Notable Alumni Headshot David Ruchien Liu
Notable Alumni - headshot
Notable Alumni - Alice Koniges with her project at the 1974 ISEF in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Notable Alumni Headshot -
Notable Alumni - Roderic Pettigrew
Notable Alumni - Jon Kleinberg, professor of computer science (COMS), teaching a class.
Notable Alumni - Raymond Kurzweil
Notable Alumni Gideon Yu
Notable Alumni - Erika Ebbel Angle
Notable Alumni - Kristina Johnson
Notable Alumni - Lisa Su
Notable Alumni - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Notable Alumni -Robert Axelrod
Notable Alumni - Gordon Freeman
Notable Alumni - Kip Thorne
Notable Alumni - Susan Kayser
Notable Alumni headshot - Anil Menon
Robert Coleman headshot Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

Innovators. Explorers. Scientists.

From Nobel laureates to entrepreneurs and inventors, the Society for Science has an extraordinary community of alumni who embody the principles of science and engineering research, leadership, innovation and global impact in their careers long after competing in our storied science research competitions.

These alumni underscore the critical importance of the Society’s programs — which encourage and celebrate young scientific talent and its potential — and tell the story of our history.

In celebration of the Society’s centennial, these impressive changemakers were selected based on their professional accomplishments and lasting contributions to advancing science and improving the world in which we live. We look forward to adding alumni in the years that follow.

We hope you explore this list, draw inspiration from their journeys and share your story as a past competitor.

If you would like to nominate yourself or another alumna/us to be considered for the website, please email alumni@societyforscience.org with the subject line “Notable Alumni Nomination”.

Please visit our Regeneron ISEF, Regeneron Science Talent Search, Broadcom MASTERS and suite of Outreach and Equity programs pages to discover the next generation of innovators.

Meet the Changemakers

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Notable Alumni Headshot Natalia Toro

Natalia Toro

Science Talent Search International Science and Engineering Fair
1990's
Roger Tsien - Notable alumni headshot

Roger Tsien

Science Talent Search
1960's
Nobel Prize
Ron Vale Notable alumni headshot

Ron Vale

Science Talent Search
1970's
Lasker Award
Notable Alumni Headshot Afton Vechery

Afton Vechery

Science Talent Search International Science and Engineering Fair
2000's
Notable Alumni Headshot Frank Wilczek

Frank Wilczek

Science Talent Search
1960's
MacArthur Fellowship Nobel Prize
Heidi Williams Notable Alumni Headshot

Heidi Williams

International Science and Engineering Fair
1990's
MacArthur Fellowship
Notable Alumni Headshot Arthur Winfree

Arthur Winfree

Science Talent Search
1960's
MacArthur Fellowship
Notable Alumni - Milford Wolpoff

Milford Wolpoff

Science Talent Search
1960's
Notable Alumni Headshot

Gideon Yu

International Science and Engineering Fair
1980's
Feng Zhang Notable Alumni Headshot

Feng Zhang

Science Talent Search International Science and Engineering Fair
1990's, 2000's

The biggest impact it had on my life was that without the experience [of winning STS], I might have given up. It gave me the confidence to persevere and motivated me to learn a lot more.

Natalia Toro

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Notable alumni headshot

The best part of the competition was the relationships that I developed with the other competitors. Under this pressure cooker, you make connections quickly and they were long lasting.

Thomas Rosenbaum

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Notable alumni headshot Thomas Rosenbaum

As a daughter of non-scientists...my participation in the ISEF helped ignite my interest in a career in science and engineering.

Dianne Newman

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Notable alumni headshot

I promised myself I’d get into the International Science and Engineering Fair so I could experience this again.

Paul Maddon

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Notable Alumni - Paul Maddon

Connect on the Society Alumni Network

Meet fellow alumni, volunteer, share or apply for job and research opportunities, RSVP for events and get the latest updates on Society programs and initiatives.

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National Leadership Council
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Thirty Exceptional Young Scientists Named Finalists in Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge - September 2023

Thirty exceptional young scientists named Finalists in Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge

Fun facts: Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Top 300

Thermo Fisher Junior Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Congratulations 2023 Top 300 banner

Society for Science announces Top 300 middle school innovators in Nation’s premier STEM competition

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