A DeKalb County School District student recently was named a finalist in a national science competition, netting a $25,000 prize.

Zoe Weiss, a Lakeside High School senior,  placed in the top 40 in the annual Regeneron Science Talent Search. She was the first Georgia student finalist since 2014.

District officials said she was recognized for creating an algorithm to detect rare cell types from single-cell gene-expression data, which can help with early disease diagnosis.

The finalists traveled to Washington, D.C., last month to compete for more than $1.8 million in prize money.

Her algorithm detected rare cells in all examined cases, including one which could prove to be a new type of brain cell.

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HBCUs nationally will get $438 million, according to the UNCF, previously known as the United Negro College Fund. Georgia has 10 historically Black colleges and universities. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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