ISEF 2025 | News | Portsmouth Abbey School, Rhode Island

From left: Alaina Zhang '25 and Jennifer Shon '25.

Jimin (Jennifer) Shon ’25 and Enyu (Alaina) Zhang ‘25 recently returned from the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), where they competed among the world's top young scientists. Held this year in Columbus, Ohio, the prestigious global science fair hosted 1,672 finalists from 70 countries and territories—and the Abbey’s representatives did not just participate—they excelled.

Shon, who competed in the Animal Sciences category, earned a Grand Award – Fourth Place and a $600 prize for her project titled: “Beta-Cyclodextrin Reduces the Cognitive and Survival Impacts of Imidacloprid Exposure in Honeybees (Apis mellifera)”. Her work tackles the effects of harmful pesticides on honeybee populations, offering a novel approach to mitigating cognitive and survival damage through beta-cyclodextrin. This marks Shon’s second consecutive Grand Award at ISEF—last year, she won a Third Award and $1,000 for research on Alloferon’s effects on bee health.

Zhang received two Special Awards for her environmental science project: “Exploring Biogeochemical Climate Solutions for Nutrient Removal in the Narragansett Bay Estuarine Ecosystem.” She was awarded the NOAA "Taking the Pulse of the Planet" First Award, recognizing her contributions to climate science and environmental stewardship. She also received a full fellowship from the Bruno Kessler Foundation to attend its WebValley Summer School in Trento, Italy, a rare opportunity for interdisciplinary scientific research alongside top European scientists.

In Columbus, Shon and Zhang joined an elite cohort of student scientists for a week filled with presentations, judging sessions, scientific panels, and networking opportunities. They were present at an Opening Ceremony led by The Ohio State University marching band and several high-profile speakers from the fields of science, engineering, and innovation. In a particularly memorable moment, Walter “Ted” Carter, Jr., president of The Ohio State University and himself a Rhode Island native, sought out the two students to offer congratulations and encouragement. “I know you both have your college plans already,” he told them, “But I fully expect to see you here for graduate school.”

They also had the opportunity to meet Jeni Britton, founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and CEO of Floura, who shared a scoop of entrepreneurial wisdom: “If there’s something you want and you can’t find it—create it yourself.”

Shon and Zhang qualified for ISEF after winning top honors at the Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair (RISEF) earlier this spring. Their achievements represent the second year in a row that Portsmouth Abbey students have advanced to the international level and taken home major awards, cementing the School’s growing reputation as a national leader in high school scientific research.