PHOENIX, Ariz. — Arjun Vir Jain, a student at D.W. Daniel High School, earned two awards at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2026, held May 11–15 in Phoenix, Ariz. ISEF is the world’s largest pre-college science and engineering competition, bringing together approximately 1,700 finalists from over 70 countries, regions, and territories.
Arjun’s project, “Sentinel AI: An LLM-Driven Framework for Real-Time Automated Outbreak Detection Using Doctor-Patient Conversations,” received a Category Award — Fourth Place in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics and the Non-Trivial Fellowship Scholarship, which provides a place in Non-Trivial’s selective summer research fellowship along with a project grant to support future research. Non-Trivial is a non-profit research fellowship for exceptional teenagers working on important global problems.
Arjun qualified for ISEF as the 1st Place Grand Award winner at the SC Region 1 Science Fair, an ISEF-affiliated regional fair hosted by Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina. The fair, now entering its 17th year of operation, serves students in grades 3–12 across seven Upstate South Carolina counties: Abbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, and Pickens. The fair became ISEF-affiliated in 2025.
“Arjun’s success at ISEF is a reflection of his exceptional talent as a researcher and communicator, and it is a testament to the caliber of student research happening in the Upstate,” said Dr. Staci N. Johnson, Director of the SC Region 1 Science Fair and Chair of the Division of Science at Southern Wesleyan University. “As we enter our 17th year, we are proud that our mission — helping students develop the skills of research, communication, and scientific inquiry — is producing results on the world stage. We look forward to continuing to support the next generation of scientists and engineers across our region.”
The SC Region 1 Science Fair has operated since 2010 and accommodates students from public, private, and homeschool settings. The fair’s mission centers on developing research and communication skills rather than simply identifying talent. Employers and community members can support the fair through corporate sponsorship, student mentoring, expert judging, and donations processed through SWU’s giving portal at https://www.swu.edu/give/give-online/ (select “Other” and type “SC Region 1 Science Fair”).
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