Yanchen Wang is named among 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026 for her project investigating the characteristics and risk factors of the parasomnia.
Key takeaways:
Yanchen Wang, 17, was named a top 300 scholar in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026.
Her research investigates characteristics and risk factors of sleep paralysis in American adolescents.
Wang was motivated by her own frequent episodes of the parasomnia and a desire to understand its underlying mechanisms.
Scholars and their schools are awarded $2,000 each.
Yanchen Wang, a 17-year-old senior at St. Francis Preparatory in Queens, New York, was named among 300 national scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search for her project titled “Characteristics and Risk Factors of Anomalous Sleep Experience (Sleep Paralysis) in American Adolescents.”
Wang selected sleep paralysis as her research topic during her sophomore year. The parasomnia involves a period of temporary immobility while falling asleep or waking up, often accompanied by intense fear and anxiety that can persist after the episode ends.
“This is one of the reasons why I want to study more about this parasomnia, but a more personal reason is that I suffer from sleep paralysis relatively frequently, and several of my best friends also experienced this phenomenon,” says Wang in a release. “However, not everyone who experienced sleep paralysis understood what it is or why it occurs, which motivated me to explore its underlying mechanisms and better understand the condition and its risk factors.”
Wang notes that her interest in science began in middle school, inspired by the complexity of the human body and her aunt, a specialist in Traditional Chinese Pediatrics.
James LaRocca, director of the science research program at St. Francis Prep, highlights Wang’s dedication to the field. “Yanchen (Angela) Wang is an outstanding senior in the science research program who excels in all of her classes while taking the most challenging STEM courses available and shining as a talented jazz musician,” says LaRocca in a release. “Yanchen’s propensity for bettering the lives of others, innate curiosity, exceptional motivation, and science aptitude attribute to her success as a young science researcher.”
The Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026, now in its 85th year, is the nation’s oldest science and math competition for high school seniors. This year, scholars were selected from 203 high schools across 34 states, Washington DC, and China. The 300 scholars and their schools are awarded $2,000 each.
“Congratulations to the top 300 scholars in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search,” says Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science and publisher of Science News, in a release. “We are honored to recognize their achievements and support their continued pursuit of STEM excellence.”
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