Braunstein, The Dalton School, New York

Second place award of $1,000

• Hand Hygiene Gone Viral? A Study of Student Involvement in a Social Media Campaign as a Method of Bringing Hand Hygiene to the Masses: Timothy James Fossum Renier, Duluth East High School, Duluth, Minnesota

Third place awards of $500

• Linking Expression and Function of FoxP2 in Adult Songbirds Using Operant Preference Testing: Petra Luna Grutzik, Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach, California
• Light Speed: A Measure of Ocular Phototransduction Using Pulsed Light Emitting Diodes: Ashley Maye Hamlin, Hilton Head Island High School, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
• The Paradox of Emotional Dimensionality: The Effect of the Dimensionality of Audio Stimuli on the Brain's Electrical Activity, a Neuroscience Study: Michelle Maria Marquez, Math and Science High School at Clover Hill, Midlothian, Virginia
• The Correlation Between Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) and Cognitive Function in Health Teens: Colin Norick and Colter Norick, Columbia Falls High School, Columbia Falls, Montana
• A Study of the Effects of Transplantation of Tissue from Planarian Flatworks Conditioned with Light-Shock Therapy into Naïve Planarian Flatworms: Chloe Sherry, John Adams High School, South Bend, Indiana

May 12–17, Phoenix, Arizona

First place award of $1,500

• The Effect of Emoticon Stimuli on Human Facial Muscle Activation and Social Evaluation using Electromyographic Technology: A Novel Determination: Abigail Claire Orlando, Eastchester High School, Eastchester, New York

Second place award of $1,000

• Neural Plasticity: Novel Language Learning through Digital Technology: Adelina Corina Cozma, Bayview Secondary School, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

Third place awards of $500

• A Model of Medial Entorhinal Cortex Grid Cell Remapping: Ryan Silva, University High School, Tucson, Arizona
• Improving Long-term Compliance to Life Saving Medications: Avinash Kumar Pandey, Waterloo Collegiate Institute, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• Developmental Gene Lis1 in the Adult Brain is Necessary for Spatial But Not for Novelty Memory: Leighton Anne Braunstein, The Dalton School, New York
• Investigating the Roles of A2A and TrkB Receptor Proteins in Response to the Cholesterol and Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor in an Alzheimer’s Disease Model: Heidi Marie Smith and Jessica Leigh Joyce, Loudoun County Academy of Science, Sterling, Virginia
• Indicting Alzheimer’s: Novel Methods of Preventing Glial Scarring through the Downregulation of Cerebral Vimentin and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein: Tejas Dharmaraj and Manav Sevak, Chandler High School, Chandler, Arizona