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Nine Fairfax County Public Schools projects earned Grand Prize awards at the 70th annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair, making their student researchers eligible to compete internationally in May.

More than 600 high school students presented roughly 400 projects spanning a wide range of science and engineering fields. Their work was evaluated by more than 200 professionals and representatives from 40 organizations and businesses.

The Grand Prize projects were:

  • Biomedical and Health Sciences: “VISTA Inhibitor CA170 Synergizes with KRAS Vaccine in Lung Cancer,” by Chloe Giglio of McLean High School.
  • Biomedical and Health Sciences: “Modeling Risk of Richter Transformation With and Without Chemotherapy Treatment on CLL,” by Ethan Lee of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
  • Biomedical Engineering: “Interpretable KANs Uncover Novel Targets and Therapeutics in Neurodegeneration,” by Isaac Leetyn and Daniil Prokofev of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
  • Chemistry: “Breaking Down Sustainability: Testing the Limits of Resistant Starch Materials,” by Samanvi Tummala of Chantilly High School.
  • Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design: “Micro Closed-Loop, Pumped, Hydro-Power System Turbine Assessment,” by Thomas Sparling of Oakton High School.
  • Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design: “Optimizing Hydrogel Heat Sinks for Enhancing Solar Efficiency and Computing,” by Oliver Wang of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
  • Engineering Technology: “BrailleSense: A Modular, Low-Cost Solution for Accessible Braille Displays,” by Anush Devkar and Ansh Malhotra of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
  • Environmental Engineering: “AI-Powered Optimization of Methyl Jasmonate-Induced Defense for Precise Pest Control,” by Bennett Huang and Jason Pan of Langley High School.
  • Materials Science: “PcTx1-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles for a Low-Cost Ischemic Stroke Treatment,” by Heman Bekele of Woodson High School.

The Grand Prize winners are eligible for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May. Many other participants may advance to the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair in April.

Hundreds of students, teachers and community members contributed their time and effort to the 2025 regional event.