The Society for Science & the Public has opened the application window for the 2021 Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest science, technology and engineering competition for rising high school seniors. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Class of 2021 will still have the opportunity to share research they have conducted in any year of high school for a changes to win awards of up to $250,000.

The top 300 scholars receive $2,000 each.  Forty finalists will be invited to compete in the finals week competition. Every finalist receives at least $25,000. Check out last year’s highlights video, learn more about some of the finalists’ projects in this video by Veritasium!

The application will close on November 12, 2020 at 8pm ET. There are no limits to the number of students who can enter from any school, region or state, and students may submit research from any year of high school. The program is free. Please contact Mr. Price or email sts@societyforscience.org with any questions you may have about the application process.

 

The Society for Science & the Public is thrilled to announce Regeneron is the new title sponsor of the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest precollege science and engineering competition, with a commitment of approximately $24 million over a five-year period.  

Established in 1950, ISEF gives the world’s best and brightest young scientists a global stage to share their outstanding STEM research, and compete for nearly $5 million in awards, prizes and scholarships. Each year, over 175,000 students compete in the Society’s more than 420 affiliated high school science fairs around the world. Top winners earn the right to compete at ISEF where nearly 2,000 finalists, half of which are young female scientists, are judged in 21 different categories.

As a company founded with the goal of transforming lives through science, Regeneron’s most important social commitment is supporting and inspiring future innovators.  STEM education is at the core of their corporate citizenship efforts, representing more than ninety percent of their citizenship investments. 

Regeneron’s commitment comes as the Society has created a new multitiered sponsorship model to support various judging categories, events and delegations of ISEF finalists. The Society is continuing to seek additional sponsors who are similarly committed to furthering the future of science and engineering, and will be announcing our other sponsors in the coming weeks and months.

This sponsorship builds on Regeneron and the Society’s long-standing partnership to advance STEM education, including through Regeneron’s $100 million, ten-year commitment to the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s most prestigious science competition for high school seniors. 

Learn more about Regeneron’s sponsorship: 
https://www.societyforscience.org/press-release/society-for-science-the-public-announces-regeneron-as-new-title-sponsor-of-the-international-science-and-engineering-fair/

Learn more about how to join the Society’s growing community of sponsors:
https://www.societyforscience.org/isef-sponsorship

 

Ulman Earns Scholarship to Study Neuroscience in Denmark
By Shane Price, Chief Scientist | September 19, 2019

One of Mr. Price's former Chemistry students and three-time Intel ISEF Finalist is making her mark on the world. Hana Ulman, a senior Honors College student at West Virginia University studying Biomedical Engineering, was recently awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship by the U.S. Department of State.  The scholarship enables undergraduate students to study abroad and gain skills that are critical to the country’s national security and economic prosperity while gaining an enriching cultural and career-building experience. 

“I have been given countless opportunities to expand my love for science and medicine,” Ulman said.  "This scholarship gives me the opportunity of a lifetime to study in a top, internationally-ranked biomedical engineering program." Ulman will continue her studies this fall at Aarhus University in Denmark, taking classes in neuroanatomy, neurotransmission and brain disease, statistical analysis of neuroimaging data and data science bioinformatics.

 

Robbie Barrat’s revolutionary research relating to artificial intelligence (AI) has earned him numerous plaudits: an art exhibition in France, a job at a leading research institution, and a place in a new documentary about high school science fairs.

Barrat, 19, twice won the West Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair while a student at Jefferson High School. His work focuses on creating neural networks that can generate art.

During a recent appearance on The Today Show, Barrat discussed a project he undertook for his senior science fair project. He designed a computer program—specifically, an artificial intelligence neural network—which examined lyrics from rapper Kayne West’s songs and then generated its raps, with a style similar to West.

These neural networks, as explained by Barrat, continually review examples of a given musician, in this case West, and learn from the specific stylistic elements. Over time, the AI program is able to replicate “the flow,” as Barrat calls it, and produce a new rap.

“It’s what was interesting,” when asked why he chose this project.  “It’s fun.”

Barrat, who is currently working as a researcher at Stanford University, hasn’t limited his work to just music. He spent part of January in France for a joint art exhibition at L’Avant Galerie Vossen—with French painter Ronan Barrot.

According to a press release from the gallery, 450 paintings of ‘Skulls,’ which Barrot has painted over the last few years, have been digitally scanned so that Barrat could train a neural network to create new images of ‘Skulls’ from the 450 works.”

The network literally learns from the examples given, which become data sets, and strives to improve its replication of the style of the data sets. This repetition acts just as continual practice by an art student would, as well as the studying of works by other artists.

His advances in the world of AI led Barrat to be included in a film from National Geographic called Science Fair. The documentary follows nine students from different parts of the world as they seek to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Barrat credits Shane Price, a science teacher at Jefferson, with fostering his interest in participating in science fairs of all levels.

“Mr. Price had a huge impact on me,” Barrat said in a press release issued by the Jefferson County Board of Education. “During my senior year, I was slacking off on getting my science fair project ready, and he really pushed me to get it together, and because of his encouragement, I was able to go to ISEF again. Obviously, I owe him a lot.”

Price recently indicated that Jefferson students seem to be aware of the film, as the school has pushed back the deadline to register for the science fair as there has been an uptick in interest. Science Fair won the audience award at both Sundance and the SXSW Film Festivals.

Barrat grew up near Shenandoah Junction, and is the son of Robert Barrat, an attorney practicing in Martinsburg, and Anne Barrat, who taught at T.A. Lowery Elementary School.

 

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