Regeneron Science Fair awards top honors to Jericho students Natasha Kulviwat, Kevin Zhu

Two Jericho High School students won top honors Friday in the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, including a 16-year-old student who won $50,000 for her research on biomarkers that could prevent suicides and a high school senior recognized as finalist in an earlier national science competition who had been named a Presidential Scholar just last week.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Society for Science, which runs the science and engineering competition, announced the results Friday.

Jericho's Natasha Kulviwat, 16, won the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations, which includes a $50,000 prize for her work on the neurobiology of suicide. She was one of three finalists in the competition to earn $50,000.

By analyzing de-identified brain tissue from 20 people, Kulviwat measured levels of the proteins cytokine and claudin-5 and found that neuroinflammation and claudin-5 was increased in the brains of suicide cases. Her work suggests that high levels of the protein claudin-5 could serve as pre-markers for suicide and that certain anti-inflammatory drugs might decrease claudin-5 levels, Future assessments are needed to evaluate the potential value of this approach to suicide prevention.

"I wanted to focus more on the neurobiological aspect of trying to predict and prevent suicide," said Kulviwat, a junior. "I definitely did a lot of reading — I had three five-inch binders filled with journal articles I have read and annotated —  in order to make my project come to fruition. 

"I’m so excited that people recognize the impact that my research can have and I hope this brings increased awareness into the field of psychiatric research," Kulviwat said.

Also honored in the competition was Jericho High School senior Kevin Zhu, 18, who earned the Dudley R. Herschbach SIYSS Award and an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar, which includes attendance at the Nobel Prize ceremonies.

He said Friday he will definitely be heading to Stockholm.

"This has been one of the most amazing weeks of my life," he said. "I'm so grateful to everyone I've met and that has supported me."

His project looked at a specific subset of cancer mutations to determine if they are prevalent and can be used as indicators of a cancer diagnosis. He found that his method could be used to identify and diagnose certain cancers earlier than is currently possible.

Just last week, Zhu was named one of 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars nationwide. Recognition as a Presidential Scholar is one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. Earlier this school year, Zhu was a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search where he earned a prize of $25,000 for reaching the finals.

The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair featured more than 1,600 young scientists representing 49 states and 64 countries across the world competing in the world’s largest global pre-college science and engineering competition.

A 17-year-old California student won the top award. Kaitlyn Wang, of San Jose, was honored at the Grand Awards Ceremony in Dallas for a project that explored planets that orbit very closely around their suns. Other top prizes went to projects in the fields of computational biology, animal sciences and neurobiology.

“I am humbled by the creativity and determination demonstrated by these exceptional students and proud of all they have accomplished with their outstanding research abilities," said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of the Society for Science and executive publisher of Science News.

By Joie Tyrrell

joie.tyrrell@newsday.com@JoieTyrrell

Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.