3 Pelham Seniors Named Regeneron Scholars

PELHAM, NY — 32 students from across the Hudson Valley, including three from Pelham Memorial High School, were named semifinalists, or Scholars, in the prestigious 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search.

• Katie Brandler, 17, Project Title: The First Report of Marine Debris as a Dispersal Vector for Native and Introduced Species in the Temperate Northwest Atlantic Ocean
• Leah Sherbansky, 17, Project Title: Exploring the Relationship of SSTR2 Immunohistochemical and Textural Features to Neuroendocrine Tumor Grade
• Emma Van Praagh, 17, Project Title: Investigating Connections Between Sensorimotor Impairment and Resting-State Functional MRI of the Spinal Cord in Multiple Sclerosis

The Society for Science announced the 300 Scholars on Tuesday, and 32 of them were from the Hudson Valley. The 300 Scholars were selected from the 1,949 student-scientists who entered the competition. They were chosen based on their research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendations.

"The enthusiasm and quality of projects from this year’s participants were just outstanding," said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of the Society for Science and publisher of Science News.

"Each year, I am tremendously impressed by the ingenuity that the students bring to the competition. Their hard work, creativity and perseverance should be applauded."
For being named Scholars, each student will receive $2,000, and their schools will receive $2,000 for each of them.