Five local high school students were among 2,000 students from over 60 countries competing in the 75th Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Columbus, Ohio.
The ISEF is recognized as the world’s large pre-college science competition.
Amelie Chen of Pacific Horizons School, Kim Gerald Garcia of Faasao Marist, Sialevene Lutali of Pacific Horizons School, Damin Pyo of Manumalo Academy, and Rachel Park of Manumalo Academy earned the honor of representing American Samoa at the international competition, having qualified through their remarkable performances at their school science fairs and the Island-Wide Science Fair.
The Department of Education says this year’s participation continues a strong tradition of excellence at ISEF, demonstrating that students from American Samoa are not only competing but consistently winning—in multiple categories at the highest levels of scientific inquiry.
A standout among the group, Amelie Chen earned two prestigious awards. She
received a Third Place 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.
Amelie 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 award recognized her outstanding application of systems thinking and engineering design.
The students were accompanied and supported by Dr. Joserose Jyothibhavan, Fair
Director of the American Samoa Science Fair, and Ms. Karen Dizon, science
teacher at Pacific Horizons School.
