Theodore K. ’25 Awarded Regeneron Science Award

The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Theodore K. ’25 was honored as a scholar this year, placing him among the top 300 STEM students in the U.S. Each scholar receives a $2,000 award, and Poly will also be granted $2,000. 

Theodore has had an exceptional journey at Poly, initially seeking outside opportunities in the sciences as a freshman. He leads the Poly Science Student Organization and was awarded an Olah Fellowship in 2024 to create a device called Allergy Spoon that will be able to test food for certain allergies, which will give almost instantaneous results to ensure the safety of food before being ingested.

Theodore submitted research on “Novel Food Safety Test for the Rapid and Point-of-Care Detection of Peanut Allergens” to the award. This work was inspired by his own allergen issues that he has experienced since childhood. 

“After a particularly bad incident, I had the idea for a little device that could test for tree nuts in my food,” Theodore told PolyNews. “I like to think of it as a ‘COVID test for food allergens.’ This device could detect allergens in my food in parts per million. So, even if I couldn't see peanuts in my food, then I could test for it empirically. I hoped to create a device that would save my life and help others, too.”

Theodore credits the Poly Research Initiative led by Dr. Bala Selvakumar in supporting this work. Through these courses, he learned specific skills, such as scientific writing that supported this award.

“Theodore is one of those rare students, for me, who appreciates feedback and knows where he stands academically, yet is inherently curious and learns for the sake of learning. Yes, he has solid, high grades, which will be a benchmark for judging him against other students. Yet, he is so curious and has an insatiable love for learning that I wonder if he cares about a grade beyond them being a necessity for future academic options,” said K-12 Science Department Chair Robin Barnes.

With this funding and support, Theodore hopes to eliminate food allergies permanently. “I don't think I'll rest until I've cured it. It's really become a passion of mine,” he said.