Society for Science Recognizes Elijah Renner for Innovative STEM Research in Regeneron Science Talent Search
January 15, 2026
Thetford Academy senior Elijah Renner recently received national recognition for his innovative STEM research by the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search. The annual Regeneron Science Talent Search, hosted by the nonprofit Society for Science, is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious high school science and math competition – once called the “Super Bowl of Science” by President George H.W. Bush.
Elijah is one of just 300 students to earn the award, selected from over 2600 applicants from 826 high schools across 46 states, Washington, D.C., Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and 16 countries. His project “Pathformer: Large Language Models for Automated Billing Code Assignment in Multi-Institutional Pathology Reports,” builds on his work with Dartmouth’s Edit AI program this summer.
According to the Society of Science, “Scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendations.” Scholars’ research projects cover 20 categories, from Animal Sciences to Space Science.
Elijah’s chemistry and physics teacher, Rachael Brown, was excited to support his application. “Elijah is one of the most academically talented students that I have taught in my career. His exemplary organizational skills and attention to detail complement his ability to visualize and communicate high level math and science concepts. He is not only extremely bright, but he is an exceptionally hard worker.” With this recognition, both the scholar and their high school each receive an award of $2,000.
Elijah is the first Vermont student to be recognized in the Regeneron Science Talent Search since 2016. “Being selected from a record-breaking pool of over 2,600 students by the Society for Science is a huge honor,” he said, adding that it’s often more challenging for rural students to access opportunities like this. “I hope my participation encourages more students from non-urban areas to realize that their perspectives are essential to solving the world’s most complex problems.”
The top 40 finalists from the Regeneron Science Talent Search will be named later in January. If Elijah is selected, he will have the opportunity to present his team’s research in Washington, D.C. to a national audience.