2025 Science Talent Search Finalist Lena Zewdu Feleke, 17, of Antioch, searched for a better way to deliver gene therapy into kidney cells. Her research focused on different plasmid constructs containing the SLC3A1 gene, a genetic cause of kidney stones.

2025 Science Talent Search Finalist Ava Grace Cummings, 18, of Smithfield, created a model organism of STAC3 disorder. This rare genetic condition was formerly called Native American myopathy.

2025 Science Talent Search Finalist Jolene Cao, 17 designed a perovskite quantum dot (PQD) nanomaterial that can change its nanoscale arrangements on demand. PQDs are tiny crystals that glow when exposed to energy. These are used in future 3D displays and computer chips.