Tarrytown, NY: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Society for Science announced that Achyuta Rajaram, 17, of Exeter, NH, won the top award in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) 2024, America’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.
The competition, now in its 83rd year, has consistently identified young innovators who become tomorrow’s STEM leaders.
Forty finalists, including Achyuta, were honored on March 12, 2024, during an award ceremony emceed by American Broadcaster Soledad O’Brien. More than $1.8 million was awarded to the finalists, who were selected from among the largest entrant pool since the 1960s through a holistic evaluation process.
Achyuta Rajaram won first place and $250,000 for developing an automatic method to discover which parts of a computer model are involved in decision-making. This knowledge sheds light on what these algorithms are “thinking,” which can help make them more effective, fair and safe.
“Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News. “The remarkable intellect and ingenuity of these students serves as an inspiration for us all. Their groundbreaking innovations are vital in uncovering the crucial solutions we need now to address our most intractable challenges.”
“Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search and to all the brilliant finalists,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., co-Founder, Board co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron, and a top winner in the 1976 STS. “My own participation in the Science Talent Search during my high school years sparked a lifelong commitment to science and set me on my path of inventing and developing new medicines for previously untreatable diseases. Our finalists are only beginning their journeys, and their extraordinary achievements at such a young age give me hope that they will go on to deliver major innovative breakthroughs that will greatly benefit humanity.”
Other Indian American honors from the competition include:
Arnav Chakravarthy
Arnav Chakravarthy, 18, of Cupertino, CA who received a $50,000 award for comparing the genetic origins of a type of immune cell, known as macrophages, in the brain, liver and bone marrow to learn more about how they replenish themselves. Most cells could be traced back to their embryonic beginnings, however, Arnav found evidence that certain brain cells may also be replenished from our bone marrow as we age. His findings may shed light on future targeted therapies for age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Aditi Avinash
Aditi Avinash, 17, of Highlands Ranch, CO, was named the Seaborg Award winner and given the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Regeneron Science Talent Search Class of 2024. The 40 finalists chose Aditi as the student who most exemplifies their class and the extraordinary attributes of nuclear chemist Glenn T. Seaborg, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1951 and served on the Society’s Board of Trustees for 30 years.
