Sugar Land native Isabella Wu, a 19-year-old freshman at Rice University, is one of just 30 students worldwide selected as a semifinalist in the prestigious Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global science competition.
To reach this stage, Wu created a video explaining how the hormone leptin regulates hunger – and how ignoring the body’s fullness cues contributes to obesity. The topic is especially timely as the holiday season encourages eating in abundance. Wu’s video can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=_b37w-gVfTo.
“I was really interested in nutrition growing up, and I wanted to find a video topic that was applicable to everyone,” she said. “I was thinking about different questions that people kind of think of on a daily basis, like ‘why does everyone feel full?’ It’s actually due to a hormone called leptin.”
A self-professed foodie, Wu credits her passion for food as the spark that led her to explore the science behind feelings of fullness and nutrition. Her video was produced over the summer, with Wu handling scripting, animation, and editing herself before submission in September.
Now, Wu is competing in the Popular Vote Challenge, and she needs support from the Fort Bend community to move to the next round. Voting ends December 9.
Afterward, there will be 15 finalists chosen and then a final winner.
The winner receives a $250,000 college scholarship; $100,000 is awarded to the student’s high school and $50,000 to a teacher of their choosing. Wu has already selected hers – Clements High School biology teacher Caitlin Zuber.
Wu grew up in Sugar Land, attending Fort Settlement Middle School and graduating from Clements last year. At Rice, she is studying biosciences and is also interested in exercise physiology or sports medicine. If she wins, Wu says the scholarship would help cover the high cost of tuition at Rice.
Here’s how the Popular Vote works:
The videos are posted on the Breakthrough Facebook page and the Breakthrough YouTube channel.
The entry which gets the highest total of Likes and positive reactions on the original post of the video on the Breakthrough Facebook page combined with their total of Likes on their video on the Breakthrough YouTube channel will be named Popular Vote Top Scorer and will automatically bypass the next round of judging and be placed in the final round of judging.
Isabella’s video (YouTube): youtu.be/_b37w-gVfTo
Isabella’s video (Facebook): facebook.com/reel/830802403180122
Exploring leptin and obesity
Leptin was discovered just 30 years ago.
“I thought fullness was controlled by glucagon or insulin,” she said. “Learning that leptin does this – and that leptin resistance is tied to 90% of obesity cases – was shocking. I thought it was really important and crazy, that nobody had taught me that before, and I really wanted to share that.”
Globally, obesity affects over a billion people, and Houston has an obesity rate of about 35%, with Fort Bend County slightly lower at 30%, the lowest in the metro area.
Her video also touches on rapamycin, a protein which is being studied for its potential to reverse leptin resistance. Wu hopes the video will help viewers better understand the science behind hunger and metabolism – and the impact of diet on long-term health.
Inspired by “The Abstract”
Wu’s interest in science communication began with her YouTube channel, “The Abstract,” where she explains complex topics in an engaging, animation-driven style. The Breakthrough Challenge felt like a natural extension of her channel.
“When I was actually starting my YouTube channel, I found it really hard to understand research, and I really wanted to introduce these, like difficult science concepts that I found really interesting to other people in a really fun and easy way,” she said.
She has also drawn inspiration and support from local peers. Emily Efendy, a friend from Clements who is now studying at Harvard University, and Rice University friend Chetan Yenigalla, who was also a 2024 finalist, have provided encouragement and advice.
Local support can make the difference
Wu credits her family, teachers, and peers for support throughout the process and hopes her project inspires others to explore the science behind daily life, especially nutrition and health.
She encourages the Fort Bend community to view and vote for her video before December 9.
“I just want people to learn about leptin and leptin resistance,” she said. “Understanding how our bodies work is empowering – and I hope I can represent Fort Bend County well.”
Last month, she returned to China – where her family is from – and filmed the opening scene of her video at an elegant restaurant. “It reminded me how different food culture is there,” she said. “Meals have so many vegetables and fewer carbs than typical American food. It tied back beautifully to my project.”
Varma can be reached at juhi.varma@gmail.com.