Virginia's General Assembly has issued a new bill (House Resolution 157) commending Marissa Sumathipala, a senior at Broad Run High School, on her selection as a 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalist.

"Young innovators like Marissa Sumathipala allow the Commonwealth to face the challenges of the future head-on," the House of Delegates said in its proclamation.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Society for Science & the Public named 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, one of the oldest science and math competition for high school seniors in America.

The competition, known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search from 1942-1997 and the Intel Science Talent Search from 1998-2016, is designed to engage and inspire the next generation of scientific leaders. Alumni have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, found top science-based companies and invent groundbreaking new medical treatments.

Finalists were selected from a pool of highly qualified entrants based on their projects’ scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientific leaders.

The finalists will travel to Washington, D.C., from March 8-14, where they will undergo a rigorous judging process and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards.

They will also have the opportunity to interact with leading scientists, meet with members of Congress and display their projects to the public at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on March 11.

The finalists are each awarded at least $25,000, and the top 10 awards range from $40,000 to $250,000. The top 10 Regeneron Science Talent Search 2018 winners will be announced at a black-tie gala awards ceremony at the National Building Museum on March 13.

Marissa received this prestigious honor for her work to develop a new therapeutic treatment for the cardiovascular disease that leads to a 100 percent survival improvement.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death and affects more than 400 million people worldwide.

Marissa’s innovative treatment restores diseased hearts, reduces arrhythmia, improves contractility, and revives damaged heart muscles.

Marissa founded and led Loudoun County’s first International Genetically Engineered Machines Team, for which she received international recognition, and she is a two-time grand prize winner of the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair.

According to her Broad Run webpage, Marissa is also a competitive freestyle skater. In her free time, Marissa enjoys, writing and reading novels, performing fruit fly heart surgeries, photography, and playing field hockey.