COURTESY OF SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE
In January, Saksham Saksena, a senior at Houston High School, was named one of the 300 scholars for Society for Science’s Regeneron Science Talent Search. Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science, says that as a scholar, “Saksham is one of the top 300 scientists and engineers in the United States. Colleges and universities take these young people very seriously as the next generation of scientists and engineers.”
Based in Tarrytown, New York, Regeneron is a leading biotechnical and pharmaceutical company, with more than 8,000 employees worldwide. The competition received 1,760 applicants from 611 high schools in the U.S.
Scholars were selected based on the innovation and uniqueness of their research papers, their grades, their extracurricular activities, and their recommendation letters. “[The competition] recognizes not only the merits of scientific research that these students submit but also really aims to identify future leaders in science,” says Patoula Stavropoulos, director of social Impact at Regeneron. “Students are evaluated for more than just their research.”
Through his project, Saksham sought to develop a non-invasive and efficient test that could detect circulating tumor cell clusters, which appear in the early stages of cancer. “This whole project started with the death of my uncle,” he says. “If his cancer was detected earlier, he might have lived.”
Saksham’s uncle lived in a third-world country, where access to medical care is limited, so he wanted to develop a test that could have universal access. As a result, his test uses ultrasound technology and machine learning automation, which can be more affordable than other tests and can produce results in a few days.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Saksham had limited access to materials and procedures, so he performed his experiment using yeast colonies incubated in starch and sugar. Over the course of several months, he worked more than 700 hours on this project, and he is developing his test further, even after the competition. He believes that with more advances, he can increase his test’s accuracy, shorten the result time, and make the test even less invasive. He also said that the test could be used to detect cardiovascular diseases and hemophilia, conditions that can be induced by COVID-19.
“We are incredibly excited to see where his project and scientific aptitude take him in the future,” Ajmera says. “[This competition] gives [students] the confidence to keep building on their science and engineering.” Participants, like Saksham, leave the competition with a sense of belonging in the STEM community and an extensive alumni network, including 13 Nobel Prize winners and even Dr. Eric Lander, the recently named director of the federal Office of Science and Technology Policy. Amjera says, “They are academic leaders, entrepreneurs, policy makers, teachers, doctors — they are our leaders.”
Saksham plans to become a doctor, with an interest in hematology and oncology. In addition to the Regeneron Science Talent Search, he has worked on projects ranging from a Mars Medical Kit to a “Beat COVID-19” video series, which can be found on his website (sakshemsadsena.weebly.com).
Saksham says that as a scholar, he is “gratified to have this accomplishment.” Overall, after this competition, he has learned that “age isn’t a barrier to anything. All you have to do is research and try to find a solution that could have major impacts on the world.”