Wind gushing outside E3 in November, leaving the science lab without power, senior Benjamin Chung poured a substrate into an enzyme, hoping it would change color.
It turned pink. He screamed.
Chung had just finished his research to submit for the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school students.
In early January, the Society for Science — which serves as the managing body of the Regeneron competition — announced that Chung was named a top 300 scholar for 2025. Chung gives TO a Regeneron winner for the 2nd straight year; last year, Ramon Moreno Jr. was honored for his research for “The Influence of Isonicotinamide on the Chronological Lifespan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains.” Moreno is now attending Harvard University on a full academic scholarship.
Chung, who is a part of TO’s Center for Advanced Studies and Research, had an experience at Westminster Free Clinic that allowed him to find the “gap” that he believed could make an impact.
“Ramon was a pivotal factor in this; I still text him asking him questions,” Chung said. “He’s always willing to just help me. Upon getting the recognition, I don’t believe it. It’s just it’s kind of surreal. I don’t believe that I should have gotten it. I feel like there’s a lot more capable people in the Center.”
“I had a patient who struggled with a traumatic brain injury, and I saw that there were no cost-effective approaches for treating it, and the invasive approaches, like surgical interventions, [were] way too expensive,” said Chung, who began assisting at the clinic as a sophomore. “So I [thought], ‘How come there’s no feasible cure for traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)?’ And that’s what kind of started it.”
Chung looked for widely available and affordable solutions that would be able to help with the recovery process of a TBI. He was found to Omega-3 and Zinc and decided to research their effectiveness on phenol oxidase, an enzyme found in brain tissue. He settled on the title: The Synergistic Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (DHA and EPA) and Zinc Picolinate on Traumatic Brain Injury in Galleria mellonella.”
Dr. Nikki Malhotra, who manages the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) of The Center, worked closely with Chung to complete his research project.
Chung and TOHS were each awarded $2,000 to utilize in any way they see fit. After high school, Chung hopes to attend a four-year university and eventually enter a pre-med program to become a neurosurgeon, using the knowledge and skills he has gained from his time in The Center.
