Indian American high school senior, Achyuta Rajaram, has bagged the first place and a cash prize of $250,000 in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) competition.
Currently in its 83rd year, Regeneron STS is America’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.
A student of Phillips Exeter Academy, Rajaram wom the top prize for developing an automatic method to discover which parts of a computer model are involved in decision-making. This knowledge sheds light on what these algorithms are “thinking,” which can help make them more effective, fair and safe, a statement by the organizers said.
“His research improved our ability to discover what computer models, that find patterns in images, are ‘thinking’ when they analyze a photo and which parts of their ‘mechanical brains’ are contributing to the decision making,” the statement said.
Rajaram is co-head of the physics, chemistry, and chess clubs at Phillips Exeter Academy. Reacting to the win and speaking of his future plans in a video message, Rajaram said, “I am going to keep studying interpretability. I’m going to MIT next year, studying computer science. I’m just going to keep figuring out how these models work. Figure out what I can about the nature of intelligence as a whole.”
Meanwhile, Arnav Chakravarthy was placed in the ninth position in the competition and was awarded $50,000 for comparing the genetic origins of a type of immune cell, known as macrophages, in the brain, liver and bone marrow to learn more about how they replenish themselves.
He currently serves as state secretary of the California Future Business Leaders of America and is co-founder and CEO of an AI powered startup that streamlines research and workflows for scientists.
Aditi Avinash was named the Seaborg Award winner and given the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Regeneron Science Talent Search class of 2024. She is a student at Rock Canyon high school in Highlands Ranch, where she is also president of the science national honors society and health occupations students of America.
“The remarkable intellect and ingenuity of these students serves as an inspiration for us all. Their groundbreaking innovations are vital in uncovering the crucial solutions we need now to address our most intractable challenges,” Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News said.
Congratulating the finalists MD., Ph.D., co-founder, board co-chair, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron George D. Yancopoulos said, “ Our finalists are only beginning their journeys, and their extraordinary achievements at such a young age give me hope that they will go on to deliver major innovative breakthroughs that will greatly benefit humanity.”
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