How this 18-year-old’s love of origami helped him win a $100,000 at a science fair

Hikaru Kuribayashi won top prize at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May. Chris Ayers/Chris Ayers Photography/License by Society for Science Hikaru Kuribayashi, 18, won $100,000 at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Kuribayashi created a simulation program that predicts complex folding, like origami patterns. His love of origami and nature inspired his research. Growing up on Japan's northernmost island allowed Hikaru Kuribayashi to…