Rishit Gupta, a senior and member of the Irvington High School Science Research Program, was named a top scholar in the 79th annual Regeneron Science Talent Search.
He is among 300 semifinalists nationwide who were selected from an applicant pool of 1,993 students based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking and promise as scientists.
“We are so incredibly proud of Rishit on this extraordinary accomplishment,” said teacher Stephanie Schilling, who oversees the program along with teachers Nadia Parikka and Geraldine Winterroth. “It has been a pleasure to watch him develop into a young scientist through the Science Research program. Rishit has put countless hours into his research and scientific paper. His hard work and dedication are admirable.”
Gupta’s research, “Error Correction Using a Repetition Code on the 14 qubit IBMQ Melbourne Quantum Computer,” explored the field of quantum computing, whose basic goal is to develop more powerful computers using the principles of quantum mechanics.
“The main potential for quantum computers comes from a concept called entanglement, which basically allows the computer to do many calculations simultaneously, a feat your PC is unable to do,” Gupta said. “My research focused on addressing the large amounts of error in the
quantum systems of the computer, which is the biggest obstacle in realizing a large-scale quantum computer. By testing a software called repetition code on the IBMQ Melbourne quantum computer, I was able to prove the effectiveness of such error-correcting codes for future research.”
The Regeneron Science Talent Search, which was founded in 1942, is considered the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. As a semifinalist, Gupta will receive $2,000, plus a matching amount for the school’s Science Research Program.
On Jan. 22, 40 of the top 300 scholars will be named finalists and will be invited to Washington, D.C., from March 5-11 to undergo a rigorous judging process, display their research for the public and meet with leading scientists. The finalists will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards provided by Regeneron.
