November 10, 2026

Sigma Xi inducted 56 students as new members of the Society during a virtual ceremony on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The students were award recipients for research presentations at the fifth 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 300 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.

In addition to the regular student research competition, 11 Student Visionary Awards were presented to select students who were chosen to host and present general sessions to the IFoRE audience during the main conference agenda. These special awards and sessions represented the IFoRE initiative of connecting all generations of scientific research.

The winning students were joined by science educator, engineer, author, and television personality Bill Nye, who received Sigma Xi's 2026 Honorary Membership award. Nye and the students participated in the official Sigma Xi "Pledge of the Society" as they were inducted into the organization at the event of ceremony.

Congratulations to all winners and presenters!

STUDENT VISIONARY AWARDS

Amelia Balaji, Notre Dame Academy
Ricardo Muller Bottura, Università degli Studi di Verona
Kyra Briggs, Texas Connections Academy
Alekhya Buragadda, Union College
Maryann Benny Fernandes, Durham Technical Community College
Torben Heinbockel, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sara Kaufman, Johns Hopkins University
Samarth Lamba, CHIREC International School
Vanya Lavu, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Yuliya Liberman, Temple University
Daniel Reddy, Queen's University at Kingston

DISCIPLINE AWARDS

Agriculture, Soil, & Natural Resources

High School Division
Charles Brum, Cathedral Catholic High School

Undergraduate Division
Emmanuel Nwachukwu, Rutgers University

Graduate Division
Ashma Adhikari, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Anthropology

High School Division
Tyler Malkin, Greenwich High School

Cell Biology & Biochemistry

High School Division
Nicole Cannon, Raleigh Charter High School

Undergraduate Division
Evan Morris, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Graduate Division
Xia Wu, University of Iowa

Chemistry

High School Division
Alina Mosquera, American Heritage High School, Broward County

Undergraduate Division
Leah Wayne, American University

Graduate Division
Zhiwei Wang, Northwestern University

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

High School Division (Tie)
Audrey Tellman, Tuscumbia High School
Aviv Dobzinski, Pine Crest School

Undergraduate Division
Livia Hyden, University of North Texas

Graduate Division
Zeanna Graves, Western Connecticut State University

Engineering

High School Division (Tie)
Andrew Shin, Bergen County Technical High School – Teterboro
Nikita Prabhakar, Bob Jones High School

Undergraduate Division
Hasmik Gharibyan, University of Southern California

Graduate Division
Mahjabin Rahman, University of Houston

Environmental Science

High School Division
Ivan Kalashnykov, American Heritage School Broward County

Graduate Division
Ebenezer Boahen, Indiana University-Bloomington

Geosciences

High School Division
Mustafa Shakir, Eastlake High School

Human Behavioral & Social Sciences

High School Division
Jeongmin Noh, Korea International School (Pangyo)

Undergraduate Division
Sabrina Johnson, State University of New York at Old Westbury

Graduate Division
Akhila Vanga, Kent State University

Math & Computer Science

High School Division
David Arutyunyan, Florida Atlantic University High School

Undergraduate Division
Samuel Phillips, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Graduate Division
Joshua Copeland, Colorado Technical University

Microbiology & Molecular Biology

High School Division
Justin Liu, Sage Hill High School

Undergraduate Division
Joshua Wu, Stanford University

Graduate Division
Kailash Babu Panneerselvam, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Physics & Astronomy

High School Division
Lysha Rashid, Forest Park High School

Undergraduate Division
Ingrid Slattery, Yale University

Graduate Division
Adisa Suleiman, Iowa State University

Physiology & Immunology

High School Division
Sanvi Kanoori, Valley Christian High School

Undergraduate Division (Tie)
Sakura Yamawaki, University of California, Berkeley
Ariadna Maksin, Georgetown University

Graduate Division
Afoluso Olayonwa, Wayne State University

INTERDISCIPLINARY AWARDS

Advances in Computation (Cyber Security, Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence)
Sophie Grodin, La Jolla High School

Biology and Biotechnology (Understanding the Brain, Origins of Life (Assembling Tree of Life), Understanding Biological Systems)
Umair Bhat, University of Texas at Dallas

Design, Construction, and Manufacturing (Improving Urban Infrastructure, Innovations in Manufacturing, Advanced Materials)
Vijeta Garg, Edison High School

Engineering (Making Solar Energy Affordable, Engineering Tools for Scientific Discoveries such as Lasers, Cameras, or Software)
Benaya Goyea, Governor French Academy

Environmental Challenges (Providing Access to Clean Water, Mitigating Climate Change, Food Security, Managing the Nitrogen Cycle, Sustaining Clean Air, Preserving Biodiversity)
Emmanuel Nwachukwu, Rutgers University

Human Health (Advancing Drug Design and Limiting Drug Resistance, Advancing Health Informatics, Advancing Vaccines, Preventing Pandemics, Cancer Detection and Therapy)
David Arutyunyan, Florida Atlantic University High School

Human Sciences and Policy
Zoe Franklin, American Heritage High School Palm Beach County

Tools for Science, Education, and Personalized Learning
Jeongmin Noh, Korea International School (Pangyo)

Understanding the Universe (Astronomy and Space Sciences)
Akshara Srinivas, Eastlake High School

STUDENT CHOICE AWARDS

First Place
Katie Wagner, University of Florida

Second Place
Norah Sipes, Middle Creek High School