Lakewood Ranch student advances to finals of nation's top science contest

Addison Shea has been named a top 40 finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search.


Addison Shea is one of 40 finalists for the Science Talent Search finals in Washington, D.C., in March.
Addison Shea is one of 40 finalists for the Science Talent Search finals in Washington, D.C., in March.
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Addison Shea couldn’t stop crying when she received the news.

The Lakewood Ranch High School senior applied to the Regeneron Science Talent Search in 2024 and has had the important dates marked in her calendar since. 

She was announced as one of 300 top scholars (out of nearly 2,500 applicants) on Jan. 8, but that now pales in comparison to what happened on Jan. 23. 

“I was at home, the call came through and I recognized that it was a D.C. area code, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this could be STS,’” said Shea, who was named as a top-40 finalist in the contest. “I started crying. I was really excited.”

The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the oldest and most prestigious science competition for high school seniors in the United States, according to its website. 

The competition began in 1942 by the Society for Science and Westinghouse, and has since had a few sponsor-based name changes, from Westinghouse (1942-97) to Intel (1998-2016) and now Regeneron (2017-present day).

Shea and 39 other high school seniors in the U.S. will travel to Washington D.C. to present their research projects in the STS Finals from March 6-12. 

Her project, entitled ‘Bowhead Whale Migration Amid Changing Circulation Patterns in the Beaufort Gyre,’ focuses on how the ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean has been impacted by unusual currents. 

Shea’s class schedule at Lakewood Ranch High has thoroughly prepared her for the competition. 

Not only was her project completed last year as part of an AP research class, she also has taken a rigorous course load that’s forced her to think creatively and learn how to research tough questions. 

Addison Shea doesn't often have much free time, but she said she likes to spend it reading historical fiction and non-fiction science-based books.
Image courtesy of Addison Shea

Much of the credit must go to Shea herself, though.

She has taken 12 Advanced Placement tests so far — the end-of-year exam scored on a 1-5 scale — and has scored a five 11 times and a four once.

After taking seven AP courses last year, Shea is down to five this year, but only because she’s running out of options — she said the only AP courses she doesn’t think she’s taken are AP chemistry and AP European history.

Despite the difficulty of her classes, Shea said she has maintained a 4.68 grade point average. 

She’s also an AP Capstone diploma recipient, has scored a 1560 on her SAT, and is a top-16 finalist in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge — a global video competition in which students aged 13-18 must create a video of two minutes or less, explaining a STEM concept in an imaginative way.

“I think it’s commendable because not only is she brilliant, but she has the work ethic to go along with it,” student support specialist and teacher Samantha Biggs said. “She has the drive to be great and to do great things, rather than just having this intelligence that sits in the back seat. She wants to use it and do good for the world.”

Shea stays busy after school, too, as the president of the Girl Up club, as the captain of the school’s girls cross country team, and as a tutor for her peers. 

She has also volunteered at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium and Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, and has completed an internship with NASA last summer.

Lakewood Ranch senior Addison Shea has taken nearly every AP class the school offers while also participating in several extracurricular activities, including serving as a captain of the girls cross country team.
Image courtesy of Addison Shea

When it comes to life after Lakewood Ranch High, Shea said she wants to double major in environmental science and computer science to put herself in a good position to one day be a scientific researcher.

She’s applied to several universities, and has already been accepted to Yale, but has not yet decided which one she will attend just yet.

The results of the Science Talent Search could make that decision much easier.

The top 40 finalists are already guaranteed to receive at least $25,000, but that number could grow substantially depending on where she finishes — with a top prize of $250,000 available. 

“I think it would go without saying that it would mean everything,” Shea said of placing highly at the STS. “I’d be so honored even just to be named more than a (top-40) finalist. I think it’s really indicative of all of the support here at Lakewood Ranch High School because if I didn’t have all of these amazing teachers, like Ms. (Tammy) Harper, who’s my AP Research teacher, and then Ms. (Samantha) Biggs, who’s my AP Seminar teacher, I wouldn’t have created that research paper.”

 

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