DEL MAR — Last week, a 17-year-old Canyon Crest Academy student was honored with a $50,000 prize at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, the world’s largest and most prestigious science fair.
The STEM competition from May 11-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center featured entries from roughly 1,800 pre-college students worldwide.
In his machine-learning research project, a Del Mar teenager detailed how he had developed software called Microby that can identify microbial genetic sequences capable of being modified to biodegrade plastic. The student presented results from tests that identified two novel microorganisms that can be modified to degrade plastic at a cost much lower than traditional recycling.
Soon after, however, trouble began to arise. A group of current and past competitors and concerned researchers began contacting ISEF leadership with serious doubts about the veracity of the student’s claims and his overall project.
In an open letter, first reported by journalist Christopher Brunet, ISEF competitors and researchers said the student presented images and data points as part of his project that were taken without credit from other research.
In one instance, the student featured an image showing “plastic degraded by discovered microbes” from his research. However, according to the letter, reverse image searching revealed that the image was a manipulated, mirrored copy of another image that a different researcher had previously published.
“The ISEF Finalist is taking other people’s data for completely different research projects and claiming it as their own,” the letter stated.
In his presentation, the letter also discussed the student’s claim that he “built a custom sensor” capable of analyzing plastic and determining its composition, including an image of the sensor. The letter, however, claims that another researcher who created the sensor in 2021 took the image, and the student used it without giving them credit.
“This is very clearly an attempt to conceal the original creator, and for the Regeneron ISEF finalist to act like they developed this solution,” the letter stated.
The student was also accused of leaving out other citations for several images, data points and charts that were presented as his own but came from different sources via a reverse image search.
The 32-page letter calls on leadership at ISEF and the Society of Science — which sponsors the competition— to investigate the student’s project further and withdraw the award. Members noted that these practices foster a harmful culture for high school students involved in the competition and “unfairly award those who have cheated.”
“There is an enormous amount of direct proof, as well as potential issues that require further investigation, that warrant the Society for Science and Regeneron ISEF to take action. This is to maintain the integrity of the research community and act in the fairness of all,” the letter said.
Gayle Kansagor, a spokesperson for the Society for Science, issued the following statement in response to the cheating allegations against the student, who she said is currently being cyberbullied and harassed:
“The Society for Science was recently made aware of allegations against one of the winners at Regeneron ISEF 2024. The Society takes any questions raised about the integrity of student research very seriously and is undertaking an investigation into the allegations.”
The student, also an intern at the University of Southern California, could not be reached for comment.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Since publication, The Coast News has been made aware of cyberbullying and harassment against the subject of this story — a high school student. In response, we have temporarily removed the minor’s name while the allegations are pending. Once the allegations are either confirmed or denied, The Coast News will decide whether or not to return his name to the story.
