H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research

H. Robert Horvitz is the 2002 Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine or Physiology. He served as the Chair of the Society for Science’s Board of Trustees from 2010-2019. In recognition of his scientific excellence and service and contributions to the Society, the $10,000 H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research is to be given to the project that represents the best in fundamental research that furthers our understanding of science and/or mathematics and promotes the understanding of natural phenomena without clearly defined applications towards processes or products in mind. The award will be used by the winner to cover post-secondary educational expenses.

Learn more about the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and about the awards presented at ISEF.

Winners of the H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research

2022

Rebecca Cho, 17, of Jericho, New York, received $10,000 for creating a geological model that incorporates the effects of changing landscapes, climate, sea level and erosion. Her model can be used to investigate ecological changes over 20 million years in the western U.S. and potentially predict the effects of climate change on the area’s biodiversity.

EAEV034 — Reconstruction Modeling Using Tectonics and Climate of Western North America

  • Rebecca Cho, Jericho High School, NY, United States of America

2021

Neha Mani, 17, of Bronx, New York received $10,000 for her quantitative research of microbiology, which uses a diagnostic method to distinguish bacterial motion to diagnose Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) by mathematically separating swarming from swimming.

MCRO043 — Distinguishing Bacterial Motion Quantitatively: A Diagnostic Method for Intestinal Disease

  • Neha Mani, Hunter College High School, NY, United States of America