Jericho High School student Ashka Shah named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalist

A Nassau high school student has been named a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, one of the nation’s oldest science and math research competitions.

Ashka Shah, a senior at Jericho High School, was one of 40 winners announced Wednesday by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Society for Science, which runs the competition. She will receive a minimum $25,000 prize.

Shah was chosen for her research into how "healthy cell growth systems go awry in cancer," the society said.

The 17-year-old said she was fascinated with the paradox of the Wnt signaling pathway, a mechanism that is crucial for regulating cellular processes but harmful when dysregulated and can lead to cancer and other diseases.

That interest fueled a three-year research project, part of it at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Manhattan, where she conducted independent graduate-level research under the supervision of a mentor. Her research involved examining cancerous pathways in cells to identify “where the signaling is corrupted and finding a way to adjust that signaling so that it targets cancerous cells without harming the healthy ones,” said Alexis Vandergoot, science and research coordinator at Jericho High School.

Shah's research could lead to potential cancer treatments, the society said in a release. Maya Ajmera, the nonprofit's president, said in an email Shah's "innovative research on targeted cancer therapies demonstrates exceptional scientific rigor. Ashka is a shining example of Long Island’s next generation of innovators."

'It was a big deal'

Shah, speaking at Jericho High on Wednesday, said she was on the bus heading to a fencing match Tuesday night when she received a call from someone with the society and learned she was a finalist. Barred from spreading the news until the official announcement, she was able to notify her parents and older sister, who were overjoyed, she said.

"They were freaking out. My parents were more excited than I was. My mom, no one wanted this more than her. And my dad was crying and it was, it was a big deal ... my sister was ecstatic," Shah said.

Shah was in sixth grade when her older sister was named a Regeneron finalist. She said she decided then she wanted to enter and win one day, too.

Shah, a science buff who hopes to eventually become a doctor and perhaps also earn a doctoral  degree, said she saw an opportunity to study the Wnt signaling pathway because it was an area she felt required further investigation.

"As I researched it further, I found how prevalent it is, yet how little it was studied,” she said.

She said she spent two summers conducting research and collecting data.

"What I found was a specific driver of that pathway and how it acts within that pathway ... Then I identified a specific region of the primary protein in the pathway that can be used to inhibit the cancerous version without harming the normal version," Shah said.

Vandergoot, who advised Shah, said the sky is the limit for the senior.

“The possibilities are endless because she’s the kind of kid that nothing is going to stop her,” Vandergoot said.

Next stop: D.C.

The 40 finalists announced Wednesday were pared down from 300 semifinalists, who were chosen from an initial pool of more than 2,600 entrants from across the globe. Thirty-three of the semifinalists hailed from Long Island, with 10 from Jericho High School. One semifinalist was from outside the United States.

Shah’s next step is an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where she will join the 39 other scholars for a weeklong competition in March. There, the finalists will display their work, meet scientists and government leaders, and learn which projects will make the final cut, with awards given to the top 10. The scholars are judged on their research as well as their expertise, according to the nonprofit.

Those selected will take home a range of prizes to be used for educational purposes, from $40,000 for 10th place to $250,000 for first place, according to Ajmera, who is also the executive publisher of Science News.

The top prize is considered the country’s largest scientific prize available to a high school student.

Long Island had six finalists last year and three in 2024.

This year, California had the highest number of finalists, with 10 students chosen, according to Ajmera. Texas had six finalists. New York and New Jersey each had five, she said. 

Ajmera said the applicant pool changes every year, and more schools and communities are participating nationwide, resulting in "a more geographically diverse group of finalists,” she said.

The scholars, all high school seniors, must demonstrate leadership research skills, innovation and future potential as a scientist, according to the society.

Shah said she will work hard in the next round but for now, she is savoring her recent achievement.

"It's just so exciting that I'm representing not only Jericho, but Long Island and New York," Shah said. "It's just proof that anyone can do anything."