Published: March 16, 2010
Intel Science Talent Search 2010 Winners Announced
WASHINGTON - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Honoring the next generation of American innovators, Intel Corporation
and Society for Science & the Public today announced the winners of
America's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition,
the Intel Science Talent Search. Erika DeBenedictis, 18, of Albuquerque,
N.M., won the top award of $100,000 from the Intel Foundation for her
project developing a software navigation system to help improve
spacecraft travel through the solar system. Erika's research found that
the gravity and movement of planets create "easy transit routes," which
will ultimately help spacecraft move faster and with less fuel.
Second place honors and $75,000 went to David Liu, 18, of Saratoga,
Calif., for his work to develop a system to recognize and understand
digital images. David's work has already been used to examine aerial
images to identify hazards to buried oil pipelines and could also be
used to enable unmanned aerial vehicles and Web-based image searches.
Third place honors and $50,000 went to Akhil Mathew, 18, of Madison,
N.J., for his math project on Deligne categories, a setting for studying
a wide range of algebraic structures with ties to theoretical physics.
"These 40 Intel Science Talent Search finalists demonstrate that we have
the capability in this country to cultivate the next generation of
innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs," said Intel President and CEO
Paul Otellini. "These young scientists are proof that curious, eager
minds coupled with inspiring, knowledgeable teachers are the foundation
for world-changing innovation."
Other top honors from the competition include:
Fourth Place: Lynnelle Ye, 18, Palo Alto, Calif., received a
$40,000 award for her project that provided strategies for winning at a
computer game titled "Graph Chomp."
Fifth Place: Eric Brooks, 16, Hewlett, N.Y., received a $30,000
award for his research studying racial genetic factors that may affect
the spread of prostate cancer.
Sixth Place: John Capodilupo, 18, of Grand Rapids, Mich.,
received a $25,000 award for his project that used cluster analysis of
objects in the night sky to study the structure and evolution of the
early universe.
Seventh Place: Benjamen Sun, 17, of Grand Forks, N.D., received a
$25,000 award for his work studying how sand, dust and other debris on
city streets can adsorb** pollutants from rain and, thus, contaminate
city water sources.
Eighth Place: Katherine Rudolph, 18, of Naperville, Ill.,
received a $20,000 award for her math project that investigated dense
packing of identical spheres, the results of which can be used in fields
from chemistry to cryptology.
Ninth Place: Yale Fan, 18, of Beaverton, Ore., received a $20,000
award for his research that demonstrated the advantages of quantum
computing in performing difficult computations.
Tenth Place: Linda Zhou, 18, of River Edge, N.J., received a
$20,000 award for her project that researched how to reverse drug
resistance in breast cancer cells.
The remaining 30 finalists each received at least $7,500 in awards.
This year's Intel Science Talent Search finalists hail from 18 states
and represent 36 schools. Of the 1,736 high school seniors who entered
the Intel Science Talent Search 2010, 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.
The Intel Science Talent Search encourages students to tackle
challenging scientific questions and develop the skills necessary to
solve the problems of tomorrow. Over the past 68 years, Science Talent
Search finalists have gone on to win seven Nobel Prizes, two Fields
Medals, three National Medals of Science and 11 MacArthur Foundation
Fellowships.
Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit organization dedicated to
public engagement in scientific research and education, has owned and
administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942.
"The Science Talent Search was founded on the idea that scientific
accomplishment is the first step on the road toward solving the world's
most challenging problems," said Elizabeth Marincola, the organization's
president. "Society for Science & the Public is proud to join Intel in
congratulating Erika and all of the Intel Science Talent Search 2010
finalists. Their hard work and dedication will inspire other budding
scientists to take their first steps down the road of discovery."
More information can be found on the Intel Science Talent Search 2010 at www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/events/sts2010.
To view ongoing updates about the Intel Science Talent Search 2010, join
the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/pages/Inspired-by-Education/32855637280
and follow Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/intelinspire.
To learn more about Society for Science & the Public, visit www.societyforscience.org.
The Intel Education Initiative
Intel's commitment to education extends far beyond the Intel Science
Talent Search. Over the past decade alone, Intel has invested more than
$1 billion, and its employees have donated more than 2.5 million hours
toward improving education in 50 countries. To learn more about the
Intel Education Initiative, visit www.intel.com/education
and the CSR@Intel blog at blogs.intel.com/csr.
To join Intel's community of people sharing their stories with the hope
of becoming a catalyst for action and a voice for change in global
education, visit www.inspiredbyeducation.com.
About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops
technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people
work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom
and blogs.intel.com.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the
United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
**Note to Editors: "adsorb" is cq.
Intel Corporation
Gail Dundas, 503-816-2382
gail.dundas@intel.com
or
SSP
Rick
Bates, 202-872-5136
rbates@societyforscience.org
or
Burson-Marsteller,
for Intel
Rob Miller, 718-290-4459
robert.miller@bm.com
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