General Douglas MacArthur High School in the Levittown School District has announced that senior Melody Hong was named one of 300 semifinalists in the prestigious 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the oldest science and math competition for high schoolers in the nation.
Melody will receive $2,000 and $2,000 for her school.
Through her research, titled “A Bayesian Exploration Into More Flexible trans-Methylation Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping,” Melody developed alternative statistical methodologies to better identify a genetic variant called trans-MQTL, which is tied to certain complex diseases like Alzheimer’s and Type 1 diabetes.
Melody developed a software package that can simulate data that showed a high level of promise – an important exploration into a relatively underappreciated level of research that provides a foundation for further study, Melody explained.
Melody was inspired to pursue this research through her grandmother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a disease that the treatment for which can be benefitted from her findings.
Melody performed her research under the guidance of her mentor, Dr. Hélène Ruffieux of the University of Cambridge. At MacArthur, Melody is the captain of the Science Olympiad, a member in the Quiz Bowl and is a principal cellist in the orchestra.
She received an early acceptance into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her top choice, where she hopes to study applied mathematics.
Melody thanked her family members, her science teachers Matthew Zausin and David Freeman, and her local Korean community for their support. She added that she takes pride in being one of four scholars of Korean descent named across New York and New Jersey.
“It’s an affirmation that my hard work was worth it, and I’m glad to be recognized for that,” Melody said, “but it’s also been a tremendous win for the community – for my family, for Levittown and MacArthur, and also my church and my Korean American community.”
“Aside from being exceptionally intelligent, Melody is just a top-tier individual,” principal Joseph Sheehan said. “She’s humble, and her care and compassion always shine through.”
