Spokane, Wash. — Two Ferris High School seniors claimed second place in the world in environmental science at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May 2026, bringing national recognition to Eastern Washington for original research exploring how wildfire smoke damages agricultural crops before they ever leave the ground.
Teddy Osborne, 18, and Anders Thogerson, 17, competed against 1,383 projects from 67 countries at the Phoenix-based competition. Their work examined how smoke exposure affects the germination and physical structure of three common crops — broccoli, wheat, and rice. The pair took home $2,400 in prize money and secured their place in ISEF history, which now spans 76 years.
A Research Gap Sparked by Pacific Northwest Summers
The project grew from a simple but striking observation: summer wildfires blanket the Pacific Northwest in smoke each year, yet no published research had examined what that smoke does to crop seeds at a chemical and structural level. Finding no prior literature on the subject, Osborne and Thogerson designed their own study from scratch.
Using multimodal microscopy and germination analysis, the students exposed seeds of wheat (Triticum aestivum), rice (Oryza sativa), and broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) to wildfire smoke, then compared their development and appearance against nonsmoked control seeds. The results were consistent: smoked seeds germinated more slowly, grew at a reduced rate, and showed visible surface damage — including cracks and deposits — when examined under a microscope.
The full project title — “The Chemical and Structural Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Triticum aestivum, Oryza sativa, and Brassica oleracea var. italica: A Multimodal Microscopy and Germination Matrix Analysis” — reflects the depth of inquiry the students pursued over the course of an entire school year.
A Classroom Legacy and a Former ISEF Winner’s Contribution
The research was completed as part of a biomedical innovations class taught by Darci Hastings, who has guided students through roughly 25 different projects annually for nearly 26 years. The course now accounts for approximately half her career in education.
Hastings was watching the ISEF awards ceremony via YouTube livestream from her classroom when the results were announced. She did not hide her reaction. “I was kind of freaking out, like screaming during my class,” she said. “I had my ninth-graders, and I was, like, shaking.”
The project also benefited from a connection to a previous ISEF standout. Anna Armstrong, a Spokane-area student who won fourth place in environmental engineering at the 2022 competition for developing biodegradable plastic from fungi, contributed scanning electron microscope images of seed coats to support the boys’ research. Armstrong is now a senior at Western Washington University.
The Ferris win marks only the second time in the fair’s 76-year history that a student from Eastern Washington has earned an ISEF award.
John O’Dell, commenting on the students’ character, described them as young men defined by their work ethic and how they treat others. “These are just great young men who are kind to people, who are hardworking, who lift other people up,” O’Dell said.
What Comes Next
For North Idaho families and educators following regional academic achievements, the Ferris result is a reminder of the competitive depth developing across the Inland Northwest in STEM education. The findings from Osborne and Thogerson’s research — that wildfire smoke measurably impairs seed germination and structure — could have long-term relevance for agricultural planning in smoke-prone regions like North Idaho and Eastern Washington, where harvest seasons frequently overlap with wildfire activity.
Whether the students pursue further publication of their findings or continue the research in college remains to be seen, but their second-place finish on a world stage puts the work in front of an international scientific audience. Local students and families celebrating their own academic milestones this graduation season can read more about Bonner County’s Class of 2026 ceremonies and the region’s busy early summer calendar of community events across Bonner County.