North Carolina Students Wins $100,000 Science Talent Award
Honoring the next generation of American innovators, Intel Corp. on March 11 announced the winners of the Intel Science Talent Search. Shivani Sud, 17, of Durham, N.C., won the top award, a $100,000 scholarship from the Intel Foundation.
For her research project, Sud developed a model that analyzed the specific "molecular signatures" of tumors from patients with stage II colon cancer. She then used this information to identify those at higher risk for tumor recurrence and propose potentially effective drugs for treatment.
Also achieving top placement in the competition were:
• Graham Van Schaik, 17, of Columbia, S.C., received a $75,000 scholarship for his 2-year project studying the effects of pyrethroids, a common type of pesticide, on breast cancer and nerve cell degeneration.
• Brian McCarthy, 18, of Hillsboro, Ore., received a $50,000 scholarship for developing new types of solar cells in order to provide a less expensive, renewable form of energy.
This year's finalists hailed from 19 states and represented 35 high schools throughout the United States. Of the more than 1,600 high school seniors who entered the search, 300 were announced as semifinalists in January. Of those, 40 were chosen as finalists and invited to Washington, D.C., to compete for the top 10 awards.
"These students show what American youth can do when they are encouraged to study math and science," said Intel Chairman Craig Barrett. "In this presidential year, their stories should send a strong message that this critical foundation for innovation must be supported."
The Science Talent Search is America's oldest and most prestigious high school science competition. During the past 67 years, Science Talent Search alumni have received more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including six Nobel Laureates, three National Medal of Science winners, 10 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, and two Fields Medals.
Society for Science & the Public (formerly Science Service), a nonprofit organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, owns and has administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942.