Buchholz student wins $100,000 award in Regeneron Science Talent Search

Press release from Alachua County Public Schools

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Nathan Wei, a senior at Buchholz High School, has won a $100,000 award after placing among the top winners in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search.

Wei took 4th place in the competition finals, which were held this week in Washington, D.C. He was one of just 40 students invited to present their research projects in the finals.

Wei’s project, entitled “Novel Elastomeric Polystyrene via Photopolymerization and Post-Functionalization of Durable Ultra-High Molecular Weight Perfluorostyrene Copolymers,” involves the development of a plastic that is strong, recyclable, and made from renewable resources.

Nearly 2200 applications to the Regeneron competition were submitted by students from across the nation and ten other nations. Three hundred were initially chosen as 2024 Regeneron Scholars, with 40 finalists announced in late January.

According to the Talent Search website, scholars and finalists are selected “based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions, and exceptional promise as STEM leaders.”

Wei is also a 2024 National Merit finalist and earned the highest possible score on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. He’s a member of Buchholz High’s national championship math team. Wei has also qualified to compete in the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair in early April.