Out of a pool of close to 2,000 applicants, Ward Melville High School seniors Jordan Klein and Mariam Quraishi have been named two of the select Scholars in the 2020 Regeneron Science Talent Search. 

Jordan was selected for his project, “Prevalence of Tick-Borne Diseases in Fire Island Deer Ticks,” while Mariam was honored for her project, “The Effect of Sibling Status of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Symptom Severity and Social Development.” Both students worked with professional mentors in their respective fields and completed their projects as part of the district’s InSTAR science research program. 

Three hundred high school seniors from 49 states and one U.S. territory were chosen from the first round of competition and will receive $2,000 for the honor. Each school also will get $2,000 per honoree. Forty of the 300 Scholars will become Regeneron finalists, which will be announced on Jan. 22. If chosen as a finalist, the students will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., from March 5-11, where they will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards, including the top prize of $250,000.