March 14th, 2026
The Coriell Institute for Medical Research would like to thank our generous sponsors for their support in making our 45th Annual Science Fair a great success!
Presenting Sponsor
Medicine and Health Engineering Chemistry
Research Sponsors
Contributors
Welcome to the 45th Annual Coriell Institute Science Fair!
The Coriell Institute is delighted to continue this long-standing showcase for our community’s STEM-minded students to exhibit their passion for science, research and innovation.
Our founder, Dr. Lewis Coriell, was always looking towards the future - in medicine, research, technology, and education. He started this science fair 45 years ago to enthuse students about the STEM disciplines and cultivate future generations of scientists
This is why this science fair, and our other educational programs, are so important to us. They provide opportunities for hands-on experience for those of you who are interested in science, technology and math to hopefully jump-start a life-long, rewarding scientific career.
And this is more than just a singular event for us as we look to our own future and vision for life sciences research in southern New Jersey
We recently broke ground on a new science campus to be located in the City of Camden that will serve as the Coriell Institute’s new headquarters, research center, and worldrenowned biorepository. In addition, the campus will house the NJ Coriell Labs Innovation Center, a state-designated biomedical Strategic Innovation Center that will provide incubator space and laboratory services to support emerging biotechnology companies.
We foresee this new science campus transforming Camden into a research destination and extending New Jersey’s famed life sciences industry to southern New Jersey.
These goals mean we will need a steady pipeline of scientific talent. Between our own growing workforce needs and those of our sister organization, the Camden Cancer Research Center, and the biotech firms who will call the NJ Coriell Labs Innovation Center their home, we see an abundance of opportunity on the horizon to satisfy your research interests right here at home as hundreds of research and ancillary jobs will be created on-site and throughout the region.
Please consider this science fair as the first step towards a potential career in science, and take advantage of our other opportunities, such as our summer internship program, and potential future employment in our post-doctoral program or as a scientist Likewise, I am sure many other opportunities will present themselves as we fulfill our vision to make the region a life sciences research hub.
I want to thank Rutgers University-Camden Chancellor Antonio Tillis and his team for their gracious hospitality, and all of the parents and dedicated teachers for inspiring and mentoring our student scientists and supporting their goals to improve the world through science and scholarship
I also want to thank our sponsors, leaders in New Jersey’s scientific and business communities, who enthusiastically invest in STEM education to maintain a robust pipeline of research talent to sustain our innovation economy and expand scientific knowledge.
To all our students, thank you for participating and sharing your innovative research with us We look forward to meeting you and learning about your project and ambitions.
Jean-Pierre Issa, MD President & Chief Executive Officer Coriell Institute for Medical Research
Senator Andrew Zwicker is a physicist and a member of the New Jersey Senate representing Central New Jersey's 16th Legislative District. He serves as Chair of the Legislative Oversight Committee, Vice-Chair of the Higher Education and Labor Committees, and sits on the Budget and Appropriations Committee. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2016–2021 where he was the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. His legislative focus includes expanding economic opportunities, protecting our environment, ensuring access to a high quality education, and fighting for equality and social justice.
A lifelong New Jersey resident, Dr. Zwicker is head of Public Engagement & Workforce Development at Princeton University’s Plasma Physics Laboratory, a world leader in developing an advanced form of energy known as fusion.
He has taught classes in bioethics and writing, and led plasma physics workshops for faculty and students. The American Association of Physics Teachers named him as one of the 75 leading contributors to physics education in the US.
Dr. Zwicker was raised in Englewood, New Jersey where his love of learning and passion for science came from his mother, a public school English teacher, and father, a chemical engineer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Bard College and a master’s and Ph.D. in physics from Johns Hopkins University.
The Coriell Institute for Medical Research is an internationally renowned nonprofit biomedical research institution founded in 1953 by famed virologist and scientific pioneer Dr. Lewis L. Coriell, a key figure in the development of the polio vaccine.
Coriell scientists conduct groundbreaking research to identify the genetic and epigenomic causes of cancer, rare and infectious diseases, aging-related diseases, and personalized medicine, publishing dozens of papers annually in leading scientific and medical journals.
Coriell also accelerates scientific discovery by generating world-class biomaterials through establishing and curating key biobanks that now contain some of the world’s most extensive collection of cell lines, DNA, and other biomaterials for use by the international research community. Coriell holds one of the first two official cell banks recognized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1960, and currently hosts the collections for six NIH institutes: NIGMS, NINDS, NHGRI, NEI, NIA and NIMH, providing biosamples to researchers around the world.
Coriell relies on donations to fully fund our programs and services. Join us by signing up for our mailing list and donating.
Haskell Berman
Barbara Campbell
Ronny Cervantes
Woonbok Chung
Maahi Das
Robert Elefante
Anthony Grandizio
Sophia Gross
Eunice Horton
Alie Kerney
Charles Kowou
Dara Kusic
Paola Louie
Gillian McGuire
Janice Reynaga
Melissa Ritchie
Mallie Romanowski
Jean Ryan
Sonia Sampson
Frank Santiago
Alex Sheppard
Jessica Smith
Robert Smith
Mary Ellen Toner
La Tonya Willis
John Wilsman
John Witherspoon
Roopali Agarwal
Lin Almonte
Abigail Amberson
Kiruthika Balasubramanian
Jatin Bhavsar
Harsha Bojja
Santanu Boral
Brenda Braun
Gennaro Calendo
Ronny Cervantes
Tiffany Chan
Harshleen Chawla
Woonbok Chung
Peter Coriell
Dibyendu Das
Eduard Dedkov
Mark DeLizio
Jillian Elefante
Michael Fanelli
Roberto Feudale
Norman Gerry
Mikel Ghelfi
Jim Gibson
Victoria Haggerson
Bonnie Harvey
Jacob Heil
Stacey Heil
Sean Kearney
Bharat Kenjale
Jodi Kerney
Charles Kowou
Dara Kusic
Allison Lucci
Ayna Mammedova
Diego Morales
Valliappan Narayanan
Chinonso Okoyeaniche
Tatyana Pozner
Alan Rozenblit
Yasaman Saleh
Laura Scheinfeldt
David Seitman
Robert Smith
Summer Smith
Ramie Stiles
Xiaoyu Wei
La Tonya Willis
Camden Academy Charter High School
Madeline Fenner
Camden Catholic High School
An Nguyen
Camden County Technical School
Johnathan Schwehm
Cherokee High School
Rachel Senft
Cherry Hill High School East
Mark Brandreth
Cherry Hill High School West
Brian Grillo
Doane Academy
Brianna Horgan
Eastampton Community School
Jeffrey Bowlby
Eastern Regional High School
Lauren Praesel
Haddon Heights High School
Macie McGeehan
Haddonfield Friends School
Rebecca Rementer
Harrington Middle School
Haixin Liu
Henry C. Beck Middle School
Gary Haaf
Lenape High School
Michael Condurso
Moorestown Friends School
Matt Lubicky
Jennifer Mosher
Michael Omilian
Moorestown High School
Sean Watson
William Allen Middle School
Jordan Fagan
Christian Heine
YARD Sciences
Yajamana Ramu
SPONSORED BY THE ZAJAC FAMILY
In addition to the category awards, the Zajac Family has provided funding for special awards to recognize students (both individuals and teams) who have displayed an innovative approach to their research.
INNOVATION IN BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AWARD
One 6-8th grade participant and one 9-12th grade participant will be awarded the Innovation in Behavioral and Social Sciences Award for exhibiting an innovative approach in the Behavioral and Social Sciences categories.
INNOVATION IN CHEMISTRY AWARD
One 6-8th grade participant or team and one 9-12th grade participant or team will be awarded the Innovation in Chemistry Award for exhibiting an innovative approach in the chemistry category.
INNOVATION IN ENGINEERING AND PHYSICS AWARD
One 6-8th grade participant or team and one 9-12th grade participant or team will be awarded the Innovation in Engineering and Physics Award for demostrating an innovative approach to their research (this can include mathematics, computer science, and engineering projects).
INNOVATION IN LIFE SCIENCES AWARD
One 6-8th grade participant or team and one 9-12th grade participant or team will be awarded the Innovation in Life Sciences Award for exhibiting an innovative approach within a life science category.
INNOVATION IN MEDICINE AND HEALTH AWARD
One 6-8th grade participant or team and one 9-12th grade participant or team will be awarded the Innovation in Medicine and Health Award for exhibiting an innovative approach in the Medicine and Health category.
INNOVATION IN PHYSICAL SCIENCES AWARD
The Innovation in Physical Sciences Award will be presented to one 6-8th grade participant or team and one 9-12th grade participant or team for demonstrating an innovative approach in one of the physical sciences categories.
In honor of our founder Dr. Lewis L. Coriell’s contributions to science and commitment to fostering future generations of scientists, one 6-8th grade participant or team and one 9-12th grade participant or team will be recognized with the Lewis L. Coriell Best of Fair Award.
Top winners at the Coriell Institute Science Fair qualify to advance to the regional finals at the Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF). The 2026 DVSF is scheduled to take place from March 31st through April 2nd at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.
You are eligible to advance to DVSF if:
You are an individual project in 6-8th grade and either won or placed 2nd in your category.
You are a team project in 6-8th grade and either won or placed 2nd.
You are an individual project in 9-12th grade and either won or placed 2nd or 3rd in your category.
You are a team project in 9-12th grade and either won or placed 2nd or 3rd.
The 1st and 2nd place awards in the 6-8th grade categories will be given to the strongest projects in each category that meet the minimum criteria for advancement.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards in the 9-10th and 11-12th grade categories will be given to the strongest projects in each category that meet the minimum criteria for advancement.
Coriell will automatically register you by forwarding your project paperwork to DVSF officials.
BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES
Human and animal behavior, social and community relationships
BIOCHEMISTRY
Chemistry of life processes
BOTANY
Study of plant life
CHEMISTRY
Study of nature and composition of matter
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Study and development of computer software and hardware and associated logical devices
CONSUMER SCIENCE
Testing and the comparison of consumer products for their intended use
The study of the earth and the universe
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Interdisciplinary academic field of the physical and biological sciences applied to the study of the environment
ENGINEERING
Technology projects applying scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses
MATHEMATICS
Development of formal logical systems and algebraic computations, and the application of these principles
MEDICINE AND HEALTH
Study of disease and health of humans and animals
MICROBIOLOGY
Biology of microorganisms
PHYSICS
Theories, principles and laws governing energy and the effect of energy on matter
ZOOLOGY
Study of animals
FIRST NAME LAST NAME
PROJECT TITLE
Azmita Ashraf 11
Michael Drea 11
Ava McCullough 11
Roselyn Rodriguez 11
Khushi Khurana 10
Molly Massa 10
Aarya Pradhan 10
Elif Yavas 10
Sarah Vaida 9
Dia Chauhan 7
Piper Davis 7
Cherokee High School Nightmares After Emotional Media Exposure
Cherry Hill High School West
Cherry Hill High School West
Camden's Promise Charter School
Moorestown High School
The Impact of Musical Psychological Phenomena on Focus and Concentration
The Influence of Group Size on Risk-Taking Behavior
The Effect Social Media Has on Students Mental Health. ("Scroll Less, Live More.""
Impact of Youth-Led Learning Experiences on the Development of STEM Skills and Interest
Moorestown High School Don't Worry, Be Happy?
Moorestown High School
Cherry Hill High School East
Cherry Hill High School East
William Allen Middle School
Haddonfield Friends School
The Myths of Multitasking: An EEG Analysis of Dual-Task Impacts on Attention and Performance
The Science of a Well-Lit Mind: How Does Exposure to Warm Versus Cool Colored Lighting Affect Focus in Elementary School Students?
Accent or Impediment? Using Machine Learning to Prevent Speech Misdiagnosis in Children
The association between the extent of Generative AI use and key academic and behavioral outcomes in middle school students
Factors That Affect Reliability of Eyewitness Accounts
Nhi Nguyen 12
Aneesh Rajagopal 11
Thomas Solitro 11
Avyukth Dhruwa 10
Ananya Relia 10
Cherry Hill High School West
Cherry Hill High School East
Moorestown High School
Cherry Hill High School East
Eastern Regional High School
Ink-Patterned Paper Biosensor (IPPB): A Low-Cost Flow
Colorimetric Test for Non-Invasive Salivary Glucose Monitoring using Sharpie Marker
The Effect of Polyphenols on the Rate of Hydrogen Peroxide Breakdown by Catalase
Protocells: The Biochemistry Behind an Emerging Model of Abiogenesis
The Effect of Temperature on Catalase Activity in Potato Tissue
Green Ozempic: Biopharming of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Nicotiana Benthamiana
Phase Injectable Hydrogel for Site-Specific Drug Delivery
the Effects of Natural Selection on APOE ε4 frequency in Prehistoric Humans
Good Products Go Bad: How Expired Food, Medicine, and Skincare Products affect our health
can we make plants more adaptable to environment changes?
Innovative Approach to Reduce the Fertilizer Usage in Tomato Plants Utilizing Novel Endomycorrhizal Species
do different liquids affect plant growth, color and viability?
Effects of EMR on Growth and Development of Raphanus sativus
Enzymes as Molecular Avengers: StressInduced Biochemical Defense in Mungbean (Vigna radiata)
of Renewable Polyurethane Foams
from Bio-Based Polyols
Induced pH Changes and Their Effect on Lead Removal in Water
Antibacterial Agents
Over Words: Using Context-Focused Machine Learning with Large Language Models to Evaluate Air Traffic Control Speech Transcription
Cosmic Radiation and How It Affects
On Planets Outside of Earth
Phase-Locked Knee Exoskeleton Using an Over Center Mechanism
of Novel Seawall Designs to Protect Metropolitan Areas in the Face of Sea Level Rise
Design and Fabrication of a 3D-Printed Tennis Ball Retrieval Robot Structure
A Novel Engineered Enzyme Variant for Optimized Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Plastic Biodegradation Under Aquatic Conditions
Urban Centers And Ocean Proximity Shape Atmospheric Microplastic Deposition Amita
Effect of Soil Type on Water Infiltration Rate and Surface Runoff
Aarika Sharma 10
Moorestown High School Experimental Limits of Thermal Energy Extraction from Abandoned Geothermal Wells
Vihaan Khare 9 Cherokee High School Biofuel from Algae
Anjali Jha 8 Marlton Middle School Science Fair - 8th Grade
Emily Li 8 Marlton Middle School
The Effects of Microplastics on the Environment and People: Presentation and Additional Resources to Educate and Inform Others
Ishaan Malik 7 William Allen Middle School Do food ingredients affect the composition of compost?
Yash Bhavsar 11
Madison Green 11
Moorestown High School Performance Analysis of Organ Segmentation Algorithms in CT Imaging
Moorestown High School Continuous Vital-Sign Monitoring: Preventing OpioidInduced Respiratory Depression
Dilora Kosimova 11 Cherry Hill High School East
The Impact of an Individual’s Own Injustice Toward Others on Their Psychological-Emotional and Physiological WellBeing
Dafni Mintzas 11 Cherry Hill High School West A Diagnosis of Transposition of the Great Arteries and the Emotional Impact on Caregivers
Nitya Ravula 11 Lenape High School Screening Plant-Derived Compounds for Potential Therapeutic Applications
Darsh Gajera 10 Cherokee High School SpeciAMP: Targeted Peptide Engineering
Daphne Nguyen 10
Akshaya Peketi 10
Ann Roby 10
Cassidy Rosario 10
Nolan Youssef 10
Cherry Hill High School West Determining the Effect of Holistic Treatments on Autistic Behavior in Caenorhabditis Elegans
Moorestown High School A Correlational Analysis of RNA-Based Therapies in T and NK Cells
Cherry Hill High School West
Effects of Medium-Chain Triglyceride (MCT) Oil and Phenobarbital on Seizure Activity in Wild-Type and UNC-49 GABAergic Mutant Caenorhabditis elegans
Cherry Hill High School West Investigating Heavy Metal–Induced Neurological Dysfunction in C. elegans
Moorestown Friends School
AI-Driven CT Scan Segmentation: 3D Kidney Reconstruction for Efficient Transplant Planning
Aarav Agrawal 9 Eastern Regional High School Co culture Effects on Antibiotic Resistance in Human Commensal and Pathogenic Bacteria
Kavya Bhatt 9
Takhmina Kosimova 9
Eastern Regional High School
Cherry Hill High School East
Arnav Relia 8 Voorhees Middle School
Natalie Cole 7 Haddonfield Friends School
George Lecakes 7 Haddonfield Friends School
In Silico Analysis of Mu-Opioid Receptor Agonists: Identifying Molecular Features of G-Protein Biased Signaling
Comparison of vitamin d3 dynamics with some physiological and biochemical parameters in people with cystic fibrosis
Vapor Danger: Cellular Toxicity of Nicotine and Vaping Additives
The Effects of commonly consumed drink on Human teeth?
The Potential For Spreading Disease In Middle School
Katherine Griscom 12
Parv Chikani 10
Myrlandria Hagan 10
Cherry Hill High School West
Eastern Regional High School
Camden Catholic High School
Assessing the Prophylactic and Synergistic Potential of Natural Compounds in Preventing Pseudomonas fluorescens Biofilm Development
Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: Evaluating Nanoparticle-Conjugated Antibiotics, Bacteriocins, and Peptides Against Resistant Bacteria
Log by Log: UVC Irradiation vs Conventional Sanitization: Evaluating Microbial Inactivation and Regrowth on Athletic Textiles
FIRST NAME LAST
Elena Ray 10 Moorestown High School
Radika Dudda 9
Parker Misinkavitch 9
Eastern Regional High School
Cherry Hill High School West
Suhana Hemanth 8 Frances S. DeMasi Middle School
Alan Gu 11 Moorestown Friends School
Vrushti Patel 11 Cherokee High School
Integrating Experimental Assays and Predictive Modeling to Evaluate Prion Protein Production in Preventive Therapeutic Strategies
Nature's Antibacterials: Isolation and Evaluation of Bacteriophages Against Pathogens Using Experimental Models
The Use of Phage Therapy for the Management of Acne Associated with Staphylococcus epidermidis
Can Probiotics and antibiotics cure food allergies?
A Novel Multi-Tiered Distillation Framework for Interpretable and Deployable Deep Learning Surrogates in High Energy Jet Tagging
Fatigue Failure in Cyclically Loaded Biomedical Implants: A Physics-Based Analysis
FIRST NAME LAST NAME GRADE
Yuti Kataria 10
Arshleen Kaur 10
Julia Komolova 10
Mya Rowe 10
Catherine Yao 10
Cherokee High School Memories in a Bottle: The Chemistry of Scent
Cherokee High School Memories in a Bottle: The Chemistry of Scent
Cherry Hill High School East Investigating rTMS Parameters for Treating Bradykinesia in Parkinson’s Disease
Cherokee High School Memories in a Bottle: The Chemistry of Scent
Cherry Hill High School East Investigating rTMS Parameters for Treating Bradykinesia in Parkinson’s Disease
Varun Rao 9 Moorestown High School
Abdullah Siddiqui 9 Moorestown High School
PRE-AD: Predictive Risk Estimator for Early Alzheimer’s Detection Using Machine Learning Models
PRE-AD: Predictive Risk Estimator for Early Alzheimer’s Detection Using Machine Learning Models
