Student researchers win thousands at ISEF

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On the early morning of May 13, three science research students traveled to Dallas to take part in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). ISEF is an annual global science fair which awards high school researchers for their work. 

In order to qualify for ISEF, students must win first place at their school science fair, then win another first place at the county science fair, which sends them to the state fair. Once at the state fair, each county selects the three highest-awarded students to represent them at ISEF. From Broward County, all three students — junior Jacob Federici and sophomores Calvin Matthew and Emma Colarte-Delgado — attended Heritage. 

Federici won third place in Plant Sciences for his project “Mitigation of Decreased Protein Synthesis Under Elevated Carbon Dioxide in Arabidopsis thaliana Using Transgenic and Exogenous Approaches” and was awarded $1000. 

Matthew won first place in his category, Materials Science for his project, titled “3D Printing Personalized Knee Implants: Novel Computational Geometric Models for Stem Cell Regeneration in Meniscus Tears.” Currently, meniscus tears are treated with surgery that removes cartilage from the knee. Throughout the summer and early part of last year, Matthew worked to create an implant which helps regenerate torn cartilage. “My project creates a low cost, streamlined and regenerative alternative [to surgery,]” he said. 

In her project titled, “The Effect of Intermittent Metabolic Switching (IMS) on the Cognitive and Behavioral Abilities of Mutant Drosophila, Leading to Brief Synaptic Neuroplasticity as an Alzheimer’s Model” Delgado worked to find a preventative mechanism for the neurodegenerative disease. She won first place in her category Behavioral and Social Sciences, receiving $5000. “It’s crazy and I’m so grateful for this experience,” she said. “After they announced fourth through second I genuinely thought I wouldn’t win anything, so this was a huge shock to me. It was a great experience and I’m glad I was able to attend and make new friends across the world.”


For a list of all ISEF winners, click here.

After a day of competition, students were invited to spend their time attending various symposiums on different fields of science. (Photo/Emma Delgado)

Irene, now a senior at American Heritage, returns to staff as the Online-Editor-in-Chief for her third and final year with the Patriot Post. She loves all things literature and spends most of her time with her nose in a book. Her passion for writing started early, and she is currently the co-president of the Quill and Scroll Society. When she is not studying or writing articles for the wonderful iPatriotPost, she enjoys volunteering and helping lead a multitude of clubs at Heritage. Since 2014, she has worked alongside Best Buddies, an organization that advocates for inclusivity for those with intellectual and physical disabilities. As a co-founder and current board member of the South Florida Best Buddies Student Advisory Board, she plans fundraisers and service projects, including the annual Friendship Walk, which raised almost $300,000. She looks forward to making this year special and as amazing as possible.