Regeneron Science Talent Search Allie Stifel Director, Regeneron Science Talent Search Society for Science & the Public

The History The Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. Since 1942 in partnership with Westinghouse, then Intel and now with Regeneron, the Society has provided a national stage for the country's best and brightest young scientists to present original research to nationally recognized professional scientists.

The Goal: to identify young scientists who will become the leaders of our future scientific community

The Prizes $3.1 million in awards offered each year! Entrants: T-shirts, laptop stickers, 1-year subscription to Science News Top 300 Scholars: $2,000 Schools of Top 300 scholars: $2,000 per scholar 40 Finalists: $25,000 for 30 students Top Ten: $40,000 to $250,000 for 10th through 1st place

Who can apply? Eligibility Last year of secondary school (usually 12th) Attending school in the US or some US citizens attending school abroad Individual, independent research from any time and of any duration Human / Animal research falls within rules No cut offs by GPA, # of AP classes, etc. Any student from any school may apply if they meet the other rules (no limits per school, region, state) Completed research project from any year of high school, of any length

Regeneron STS vs. Intel ISEF 12th grade (or last year) 9th – 12th grade National International Identifying Future Leaders Identifying Top Research Individual Individual or Team Written Research Report 3-Panel Display Essays, Transcripts, Test Scores, Recommendations In-person interviews Research over entire life allowed 1 year of research in last 18mo. No regional competitions Affiliated Fairs No limits by geography Each fair has allotted spots No limits by category Winners in each category Stricter animal rules (no oversight) Oversight of fairs

Application Process https://sciencetalentsearch.fluidreview.com Opens June 1, 2018, closes November 14 Online Application ONLY; Direct Apply Requirements: Essays and short answer questions about activities, awards, past and current research projects Test Scores (optional) Recommendations (Educator, Project Scientist, Transcripts from High School Counselor) Research Report (up to 20 pages) https://sciencetalentsearch.fluidreview.com

What we’re NOT looking for… Perfection All AP classes Only students from certain states and schools Fancy labs/mentors Quotas of any sort We DO want to see… Great student-driven research Research from all disciplines Students taking advantage of opportunities available to them Demonstration of strong academic achievement

Timeline Student Research Project Approx 1800 students submit online applications June-November Each application reviewed by 3 PhD-level scientists (120), screened for plagiarism and rules review Judging Panel determines top 300 scholars and 40 finalists Top 300 scholars announced January 9 Top 40 finalists announced January 23 Finalists compete in Washington, DC mid-March Top 10 Winners Announced

Regeneron Science Talent Institute Thursday, March 7 Sunday, March 10 East Coast Arrivals Capitol Hill Photo Shoot Project Board Building Project Judging Orientation Dinner Public Day Telling Your Story Workshop Winner Results available to PR team West Coast Arrivals Monday, March 11 Friday, March 8 Finalist Field Trip Judges’ Breakfast Regeneron Innovation Dinner Judging Interviews Tuesday, March 12 Alumni Dinner Saturday, March 9 Hill Day Awards Gala Wednesday, March 13 Finalist Team Challenge Seaborg Speaker Selection Farewell breakfast Departures

2018 Highlights Video

Why should students enter Regeneron STS? Opportunity to win awards…top prize is $250,000! Schools awarded $2,000 per scholar, too! Networking opportunities Opportunity to showcase their research Practice makes perfect– great opportunity to practice scientific writing Inspiring to think about being around like-minded people Why not?

Things to know about the 2018/2019 application Application structured the same as 2017, some essays are shorter or combined Transcripts only accepted through the online system (no longer accepted via snail mail) Teachers are encouraged to open test accounts to explore– identify yourself in Task 1 Revised Rules Wizard section for students (Task 11) Limited number of activities, formatted so easier for us to quantify Allow/encourage students to list their family responsibilities for more holistic review of entrant Test scores have been optional for a few years, students may self report Robust FAQ on the website

Tools and Tips for Entrants Work in small chunks of time! “Easy sections” first. Application FAQ page Application Tour Video Webinars Sign up early to receive reminder emails and learn about webinars and help videos Don’t be afraid to email sciedu@societyforscience.org with questions! Rules questions

Advice for Educators Encourage all of your students to apply, and tell them about STS as 9th & 10th graders Highlight former finalists and scholars as role models, share stories from our blog Open a test account! Email sciedu@societyforscience.org to request promotional materials. Sign up for our emails through online form “Like” the Society on social media to keep up with important dates and events, and to access great materials like the livestreams from the STS Public Exhibition of Projects and the Awards Gala Letters of recommendation (educators & mentors)– help us contextualize the student

Mythbusting: True/False Only one student per school can be named a finalist Only one student per school can enter Mentors are required to enter STS There are no GPA or test score cut offs Students can enter more than once SSP tracks silly student questions and phone calls Multiyear research projects are required Engineering projects are not allowed Students can enter research that was entered into other competitions False! False! False! TRUE! False! False! False! False! TRUE!

Important Dates 2019 Application Opens – June 1, 2018 Application Deadline – ROCK SOLID November 14, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time Winner Announcements – January 2019 Scholar Announcement: Early January Finalist Announcement: Mid January Regeneron Science Talent Institute – mid March 2019 Public Exhibition of Projects – March 12, 2019

Questions? astifel@societyforscience.org sciedu@societyforscience.org Email me for materials, handouts, etc! This presentation will be uploaded to the Edmodo.