Meet Thomas Cong, 2nd Place Winner of the 2024 Regeneron STS (youtube.com)
Achyuta Rajaram,(Center) a talented Indian American high schooler, has achieved a remarkable feat by winning the top award in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) 2024. This prestigious competition, which celebrates scientific and mathematical excellence among high school seniors, has a rich history as America’s oldest such event.
But Achyuta wasn’t alone in this achievement. Two other Indian Americans also stood out:
- Arnav Chakravarthy, 18, from Cupertino, California, secured the ninth place and received a $50,000 award.
- Aditi Avinash, 17, from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was honored with the Seaborg Award.
Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science and Executive Publisher of Science News, congratulated the winners, emphasizing their intellect and ingenuity. These young minds are not only inspiring but also instrumental in finding solutions to our most challenging problems.
Achyuta Rajaram, aged 17 and hailing from Exeter, New Hampshire, claimed the first-place prize of $250,000. His groundbreaking work involved developing an automatic method to uncover which components of a computer model contribute to decision-making. This knowledge sheds light on the inner workings of algorithms, making them more effective, fair, and safe.
In the realm of machine learning, computer algorithms sift through data to address practical questions. Achyuta’s research significantly enhances our understanding of what these models “think” when analyzing images. For instance, when identifying a car in a photo, do they first recognize wheels and then deduce “car-ness,” or do they follow a different process? His work opens new avenues for improving artificial intelligence systems.
Congratulations to Achyuta Rajaram and all the talented young scientists who continue to push the boundaries of knowledge!
