Community Impact UConn Health

February 27, 2025 | Ellen Ravens-Seger

CT High School Students Shine at STEM Symposium Held at UConn Health

Top honorees from the 2025 Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium will represent the state at the national symposium in Virginia this spring

group portrait six students on stage holding award certificates

From left: Jingyan (Sabrina) Liu, Lula Wang, William Boberski, Rithvik Suren, Cooper Taylor, and Tyler Malkin were top finishers at the Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, held February 22, 2025, at UConn Health in Farmington. (Photo by Cathy Torrisi)

Five Connecticut high school students earned the right to represent their state at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) in April after garnering top honors in the Connecticut regional symposium Saturday, Feb. 22, at UConn Health in Farmington.

CT-JSHS is sponsored by UConn Health and organized by the Connecticut Area Health Education Center (CT AHEC).

Of the over 115 students who applied to present their original research at the symposium, 36 were selected to present their research to a virtual panel of judges Feb. 15, and then to a live audience of their peers Feb. 22. An additional 39 students showcased their work in a noncompetitive online research poster exhibition.

“I’m always impressed by the quality of the research conducted by these talented students,” said Dr. Brittany Knight, co-director of the CT-JSHS program. “Our hope is that their work presented here today will be just the first step in a rewarding career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). We should all be proud to have them represent our state at the national symposium this spring.”

Of the 16 students selected to give oral presentations of their STEM research, the top four will be part of the Connecticut delegation to the National JSHS April 22–26 in Chantilly, Virginia:

1st Place Oral Presenter: Lula Wang, sophomore, Greenwich High School, for her work on designing a new chemoimmunotherapy treatment for the most common form of pancreatic cancer.

2nd Place Oral Presenter: Cooper Taylor, junior, Greenwich Country Day School, for developing a prototype for a cost-efficient drone with a modular design and a novel tilt mechanism that allows the same motors to function for both vertical lift and horizontal cruising. As the highest-ranked junior at the symposium, Taylor also earned the UConn Academic Excellence Scholarship. In addition, he received the Backyard Scientist Award, which honors students who made creative use of resources “in their own backyards.”

3rd Place Oral Presenter: Rithvik Suren, freshman, CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering, in Windsor, for exploring the use of artificial intelligence and neuromorphic computing frameworks to develop more compact, radiation resistant, and energy-efficient rovers for space exploration.

4th Place Oral Presenter: Jingyan (Sabrina) Liu, freshman, Choate Rosemary Hall, in Wallingford, for her research on constructing a smart glove to aid in stroke rehabilitation, with a design inspired by mantis shrimp.

The fifth member of the Connecticut delegation to the national symposium will be the top finisher among the 20 competitors chosen to present their research in poster format:

1st Place Poster Presenter: Tyler Malkin, freshman, Greenwich High School, for creation of a quick, easy, inexpensive tool to detect iodine deficiency by testing saliva.

“Whether your passion is focused on health or other areas of study, I know you are destined for great futures and making a big difference in people’s lives,” Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, UConn Health CEO and executive vice president for health affairs, told the attendees.

The rest of the top 10 oral presenters are:

  • 5th: William Boberski, senior, Staples High School, Westport
  • 6th: Vito Scutari, junior, King School, Stamford
  • 7th: Ethan Joseph, sophomore, Engineering and Science University Magnet School, West Haven
  • 8th: Marley Wies, junior, Greenwich High School
  • 9th: Shriya Natarajan, junior, Wilton High School
  • 10th: Harshil Yerrabelli, senior, Conard High School, West Hartford

And the other top-placing poster presenters are:

  • 2nd: Bruno Reinhoefer Ribeiro, junior, King School, Stamford
  • 3rd: Lucia Vivanco, junior, King School, Stamford

In addition, Wendy Turek of Manchester High School was announced as one of 10 winners of the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Teacher Award, having been chosen from the pool of regional nominees following the conclusion of last year’s symposia program.

The sponsors of the scholarship awards and cash prizes are the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, Connecticut Science Supervisors Association, the Connecticut Science Teachers Association, and the UConn Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Additionally, CT-JSHS was made possible by sponsorship from UConn Health and Connecticut Area Health Education Center, under contract with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). The Connecticut symposium is part of the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force Junior Science and Humanities Symposia Program.