Granbury ISD is proud to announce a historic academic achievement by Shanice Gibson, a senior at Granbury High School, who has been named one of the Top 300 Scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors.
This marks the first time a Granbury High School student has ever earned this distinction.
More than 2,600 high school seniors applied from 826 schools across 46 states, Washington, D.C., the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and 16 other countries. Shanice is one of just 18 students from Texas selected as a Top 300 Scholar, placing her among the most accomplished young researchers in the world.
Shanice’s research project focused on addressing a longstanding gap in dermatological research. She developed an innovative skin model using gelatin, melanin analogs, and affordable Raspberry Pi technology to study how skin with varying melanin concentrations retains moisture and responds to treatments such as ceramide-based moisturizers. Her work highlights how higher melanin concentrations have historically been underrepresented in laboratory studies of skin conditions like eczema.
By utilizing accessible materials and consumer-grade electronics, Shanice demonstrated that meaningful biomedical research can be conducted without prohibitively expensive equipment — an approach that underscores both scientific rigor and equity in research opportunities.
The Top 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search will be announced on January 21. Those selected will be invited to Washington, D.C., to present their research and compete for the competition’s $250,000 top prize.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search is sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and organized by Society for Science.
A complete list of the 2026 Top 300 Scholars is available at:
https://www.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts/2026-scholars/