Christine Ye, 17, of Sammamish, Wash., analyzed the gravitational waves emitted from huge collisions between neutron stars (collapsed super-dense stars) and black holes. By analyzing data gathered at the LIGO gravitational wave observatory, where scientists use data from these waves to measure astronomical objects, she showed that a quickly spinning neutron star could be extra massive, even larger than a typical neutron star, but still smaller than a black hole.

• Photos of Christine
• Winner Video
• Project Video
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Victor Cai, 18, of Orefield, Pa., created a short-range, narrow-bandwidth radar that calculates distance by transmitting two signals at different frequencies and then measuring the phase difference between them. By combining a multiple frequency continuous wave radar algorithm with software that replaces specialized hardware and then writing additional algorithms to correct inaccurate readings, he created a radar accurate to within 12 cm.

• Photos of Victor
• Winner Video
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Amber Kaixin Luo, 18, of Stony Brook, N.Y., developed a software, RiboBayes, that identifies key regions known as “ribosome pause sites” along a cell’s mRNA transcripts that regulate protein synthesis. Her tool reveals critical insights into how ribosome pause site expressions is altered by diseases. By providing greater ability to locate and evaluate the key components of protein synthesis that occur at these ribosome pause sites, RiboBayes enables researchers to gain a more complete view of the mechanisms underlying a wide range of diseases.

• Photos of Amber
• Winner Video
• Project Video
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Daniel Larsen, 18, of Bloomington, Ind., answered an important math question about the abundance of Carmichael numbers, which resemble prime numbers even though they are not true primes. He showed that for any sufficiently large number, there is always a Carmichael number hidden between it and its double. Daniel hopes his work will lead to a better understanding of these intriguing pseudoprimes. Prime numbers are crucial for cryptography, which uses large primes to help keep communications secure.

• Photos of Daniel
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Neil Chowdhury, 18, of Bellevue, Wash., created a computer model to study the role of a histone protein implicated in colon cancer and found that the histone caused changes to two key processes regulating the way DNA folds itself to fit into the nucleus of cells. His simulations of polymers, using data from a colon cancer cell line, accurately reproduced recent experimental results and showed that the histone modification caused changes in the DNA’s physical formation, specifically compartmentalization and loop extrusion.

• Photos of Neil Chowdhury
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Aseel Rawashdeh, 17, Austin, Texas received an $80,000 award for developing an inexpensive way to kill the larvae of mosquitos that spread viral illnesses. By incorporating an essential oil (such as cinnamon, garlic or orange) into baker’s yeast microcapsules, she made a cost-effective bait that kills the larvae of mosquitos that spread malaria. Equally important, in early tests, her larvicide’s encapsulated oils appear to be harmless to nearby algae and non-targeted insect larvae.   

• Photos of Aseel
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Pravalika Gayatri Putalapattu, 17, of Centreville, Va. received a $70,000 award for designing a video-assisted workflow recognition program to monitor laparoscopic gall bladder surgeries in real-time, verify the surgeons’ actions, and flag errors so immediate corrective action can be taken. Her work was inspired after a close cousin died from a preventable surgical mistake by a “tired, overworked, underpaid surgeon in India.” Her new system is five times faster than similar systems used currently. 

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Neil Rathi, 17, of Palo Alto, Calif., identified common linguistic patterns in four languages that support the theory that human language evolved for greater efficiency in communication. Using a machine learning model, Neil studied how our minds optimize language by fusing multiple informational elements into the smallest meaningful unit of a word such as “ed” in “talked,” which conveys both past tense and word completion, and he found patterns of “informational fusion” in all four languages.

• Photos of Neil Rathi
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Amara Orth, 18, of Glenwood, Iowa, eavesdropped on her family’s honeybees so she could identify the changes in vibroacoustic patterns in each hive. She measured the sounds and vibrations from bees in 25 hives and developed an AI model to analyze the colony’s health with an accuracy of 92%. If the data is gathered and decoded in time, her system may give beekeepers time to prevent colony collapse.

• Photos of Amara Orth
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Luke Robert Robitaille, 18, of Euless, Texas, used the mathematical concept of topological entropy to study simple braids, a formal way to describe the complicated patterns that arise from intertwining multiple lengths of string. Luke proved that most simple braids are orderly for low numbers of strands, but as the number of strands grows large, nearly all simple braids are chaotic. His work could help researchers better understand the chaotic mixing of fluids.

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Hailee Han Byur Youn, 17, of Roslyn, N.Y. was named the Seaborg Award winner and given the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Regeneron Science Talent Search Class of 2022. The 40 finalists chose Hailee 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.  

• Photos of Hailee
• Project Video
• Hailee’s Seaborg Speech