The high schoolers will head to Washington, D.C. in March to present their projects.  Credit: Newsday Studios

A lymphoma survivor and a teen driven to pursue neuroscience after watching her great-grandfather battle Alzheimer's disease were among the six Long Island high school seniors named finalists Thursday in the nation's most prestigious science research competition.

Forty finalists were chosen nationwide in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Society for Science announced Thursday. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit runs the contest.

The Long Island finalists were Emma Wen of Great Neck North High School; Ishana Chadha of Commack High School; Amy Xiao of Garden City High School; Melody Hong of Gen. Douglas MacArthur High School in Levittown; Jolene Cao of Smithtown High School East; and Sandeep Sawhney of Herricks High School in New Hyde Park.

The finalists emerged from a field of 300 scholars, or semifinalists, announced by the society earlier this month. Each finalist will be awarded at least $25,000.

The 40 finalists will meet in Washington, D.C., in March to present their projects. The winners will be announced on March 11; the top award is $250,000.

For many of the Long Island finalists, their projects were deeply personal.

Wen, now 17, was 6 when she was diagnosed with lymphoma, a blood cancer. In an interview Thursday, she recalled spending part of her childhood in the hospital. She was struck, she said, by how many treatments for cancer had side effects or were not as effective as they could be.

“Being so young and surrounded by medicine really led me to see how many deficiencies there are in current treatments and the need for new treatments,” said the teen, whose cancer is now in remission. 

For her project, she said she chose to test a new drug for pancreatic cancer, in part because the disease has a low survival rate of around 13%. The drug performs better than current drugs, according to a summary of the project provided by the Society for Science.

Wen said she wants to become a pediatric oncologist.

“I think that I have the capability of understanding the children who are going through the same thing that I went through,” she said.

Sawhney, 18, was home in New Hyde Park when a call with a Washington, D.C. area code came in Wednesday, ahead of the official announcement. His mother, Tarveen Sawhney, was nearby. As he learned the news, his mother cried tears of joy, the teen recalled in an interview.

“It was just a huge emotional explosion,” he said.

Part of the waves of emotion Sawhney and his family felt came from a painful personal history. 

Sawhney lost his grandfather, Harkanwal Singh Sethi, to prostate cancer when he was in fifth grade. His death, Sawhney said, cast a lingering shadow on his family.

“It's been a lot of fear of cancer and the emotional struggle with losing my grandfather for a long time,” he said. “To see my parents at such a low point during that time really impacted me. It traveled throughout my life.”

Sawhney chose for his project to design a container that would hold cancer-treating drugs, which eat through typical gel capsules. What he created was a better delivery system for the drugs, with fewer side effects, according to a project summary from the society.

Every day he worked on his project, he said he thought of his “nanaji,” his name for his grandfather.

Xiao, who could not be reached for an interview Thursday, also centered her research on cancer treatment. She focused on a protein’s role with regard to better cancer survival.

Chadha, 17, of Commack, researched the genetic factors behind brain cell movements. Chadha said her great-grandfather, GL Tandon, had Alzheimer’s disease and died when she was around 6. She said she still remembers the pain of watching him lose his vitality and memories, and later the ability to recognize her great-grandmother.

“I got really sad about it,” she recalled.

Hong, 17, of Wantagh, said she initially wanted to learn more about Parkinson's disease, which her grandmother was diagnosed with.

“I just thought that if I were going to be studying a topic that I found really interesting, then I would want whatever I learned to be more useful in understanding the disease that my grandmother has,” she said. 

Her project later pivoted to focus on a new statistical model to map parts of the human genome, which may lead to insights into “how genetics and the environment affect disease and aging,” according to a project summary from the society.

“There's not a direct connection,” she said of her project and Parkinson’s research. “But I'm … glad that the emphasis and motivation I had from that really drove me and helped me complete my project.”

This year, Long Island schools produced 49 scholars, the most of any region in the country. The society said it received a record-breaking number of applications, with nearly 2,500 entrants from 795 high schools.

The Long Island finalists said their projects often took months, if not years, and required hundreds of hours of work. 

Jessica York, Great Neck North High School’s science department chairperson, called the level of commitment by the finalists "mind-blowing" and noted that their motivation originated from the students themselves.

Referring to Wen, she said, “I can't make Emma do 300 hours of research. I can't make her learn the detailed intricacies of cancer medicine. That has to be a passion. That has to be an internal drive.”

That dedication also paid off for Cao, of St. James. Cao, 17, said she spent years on her project, which took her as far as a university lab in California. She designed a type of material that is "more energy-efficient and cheaper than other polarized light sources," according to a summary from the society.

“I didn't even expect to be a semifinalist,” she said. “I couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning. I was still trying to process it.”

A lymphoma survivor and a teen driven to pursue neuroscience after watching her great-grandfather battle Alzheimer's disease were among the six Long Island high school seniors named finalists Thursday in the nation's most prestigious science research competition.

Forty finalists were chosen nationwide in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Society for Science announced Thursday. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit runs the contest.

The Long Island finalists were Emma Wen of Great Neck North High School; Ishana Chadha of Commack High School; Amy Xiao of Garden City High School; Melody Hong of Gen. Douglas MacArthur High School in Levittown; Jolene Cao of Smithtown High School East; and Sandeep Sawhney of Herricks High School in New Hyde Park.

The finalists emerged from a field of 300 scholars, or semifinalists, announced by the society earlier this month. Each finalist will be awarded at least $25,000.

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND

  • Six Long Island high school seniors were named finalists Thursday in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation's most prestigious science research competition.
  • Forty finalists were named nationwide. They will present their projects in March in Washington, D.C.
  • The Society for Science, which runs the competition, said it received a record-breaking number of applications, with nearly 2,500 entrants from 795 high schools.

The 40 finalists will meet in Washington, D.C., in March to present their projects. The winners will be announced on March 11; the top award is $250,000.

Focus on cancer research

For many of the Long Island finalists, their projects were deeply personal.

Wen, now 17, was 6 when she was diagnosed with lymphoma, a blood cancer. In an interview Thursday, she recalled spending part of her childhood in the hospital. She was struck, she said, by how many treatments for cancer had side effects or were not as effective as they could be.

“Being so young and surrounded by medicine really led me to see how many deficiencies there are in current treatments and the need for new treatments,” said the teen, whose cancer is now in remission. 

For her project, she said she chose to test a new drug for pancreatic cancer, in part because the disease has a low survival rate of around 13%. The drug performs better than current drugs, according to a summary of the project provided by the Society for Science.

Wen said she wants to become a pediatric oncologist.

“I think that I have the capability of understanding the children who are going through the same thing that I went through,” she said.

Emma Wen at Great Neck North High School on Thursday.

Emma Wen at Great Neck North High School on Thursday. Credit: Newsday / Howard Schnapp

Sawhney, 18, was home in New Hyde Park when a call with a Washington, D.C. area code came in Wednesday, ahead of the official announcement. His mother, Tarveen Sawhney, was nearby. As he learned the news, his mother cried tears of joy, the teen recalled in an interview.

“It was just a huge emotional explosion,” he said.

Part of the waves of emotion Sawhney and his family felt came from a painful personal history. 

Sawhney lost his grandfather, Harkanwal Singh Sethi, to prostate cancer when he was in fifth grade. His death, Sawhney said, cast a lingering shadow on his family.

“It's been a lot of fear of cancer and the emotional struggle with losing my grandfather for a long time,” he said. “To see my parents at such a low point during that time really impacted me. It traveled throughout my life.”

Sawhney chose for his project to design a container that would hold cancer-treating drugs, which eat through typical gel capsules. What he created was a better delivery system for the drugs, with fewer side effects, according to a project summary from the society.

Every day he worked on his project, he said he thought of his “nanaji,” his name for his grandfather.

Xiao, who could not be reached for an interview Thursday, also centered her research on cancer treatment. She focused on a protein’s role with regard to better cancer survival.

Inspired by relatives' struggles

Chadha, 17, of Commack, researched the genetic factors behind brain cell movements. Chadha said her great-grandfather, GL Tandon, had Alzheimer’s disease and died when she was around 6. She said she still remembers the pain of watching him lose his vitality and memories, and later the ability to recognize her great-grandmother.

“I got really sad about it,” she recalled.

Commack High School senior Ishana Chadha in one of the...

Commack High School senior Ishana Chadha in one of the school's science labs. Credit: Newsday / James Carbone

Hong, 17, of Wantagh, said she initially wanted to learn more about Parkinson's disease, which her grandmother was diagnosed with.

“I just thought that if I were going to be studying a topic that I found really interesting, then I would want whatever I learned to be more useful in understanding the disease that my grandmother has,” she said. 

Her project later pivoted to focus on a new statistical model to map parts of the human genome, which may lead to insights into “how genetics and the environment affect disease and aging,” according to a project summary from the society.

“There's not a direct connection,” she said of her project and Parkinson’s research. “But I'm … glad that the emphasis and motivation I had from that really drove me and helped me complete my project.”

'A passion' for the work

This year, Long Island schools produced 49 scholars, the most of any region in the country. The society said it received a record-breaking number of applications, with nearly 2,500 entrants from 795 high schools.

The Long Island finalists said their projects often took months, if not years, and required hundreds of hours of work. 

Jessica York, Great Neck North High School’s science department chairperson, called the level of commitment by the finalists "mind-blowing" and noted that their motivation originated from the students themselves.

Referring to Wen, she said, “I can't make Emma do 300 hours of research. I can't make her learn the detailed intricacies of cancer medicine. That has to be a passion. That has to be an internal drive.”

Jolene Cao at Smithtown High School East on Thursday.

Jolene Cao at Smithtown High School East on Thursday. Credit: Morgan Campbell

That dedication also paid off for Cao, of St. James. Cao, 17, said she spent years on her project, which took her as far as a university lab in California. She designed a type of material that is "more energy-efficient and cheaper than other polarized light sources," according to a summary from the society.

“I didn't even expect to be a semifinalist,” she said. “I couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning. I was still trying to process it.”

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