Bobbie Cates Hicks SMART Program

Congrats SMART ladies!

Congrats Aashni and Rishi!

Four Magnet seniors, out of more than 5,000 candidates, have been selected as finalists in the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. The candidates were selected from nearly 3.6 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in 2025. Inclusion in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors. Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities. 9 students from Louisiana were selected as Semifinalists this year.

Congratulations to Parker Alleman, Arjun Desai, Aashni Shah, and Arisha Sultana for representing Magnet High!

The Bobbie Cates Hicks Science and Medicine Academic Research Training Program (SMART) has linked more than 270 students with LSU Health Shreveport investigators since its inception in 1997. Help BRF continue the program by donating to Give for Good 2025. You can donate here: GiveforGoodNLA.org/BRF

Are you interested in being a SMART student? Apply by Friday at 4:00!

Enrollment for the 2025-2026 Bobbie Cates Hicks Science and Medicine Academic Research Training (SMART) program is now open, and the deadline to apply is 4:00 p.m. on February 28. For more information about eligibility requirements and how to apply to SMART click: https://bit.ly/SMARTenrollment

Congrats to our SMART student, Rishi!

Congratulations to Arisha "Rishi" Sultana, Caddo's High School Student of the Year, who has been named one of the nation's top 300 teen scientists by the Society of Science as part of the Regeneron Science Talent Search. The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. For her recognition, Rishi and her school, Caddo Parish Magnet High School, will each receive $2,000. Congratulations, Rishi!

Record number of students selected for LSU Health Shreveport's SMART research program SHREVEPORT, La. - Fourteen students from Caddo and Bossier Parish schools are part of this year’s Bobbie Cates Hicks Science and Medicine Academic Research Training (SMART) program. The students will

Congrats to new SMART student Rishi Sultana for placing in the International Science Fair!

5 of our Magnet science students traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico last week to compete in the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Our students qualified to attend based on their performance at the state JSHS competition. The competitors were Lily Bodily, Claire Kevil, Aashni Shah, Rishi Sultana, and Maya Trutschl.

Please help us congratulate Rishi Sultana for placing 2nd in Life and Behavioral Sciences!

Great work, CMHS scientists! We are proud of you!

Congratulations to the newest SMART Program participants from Byrd! This is quite an honor, and we are proud of all of them. L to R : Josephine Comerford, Emilija Majstorovic, Garrett Stroud, and Parker Townsend 💜💛💜💛💜💛

Congrats to our SMART ladies who placed at the Louisiana Region 1 Science and Engineering Fair. We wish them luck as they compete in the state competition next week!

Anika Alla – Magnet HS, 1st place in Translational Medicine and 1st overall division winner receiving a bid to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles in May.

Hannah Fry – Airline HS, 3rd place in Biomedical & Health Science

Chloe Liles – C.E. Byrd HS, 3rd place in Cellular & Molecular Biology

Hudson Roberts – C.E. Byrd HS, 3rd place in Biomedical Engineering

Anjali Veerareddy – Caddo Magnet, 1st place in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics