Virginia middle school student wins $25K top prize in national science competition

MANASSAS, Va. - A Virginia middle school student is being rewarded in an extraordinary way for her hard work in the field of science.

Eleanor Sigrest, a student at Louise A. Benton Middle School, took the $25,000 Samueli Foundation prize - the most prestigious award for middle school scientists and engineers in the United States - after rising from a pool of over 6,000 nominated students.

The national middle school science competition was founded and is produced by the Society for Science and the Public.

Eleanor presented her winning research project, Rockets, Nozels and Thrusts, Oh My! to judges and the public at the National Geographic Society and competed in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math challenges to demonstrate her deep knowledge and understanding of STEM fields.