OHS Students Named Semifinalists in Regeneron Science Talent Search

Ossining High School (OHS) is proud to announce that seniors Anthony Jiang and Haylli Yunga have been named semifinalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) 2025, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors.

This year’s achievement marks a significant milestone for the OHS Science Research Program, with Anthony and Haylli recognized as the school’s100th and 101st STS scholars, respectively.

Anthony’s research project, "Short-Formatted Video Product Advertisements Influence on Purchasing Behavior Among Children and Adolescents," examines how video advertisements on social media impact consumer behavior among young people.

Haylli’s project, "Modeling Eccentricity and Spin-Precession in Binary Black Hole Gravitational Wave Events Using the Effective One-Body Method," explores innovative methods to model complex astrophysical phenomena.

Each scholar will receive a $2,000 award, and Ossining High School will also receive $2,000 for each semifinalist in recognition of their outstanding achievement.

"When I found out I was selected as a semifinalist, I was in shock," said Haylli. "And then all the emotions just hit me—I was so happy, I cried. I was so proud of all the hard work I’ve put in over the past three years. It’s an incredible feeling to have my research recognized by Regeneron."

Reflecting on her journey, Haylli expressed gratitude to her mentor Kate Wagner from the Rochester Institute of Technology for providing guidance through the challenges of the research process.

"I had the opportunity to work with an amazing mentor,” she added. "Ms. Wagner helped me come up with research questions, guided me through the basics of coding and complex physics, and was there whenever I needed support—especially when it came to debugging my code.”

For Anthony, organizing and conducting interviews proved to be the most demanding aspect of his project, so he sought help from Middle School Principal Dr. Nicole Nover to overcome this challenge.

"I had to include both high schoolers and pre-adolescents in my research as well, so I needed access to students from the middle school.” he explained. "I worked with Dr. Nover to coordinate testing sessions, which was really helpful in conducting my study effectively.”

The Regeneron-sponsored competition is highly competitive, with this year’s 300 scholars chosen from nearly 2,500 entrants representing 795 high schools across 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and 14 other countries. Scholars were selected based on their exceptional independent research, leadership, community involvement, and creativity in solving scientific challenges.

On January 23, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named finalists and will advance to the final round of the competition in Washington, D.C., being held on March 6-12, where they will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards.

Valerie Holmes and Angelo Piccirillo, co-directors of Ossining’s nationally recognized Science Research Program, praised the students for their dedication to research and excellence in STEM.

“These outstanding students exemplify the values of inquiry, perseverance, and innovation that define our program,” said Ms. Holmes. “Anthony and Haylli have demonstrated exceptional academic talent and a commitment to addressing complex challenges that impact our society and beyond.”

“It’s inspiring to see students at this level contributing new knowledge to their respective fields,” added Mr. Piccirillo. “Anthony’s research on consumer behavior is incredibly timely, and Haylli’s work in astrophysics addresses questions at the forefront of science. This is well-deserved recognition, and we are excited to see them representing Ossining on the national stage.”

Ossining High School’s Science Research Program has a long-standing history of success in the annual competition. Since 2001, the program has produced at least one STS scholar each year—an incredible achievement that highlights the consistent excellence and dedication of both students and faculty. In 2024, Ossining alum Thomas Cong earned second place and a $175,000 award for his groundbreaking research on the role of genetic expression in cancer metabolism.

With Anthony and Haylli joining a distinguished legacy of Regeneron STS scholars, the school continues to be a leader in STEM education, empowering students to tackle complex global challenges through graduate-level research and hands-on learning opportunities.