Out of 40 students nationwide, five students from Northern California were named finalists in the prestigious talent search.
Kat Schuster, Patch Staff
SILICON VALLEY, CA — Two Silicon Valley students were just dubbed finalists in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search.
On Thursday, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the Society for Science announced that 40 students advanced to finalists in the nation's longest-running science, technology, engineering and math competition for high school seniors.
Of the five finalists from the Golden State, two represent schools in Silicon Valley — Yash Ranjith of Westmont High School in Campbell and Charlotte Ava Rosario of The Nueva School in San Mateo.
Ranjith's research delves into the spread of pollution using physics while Rosario's work revolves around examining brain structures in relation to mood and anxiety in transgender and cisgender youth.
"These young people represent the future of innovation. By nurturing the next generation of scientific and engineering leaders, we are investing in a stronger economy and a better tomorrow, fueled by scientific and technological breakthroughs," said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of the Society for Science and Executive Publisher of Science News.
Find out what's happening in Redwood City-Woodsidefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Finalists are gearing up to participate in a week-long competition from March 6 to 12. The finalists representing 39 high school campuses across 16 states are competing for more than $1.8 million in awards.
Competitors will also be able to interact with leading scientists and share their research with the public. The top 10 Regeneron winners will be announced on March 11 and will be live-streamed from Washington D.C.
Each finalist will be awarded at least $25,000, with the top 10 awards ranging from $40,000 to $250,000, according to The Society.
The finalists were chosen based on the "originality and creativity" of their scientific research. They were also judged based on their achievement and leadership inside and outside of school.
The competition received 2,471 entrants, the largest pool of applicants since 1967, according to the Society For Science.
“[The competition] opened my eyes to the possibility of using science to improve lives,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder, Co-Chairman, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron, who was a top winner in 1976. “Regeneron now helps millions of people around the world facing serious diseases, which is a testament to what is possible when young scientific talent is nurtured. I see that same potential to transform our world in these finalists, and I look forward to their future contributions to science and to human health."
Here are the California finalists:
School: Westmont High School, Campbell, CA
Project Title: Modeling Pollution Spread With Obstructions Using Physics-Informed Neural Networks
School: The Nueva School, San Mateo, CA
Project Title: Examining Brain Structure in Relation to Mood and Anxiety in Pubertal Transgender and Cisgender Youth
School: Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon, CA
Project Title: Patching Multi-Location Software Bugs: A Multi-Agent Large Language Model Framework for Automated Program Repair
School: Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA
Project Title: A New Particle Pusher With Hadronic Interactions for Modeling Multimessenger Emission From Compact Objects
School: Proof School, San Francisco, CA
Project Title: The Differential Effects of Strict Voter Identification Laws on Election Type and Adoption Timing