January 30, 2025
Andover mathlete
Angeline Zhao ’25 prepares for major STEM competitionby Allyson Irish
She’s among the nation’s most talented STEM students and in a few short weeks she will be competing in Washington, D.C., for a cash prize as a 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search finalist.
“I like to use quantitative tools to unravel complex issues,” says Angeline Zhao ’25, who’s been a strong math student since middle school when she entered—and won!—PA’s student-run contest: Math Open at Andover. Now Zhao is tournament director of Math Open, helping other middle schoolers better understand and enjoy STEM activities. “It’s a full circle moment for me,” she explains.
I like to use quantitative tools to unravel complex issues.
”
Zhao ’25 speaks at the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge.
Zhao’s research topic for the Regeneron competition looks at the complex problem of redistricting in New York City. By using a combination of statistics and social science, Zhao hopes to shed light on potential definitions of “communities of interest.”
It’s a difficult issue to assess, but Zhao has experience. Last year she was one of five PA students (and the only girl) who beat out 650 other schools in the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge weekend. Working with teacher Khiem DoBa, the group had a mere 14 hours to develop a plan to address homelessness in Seattle and Albuquerque.
Zhao, who is president of Andover’s Math Club, plans to continue studying math and statistics in college. And she is particularly interested in how she can use data analysis to solve complex problems in policy-making and social justice.
“Math is really fun for me,” says Zhao. “I’d like to be able to make an impact on people and communities around me through interdisciplinary research like my Regeneron STS project.”
Categories: Academics
Other Stories
