WASHINGTON, D.C. — When teens decide to solve problems, great things can happen. One teen made software to spot new targets for drug discovery. One made a device to help people in developing countries diagnose lung problems. A third examined pollutions in streams, and came up with a way to get some of that pollution out. These three high school seniors are the top winners of the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search. They received their $150,000 awards at a gala event March 15 at the National Building Museum.
This year marked the 75th anniversary of the Science Talent Search. Run by Society for Science & the Public and sponsored by Intel, the competition brings together 40 high school seniors to share their research projects with the public and compete for huge prizes. Intel offers three $150,000 awards. Each of the three celebrates an aspect of scientific discovery: basic research, benefits to humankind and innovative technologies.
Eureka! Lab live-tweeted from the gala (follow @eureka_labs), and we have collected the tweets and articles about the finalists below. Congratulations to all 40 finalists for their hard work!
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The view from above! #intelSTS
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Trumpet fanfare! #intelsts #sts75
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The ceremony is beginning! Our master of ceremonies is Larry Shoop, Intel director of corporate communications.
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This bird is not in black tie for the #intelsts #sts75. We should have invited some penguins.
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Now welcoming remarks from Kim Stevenson corporate vp at Intel.
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Stevenson notes that more tech savvy kids are needed to fill the jobs of the future.
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“You are pioneers, you represent the next generation…I want you to continue on your journey.” -Stevenson to finalists.
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Next up is , president of , and a alumna.
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“We are betting on you to make the world a better place.” – to the finalists.
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. says we have more young women finalists than young men this year!
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It’s the first time in the history of competition that women outnumber the men!
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“Among our 22,000 STS alumni we have 12 Nobel prize winners” –
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And now, our keynote speaker, !! Famous science guy and head of
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. says “the problem isn’t scientifically illiterate children, it’s scientifically illiterate adults”
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“If you maintain curiosity through middle school and high school, you basically become a scientist.” –
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“For many circumstances in life, the answer is not as important as the pathways you explore to get there.” –
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“If you are curious and that’s driving your life? It won’t matter at all what college you go to.” –
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Tyson emphasized that if you do great things, it won’t matter how many prizes you’ve won or where you went to school, your accomplishments will speak for you.
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Of science says its “more than being about answers, it’s about the questions.”
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And now, the real stars of the evening.
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Introducing the 40 finalists of the 2016 !
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Andrew Amini, created software to predict seizures. Only needs 2 electrodes, gives patients time to get to safety.
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Katherine Berman, who studied how mutated protein in bone marrow can lead to blood diseases.
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Paige Brown examined water quality in her local streams, and developed a filter to remove extra phosphorous.
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Claire Burch hunted exoplanets. She found 17 stars that could have new worlds!
http://ow.ly/Zv7yH
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Teen hunts exoplanets at our galaxy’s centerWASHINGTON, D.C. – Some scientists look for new planets by gazing through powerful telescopes. But Claire Burch, 17, didn’t have one of those. Instead, the senior at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento, Calif., searched for new exoplanets – planets outside our solar system. All she needed was her laptop and some computer code.
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Joshua Choe identified a new way to diagnose squamous cell lung cancer. ,
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Thomas Colburn developed an additive for plastic that will make it degrade harmlessly in the sun
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Tiny particles help plastic break down in the sunWASHINGTON, D.C. – Tossing a plastic bag out of a car window isn’t just rude. It creates a huge problem. That’s because when plastic enters the environment, it can take years – if not a century – to go away.
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Sanath Devalapurkar studied algebraic k theory, a type of math important in data analytics and AI.
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Beverly Ge developed a gas sensor, using plastic that changes color when exposed to gases.
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Maria Grimmett showed that a resin could be used to filter out the antibiotic sulfamethazine from water.
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Vikul Gupta created a more efficient way to run the NTRU cryptosystem, a method to keep data safe.
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Soon il Higashino showed that urban salamanders may be better able to stand up to fungi than rural ones.
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George Hou set out to improve hearing aids by changing how computers distinguish signal from noise.
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Jessica Huang studied fMRI data to find out more about how we reason through problems.
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Meena Jagadeesan studied the nonnegative Grassmannian, a fundamental object in algebra.
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Milind Jagota developed a model to enhance the electrical performance of nanowires.
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Anjini Karthik developed a film that captures viruses, and could help us detect them faster.
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Catherine Lai found two molecules that could treat drug-resistant pneumonia.
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Michael Li studied how the brain guides tasks, showing some brain cells are “experts” that guide decision making.
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Allen Liu studied how counting and harmonic analysis intersect. The math is important for voice recognition.
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Helen Liu found a potential new treatment for Gaucher disease, a rare genetic disorder.
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Jonathan Ma developed a method to predict how patients will respond to chemotherapy.
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Yashaswini Makaram showed that cell phones can detect their owners just by how they pick up the device.
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Nathan Marshall observed that two pulses of CO2 contributed to warming in the Paleocene. The 2nd was the “tipping point”
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Rachel Mashal studied the effects of diet and caffeine exposure in fruit flies. She gave fruit flies a buzz for science!
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Demetri Maxim is try to make new kidneys from human stem cells, hoping to treat his case of polycystic kidney disease.
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Shreya Menon used computer algorithms to study how antioxidants can change gene expression
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Arnold Mong studied entangled quantum states.
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Amol Punjabi developed a program that finds drug targets on disordered proteins.
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Kavya Ravichandran developed and tested nanoscale clot-busting drugs.
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Anin Sayana tried to use immunotherapy to treat glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
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Kunal Shroff showed that huntintin can alter the chromosomes of cells, long before it kills them.
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Pranav Srinivas used Boolean network modeling to predict cancer cell responses to drugs.
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Teen adds tiny bits of clay to make cement go with the flowWASHINGTON, D.C. – Science is all around us, even in the concrete sidewalks under our feet. Most people might not think much about cement. It’s what binds together the rocky components of the concrete used in buildings, bridges and roads. But cement did catch the attention of Augusta Umwamanzu-Nna.
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Maya Varma invented a breath testing device to diagnose lung disorders.
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Maya Varma’s spirometer won first place at the #intelsts #sts75
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Sreya Vemuri studied the effect of time on quantum systems.
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Asher Willner studies how optical waves traveling through space could carry digital data.
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Josephine Yu studied how bilayer graphene wrinkles. The sheets are one atom thick each!
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Michael Zhang came up with a method to use virus like particles to modify the genome of cells.
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Clare Zhu studied the structure of G protein coupled receptors, hoping to find new ways to treat disease.
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The Seaborg award goes to a person who inspires others in science. This years winner: Sanath Devalapurkar!!
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Sanath gets to be the voice of this years . He’s happy there are more girls than boys this year!
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“We have come together as s big fun family, where everyone plays a special role.” – Sanath
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Sanath definitely made a covalent bond joke!
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There are three areas the finalists can place in: Basic Research, Innovation, and Global Good.
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And now, the WINNERS of the
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First off, THIRD place, receiving $35,000 each.
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Third place in Basic Research: Kunal Shroff, for his studies on Huntington’s disease!
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Third place in Global Good: Nathan Marshall, who studied sediment cores and global warming!
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Third place in Innovation: Kavya Ravichandran investigating clot-busting drugs!
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Second place, receiving $75,000 each.
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Second place in Basic Research: Meena Jagadeesan for her studies on fluid intelligence!
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Second place in Global Good: Michael Zhang who studies how viruses can change cellular genes!
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Second place in Innovation: Milind Jagota, for his work on nanowire networks!
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Now FIRST PLACE, receiving $150,000 each!
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First place in Basic Research, Amol Punjabi, who made a program to find new drug targets on proteins!
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First place in Global Good, Paige Brown, who built a filter to take the phosphorus out of streams!
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First place in Innovation, Maya Varma, who made a $35 spirometer to diagnose lung disease!
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The finalists of the #intelsts #sts75
Great to meet w/ #IntelSTS finalists today at #NIH. Check out their awesome research: http://bit.ly/1pBrkWB pic.twitter.com/PV67tHx0T2%20small%20for%20enews.jpg)
