GCPS students excel at 78th Georgia Science & Engineering Fair

     The 48th Annual Gwinnett Regional Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair celebrated outstanding student achievement, with 104 Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) middle and high school students representing 62 projects advancing to compete at the 78th Annual Georgia Science & Engineering Fair (GSEF). GSEF, the state’s premier pre‑college STEM competition, featured top student researchers from across the state. 

     GCPS students once again outperformed every other district in Georgia, leading the state in special awards, place awards, and overall top honors. The scientific quality of GCPS projects consistently met or exceeded criteria for statewide distinction and advancement readiness, reinforcing GCPS’ strong pipeline from classroom instruction and research to state and national excellence.

     GCPS Science Director (Grades 6-12) Jessica Holden shares, “We are incredibly proud to see our students’ work recognized at the state, national, and international levels for its quality, impact, and innovation. This recognition reflects the strength of science instruction and opportunity in GCPS and how our students are applying their learning in meaningful ways that benefit the world and prepare them for future college and careers.”

 

Performance Highlights 

• GCPS students earned 15 special awards spanning life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and computer science, as well as more than 20 first honors and best-in-category awards. 
• Award recipients included both middle and high school students, demonstrating depth and consistency in advanced research across grade levels. 
• One additional GCPS project earned advancement to the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF), joining the nine projects already awarded advancement at the Gwinnett Regional Science Fair in February. 
• With 10 total projects advancing to ISEF, GCPS set a new statewide record. 

 

Special Award Winners: 

• American Association for Women Geoscientists Award
  Annika Mazumdar (Pinckneyville MS)
  Fading Forests: Impact of Air Pollution on Wildlife & Ecosystems 

• Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Biotechnology Award (Junior Division)
  Ayaan Babwani (Trickum MS)
  Patient Zero: Novel Computational Parkinson’s Therapy Optimization 
   
• Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Biotechnology Award (Senior Division)
  Eun Jae “Julia” Lee (Peachtree Ridge HS)
  Muting Messages: Boronic Acids Reduce Quorum Sensing in E. coli 
   
• Georgia Aquarium Conservation Award
  Vivian Tang & Elizabeth Yam (North Gwinnett HS)
  Enhancing Urban Sustainability with Algae Photobioreactor Facades 
   
• Inspiring Excellence, Inc. Award
  Joyce Lee (Peachtree Ridge HS)
  A₂δ‑2’s Contribution to Adolescent Suicide Ideation 
   
• Inspiring Excellence, Inc. Award
  Boris Todorov (Peachtree Ridge HS)
  Assessing Aspergillus niger as a Biofuel Alternative 
   
• Inspiring Excellence Teacher of the Year Award
  Corey Wellmaker (Peachtree Ridge HS) 
   
• Lemelson Early Inventor Prize
  Krishna Natarajan (North Gwinnett MS)
  Smart Sort 
   
• NASA Earth System Science Award
  Annika Mazumdar (Pinckneyville MS)
  Fading Forests: Impact of Air Pollution on Wildlife & Ecosystems 

• Regeneron Biomedical Science Award
  Keshvee Sekhda (North Gwinnett HS)
  Novel Irreducible Regulatory‑Metabolic Coupling Cancer Detection 
   
• Rivian Innovation Award
  Karson Lai (GSMST)
  Interpretable Machine Learning for Optimizing Sodium‑Ion Battery Electrolytes 
   
• Stockholm Junior Water Prize
  Alex Han & Eric Shu (Peachtree Ridge HS)
  Hydrochar as an Alternative to Powdered Activated Carbon 
   
• UGA Physics & Astronomy Award
  Adam Masaitis (Seckinger HS)
  Electrostatic Water Accumulation 
   
• U.S. Metric Association Award
  Doyeon Yoon (North Gwinnett HS)
  Optimizing Aminoquinoline Derivatives to Target SARS‑CoV‑2 
   
• Wesleyan College Math & Science Award
  Joyce Francis (Seckinger HS)
  Real‑Time Sign‑to‑Speech Assistive Glove Using Flex Sensors 

 

Junior Division Awards: 

First Place Honors 

• Ayaan Babwani (Trickum MS) 
• Annika Mazumdar (Pinckneyville MS) 
• Gillandra Phan (Gwinnett Online Campus) 

Best in Category Winners 

• Computational Biology & Bioinformatics
  Ayaan Babwani (Trickum MS)
  Patient Zero: Novel Computational Parkinson’s Therapy Optimization
   
• Earth & Environmental Science
  Annika Mazumdar (Pinckneyville MS)
  Fading Forests: Impact of Air Pollution on Wildlife & Ecosystems

Outstanding Project Awards: 

• Outstanding 6th Grade Project
  Annika Mazumdar (Pinckneyville MS)
  Fading Forests: Impact of Air Pollution on Wildlife & Ecosystems
   
• Outstanding 7th Grade Project
  Ayaan Babwani (Trickum MS)
  Patient Zero: Novel Computational Parkinson’s Therapy Optimization

 

Senior Division Awards: 

First Place Honors 

• Maya Botelho (Paul Duke STEM) 
• Michelle Diep (GSMST) 
• Alex Han (Peachtree Ridge HS) 
• Bori Kim (GSMST) 
• Susanna Kim (GSMST) 
• Eun Jae “Julia” Lee (Peachtree Ridge HS) 
• Anika Pathak (GSMST) 
• Eric Shu (Peachtree Ridge HS) 
• Minju Suh (GSMST) 

Best in Category Winners: 

• Animal Sciences
  Nova Nguyen (Peachtree Ridge HS)
  NSY‑1 Modulates Microplastic Reproductive Toxicity 
   
• Cellular & Molecular Biology
  Minju Suh (GSMST)
  Dual‑Probe Minigene Quantifies F5 Exon 13 Variant Splicing 
   
• Chemistry
  Michelle Diep (GSMST)
  Optimization of pH‑Responsive Cationic AMP‑Inspired Polymers 
   
• Microbiology
  Susanna Kim & Anika Pathak (GSMST)
  Antimicrobial Efficacy of Phage Cocktails & C. aspersum Hydrogels 

 

Grand Award Recipient: 

Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair Advancement 

• Michelle Diep (GSMST)
  Optimization of pH‑Responsive Cationic AMP‑Inspired Polymers 

 

A complete list of GSEF awards and award details is available in the GSEF awards press release. To see more about these students and their top-winning projects, view the GCPS TV Award Celebration Video.