November 25, 2024

Sigma Xi inducted 46 students as new members of the Society during a banquet ceremony on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The students were award recipients for oral and poster presentations at the third annual International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE) in Washington, DC. Cash prizes were given along with commemorative medals and membership to the Society, including one year of paid dues. Over 200 high school, undergraduate, and graduate students competed with research presentations in oral and poster format. A judging committee of Sigma Xi members evaluated the presenters on their scientific thought, methods, and communication skills.

In addition to the judges’ awards, the DC chapter of Sigma Xi sponsored two Student Choice Awards, voted on by fellow participants. Congratulations to all winners and presenters!

Oral Presentation Winners

High School

Parker Hayashi—King School
Annika Chadha—Dupont Manual High School

Undergraduate

Aditi Bhattamishra—Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Graduate

Sarah Ghezelbash—McGill University

Interdisciplinary Research

Advances in Computation (Cyber Security, Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence)
Rudy Pathak—Clements High School

Biology and Biotechnology (Understanding the Brain, Origins of Life (Assembling Tree of Life), Understanding Biological Systems)
Shrivats Manikandan—Kirksville Senior High School

Design, Construction, and Manufacturing (Improving Urban Infrastructure, Innovations in Manufacturing, Advanced Materials)
Calvin Mathew—American Heritage Broward

Engineering (Making Solar Energy Affordable, Engineering Tools for Scientific Discoveries such as Lasers, Cameras, or Software)
Aditi Bhattamishra—Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Environmental Challenges (Providing Access to Clean Water, Mitigating Climate Change, Food Security, Managing the Nitrogen Cycle, Sustaining Clean Air, Preserving Biodiversity)
Anagha Iyer—American Heritage Broward

Human Sciences and Policy
Emma Colarte Delgado—American Heritage Broward

Human Health (Advancing Drug Design and Limiting Drug Resistance, Advancing Health Informatics, Advancing Vaccines, Preventing Pandemics, Cancer Detection and Therapy)
Parker Hayashi—King School
Annika Chadha—Dupont Manual High School

Understanding the Universe (Astronomy and Space Sciences)
Peter Lansing—Pine Crest School

President-elect Awards

Emma Fetterhoff—Perryville High School
Glenda Rodrigues Santos Giordani—SUNY New Paltz
Paige O’Neill—Rochester High School

Poster Presentation Winners

Agriculture, Soil, and Natural Resources
High School
Noah-Duro Andre—American Heritage Broward

Anthropology
High School
Daniela Staton—American Heritage Palm Beach

Cell Biology & Biochemistry
High School 
Mia Rozenberg—Pine Crest School
Undergraduate
Donovan Hannish—Oakland University
Graduate/Doctoral
Alyssa Paul—Oakland University

Chemistry 
High School
Iris Fan—American Heritage Broward
Undergraduate
Andrew Fiocco—Quinnipiac University

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology 
High School
Yash Gupta—Pine Crest School
Graduate/Doctoral
James Schwendler—Western Connecticut State University

Engineering 
High School
Bhav Jain—American Heritage Palm Beach
Undergraduate 
Shivek Narang—University of Pennsylvania

Environmental Science
High School
Jack Shannon—Colongowes Wood College

Geosciences
High School
John Staton—American Heritage Palm Beach

Human Behavioral and Social Sciences
High School
Rhea Ahuja—Clements High School
Undergraduate
Phillip Perez—Northwest Vista College
Graduate/Doctoral
Kaisa Holt—Portland State University

Math & Computer Science
High School
William Wakefield—Pine Crest School
Undergraduate 
Bethany Ang and Ryan Ong—Biola University

Microbiology & Molecular Biology
High School
Avni Vemuri—Raleigh Charter High School
Undergraduate
Alperen Tür—Hacettepe University

Physics & Astronomy 
High School
Claire Wu—Maria Carrillo High School

Physiology & Immunology 
High School
Maya Behura—American Heritage Palm Beach
Devesh Kumaresh—American Heritage Palm Beach
Undergraduate
Sara Kaufman—John Hopkins University

Interdisciplinary Research Categories

Advances in Computation (Cyber Security, Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence)
Annika Sachdeva—Pine Crest School

Biology and Biotechnology (Understanding the Brain, Origins of Life (Assembling Tree of Life), Understanding Biological Systems)
Avni Vemuri—Raleigh Charter High School
Dishika Parikh—American Heritage Palm Beach

Design, Construction, and Manufacturing (Improving Urban Infrastructure, Innovations in Manufacturing, Advanced Materials)
Claire Wu—Maria Carrillo High School

Engineering (Making Solar Energy Affordable, Engineering Tools for Scientific Discoveries such as Lasers, Cameras, or Software)
Dillon Maltese—King School

Environmental Challenges (Providing Access to Clean Water, Mitigating Climate Change, Food Security, Managing the Nitrogen Cycle, Sustaining Clean Air, Preserving Biodiversity)
Bhav Jain—American Heritage Palm Beach

Human Health (Advancing Drug Design and Limiting Drug Resistance, Advancing Health Informatics, Advancing Vaccines, Preventing Pandemics, Cancer Detection and Therapy)
Maya Behura—American Heritage Palm Beach
Devesh Kumaresh—American Heritage Palm Beach

Human Sciences and Policy
Riya Subbaiah—Georgetown University

Tools for Science, Education, and Personalized Learning
Shengwu Luo—American Heritage Palm Beach

Understanding the Universe (Astronomy and Space Sciences)
Zohar Eshet—American Heritage Palm Beach

Student Choice Winners

First Place

Evan Rhine—Pinecrest School

Second Place

Kayli Harris—American Heritage Palm Beach