Yorktown High School junior, Eric Song, took home the second-place award in the “Systems Software” category at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Dallas, Texas.
The International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious science and engineering competitions for high school students globally. Organized annually, ISEF brings together young innovators from around the world to showcase their cutting-edge research projects. The journey to ISEF requires participants to undergo a series of qualifying competitions at regional, state, or national levels.
The VOICE caught up with Eric to learn about his project and his experiences at ISEF.
Can you briefly explain your project?
My project is dedicated to fighting ransomware: a nasty piece of software designed to hold data hostage and demand a ransom for it back. Since this ransomware uses a key to hold said data hostage, there is a short period of time where the user can take the key and get their data back for free. My program automates this process by detecting the attack and automatically dumping the program data for the user.
Can you share some information about the overall experience of attending ISEF?
ISEF is a fantastic experience. There are people from tens of countries there, from places that you might not have even heard of before. The people make the event. Getting like-minded people from the rest of the world under the same roof makes it an awesome time. Even though it is tedious, given there’s quite a bit of work to be done, it was one of the best weeks of my life.
How did you feel about presenting your project to the judges and the general public at ISEF?
Presenting was a lot better than I originally thought. I presented to 17 judges, and your throat does hurt after presenting day. But the judges are all super cool people. I met someone who did cyberwarfare for the US government, others who work for the NSA and CIA, and got to talk to them not just about my project, but about the field and their work in general. It was less of a competition, and more of a conversation.
How do you think participating in ISEF has impacted your future academic and professional aspirations?
The most important thing at ISEF is networking. I met a lot of really really cool people who I know will be very successful in the future. Just being able to meet these people and establish a connection alone can get one quite far in the future. Definitely I would consider reaching out to the people I met and perhaps go work on a cool idea someplace.
What advice would you give to other incoming students who are interested in participating in ISEF or pursuing scientific research?
For those interested in science research, there is one piece of advice that I would give to said people. Study what you are passionate about studying. The main reason I got so far and did so well is because my lifelong passion is in computers. I have been fiddling with them since my early youth, and they make perfect sense to me. Being impassioned about your subject enables you to do so much more than just reading papers and regurgitating information, but also understanding and doing something with the information learned. It also makes answering questions a lot easier.
What are your plans for next year?
In terms of research, I am unsure of what I plan to do next year, but I do know I would like to do something different within computer security. As for in general, I plan to keep on learning! I would like to earn a few more industry certifications before my 18th birthday. And outside of cybersecurity, there’s a whole world I would like to explore more of.
What changes would you like to see in the Yorktown Science Research Program?
For the science research program, I would like for the entire program to be more of a tightly-knit group. I know everyone is separated by class period and grade level, but things are so much better when done together. I know that there isn’t much that can be done on the curriculum level to have more interconnectedness, but I would like to see individuals in the program communicate more with others they may not see as often.
