High School Students Shine Among Top 300 Regeneron Scholars Kaitlin Ho and Eli Weseley-Jones top contenders in the country’s oldest science competition
Congratulations to Kaitlin Ho and Eli Weseley-Jones from North Shore High School who were recently named among the top 300 scholars in the 2025 Regeneron Talent Search (STS). It is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The 300 scholars will be awarded $2,000 each and their schools will be awarded $2,000 for each enrolled scholar. Scholars were selected from nearly 2,500 entrants from 795 high schools across 48 states, American Samoa, Guam, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 14 other countries.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Zublionis said, "The entire science department staff and I were immensely proud of Eli and Kaitlin. This highlighted the school's increasingly strong science program. Moreover, it is an opportunity to celebrate the vast creativity and intellect of Eli and Kaitlin, whose projects will clearly help society in powerful ways.”
Magnesium Magic: The Rescue of the Parkinson’s Model of Drosophila melanogaster with MgCl₂ Supplementation is the title of Kaitlin’s science research project. She studied how long-term magnesium chloride dietary supplementation affects a fruit fly model of Parkinson’s disease. Kaitlin found that adding magnesium chloride to the Parkinson's and control flies' diet helped the flies live longer and made them healthier neurologically. Her research shows that magnesium chloride can be used to slow neuronal degeneration, increase survival, and improve neurological health. Her research also suggests that magnesium chloride supplementation may prevent or delay brain aging and Parkinson’s disease onset.
Eli’s science research project is titled, The Misunderstood Math of Medical Tests: Improving Understanding of Conditional Probability in Screening Tests. He explored how the phrasing of medical risk information influences the ability of patients to understand that information. More specifically, Eli studied if the use of diagrams and videos, to present confusing screening test results, would enable patients to better understand positive screening test results. He found that the use of diagrams and videos is significantly more effective at conveying the results of screening tests than words alone.
"Regeneron is the pre-eminent research competition in the world," stated North Shore High School Principal, Eric Contreras. "To have two North Shore High School semifinalists is very impressive. It speaks to Kaitlin and Eli’s commitment to science, inquiry, and research." He continued, "Their awards are a celebration of their indefatigable inquiry, the mentorship of Dr. Mordechai, and the collective work of all our science teachers in creating robust, dynamic, and exciting learning experiences in Science. More than ever our country needs innovators, creators, and researchers to expand the boundaries of knowledge, strengthen our security, and improve our lives in big and small ways. We are very proud of Kaitlin and Eli for moving this work forward."
Science Research Teacher, Dr. Molly Mordechai said, “Eli and Kaitlin have been standout researchers in my program since their freshman year. Being named
Top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search is a testament to their dedication and passion for scientific discovery. All my seniors have invested countless hours into their research, achieving remarkable success, and I couldn't be prouder of the program as a whole. Congratulations to Eli, Kaitlin, and the entire North Shore community!”
More about the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2025 and the full list of scholars can be viewed at https://www.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts/2025-scholars/ On January 23rd, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. The finalists will then compete for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition in Washington, D.C., taking place March 6-12, 2025.
Please join us in congratulating both Kaitlin Ho and Eli Weseley-Jones on this very high accomplishment.
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Photos by Shelly Newman