Who is Isabel Rossi? 14-year-old Virginia student creates earthquake sensors; bags spot in top US science challenge

Williamsburg, Virginia native Isabel Rossi, now a 14-year-old freshman at Jamestown High School, has been selected as one of 30 finalists in the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. Her research, focused on improving the placement of earthquake sensors, earned her a spot among nearly 10,000 middle school applicants from across the United States.

Inspired by an article in Physics Today and her personal experience during a major earthquake, Isabel spent six months developing her project, titled "Listening in the Right Places: Game Theory and Optimisation for Earthquake Sensor Placement." The project utilized simulations and data libraries containing past earthquake information and existing sensors to analyze optimal sensor placements without physically moving equipment.

Isabel's computer program generated random sets of potential sensor locations, which she then evaluated using two mathematical models: a weighted sum model and Nash bargaining. The Nash bargaining method proved more effective, positioning Isabel's proposed arrangements closer to the Pareto frontier - a concept used to identify solutions where improving one objective means sacrificing another.

Her research showed a potential 16.7% improvement in earthquake detection coverage by adding just five more sensors. While this improvement hasn't been confirmed in live operational networks, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of mathematical modeling in helping researchers compare possible locations before costly installation decisions.

As a finalist, Isabel will present her research at the national competition's final round in Washington, DC, from October 23 to 28. If she wins, she could take home a $25,000 grand prize among other awards totaling over $100,000.