2026 HS WRSEF Winners

Thank you to all the students who entered projects into the fair this year, the teachers and mentors who supported them, the judges who devoted hours of their time to our students’ presentations, and the sponsors who provided some incredible prizes for our winning projects! We couldn't do this without your creative and innovative ideas. 

First place winners qualify to enter ISEF Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

All first, second, and third place winners and honorable mention winners qualify to enter the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair (MSEF).

Winners and participating schools will be contacted via email with details on how to register for these fairs. All participants will receive feedback from the judges via their contact teacher. 

Congratulations to all the winners!

Region 2 Massachusetts ISEF Delegate 

Kelly Mills

The Effect of a Natural and Artificial Yellow Dye on Drosophila Populations and Preference Wachusett Regional High School

Sanofi First Place Award

Harit Sree Charan Suraparaju 

From Pollution to Power: Testing Tin-Copper Nanoflowers to Turn CO2 into Formate Grafton High School

First Place Awards

Sahasra Charkam 

Parental Pharmacological Modulation of Serotonergic Signaling in C. elegans to analyze hereditary suicide

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Atharv Joshi 

Neuroprotective Effects of Insulin Signaling Modulation in an Alzheimer’s Model 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Second Place Awards

Anish Gupta 

Stopping Stones in Their Tracks: A Comparative In-Vitro Analysis of Natural Inhibitors of Calcium-Oxalate Kidney Stone Formation 

Shrewsbury High School

Chenghao Xu 

Self-Assembling Modular Robots Enabled by an Articulated Multi-Axis Connector 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Daniel Korkin 

Repurposing FDA Approved Drugs to Fight Neglected Tropical Diseases Using Deep Learning 

Westborough High School

Ryan Prendergast 

Developing a Mobile Thermal Disposal System for On-Site Construction Wood Waste 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Third Place Awards

Sanvi Venkayala

Designing a Robot to Measure Soil Hydrophobicity and Optimize Tilling for Hydration 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

William Zhang 

From Material to Intelligence: Using Conductive Hydrogels as Smart Skin for Robotic Devices

Shrewsbury High School

Suhrit Ghosh

Fusion-Based Driver State Monitoring: A Multimodal Approach to Drowsiness Mitigation 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Arjun Mehta and Sahaj Pogula 

How does applying a weak electrical force to the Blood-Brain Barrier system make drug delivery more efficient and sufficient? 

Hopkinton High School

Neha Nagireddy 

ENDO-EC: An Automated Early Esophageal Cancer Detection System via Image Classification and Lesion Segmentation 

Shrewsbury High School

Tanay Apte, Varvara Karenski and Mihir Jain 

Optimizing Collector Electrode Geometry for Electrohydrodynamic Propulsion Systems 

Ashland High School

Michelle Xu 

A Severity-Aware Reinforcement Learning System for Optimizing Abdominal Hemorrhage Resuscitation in Physiological Simulation 

The Bromfield School

Vaibhav Vinodhkumar 

Aerodynamic Optimization of a Bio-Inspired Autorotating Airdrop System: Reducing Landing Error and Impact Velocity 

Shrewsbury High School

Aishani Ghosh 

Modeling Annihilator to Sensitizer Ratios for Optimal Light Intensity in TTA Upconversion 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Sahana Chaubal 

Investigation of local drinking waters from PFAS-flagged sources reduces lettuce seed germination rate and early or late root/shoot growth compared with municipal and distilled water controls 

Worcester Academy

Miles Wilander 

The Effect of Activated Carbon on the Heart Rate and Daphnia magna Affected by Glyphosate and 2, 4-D 

Wachusett Regional High School

Megan Jeffcoat 

Modeling Celiac Immune Activity in C. elegans 

Wachusett Regional High School

Ananth Gomatam 

Researching the Effects of Indian Carnatic Music on the Behavior of Drosophila melanogaster in an Autism Spectrum Disorder Model 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Honorable Mentions

Lucia Cranson 

The Effect of Glow-in-the-Dark Microplastics on the Growth and Fluorescence of Hydroponically Grown Mint Plants 

Wachusett Regional High School

Annie Li 

Sustainable Sips: Engineering and Experimental Evaluation of Biodegradable Straw Formulations 

Shrewsbury High School

Nirelis Aponte-Garcia 

Journey to an Unforgettable Future: The Effects of Lithium Nitrate on Drosophila Learning and Memory 

Wachusett Regional High School

Ishan Kasam 

A Multi-Fidelity Surrogate-Based Control Framework for Continuously Variable Deployable Vortex Generators 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Anwita Wadekar 

Beyond Food and Fitness: Highlighting the Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Youth Obesity 

Worcester Academy

Fariba Khan 

From Detection to Prescription: A Frugal, On-Device Multimodal AI System for Real-Time Plant Disease Diagnosis and Management 

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School

Parnitha Karapakula 

The Effects of Transgenerational Epilepsy on Dementia Pathology in C. elegans 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Anushka Singh, Lauren Piel and Navadha Padliya 

Testing and Developing a Reliable Enzyme Encapsulation System for β-Galactosidase

Grafton High School

Samad Udaipurwala 

Functional Analysis of Attenuated Amyloid-β Neurotoxicity via Pan-Neuronal Hsp104 Co-Expression Mediated by QUAS/57C10 and GAL4/UAS in Drosophila melanogaster

Shrewsbury High School

Helen Taylor 

The Impact of Different Modes of News Media Consumption on Extremist Political Beliefs 

Bancroft School

Vivienne Liedtke 

When Seeing Overrides Feeling: How Virtual Reality Influences Object Recognition and Perception 

Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School

Ryan Gupta 

AquaIntel 

Grafton High School

Jayaratna Deshamouni 

Novel Programmable Metal-Organic Frameworks Synthesis for Airborne Neurotropic Viruses and Antiviral Immune Pathogenic Resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans using Vitelline Membranes 

Shrewsbury High School

Meghna Nambiar 

Evaluating Machine Learning Models for Predicting Ciprofloxacin Resistance in Escherichia coli using Genomic Features 

The Bromfield School

Kiley Kruger 

The Effect of Algae Preventatives on the Propagation of Algae 

Wachusett Regional High School

Yinhong Qian 

Inflatable soft wearable knee joint rehabilitation device 

Worcester Academy

Vikram Hiranandani 

Acoustic On-Demand Fishing Gear Release System 

Westborough High School

Pahlaj Sharma 

Kinetic Energy Harvester to Power Small Devices 

Hopkinton High School

Anna Mahoney 

A Recipe for Success: The Effect of Variation in Bioplastics Recipes on the Tensile Strength of the Bioplastics 

Wachusett Regional High School

Puneeth Nunna 

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting for Next-Generation Aircraft Systems 

Shrewsbury High School

Kaushik Satheesh Kumar 

Analyzing Packet Transmissions In Low Power Wide Access Networks to identify zero-day Denial-of-Service Attacks using Zero-Shot Techniques 

Shrewsbury High School

Swara Patkar, Samanvitha Vangala and Nitya Sunku 

Recovery of Dialysis Tubing After Heat Stress 

Hopkinton High School

Ritesh Kumar Tondepu, Krishiv Jayaswal and Lokesh Katra 

Optimization of a Low-Cost Prosthetic Hand 

Grafton High School

Arjun Mohandass 

Utilizing Combined Darrieus and Savonius Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) Integrated Traffic Barriers to Recover Untapped Wind Energy Generated by Major Roadways to Improve Conventional Renewable Energy Systems 

Shrewsbury High School

Dhanusha Ramadas 

A Low-Cost Edge Sweat Sensor That Audibly Alerts Athletes of Rising Dehydration Risk 

Westborough High School

Local Sponsored Awards

Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Environmental Sustainability Award

Arjun Mohandass 

Utilizing Combined Darrieus and Savonius Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) Integrated Traffic Barriers to Recover Untapped Wind Energy Generated by Major Roadways to Improve Conventional Renewable Energy Systems 

Shrewsbury High School

EARTH ltd. Conservation and Stewardship Award

Sahana Chaubal 

Investigation of local drinking waters from PFAS-flagged sources reduces lettuce seed germination rate and early or late root/shoot growth compared with municipal and distilled water controls 

Worcester Academy

EcoTarium Museum-Ready Science Awards

Mia Zhao 

Edge AI based Multimodal Detection of Health-related Emergencies in a Household Environment

Westborough High School

Vivienne Liedtke 

When Seeing Overrides Feeling: How Virtual Reality Influences Object Recognition and Perception 

Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School

The Hiatt School of Psychology at Clark University Award for Outstanding Project on Psychology and Human Behavior

Anwita Wadekar 

Beyond Food and Fitness: Highlighting the Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Youth Obesity 

Worcester Academy

The Mass Audubon Environmental Research Award

Miles Wilander 

The Effect of Activated Carbon on the Heart Rate and Daphnia magna Affected by Glyphosate and 2, 4-D 

Wachusett Regional High School

MBI Future Innovator Award

Atharv Joshi 

Neuroprotective Effects of Insulin Signaling Modulation in an Alzheimer’s Model 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

New England Botanic Garden Plant Science & Sustainability

Britha Abunga, Anna Platek, Evan St. George

Cracking the Code: Enhancing Fruit Life by Identifying the Enemies of Freshness

Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School

WooSox Roberto the Rocket Award

Ryan Prendergast 

Developing a Mobile Thermal Disposal System for On-Site Construction Wood Waste 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Woo! Science Community Impact Awards

First: Viviana Barboza

The Role of Personality and Noise in Short-Term Memory Retention

Bancroft School

Second: Sullivan McCarthy, Vinesh Kanagavel Chithra

Robotic Medication and Cognitive-Assessment App to Enhance Memory Retention in Alzheimer’s Patients

Grafton High School

Third: Swara Patkar, Samanvitha Vangala, Nitya Sunku

Renal Recovery by Recooling: A Dialysis Representation

Hopkinton High School

Honorable Mention: Arya Patel, Rielyn Phoenix

Blocking the Breakdown

Grafton High School

Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Emerging Community Leadership in Business & Innovation Award

Anjan Bharath Reddy Lakkadi

Reducing Recycling Contamination Through AI-Powered Waste Classification: Development of an Automated Smart Recycling System

Milford High School

WRSEF Special Awards

Perseverance in Scientific Inquiry Award

Joseph Cordero & Kavin Adhav Sivadhaya

Improving Accelerative Efficiency of Solar Sails

Grafton High School

Rising Researcher Award

Puneeth Nunna

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting for Next-Generation Aircraft Systems

Shrewsbury High School

Excellence in Scientific Communication Award

Arushi Vora

Using Senolytics to Rescue Cognitive Function in an Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model Through Selective Cell-Type Targeting

Westborough High School

Student’s Choice Award

Parnitha Karapakula

The Effects of Transgenerational Epilepsy on Dementia Pathology in C. elegans

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Outstanding Mentor in Scientific Inquiry Award

Kevin Crowthers 

Mass Academy

SFS Special Awards

American Psychological Association Award for Achievement in Research in Psychological Science

Michelle Liu

Detection of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) and Cognitive Impairment: Impacts and supports for patient and society

Algonquin Regional High School

NASA Earth System Science Project Award

Sahana Chaubal 

Investigation of local drinking waters from PFAS-flagged sources reduces lettuce seed germination rate and early or late root/shoot growth compared with municipal and distilled water controls 

Worcester Academy

United States Air Force Certificate of Achievement

Meghna Nambiar 

Evaluating Machine Learning Models for Predicting Ciprofloxacin Resistance in Escherichia coli using Genomic Features 

The Bromfield School

Pahlaj Sharma 

Kinetic Energy Harvester to Power Small Devices 

Hopkinton High School

Shengtao (Alex) Ding

LLM-Driven Text Signals in Multi-Round Prediction Markets: Bayesian Updating, Fractional-Kelly Betting, and Robustness Evaluation

Worcester Academy

Aisha Ali

Computational Model for Early Prediction of Neurological Risk in Silent Hypoxia

The Greater Commonwealth Virtual School

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United States Metric Association Science Fair Award for the Best Use of the International System of Units and MCTA

Aishani Ghosh

Modeling Annihilator to Sensitizer Ratios for Optimal Light Intensity in TTA Upconversion

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

The Yale Science & Engineering Association Most Outstanding Exhibit in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Naaisha Agarwal

Using Deep Learning Model to Predict Individual Health Outcomes Due to Migration

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Ricoh USA Sustainable Development Award

Noah Balon

Exploring Sustainable Agriculture through Soil Carbon Sequestration

Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School

NOAA Pulse of the Planet Award

Lumen Zhang, Lindsay Xie and Hareesh Krishnasamy

Simulating Coastal Ecosystems: The Impact of pH, Salinity, and Nutrients on Calcium Carbonate Dissolution

Hopkinton High School

AMD Engineering Excellence Award

Chenghao Xu 

Self-Assembling Modular Robots Enabled by an Articulated Multi-Axis Connector 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Mathematics & Computing Excellence Award​

Daniel Korkin 

Repurposing FDA Approved Drugs to Fight Neglected Tropical Diseases Using Deep Learning 

Westborough High School

Alnylam Bioscience Excellence Awards

Arjun Mehta and Sahaj Pogula 

How does applying a weak electrical force to the Blood-Brain Barrier system make drug delivery more efficient and sufficient? 

Hopkinton High School

Chemistry Excellence Award
Anish Gupta 

Stopping Stones in Their Tracks: A Comparative In-Vitro Analysis of Natural Inhibitors of Calcium-Oxalate Kidney Stone Formation 

Shrewsbury High School

Natural Science Excellence Award

Ryan Prendergast 

Developing a Mobile Thermal Disposal System for On-Site Construction Wood Waste 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Behavioral and Social Sciences Excellence Award

Ananth Gomatam 

Researching the Effects of Indian Carnatic Music on the Behavior of Drosophila melanogaster in an Autism Spectrum Disorder Model 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

MLSC Trailblazer Award

Zongyuan Jin

Using Colchicine to Produce Polyploid Plants to Increase the Quality of Rose

Worcester Academy

WRSEF 2025-2026 Logo Design Award 

Ryan Prendergast 

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Developing Program Award

Milford High School