For ambitious students looking to push themselves and take their education to the next level, TO presents its prestigious program, The Center for Advanced Studies and Research. In The Center, Lancers develop fundamental skills such as research, critical thinking and communication skills. The program serves as an advanced-level course that prepares students for entering college and the work field. The Center opens the doors to many different opportunities, including the Science Talent Search for Regeneron (STS).
“[The Science Talent Search is] the future of our society,” senior Annika Ekenstam said. “It’s seeing how [participants’] research is going to make a positive impact and how these people are going to be leading the charge in scientific discoveries.”
Every year, about 1,800 seniors apply to the Science Talent Search, and roughly 300 are accepted. Awards total close to $1.2 million each year. Forty of these students will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. During this trip, they will compete in a thorough judging process of their most recent research project for more than $1.8 million in awards. The top prize amounts to $250,000.
Ekenstam applied for the Science Talent Search; in Jan. , she will find out if she was chosen as one of the 300 applicants to be in the pool of scholars they chose from to pick their 40 finalists. Many students like Ekenstam have worked hard to apply and have developed an impressive resume.
“I researched the relationship between how likely you are to perceive rejection (like being excluded from a group and similar cues) with how intensely you interpret emotional expressions,” Ekenstam said.
Both The Center and the Science Talent Search open various doors for dedicated students to test their scientific potential.