Agastya Sarmah

Agastya is a nationally recognized science-fair competitor and mentor, currently an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley. He was selected as a Top 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Scholar, placing him among the top 300 high school researchers in the nation, and earned a Grand Award at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), one of the highest honors a student can receive in the science-fair world. His experience competing at the highest levels of national and international science competition gives him firsthand insight into what students encounter when presenting their work to highly accomplished judges.

What distinguishes Agastya is his practical, experience-driven approach to preparing students for the realities of science-fair judging. He teaches students to think beyond memorizing a single presentation and instead prepare for the different ways their work may be evaluated. This includes developing multiple versions of a pitch for different time constraints, tailoring explanations to different judges and audiences, structuring presentations so that complex data is easy to follow, and identifying which aspects of a project should be emphasized to make its significance immediately clear. He also works with students on handling difficult questions and presenting with confidence, so they are prepared to adapt rather than feel caught off guard during judging.

His approach has already translated into strong student outcomes. Hanna Suzuki earned an ISEF Grand Award in Software Design along with an ACM Special Award, while Harithra Kumaresan earned 1st Place in Oral Presentation at the Junior Academy of Science. Students have specifically highlighted Agastya’s ability to help them anticipate different judging styles, confidently adapt their presentations, and communicate the most important parts of their research clearly and effectively.