Update: This article was originally published when Melody Hong was announced as a semifinalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. On Jan. 23, she was named one of 40 finalists in the prestigious national science research competition.
Hours of late-night studying and support from mentors has led Melody Hong to be named a semifinalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a national science research competition for high school students.
Since 1942, the talent search has been a prestigious program of the Society for Science, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., and dedicated to expanding science literacy and access to education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM studies. This year, 300 students were selected as Regeneron semifinalists.
Hong, a senior at General Douglas MacArthur High School, in Levittown, is one of 49 semifinalists from Long Island, which boasts more than any other region of the country. She has known about the competition since she was a freshman, thanks to upperclassmen who took part.
“I thought it would just be great to become part of such a really talented community of young people,” Hong said.
For the talent search, she submitted a project titled, “A Bayesian Exploration into more Flexible trans-Methylation Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping,” in which she developed alternative statistical methods to better identify genetic variants of complex diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Type 1 diabetes. According to Hong, these variants, called trans-mQTLRs, are important to help understand the genetic basis of DNA methylation, a chemical modification of DNA that helps control the function of a gene.
She started the project in the summer before her junior year. At first, she wanted to explore DNA methylation data related to Parkinson’s disease, which her grandmother has, but changed her research to trans-mQTLRs after reading about their biological importance and the challenge of identifying them.
Last June, Hong applied for the talent search, describing her project and including a research report. She was named a semifinalist on Jan. 8, and will receive a $2,000 scholarship, as will MacArthur, to support STEM education. On Thursday, the Society for Science announced Hong as one of 40 finalists in the competition.
For Hong, the accomplishment was an affirmation that all her hard work was worth the long hours. It was a collaborative effort, she noted, because her mentor, Hélène Ruffieux, a mathematical statistician at the University of Cambridge, in England, guided her through her research.
“I’m really glad to share the joy of success,” Hong said. “I think that’s what really means most to me.”
She also received support from friends, family and teachers, including David Friedman, the high school’s science research adviser. Friedman said he had worked with Hong in his science research class since her freshman year, and described her as an “incredible young woman” who is passionate about her research.
“She’s one of those kids that will make the world a better place,” Friedman said. “She’s a genuinely good person.”
Hong has taken part in Science Olympiad since middle school, became captain as a sophomore, and competes in the Quiz Bowl. She is also principal cellist in the school’s chamber orchestra.
MacArthur Principal Joseph Sheehan said the district is proud of her recognition by Regeneron. “Melody mirrors all the traits and characteristics that model the ideal student,” Sheehan said. “This couldn’t have happened to a more deserving student, and I am beyond confident that she will achieve enormous success in the near future.”
After high school, Hong hopes to major in applied mathematics, eventually earn a Ph.D. and become a biostatistician. She has been accepted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her top choice, but is also waiting to hear from Harvard and Princeton universities.
She encourages her fellow students to pursue fields in which they will reach new heights. “Do what really interests you,” Hong said. “As long as you follow that passion, you’ll be in a good place, because that’s what I did, and here we are now.”