Episcopal School of Acadiana senior Siyeon Joo earned top marks at the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair regional competition, held at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Joo’s honors include:

• 1st in the Biomedical and Health Sciences category

• Email newsletter signup

  Sign up for our daily email newsletter

  1st overall out of 52 science projects

• Recognition as the sole Regeneron ISEF nominee, and

• Recognition as the only recipient of the Regeneron Biomedical Science Award, which comes with a $375 stipend.

The senior will now advance to the state round of competition, held at LSU. According to ESA, conference leaders also have invited Joo to compete at the international fair in Columbus, Ohio, in May with over 2,000 high school students from around the world.

“Siyeon’s enthusiasm and commitment to ecological and biological research is unprecedented for a student her age,” says ESA science department chair Christina Hidalgo. “Not only does she understand scientific principles, but she also thoroughly enjoys the process. Siyeon engages in scientific research for the sake of adding to human understanding of the natural world. I know that she will change the world by continuing to look for meaning throughout the science realm.”

Joo and her classmate, Grace Pellegrin, have been collaborating on an additional research project to study the toxic effects of microgravity on cyanobacteria. In December, the two girls traveled to the American Society of Gravitational and Space Research Conference in Puerto Rico with ESA biology teacher Brittany Grissom to present their work.

Due to their outstanding research and data-driven experimentation, highlighted in their presentation at the ASGSR conference, their work has been accepted into the MIT THINK Scholars Program—an honor granted to only .5% of applicants. As part of this exceptional opportunity, the pair will be paired with MIT mentors throughout the spring semester, culminating in a capstone presentation.

They will also make history as the first students from Louisiana to participate in this esteemed program. In addition to scientific mentorship, MIT has committed to funding their continued research and to providing an all-expenses-paid trip to its campus. While there, the seniors will have the opportunity to tour research labs, present their findings to MIT students and faculty, and connect with members of the THINK team.