3 Nassau Students Win Prizes At Regeneron International Science Fair

JERICHO, NY — Long Island students represented Nassau County at the world's largest international high school science competition, the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Two Jericho High School students and one Garden City High School student won prizes at the global contest, one $10,000 and three $5,000 awards.

Rebecca Cho from Jericho took two titles: the Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research ($10,000) and First Place, Earth and Environmental Sciences ($5,000) for her geological-climate model that can be used to predict the effects of climate change by looking at 20 million years of tectonics, topography, climate and sea levels.

Kevin Zhu, also from Jericho, won First Place, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics ($5,000) for his research into a a type of DNA replication error and its prevalence in certain types of cancer. His work can help find ways of diagnosing and treating those cancers, according to a statement from Regeneron.

James Nagler, of Garden City, took First Place, Embedded Systems ($5,000) for his project, developing a product that uses artificial intelligence and other technology to help the visually impaired navigate. His product is designed to be cheap, compact and efficient, Regeneron said.

The fair awarded more than $8 million in prizes and scholarships to students from 63 countries. There were 1,7000 young scientists who entered.