A 17-year-old New Mexico teen won the top award for the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2020. This is the most illustrious and longest-running award in the STEM community.  Supported by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Society for Science & the Public the $250,000 prize went to Lillian Petersen, for devising a tool that could help resolve global food insecurity. (1)

Teen Wins Big Prize

The Regeneron Science Talent Search awards the brightest young minds for original research ideas used by leading scientists. Their innovative ideas help the world resolve some of the most critical issues and challenges we face today.  (1)

“Congratulations to the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2020 winners,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science & the Public, Publisher of Science News and 1985 Science Talent Search alumna. “Students like Lillian Petersen are the stewards of our future. The current pandemic has made it clear how important science is to our wellbeing. With these finalists at the forefront of scientific and engineering discovery, I know we are in good hands. They will be solving the world’s most intractable problems.” (1)

Teen Wins Big Prize For Crop Prediction Tool

Lillian’s contribution is a simple tool used to predict harvests in the early stages of the growing season. It helps improve food distribution planning, which could assist those trying to resolve global food insecurity. The tool analyzes daily satellite imagery based on the accepted measures of vegetation health. She proved her tool effective first using known domestic crop data and then applying it to African countries. Her predictions were highly accurate when compared to the country’s reported yields. (1)

“I’m amazed by the tenacity of this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists, many of whom are seeking solutions to our greatest global challenges, and who rolled with the punches while competing during an unprecedented global pandemic,” said Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Regeneron. “Congratulations to the winners, and welcome to the community of Science Talent Search alumni who have displayed remarkable scientific curiosity and leveraged their experience to make a difference in the sciences and beyond.” (1)

First And Second Place Teens Win Big Prize

There were forty finalists in the 2020 competition, sharing over $1.8 million in prizes. Judges measure the “scientific rigor of their projects” in hand with their problem-solving skills and scientific leadership potential. (1)

Other winners worthy of note include 18-year-old Jagdeep Bhatia, of Green Brook, New Jersey. He won second prize and $175,000 for an idea that developed two fast and simple machine learning algorithms. The algorithms could make robot and device training more efficient. (1)

In third place, Brendan Crotty, 18, of Muskogee, Oklahoma was awarded $150,000 for creating an efficient hybrid gas burner. His burner reduces polluting nitrogen dioxide gas by 19 percent when compared to conventional designs. To produce his award-winning entry, he taught himself how to use computer design software, and perform metal casting and machining tasks. (1)

These young adults have proven their worth in gold, sharing innovative ideas that can help make the world a better place. The competition has provided cash prizes to brilliant young minds for 78-years.