Local students compete in world’s largest pre-college science fair | American Samoa

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Five local students competed in the 75th Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held this year in Columbus, Ohio, from May 10- 16, 2025.

Recognized as the world’s largest pre- college science competition, ISEF brought together nearly 2,000 students from over 60 countries, including the five from American Samoa — all competing for more than $9 million in awards, scholarships, and prizes.

The five student finalists from American Samoa earned the honor of representing the territory having qualified through their performances at their individual schools and the American Samoa Island Wide Science Fair.

They are:

• Amelie Chen — Pacific Horizons School

• Kim Gerald Garcia — Fa’asao Marist High School

• Sialevene Lutali — Pacific Horizons School

• Damin Pyo — Manumalo Academy

• Rachael Park — Manumalo Academy

Ms. Amelie Chen, who graduated Valedictorian from PHS last weekend, earned two prestigious awards.

She received a Third Award in the Grand Awards category and $1,200 in the Environmental Engineering (ENEV075) category for her project titled “Science of Autonomy: Optimal Path Planning.” This category was sponsored by Jacobs, a global professional services firm known for its leadership in engineering, infrastructure, and sustainability. Jacobs’ sponsorship reflects their commitment to empowering future innovators and engineers addressing complex environmental challenges.

Miss Chen also earned the Second Place Special Award from the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) for Best Use of Systems Engineering. The award included $800, a one-year student membership to INCOSE, and free virtual admission to the 2025 INCOSE International Symposium.

This year’s participation underscores American Samoa’s growing presence on the international STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) landscape — demonstrating that students from American Samoa are not only competing, but consistently winning, in multiple categories at the highest levels of scientific inquiry, according to a press release from ASG.

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