Three Metro Nashville Public Schools students from the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt's (SSMV) senior class have been named as Top 300 Scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026 competition. This competition recognizes and empowers the nation's most promising young scientists who are creating ideas and solutions that may solve our most urgent challenges.
Addison Johnson and Otto Watson-Brown, both students at Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School, and Mary Li, of Hume Fogg Academic Magnet High School, are among this year's cohort of Scholars. Johnson completed a project titled, "Octopamine Localization within the Antennal Sensorimotor System of Drosophila melanogaster." Her research was focused on understanding how a specific hormonal signal might influence context-dependent responses in drosophila. Johnson's research was completed in the laboratory of Marie Suver, assistant professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, and she was mentored by graduate student, Toby McCabe.
Watson-Brown's project, "Using Foldit to Design Novel KNa1.2 (Slick) Channel Inhibitors" used citizen science and computational tools to identify possible drugs for treating rare genetic epilepsies. His research was conducted in the laboratory of Jens Meiler, distinguished research professor of chemistry at Vanderbilt University, with direct project mentorship from Thomas Scott, a research scientist in the Meiler Lab.
Li completed a project titled "Linking Early Life Adversity to Epigenetic Change: A Meta-Analysis of DNA Methylation as a Molecular Memory of Childhood Trauma." Li conducted a meta-analysis of how the impacts of early life adversity can influence health biomarkers later in life. She completed this work in the laboratory of Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, and was mentored by Rachel Peterson, a postdoctoral scholar in the Lea Lab.
Johnson, Watson-Brown, Li, and their high schools will each receive a $2,000 prize as semi-finalists. Top 40 Finalists, who will compete for a top prize in Washington D.C. this March, will be announced on January 21, 2026.
The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV), a program of the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO), is a joint venture between Vanderbilt University and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) and offers high school students an interdisciplinary, research-centered learning experience. SSMV students competing in this year's competition are members of the class of 2026, the sixteenth cohort to graduate from the program.
Menton Deweese is the director of the SSMV and is especially proud of this year's recognition. "The SSMV is thankful for the opportunity to partner with so many dedicated Vanderbilt professors to offer authentic scientific research experiences for our students, and we are especially proud to have three semi-finalists this year," Deweese said.
"It is so exciting to see the great talent in Metro Nashville Public Schools' recognized by the nation's oldest and most prestigious science and math competition, Regeneron Science Talent Search," said Jennifer Berry, MNPS's Director of STEAM and Science. "The SSMV is a wonderful partner to MNPS, providing students with a unique interdisciplinary, research-centered learning opportunity. Partnerships matter so much in education, as they allow learning to extend beyond the four classroom walls. Experiences matter, too, and I am so proud our partnership allows for world-class experiences in which our students can receive national recognition."
The Regeneron Science Talent Search, founded and produced by Society for Science, is a premiere pre-collegiate science competition that began in 1942. This year, semi-finalists hail from 203 American and international high schools in 34 states, Washington D.C., and China. The SSMV congratulates Johnson, Watson-Brown, and Li on this accomplishment and wishes them good luck in the next round of competition!
The SSMV is currently accepting applications from current 8th
