Students succeed at International Science Fair

Three students from Jackson High School and Saxony Lutheran High School had success in the 2021 Virtual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, according to Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair director Chelsea Grigery.

Hiren Parekh of Saxony Lutheran and Eli Jones and Mallorie Coffee of Jackson High won the Wolfram Award for Excellence in Science.

According to the fair's website, more than 1,800 high-schoolers from about 70 countries competed in the international fair by winning a top prize at an affiliated local, regional, state or national science fair.

Previous reporting by the Missourian stated these students had competed and won top prizes in the Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair.

In addition to receiving the Wolfram award, Parekh, a student of Brenda Etzold, won the top award from the Drug, Chemical and Associated Technologies Association, worth $1,000.

Jones, a student of Leanne Thele, also won third place in the chemistry category, worth $,1000, and the top award from the American Chemical Society, worth $4,000.

Coffee's project created a chemical-based treatment to avoid antibiotic resistance. Jones worked on Limbergin E, a compound with medical applications to help fight disease in developing nations. Parekh's project involved developing a way to synthesize Pannokin D, which could be used in development of new anticancer chemotherapeutics and pharmaceuticals for other diseases.