November 05, 2025
Sigma Xi inducted 56 students as new members of the Society during a virtual ceremony on Saturday, November 1, 2025. The students were award recipients for research presentations at the fourth annual International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE), powered by Sigma Xi. Cash prizes were awarded along with commemorative medals and associate membership to the Society, including one year of paid dues. Over 500 high school, undergraduate, and graduate students competed in the virtual event. A judging committee of Sigma Xi members evaluated the presenters on their scientific thought, methods, and communication skills.
Winners were chosen in each of 13 scientific disciplines and at each education level (high school, undergraduate, and graduate students). Nine additional awards were given for special interdisciplinary categories. In addition to the judges’ awards, the DC chapter of Sigma Xi sponsored two Student Choice Awards, voted on by fellow participants.
For the first time at IFoRE, 8 new awards were presented to students who submitted and were selected to present student-led sessions at the annual conference. The 8 student speakers were presented with the new "Student Visionary Awards," promoting the IFoRE initiative of connecting all generations of scientific research.
Congratulations to all winners and presenters!
STUDENT VISIONARY AWARDS
Sara Kaufman, Johns Hopkins University
Torben Heinbockel, St. Paul’s School
Jin Choi, South Torrance High School
Aadi Mullan, Horace Mann School
Francisco Herrero, Florida International University
Anvita Kulshresth, Duke University
Mathi Padmanaban, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Daniel Reddy, Queen’s University at Kingston
DISCIPLINE AWARDS
Agriculture, Soil, & Natural Resources
High School Division
David Arutyunyan, Florida Atlantic University High School
Graduate Division
Simar Singh Rayat, Graphic Era Hill University
Anthropology
High School Division
Katherine Zhang, Skyline High School
Graduate Division
Leah Harrell, North Carolina State University
Cell Biology & Biochemistry
High School Division
Joshua Wu, Dublin High School
Undergraduate Division
Sara Kaufman, Johns Hopkins University
Graduate Division
Jennifer Crainic, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Chemistry
High School Division
Can Hoşkal, İzmir Atatürk High School
Undergraduate Division
Kaesha Yanes, Hawaii Pacific University
Graduate Division
Miracle Olatunde, University of Virginia
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Undergraduate Division
Isaac Webster, Cornell University
Graduate Division
Purbayan Ghosh, Arizona State University
Engineering
High School Division
Antone Qasir, Yara AlRousan, Modern Montessori School
Undergraduate Division
Alex Reimert, Johns Hopkins University
Graduate Division
Maryam Hamidi, Carnegie Mellon University
Environmental Science
High School Division
Malya Chakravarty, Brookings High School
Undergraduate Division
Aubin Vertueux Dzossa Bontse, Furman University
Graduate Division
Kana Kimura, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Geosciences
High School Division
John Chang, High Technology High School
Undergraduate Division
Julia Hale, Vassar College
Graduate Division
Jasmine Fridman, Wesleyan University
Human Behavioral & Social Sciences
High School Division
Lake Zhou, Philips Exeter Academy
Undergraduate Division
Ella Reitmeier & Noa Croitoru, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Graduate Division
Hari Srinivasan, Vanderbilt University
Math & Computer Science
High School Division
Bhav Jain, American Heritage School Palm Beach
Undergraduate Division
Diana Petrenko, University of California Berkeley
Graduate Division
Bruno Henrique, Dartmouth College
Microbiology & Molecular Biology
High School Division
Maya Peles, Pine Crest School
Undergraduate Division
Agastya Sarmah, University of California Berkeley
Graduate Division
Ijeoma Okoye, Drexel University College of Medicine
Physics & Astronomy
High School Division
Kobi Weitzman, Pine Crest School
Undergraduate Division
Kyla Letko, University of California – Los Angeles
Graduate Division
Maryann Benny Fernandes, Duke University
Physiology & Immunology
High School Division
Victoria Chang, Pine Crest School
Undergraduate Division
Stephanie Velez, SUNY Old Westbury
Graduate Division
Sushrut Shah, Thomas Jefferson University
INTERDISCIPLINARY AWARDS
Advances in Computation
(Cyber Security, Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence)
Bhav Jain, American Heritage School Palm Beach
Biology and Biotechnology
(Understanding the Brain, Origins of Life (Assembling Tree of Life) Understanding Biological Systems)
Stephanie Velez, State University of New York at Old Westbury
Design, Construction, and Manufacturing (Improving Urban Infrastructure, Innovations in Manufacturing, Advanced Materials)
Madison Cole, School of the Osage
Engineering (Making Solar Energy Affordable, Engineering Tools for Scientific Discoveries such as Lasers, Cameras, or Software)
Alex Reimert, Johns Hopkins University
Environmental Challenges (Providing Access to Clean Water, Mitigating Climate Change, Food Security, Managing the Nitrogen Cycle, Sustaining Clean Air, Preserving Biodiversity)
Aubin Vertueux Dzossa Bontse, Furman University
Human Health (Advancing Drug Design and Limiting Drug Resistance, Advancing Health Informatics, Advancing Vaccines, Preventing Pandemics, Cancer Detection and Therapy)
Joshua Wu, Dublin High School
Human Sciences and Policy
Lake Zhou, Philips Exeter Academy
Tools for Science, Education, and Personalized Learning
Daniela Staton, American Heritage School Palm Beach
Understanding the Universe (Astronomy and Space Sciences)
Kobi Weitzman, Pine Crest School
STUDENT CHOICE AWARD
First Place
Kobi Weitzman, Pine Crest School
Second Place
Gideon Adams, Barry University