Regeneron Science Talent Search and ISEF students bring their research to Dr. Raven Baxter's followers

In the spring and summer of 2022, Dr. Raven Baxter partnered with Regeneron to bring two youth science competitions to her social media audience. She interviewed students from the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), both run by Society for Science.

"I am partnered with Regeneron to share with the public all of the exciting work that is being done to usher in the next generation of scientists such as the Science Talent Search and the International Science and Engineering Fair," Baxter told the River Journal.

Both competitions returned to in-person events that year after two pandemic years. In March, STS finalists met in Washington, D.C. for the first in-person competition since 2019. The 40 finalists, chosen from more than 1,800 applicants, received more than $1.8 million in awards. A month earlier, Pew Research Center reported that 29 percent of U.S. adults had a great deal of confidence in scientists to act in the public's best interests. That was down from 39 percent in November 2020.

In the spring, Baxter talked with 2022 STS winners about their research and pointed high school seniors to the STS 2023 application. In the summer, she interviewed ISEF 2022 finalists and winners and invited followers to share their own science interests with the #scicommchallenge.

ISEF 2022 met in Atlanta as a hybrid event. More than half of the finalists gathered at the Georgia World Congress Center, and the rest took part online. About 1,750 finalists from 49 states and 63 countries, regions and territories competed for nearly $8 million in awards. "Every single Regeneron ISEF finalist has shown true dedication, passion, and grit," said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science.

Society for Science began in 1921, when E.W. Scripps and William E. Ritter founded it as Science Service. It publishes Science News. The Science Talent Search started in 1942 as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. Its alumni have received 13 Nobel Prizes, two Fields Medals and 11 National Medals of Science. Regeneron became its exclusive partner in 2016, with a commitment through 2027. ISEF calls itself the world's largest international pre-college science competition.

"Never stop being curious, never stop exploring and never stop looking for answers," Regeneron co-founder George D. Yancopoulos said in the society's release on the 2022 STS winners.

The same partnership brought Baxter to the Regeneron DNA Learning Center that September, where she worked with Yonkers high school students at the lab bench.

Baxter, a molecular biologist and science communicator, received her Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo that February. Science News had featured her in December 2020 among five Black researchers working for diversity and equity in science.

The 2022 STS winners and ISEF top winners are listed on Society for Science's website.

Paid partnership with Regeneron.