Alachua County student among 40 finalists in prestigious science and math competition
An Alachua County student has been named one of 40 finalists for the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search.
The competition is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The 2024 finalists come from 36 schools across 19 states and include Buchholz High School senior Nathan Wei, placing him amongst the nation’s top 40 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search, formerly called the Intel Science Talent Search, chooses students based on attributes such as research and leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics and promise as STEM leaders and scientists, among others.
The 40 finalists were selected from 300 scholars and 2,162 total entrants across the U.S. and 10 other nations — the largest applicant pool since the 1960s, the Society for Science says. The website says finalists were selected based on “the originality and creativity of their scientific research as well as their achievement and leadership both inside and outside of the classroom.”
The Alachua County School District said student applicants submit their original research projects, essays and recommendations to be considered. Wei’s project, titled "Novel Elastomeric Polystyrene via Photopolymerization and Post-Functionalization of Durable Ultra-High Molecular Weight Perfluorostyrene Copolymers," outlines his research on the development of a strong, recyclable plastic made from renewable resources.
“My generation has grown up always hearing about climate change and how the planet is being damaged,” he said in a press release. “We’re the ones who are going to be affected by this, so when I got the opportunity to work at a research lab at UF, I wanted to do something that was targeted toward sustainability.”
About Wei
Wei is one of only two finalists from Florida and will receive a $25,000 award. He will participate in the Finals Week competition in Washington, D.C., March 7-13. Wei previously earned a $2,000 cash award after being recognized as one of 300 Regeneron 2024 Scholars and earned another $2,000 for STEM programs at Buchholz High.
He also earned the highest possible total score on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, is a 2024 National Merit Semifinalist, is a member of Buchholz's championship math team and has a rigorous course load in addition to research he conducts outside of school.
Math team: Buchholz High School wins 15th math national championship in 16 years
“I think I’ve taken just about every AP science and math class,” Wei said in thre press release. “All the advanced curriculum Buchholz offers I’ve tried to get my hands on. Having such early exposure to STEM really sparked my interest and gave me the fundamentals to be able to do this research.”
After high school, he plans to attend Princeton University — he's already been accepted — and major in chemistry. The press release says Wei would like to go into the academic world, teaching and inspiring students while also completing groundbreaking research and discoveries.
Wei and the 39 other finalists will compete in Washington, D.C., for over $1.8 million in monetary prizes ranging from $250,000 for first place to $40,000 for 10th place. A public exhibition of projects will be held on March 10 while the top 10 winners will be selected by a panel of Ph.D. scientists and announced at an awards ceremony on March 12.
The initial 300 chosen scholars and their schools were awarded $2,000 each and the 40 finalists chosen out of those 300 received an additional $25,000 each.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County student Nathan Wei is Science Talent Search finalist
