Students win at regional science and engineering fair

Five Fox Chapel Area School District students won awards at the 2026 Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair (PRSEF).

Fox Chapel Area High School ninth-grader Rishabh Krishnamurthy was named the first-place winner in the senior division of the physics and astronomy category. Rishabh also won a University of Pittsburgh Department of Physics and Astronomy sponsor/affiliate award. Dorseyville Middle School seventh-grader Ellie Huh was named a first-place winner in the intermediate division of the earth and environment category. As a result of her category win, Ellie has been nominated for the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC). Seventh-grader Alexander Li received an honorable mention in the intermediate division engineering category, as well as a sponsor/affiliate award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Junior Param Thawani received a sponsor/affiliate award from the Princeton Alumni Association of Western Pennsylvania, and seventh-grader Alexandra Delale-O’Connor won a sponsor/affiliate award from the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh.

The PRSEF is open to students in grades 6-12 from 21 counties in Western Pennsylvania, as well as students in Garrett County in Maryland. Each year, students from more than 75 schools spend up to 12 months developing and executing a project and compete for more than $1 million in cash, scholarships, and trips. All of the students who participated in the fair conducted individual science research and presented their projects to a committee of judges. The judging took place March 24 and 25 at the Kamin Science Center.