Five Montgomery County Public Schools seniors have been named among the 300 scholars selected nationwide for the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search, one of the country’s most prestigious science and engineering competitions.
MCPS shared that the students were chosen from more than 2,600 applicants across the United States. The MCPS scholars represent three high schools and conducted research spanning artificial intelligence, cancer biology, epidemiology, and machine learning. The selected students are:
Angela Dong, Poolesville High School– Project: Teaching Robots New Tasks With One Picture (TROP): A Use Case Development Using Edge AI Perception
Azimullah Rifai, Poolesville High School– Project: Identification and Functional Validation of Single-Cell Resolved Myeloid Reprogramming Drivers in the Prostate Cancer Bone Metastatic Niche
Alyssa Yu, Poolesville High School– Project: When Epidemics Meet: Understanding Spatiotemporal Interactions of Two Pathogens on Metapopulation Networks via Reaction-Diffusion Dynamics
Andrei Dorobantu, Montgomery Blair High School– Project: Single-Cell Machine Learning Identifies Functionally Distinct Cytokine Families in Macrophages
Mason M. Liu, Thomas S. Wootton High School– Project: Developing a Novel BMS-986158 and Flavopiridol Combination Therapy for Treating Pediatric Brain Tumors
Each student received a $2,000 award, and their schools will also receive a matching $2,000 prize. Scholars were selected based on original research, leadership, community involvement, academic commitment, and creativity. The 300 scholars represent schools from 34 states, Washington, D.C., and China.
The students now advance to the next phase of the competition. Later this month, 40 finalists will be selected to compete for additional awards, including the top prize of $250,000. Winners will be announced in March.