Sophomore Ryan Schreiber won a Gold Medal at the Vermont STEM Fair for his project, the NERVA Ring, a smart ring designed to detect changes in the body’s electrical conductance that are indicators of sympathetic nervous system activation. In simple terms, the ring can alert the wearer to rising stress levels, prompting them to pause, breathe, and engage in calming techniques. 

Ryan has invested over 800 hours of work on this project demonstrating remarkable commitment and curiosity. With backing from AMD Blueprint, he’s working on creating the first prototypes. 

The Vermont STEM Fair competition brings middle and high school students throughout Vermont together to showcase their independent research. With hundreds of submissions evaluated by panels of professional judges, earning top recognition is a significant achievement.

In addition to his Gold Medal, Ryan also won two additional awards: the VIATRIS Health Award which recognizes an exceptional individual student that has a potential to make an impact on health and the Vermont Biomedical Research Network Gold Medal Award. This award recognizes students who demonstrate a strong understanding of the nature and behavior of living systems and apply that knowledge to improve human health, extend life, and reduce illness and disability.

Ryan’s accomplishments reflect not only his talent, but also the spirit of innovation we strive to cultivate at Rice. We are proud to see him represent our school with such professionalism and promise.

Ryan says, “I feel so fortunate for all these opportunities and am honored to be selected for these awards. I’m grateful to Mr. Mazzella and Mr. Kutsanzira who helped me think through some of the initial challenges.”