Benjamin Students Excel at Regional Science Fair With Award-Winning Research

Three Benjamin students are celebrating exciting achievements in science, earning top honors at the Palm Beach County Regional Science Fair. 

Junior Mili Mohanty won first place in Chemistry at the Fair and is advancing to the state competition. Siblings Belle Wengler and Guy Wengler won first and third place, respectively, in middle school biomedical and health sciences. 

Mohanty’s first place win for her research on ferroptosis, a major cause of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease, marks an exceptional accomplishment at the competitive regional level. Her work highlighted the role artificial intelligence can play in accelerating drug discovery by generating novel compounds with strong pharmaceutical properties and identifying promising drug repurposing opportunities among FDA-approved medications.

She also received special recognition from the Yale Science and Engineering Association and Regeneron. With these honors, she advances to the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair, held March 31–April 3 in Lakeland.

Middle school students Belle and Guy Wengler’s research spanned several years and was supported by the mentorship of professionals in the medical and scientific fields. 

Early in the school year, Middle School Science Department Chair Mandy Sukhu helped connect the Wenglers with upper school science teacher Dr. Haley to support the students as they prepared for the regional competition. 

Faculty members note that students who place at the regional level often go on to earn college scholarships and gain access to some of the nation’s most prestigious science and research programs.

“What an incredible honor it is to have such driven students here at Benjamin,” said middle school accelerated science teacher and mentor Mrs. Erin Gigele.