Jaelyn Hammersley, a junior at Oak Park and River Forest High School, earned a fourth-place award at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, according to a May 19 announcement. This is the highest finish ever achieved by an OPRF student in this global competition.
The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair brings together more than 1,700 students from over 67 countries, regions, and territories. Students qualify through regional, state, and national competitions before advancing to the international level. Hammersley competed in the Biomedical and Health Sciences category against approximately 70 other finalists.
Hammersley’s project explored using gedunin—a natural compound found in the neem tree—as a possible treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Her research involved studying fruit flies with Parkinson’s disease to see how gedunin affected their movement, lifespan, and neurodegeneration. She found that treated flies showed significantly improved movement.
Reflecting on her experience at ISEF, Hammersley said: “The most important thing I learned through science competitions is that communication matters just as much as the research itself. You can have an incredible project; however, if you can’t explain it clearly to people, it’s incredibly hard to make an impact.”
Allison Hennings, her research teacher at OPRF, said: “Jaelyn really directed her own learning. She came up with the experiment on her own, helped secure funding from the Boosters for a fluorescent microscope, connected with expert mentors around the world, and pushed herself every single day to ask new questions and learn more.”
Hammersley also shared what motivated her work: “Seeing neurodegeneration affect people I love made me want to pursue research that could someday help others.” She advised future young scientists: “You really need to have a strong ‘why.’ Remembering who my research could help is what kept me motivated throughout the entire process. Knowing that this work is so much bigger than me… made all of the hard work feel worth it.”
Oak Park and River Forest High School serves grades nine through twelve with an enrollment of 3,393 students during the 2019-2020 school year in Oak Park and Cook County; grade ten had the highest concentration of students with 26.2 percent enrolled during that period according to Illinois Report Card. The student body was composed of about 56.9 percent white students along with black (18.2 percent), Hispanic (12.6 percent), and Asian (3.8 percent) populations according to Illinois Report Card.
More information about Jaelyn’s project can be found on her Virtual Research Board.
