Three Exceptional Gatton Academy Students Shine at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair

Three Exceptional Gatton Academy Students Shine at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair

Three outstanding students from Gatton Academy, namely Asa Ashley of Bowling Green High School, Zahra Chasmawala of duPont Manual High School, and Nikhil Kumar from the same school, were individually awarded $500 at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Grand Awards Ceremony held in Los Angeles, California, this past May.

ISEF’s Global Scientific Inquiry and Innovation

In a display of the world’s finest young scientists, the Regeneron ISEF serves as a global platform for the most promising high school students to showcase their pioneering scientific inquiries and innovative creations. This annual event has been organized by the Society for Science for 70 years and provides an opportunity for students worldwide to compete for nearly $9 million worth of awards and scholarships. This year, the ISEF showcased nearly 2,000 young scientists from around the globe, including representatives from all 49 U.S. states and nearly 70 international regions and territories.

A Powerful Performance by Gatton Academy Students

These well-deserved awards were bestowed upon the Gatton Academy students for their impressive breadth of creativity, innovation, and scientific depth in their projects. Asa Ashley triumphed with a 4th place award in the Sustainable Materials and Design category for her project titled “Novel Synthesis of Maghemite Nanospheres on Nickel Foam as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Alkaline Water Splitting”. Zahra Chasmawala achieved 4th place in the Computational Biology category for her work on “Modeling Neuron Energy Efficiency and Consumption Using Hodgkin-Huxley Equations with Analysis and Application”. Similarly, Nikhil Kumar secured 4th place in Physics and Astronomy for his project “Optimized and Accurate Planetary and Interplanetary Satellite Modeling Via Utilization of Advanced Differential Equations”.

Proud Moments for Gatton Academy

Dr. Lynette Breedlove, Director of The Gatton Academy, showered praises on the students and expressed her immense pride. “I am very proud of the hard work of Asa, Zahra, and Nikhil demonstrated in their research, leading to their competing at the Regeneron ISEF this year. These students are remarkable ambassadors for the many talented young scientists of Kentucky.”

About The Gatton Academy

Established in 2007, The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s first two-year residential program for gifted and talented juniors and seniors. The students enroll as juniors and are full-time WKU students pursuing their interests in advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The academy was recently recognized as a recipient of the 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity Magazine and the Innovation Partnership Award from the National Consortium for Secondary STEM schools.