This May, NAVS proudly attended the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona, the world’s largest science competition for pre-college students. For the 24th year, NAVS presented our Humane Science Award, recognizing student projects that exemplify scientific excellence and innovation while advancing human-relevant research methods that can reduce or replace the use of animals in science.
This year, ISEF featured more than 1,300 student research projects from around the world. After an extensive first round of judging, NAVS reviewers narrowed the field to 53 projects with strong humane science potential. From there, 11 outstanding students were shortlisted for in-person interviews with the NAVS judging team.
The projects selected for final consideration represented some of the most exciting advances in next-generation non-animal methodologies, including computational embryo modeling, AI-powered cancer simulation, stem cell and organoid-based neuroscience research, and advanced 3D tumor models. Students demonstrated not only remarkable scientific rigor, but also thoughtful consideration of how more human-relevant approaches can improve biomedical research and translational outcomes.
NAVS is proud to recognize the following Humane Science Award finalists:
| Name | School | Project Title |
| Alan Matthew Alwakeel | Stanton College Preparatory School, Jacksonville, Florida | “The Virtual Cell 2.0: Expanding Precision and Personalized Cancer Therapy Through AI-Powered Simulation” |
| Matthew Shen | Saint Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada | “A Multi-Omic ‘Digital Embryo’ Framework to Model Early Human Preimplantation Development In Silico” |
| Shaoxuan Ma | Lawton Chiles High School, Tallahassee, Florida | “Human Stem Cell Derived Extracellular Vesicles for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disease” |
| Parker Nunnery | John Overton High School, Nashville, Tennessee | “Regulation of the PPARγ Pathway Using Antagonists and Inverse Agonists Across 2D and 3D Lung Cancer Models” |
| Juwon Ham | Korea Science Academy of KAIST, Busan, South Korea | “LED-Based Photobiomodulation (PBM) Platform for Standardized Neuronal Maturation With a TICT-Based Fluorescent Readout” |
Stay tuned for more information about these amazing students and their groundbreaking projects!
