Thousand Oaks High’s Lila P. Recognized as Exceptional Teen Scientist, Selected as Regeneron Science Talent Search Top 300 Scholar

Congratulations to Lila Lewis Papavasiliou, Thousand Oaks High School 12th grade student, who was selected as a Regeneron Science Talent Search Top 300 Scholar. This marks the third consecutive year that a student enrolled in The Center for Advanced Studies and Research at Thousand Oaks High School earned this impressive distinction in the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

Lila’s project title is: Identifying the Existence of Unconscious Gender Bias in the Perception of Political Speakers Using EEG.

Each of the 300 scholars, including Lila, will be awarded $2,000, and the schools they attend will be awarded $2,000 for each enrolled scholar.

Scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendations.

More than 2,600 students applied this year from 826 high schools across 46 states, Washington, D.C., Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and 16 countries.

Scholars’ research projects cover 20 categories, from Animal Sciences to Space Science. Other students chose to focus on areas such as Behavioral Sciences, Biochemistry, and Environmental Science. The top 5 categories among scholars’ projects this year are:

1. Cellular and Molecular Biology
2. Medicine and Health
3. Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
4. Computer Science
5. Engineering

This year marks the milestone 85th Science Talent Search and the 10th Science Talent Search in partnership with Regeneron and its growing legacy of championing scientific curiosity and empowering young people who are driven to make our world better.

What’s Next: Important Dates for 2026

• Top 40 Finalists Announced: January 21, 2026
• Regeneron STS Finals Week: March 5-11, 2026
• Public Exhibition of Projects: March 8, 2026
• Winners Announced at Awards Ceremony: March 10, 2026
   

Congratulations Lila, and the The Center for Advanced Research and Studies team at Thousand Oaks High School, on this phenomenal accomplishment! Click here to learn more.