Student Project Wins Awards at International STEM Competition

NMH student Eric Zhou ’26 recently took his scientific work on campus to the international stage, returning with accolades and a valuable life experience. 

Zhou won second place in the Engineering Technology: Statics and Dynamics category at the 75th annual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio, in May. In addition, Zhou was granted a Serving Society Through Science award, which recognizes "creative, outstanding projects that have the potential to improve the lives of people or represent a dramatic scientific advancement."

Jointly sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Society for Science, the ISEF is the largest pre-college STEM competition in the world. Nearly 1,700 young scientists from 48 U.S. states and more than 60 countries and territories participated in this year’s competition, with more than $9 million in awards and scholarships given to winners and finalists in 22 categories of research.

Zhou’s project, “SkyProbe: A Thrust Vectoring UAV for Enhanced Contact-Based Inspection Performance Under Windy Conditions,” involved redesigning and rewriting code for a model drone to increase flight stability, with the goal of improving performance during safety inspections of tall buildings and objects. Zhou presented his work and findings at NMH’s annual STEM Symposium in April after winning first place in the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair Inc.’s High School State Fair for his coding work.

Zhou was inspired to pursue the project after watching inspectors conduct risky in-person inspections on windy days.

“I was wondering how I can make these kinds of inspections fully automated and began doing research on drones, to see how they could conduct these inspections efficiently and safely,” he said.

To do so, Zhou worked to redesign the aerodynamics of his drone prototype. This involved writing original code to ensure the drone maintained equilibrium during flight maneuvers by tweaking its stabilization mechanisms.

“It was an honor to be recognized among so many impressive and innovative projects from students around the world,” Zhou said of his experience at the competition. “Presenting at ISEF was both exciting and challenging: Explaining my work to judges from diverse scientific backgrounds within a limited time pushed me to search for clarity and conciseness.”

More important than the competition itself, Zhou added, were the six days he spent at ISEF making connections and learning from fellow student-scientists. “I saw areas where I could improve the technical depth and real-world application of my research by talking to these students.”

Zhou’s work on the project throughout the school year gave him insights into himself and his learning style that extended beyond the specifics of engineering and robotics.

“I learned that I really enjoy solving open-ended problems, even when there's no clear path forward,” he said. “The project taught me patience and perseverance, especially during the testing and troubleshooting phases. I realized that engineering is not about adding sensors and building complicated systems, it's about developing a more concise, efficient, and simpler system that has the same functionality.”

Zhou plans to continue refining the systems and technology he worked on in this project, with the goal of publishing his results in the future. He hopes the work he and other students presented at ISEF reinforces the crucial role that engineering, robotics, and aerospace technologies play in everyday life — and how those emerging technologies can benefit society.

He also emphasized the important role that competitions like ISEF have in helping students develop their communication skills, so they can share their work with peers and the general public. He credited NMH with providing the physical and social resources and support necessary for him to pursue his vision.

“The supportive environment [at NMH], such as the makerspace, made it possible for me to carry out hands-on experimentation and bring my idea to life,” Zhou said. “The school's emphasis on interdisciplinary learning helped me connect my technical project to mathematics and also social contexts.”

Photos by Chis Ayers Photography/Licensed by Society for Science and Matthew Cavanaugh Photography.