Ninth-grade student Olivia Zeng, representing The Wheatley School in East Williston, earned the 2025 Science Fair Junior Prize Award from the Association of Chinese American Physicians.
Olivia submitted her independent research titled “A Novel Multi-pathway Approach to Alzheimer’s Therapy: Co-Targeting NPFF, Metformin and GSK-3beta for Enhanced Neuroprotection,” after spending her summer conducting this research under the direction of Dr. Wei Zhu.
For this achievement, both Olivia and The Wheatley School will receive scholarships. She will also present her work at the ACAP Poster Presentation on Nov. 12.
“Olivia is a dedicated and driven young researcher,” said STEM research teacher Veronica Ade. “Her passion for STEM and research is evident as she spent this past summer, as a rising 9th grader, researching in Dr. Wei Zhu’s laboratory. I look forward to her presentation at the ACAP Semi-finals.”
The Association of Chinese American Physicians aims to inspire a passion for science and biomedicine in young minds while providing a platform for students to showcase their research. The ACAP Science Fair is a nationwide biomedical competition for
middle and high school students conducting research in areas such as biology, microbiology, immunology, physiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, toxicology, and other medical specialties.
