Livingston Student Is One Of 300 In Country To Win Honor

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Livingston resident and Newark Academy senior Aaron Li ’24 has been named one of the top 300 scholars in the 83rd Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS), the nation’s oldest science and mathematics competition for high school seniors.

He earned the accolade for his project, “The Dynamics of a Neutrally Buoyant Particle in Laminar Flow.”

Li is only the second Newark Academy student to earn the honor.

In addition, Aaron’s Physics Teacher, Drew Kesler, was named a 2024 Teacher of Merit for his support and encouragement of Li's work.

“Many students can even launch themselves into things that even I struggle to understand, and that’s pretty exciting, especially when they’re still in my class,” Kesler said.

For the achievement, Newark Academy will receive a combined total of $4,000 to be used toward STEM-related activities.

“I am honored to have been named an STS scholar," Li said. "It’s thrilling that STS recognizes the potential for my work to make a meaningful contribution to the field of computational fluid dynamics, and I eagerly anticipate delving deeper into the subject. I’m so grateful for the encouragement and support I’ve received from my teachers, mentors, friends and family throughout this project.”

Regeneron STS recognizes and empowers "the most promising young scientists in the nation who are exploring and developing solutions to most urgent challenges," said a release.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars and teachers were selected from 2,162 applicants from 555 high schools in 45 states, including Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and six American and international high schools overseas.