Meet the BSA Scholars of 2026

May 15, 2026

Ten high school seniors planning to start college this fall will receive scholarships from Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA).

BSA manages the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory for DOE through a partnership between Battelle and Stony Brook University. These scholarships, awarded annually to children of Lab employees and retirees, are a longstanding tradition that began in 1965.

"These 10 students each have different paths ahead of them, and BSA is proud to have a small part supporting them all," said John Hill, interim lab director. "Congratulations to all of this year's BSA scholars and to their families!”

These BSA scholars will receive $2,500 per year for up to four years of study at the college or university of their choice. BSA scholars who are admitted and enroll as full-time students at Stony Brook University receive a matching scholarship from the university.

International Scholarship and Tuition Services (ISTS) administers the BSA Scholarships. Winners are selected by an independent scholarship committee that reports to ISTS. Criteria include academic achievements and records, school and community involvement, volunteerism, and essay content.

This year's awardees are:

1. Sophie Ciardullo

Parent: Joe Ciardullo, Guest Services Division
High school: Ward Melville
College: Binghamton University
Intended major: psychology

2. Mari Fukuto

Parent: Masafumi Fukuto, National Synchrotron Light Source II
High school: Earl L. Vandermeulen
College: Vassar College
Intended major: education and mathematics

3. Ray Hidaka

Parent: Yoshiteru Hidaka, National Synchrotron Light Source II
High school: Shoreham-Wading River
College: Carleton College
Intended major: biology

4. Andrew McKeever

Parent: John McKeever, Counterintelligence Office
High School: Massapequa
College: College of the Holy Cross
Intended major: psychology

5. Giavanna Pizzo

Parent: Michael Pizzo, Office of Emergency Management
High school: Massapequa
College: University of Delaware
Intended major: music education

6. Alexandra Potekhin

Parent: Maxim Potekhin, Physics Department
High school: Ward Melville
College: University of California, Los Angeles
Intended major: business economics

7. Ava Steinhauff

Parent: Adrian Steinhauff, Safety & Health Services Division
High school: Ward Melville
College: College of Charleston
Intended major: business

8. Gabriel Vignato

Parent: Gabe Vignato, Environmental Science & Technologies Department
High School: Bellport
College: State University of New York Maritime College
Major: mechanical engineering

9. Ruochen 'Racheal' Xu

Parent: Hao Xu, Physics Department
High school: Ward Melville
College: Carnegie Mellon University

10. Stephen Ye

Parent: Shuwei Ye, Physics Department
High school: Miller Place
College: Princeton University
Intended major: operations research and financial engineering

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov. 

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