NEWS BRIEF: Atlanta science fair awarding high schoolers $8 million in prizes
The Society for Science eyes the future
High schoolers came to Atlanta in droves this week to compete in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair — said to be the largest such event in the world — for over $8 million in prize money. More than 1700 next-generation scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and inventors convened both in-person and virtually, and officials say it’s the first time in five years that the number of female finalists has surpassed males.
The event included a few dozen finalists from the Atlanta area who presented in categories ranging from robotics and machine learning to virtual reality and sustainable energy. Matthew Kim, from Sugar Hill, displayed an omni-orientation autonomous robot that can locate survivors in a collapsed building, and which he says took him three years to develop. wabe.org