McLean's Ethan Zhou Named Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalist

MCLEAN, VA — A student at McLean High School was named one of the 40 finalists in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

For his project, titled “Online Learning of Smooth Functions,” Ethan Zhou, a senior at McLean High School, worked on the mathematical theory behind a type of machine learning called online learning and how it performs when predicting something very unpredictable.

Zhou's work applies both when the prediction is a single number and when multiple values are being predicted simultaneously.

Last fall, Zhou also was named a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist.

The 40 students named as finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023 were chosen based on their projects' scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientific leaders. Finalists were selected by a national jury of professional scientists from a pool of 300 scholars, who were announced earlier this month.

READ ALSO: Students In McLean Named 2023 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists

The talent search is sponsored by the Society for Science and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. The Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023 finalists represent 34 schools across 14 states.

“Congratulations to an exceptional group of Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023 finalists,” George Yancopoulos, co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, and a 1976 Science Talent Search finalist and top winner, said in a statement Tuesday. “Inspiring and equipping the brightest minds to take on the world’s most pressing issues is one of the most important ways we can ensure the scientific advancements necessary to better our society.”

From March 9-15, finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search will participate in a week-long competition where they will undergo judging to compete for more than $1.8 million in awards.

Each finalist will receive $25,000. The top 10 awards will be announced during a livestreamed awards ceremony on March 14. The top prize will be $250,000.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search started in 1942 as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. Today, the competition spotlights promising young scientists who are developing ideas to solve society's top challenges. Science Talent Search alumni have gone on to receive other honors, including Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals, MacArthur Fellowships and more.