Two Sussex Academy students joined peers from across the region at the 2026 Sussex County Science Fair March 6 at Delaware Technical Community College in Georgetown, where both medaled in their respective events.

Sophomore Eva Navitskaya earned first place for her project in computer science, “Using Reinforcement Learning to Speed Up Drug Discovery” and junior Jack Thomas received second place for his research in math, “The Effects of Arm Slot Angle on Pitching Performance.”

Both students are now eligible to compete at Delaware Valley Regional Science Fair in Philadelphia, set for March 31 to April 2.

All county students in grades six through 12 are eligible to participate in the annual science fair, which requires students to carry out a research project in science, engineering or math. Students do preliminary research, keep an experimental journal, carry out the project, and write a paper, all culminating in a poster describing the project and an oral defense in front of judges.