What he made
The Society for Science lists Wei fourth in the top ten of the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search, for a recyclable ultra-high-molecular-weight plastic made with blue light. Ultra-high-molecular-weight polymers are the long-chain materials used where toughness matters most: artificial joints, body armour, cut-resistant cable and rope.
The same length of chain that gives those materials their strength is what makes them stubborn at the end of their life. Using visible blue light to drive the polymerisation, rather than heat or harsh initiators, is a route chemists have pursued because light can be switched, aimed and controlled, and because a reaction designed to be driven can often be designed to be reversed.
Why recyclable strength is the hard problem
Most high-performance plastics are engineered to resist everything - solvents, heat, sunlight, bacteria. That is the point of them, and it is also why they persist. A material that keeps its strength in use and comes apart on demand has to hold two contradictory properties at once.
Chemistry that solves it is valuable out of proportion to the size of the sample. The Society publishes the placement and the description; it does not publish the research, so nothing here is claimed about yields, strength figures or how completely the material could be recovered.
The 2024 field
The competition's top ten for 2024 was led by Achyuta Rajaram of Phillips Exeter Academy, with Thomas Cong of Ossining, New York, second and Michelle Wei third. Nathan Wei placed fourth, ahead of Zeyneb N. Kaya of Saratoga, California, in fifth.
Forty finalists reach Washington in a normal year, from roughly 2,000 entries. The Society's account of the following edition, the 84th, records $3.1 million awarded in total and $1.8 million shared among the finalists; the 2024 pages used here do not state that year's amounts, so none is attached to Wei's placement.
What is documented, and what is not
Documented: fourth place in 2024, the age of 17, Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida, and the description of the project as a recyclable ultra-high-molecular-weight plastic made with blue light.
Not documented in these sources: the monomer and catalyst used, the measured properties of the material, any mentor or laboratory, any patent or publication, and his university destination. This page describes what the class of material is; it does not describe his results.
Why the placement matters
The Science Talent Search is the oldest research competition for American high-school seniors, and its judging rests on a defence before working scientists rather than on a written submission alone. A fourth place means the argument survived that room.
For chemistry specifically, the contest rewards entries that connect a laboratory result to a problem someone outside the laboratory recognises. Plastic waste is that kind of problem: visible, unresolved and expensive, and any credible route to a strong plastic that can be unmade is worth the attention it draws.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sawsan Ahmed | United States | Broward College's youngest graduate, at 12, in December 2021 | Age 12 |
| Arvind Mahankali | United States | Won the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee at 13 | Age 13 |
| Kerry Close | United States | Won the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee at 13 | Age 13 |
| Shania Muhammad | United States | Langston University's youngest graduate, at 15 | Age 15 |
| Nathan Wei | United States | Fourth place, Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024 | Age 17 |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- He placed fourth in the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search
- His project was a recyclable ultra-high-molecular-weight plastic made with blue light
- He was 17 and attended Buchholz High School, Gainesville, Florida
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- The chemistry, yields and measured properties of the material
- Any mentor, laboratory, patent or publication
- The prize amount for 2024
- Where he is studying now
Questions people ask about Nathan Wei
How old is Nathan Wei?
He was 17 at the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search; his birth year is recorded as 2007. No date of birth appears in these sources.
What did Nathan Wei make?
A recyclable ultra-high-molecular-weight plastic, produced using blue light, as described in the Society for Science's listing of the 2024 top ten.
Where did he place?
Fourth in the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Which school did he attend?
Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida.
What is ultra-high-molecular-weight plastic used for?
Very long-chain polymers of this class are used where toughness matters, in applications such as artificial joints, protective materials, rope and cable.
How much prize money did he win?
The 2024 pages used here do not state prize amounts, and no figure is attributed to him on this page.
Where is Nathan Wei now?
No source used here reports his university or later work. Nothing after March 2024 is documented.
Is Nathan Wei on Wikipedia?
He has no article of his own in the sources used here; his placement appears on the Society for Science's pages.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Nathan’s story?
What drove the polymerisation in Nathan Wei's project?
Where did he place in the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search?
What makes ultra-high-molecular-weight plastics hard to dispose of?
Sources
- Regeneron STS 2024 (top 10) — Society for Science
- Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024 Finalists — Society for Science
- Regeneron Science Talent Search 2025 Awards More Than $1.8 Million to High School Seniors — Society for Science, 2025-03-11
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
Discover More Child Prodigies
50+ stories of contemporary young geniuses changing chess, music, science, and art.
Explore All Prodigies →Related Child Prodigy Profiles
Siyaa Poddar🇺🇸 United States — A material that changes colour when the air carries…
Shania Muhammad🇺🇸 United States — She finished a bachelor's degree at 15. A year later she…
Arvind Mahankali🇺🇸 United States — He spelled 'knaidel', won the national bee…
Sawsan Ahmed🇺🇸 United States — She took her teddy bear into a college biology lab at 10.…
Kerry Close🇺🇸 United States — Four national bees ended in defeat. The fifth ended with a…
Sriram Hathwar🇺🇸 United States — He was the bee's youngest speller at eight. Six years…
