![2025 Science Fair Grand Prize Winners]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1774974935/rsdedu/t3zcqbubzg0autsyyqjz/ScienceFair_1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1774974935/rsdedu/t3zcqbubzg0autsyyqjz/ScienceFair_1.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1774974935/rsdedu/t3zcqbubzg0autsyyqjz/ScienceFair_1.jpg","width":600}])
More than a dozen RSD students earned awards at the 2026 Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair. Three high school students, Hanford High junior Prayrona Choudhury, Richland High sophomore Akshath Motkuri and Richland High sophomore Aarav Shrivastava were named Grand Prize winners, earning them an expenses-paid ticket to compete in the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair later this year in Arizona. The students were commended for their creativity, hard work, perseverance, and the ability to take risks – attributes needed to solve the most pressing problems in the world.
Students in grades 6-12 may compete in the fair by creating and carrying out a research project on a topic of their choosing. First place winners in grade 9 receive an expenses-paid trip to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair as an observer and middle school division first place winners receive a scholarship to attend a week long residential STEM camp. Students were evaluated on their research project abstract, display slides, a scientific journal and overview video. Click here to learn more about the Mid-Columbia Science Fair.
Senior Division (Grades 10-12)
| Award | Name | School | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade Prize | Prayrona Choudhury | Hanford High | "Multi-Scale Equilibrium-State Stoichiometry: An AI-Driven Framework for Predicting Aquatic System Phase Transitions" |
| Grade Prize | Akshath Motkuri | Richland High | "HealthBridge AI: Bridging Patients and Medical Knowledge Through an AI-Driven Conversational System" |
| Grade Prize | Aarav Shrivastava | Richland High | "Can Machines Evaluate Scientific Truth? Dual-Stream Bayesian Analysis for Automated Claim Verification Across Multiple Domains" |
| First Place | Viraj Pilli | Richland High | "CryoPulse: An EpiPen-Inspired Bridge-to-Care System for Heart Attacks and Stroke" |
| Second Place | Rohan Nune | Richland High | "Evaluating Oral Inflammatory Markers as Early Indicators of Cardiometabolic, Arthritic, and Diabetic Risk" |
| Honorable Mention | Vibhav Repalle | Hanford High | "Predicting Thyroid Cancer Recurrence with Machine Learning" |
| Honorable Mention | Raman Harilal | Richland High | "Investigation of a Drinking Bird Driven Electric Generator" |
9th Grade Division
| Award | Name | School | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Place | Samuel Wang | Hanford High | "Biophysics – Constrained Radiotrophic Fungal Forecasting: An In-Silico Stochastic Analysis of Cladosporium Sphaerospermum for Technetium-99 Mycoremediation" |
8th Grade Combined Life/Physical Science Division
| Award | Name | School | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Place | Anvi Kulkarni | Enterprise Middle School | "Smart Irrigation: How Often Should You Water?" |
7th Grade Physical Science Division
| Award | Name | School | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Place | William Fulsom | Carmichael Middle School | "Going…going…gone? How Conditions Affect Baseball" |
| Second Place | Carmella Gilmour | Chief Joseph Middle School | "The Number of Blades on Wind Turbines and Voltage Produced" |
6th Grade Combined Life/Physical Science Division
| Award | Name | School | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Place | Suhavi Santhosh | Leona Libby Middle School | "Helping Hands: Turning Signs into Sounds" |
Special Awards
| Award | Name | School | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Award of Distinction in Data Collection and Analysis; ANS-Eastern Washington Section Future Talent in Nuclear Award; NASA Earth System Science Project Award; First Place Senior Division Using STEM to Make the World a Better Place Award; Citadel Securities Innovation Prize; Stockholm Junior Regional Water Prize Award of Excellence by Water Environment Federation and Xylem, Inc. |
Prayrona Choudhury | Hanford High | "Multi-Scale Equilibrium-State Stoichiometry: An AI-Driven Framework for Predicting Aquatic System Phase Transitions" |
| Award of Distinction for Clarity of Presentation; Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Nominee | William Fulsom | Carmichael Middle School | "Going…going…gone? How Conditions Affect Baseball" |
| 7th Grade Winner for The Society of Women Engineers; Award of Distinction in Scientific Thought | Carmella Gilmour | Chief Joseph Middle School | "The Number of Blades on Wind Turbines and Voltage Produced" |
| Third Place Project in a Box; Third Place Junior Division Using STEM to Make the World a Better Place Award | Green Thumbs | Chief Joseph Middle School | "Affect of Colored Fabric on Plant Growth" |
| Award of Distinction for Creativity; Best use of SI, The International System of Units, in a Science Fair Project by the U.S. Metric Association; United States Air Force Certificate of Achievement | Raman Harilal | Richland High | "Investigation of a Drinking Bird Driven Electric Generator" |
| 8th Grade Winner for The Society of Women Engineers; Award of Distinction in Data Collection and Analysis; Outstanding Project by Association of Women Geoscientists; Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Nominee | Anvi Kulkarni | Enterprise Middle School | "Smart Irrigation: How Often Should You Water?" |
|
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Second Place High School Award; Award of Distinction in Thoroughness |
Akshath Motkuri | Richland High | "HealthBridge AI: Bridging Patients and Medical Knowledge Through an AI-Driven Conversational System" |
|
Regeneron Biomedical Science Award; Award of Distinction in Thoroughness |
Rohan Nune | Richland High | "Evaluating Oral Inflammatory Markers as Early Indicators of Cardiometabolic, Arthritic, and Diabetic Risk" |
| Award of Distinction in Engineering; Inspiring Excellence, Inc Award | Viraj Pilli | Richland High | "CryoPulse: An EpiPen-Inspired Bridge-to-Care System for Heart Attacks and Stroke" |
| Award of Distinction for Clarity of Presentation; Inspiring Excellence, Inc Award; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Third Place High School Award; Outstanding Health Project by Dr. Harlan Halma Awards | Vibhav Repalle | Hanford High | "Predicting Thyroid Cancer Recurrence with Machine Learning" |
| Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Achievement in Research in Psychological Science by American Psychological Association; First Place Junior Division Using STEM to Make the World a Better Place Award; Award of Distinction in Thoroughness; Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Nominee | Suhavi Santhosh | Leona Libby Middle School | "Helping Hands: Turning Signs into Sounds" |
| Award of Distinction for Clarity of Presentation; ANS-Eastern Washington Section Future Talent in Nuclear Award | Aarav Shrivastava | Richland High | "Can Machines Evaluate Scientific Truth? Dual-Stream Bayesian Analysis for Automated Claim Verification Across Multiple Domains" |
| Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Third Place High School Award; Award of Distinction in Novelty | Rishi Vijay | Hanford High | "Next-Gen AI Hardware: Thermal and Endurance Limits of Ferroelectric and Conventional Memory" |
|
Outstanding Health Physics Project by Columbia Chapter of the Healthy Physics Society; Inspiring Excellence, Inc Award; Award of Distinction in Scientific Thought; Exceptional Genius Award by GENIUS Olympiad; Outstanding research based project achievement award by Washington State Science and Engineering Fair |
Samuel Wang | Hanford High School | "Biophysics – Constrained Radiotrophic Fungal Forecasting: An In-Silico Stochastic Analysis of Cladosporium Sphaerospermum for Technetium-99 Mycoremediation" |