F-M senior excels in prestigious science competition

A Fayetteville-Manlius School District student was recently named a top scholar in the nation’s oldest and most prestigious math and science competition for high school seniors.

Society for Science and the Public and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently named F-M High School senior Neil Khurana one of its 2018 Science Talent Search Scholars. Neil submitted to the competition a research project that examines relationships between sleep patterns and sleep disorders.

His award-winning project, “Discovery of Highly-Correlated Circadian Oscillations in Oral MicroRNA and Microbiome Levels Using Next Generation Sequencing of Human Saliva: Implications for Human Health and Disease” earned Neil a $2,000 cash prize and a stipend for his computer science teacher and project mentor, Mrs. Diane Gilbert.

“Neil independently seeks opportunities to challenge and improve his knowledge and skills,” Mrs. Gilbert said. “His hard work, perseverance, and collaboration skills are excellent.  It is no surprise to me that he earned such an amazing award.”

The competition celebrates and empowers students who are on a trajectory to change the world, according to its website.