Published: March 15, 2011
ADDING MULTIMEDIA 'Cracking the Code' Wins Intel Science Talent Search for Math Whiz
WASHINGTON, D.C. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Honoring high school seniors with exceptional promise in math and
science, Intel Corporation and Society for Science & the Public (SSP)
today announced the winners of America's most elite and demanding high
school research competition, the Intel Science Talent Search.
Intel Science Talent Search, a program of Society for Science & the Public, announced its top three winners, Evan O'Dorney, Michelle Hackman and Matthew Miller on March 15, 2011 in Washington, D.C. The winners represent America's best and brightest high school seniors with exceptional promise in math and science. (Photo: Business Wire)
Evan O'Dorney, 17, of Danville, Calif., won the top award of $100,000
from the Intel Foundation for his mathematical project in which he
compared two ways to estimate the square root of an integer. Evan
discovered precisely when the faster way would work. As a byproduct of
Evan's research he solved other equations useful for encrypting data.
This furthered an interest he developed as early as age 2, when he was
checking math textbooks out of the library.
Second place honors and $75,000 went to Michelle Hackman, 17, of Great
Neck, N.Y., who studied the effect of separating teenagers from their
cell phones. In her personal life, Michelle, who is not sighted,
launched a rural secondary school in Cambodia that benefits girls
confronted with significant gender violence and sex trafficking.
Third place and $50,000 went to Matthew Miller, 18, of Elon, N.C., who
studied how the placement of small bumps on the surface of wind turbine
blades can dramatically affect their aerodynamics and increase their
efficiency at generating electricity. Matthew is also senior class
president, president of the National Honor Society and was invited by
President Obama to be part of the first White House Science Fair last
October.
"The creativity and leadership of these 40 Intel Science Talent Search
mathematicians and scientists hold tremendous potential to move our
country forward," said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. "They are
already addressing real-world problems like cancer treatment, disease
prevention and national security. We need to identify the common
characteristics that inspired these high school seniors to successfully
revitalize math and science education nationwide."
Other top honors from the competition include:
Fourth Place: Madeleine Ball, 18, of Dallas identified a
previously unknown means of cholera transmission and received a $40,000
award.
Fifth Place: Selena Li, 17, of Fair Oaks, Calif. discovered a
novel and more effective treatment for experimental liver cancer and
received a $30,000 award.
Sixth Place: Keenan Monks, 17, of Hazelton, Penn. conducted
research on a math equation that can help improve Internet security and
cryptography and received a $25,000 award.
Seventh Place: Benjamin Clark, 15, of Lancaster, Penn. studied
the frequency by which stars form binary systems and received a $25,000
award.
Eighth Place: Xiaoyu "Carrie" Cao, 17, of San Diego created a
novel approach for developing scaffolds for nanoscale biosensors, which
detects if there are toxins in the air, and received a $20,000 award.
Ninth Place: Jenny Liu, 18, of Orange, Conn. conducted a social
robotics research project, which found that giving a robot realistic
emotion significantly improves human-robot interaction, and received a
$20,000 award.
Tenth Place: Scott Boisvert, 17, of Chandler, Ariz. investigated
aquatic habitats and sought a link between water chemistry and the
proliferation of a harmful fungus that is contributing to the decline of
the amphibian population. He received a $20,000 award.
The remaining 30 finalists each received at least $7,500 in awards.
In total, the Intel Foundation awarded $1.25 million for the Intel
Science Talent Search 2011. When the Intel Foundation assumed the title
sponsorship 13 years ago, it increased the annual awards by more than $1
million in the belief that fostering a passion for math and science in
today's youth is imperative for America's future success.
The Intel Science Talent Search encourages America's future leaders to
satisfy their endless curiosity by exploring how the world works and
developing solutions for global challenges. This year's finalists hail
from 15 states and represent 39 schools. Of the 1,744 high school
seniors who entered the Intel Science Talent Search 2011, 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.
Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit membership organization
dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, has
owned and administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in
1942. Over the past 69 years, Science Talent Search alumni have gone on
to win seven Nobel Prizes, two Fields Medals, three National Medals of
Science, 11 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships and even an Academy Award
for Best Actress.
"The Intel Science Talent Search celebrates the accomplishments of
America's future scientists and mathematicians," said Elizabeth
Marincola, the organization's president. "Society for Science & the
Public is proud to join Intel in congratulating Evan O'Dorney and all of
the Intel Science Talent Search 2011 finalists, as we commend them for
their innovative research and the promise of their impact on society."
Sponsoring such programs as the Intel Science Talent Search is just one
element of Intel's commitment to education, which includes extensive
efforts by employee volunteers to help improve education around the
world.
To get the latest Intel Science Talent Search news, visit www.intel.com/newsroom/education,
join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/InspiredbyEducation
and follow Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/intelinspire.
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.
To learn more about SSP, visit www.societyforscience.org,
follow SSP on Twitter at www.twitter.com/society4science,
or visit SSP's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/societyforscience.
In addition, building on the 70th year of the program, SSP is excited to
launch an online historical perspective and photo archive of the Science
Talent Search since 1942 at: www.societyforscience.org/sts/history.
About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The
company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the
foundation for the world's computing devices. Additional information
about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com
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: Multimedia is available at: www.intel.com/newsroom/education.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6647989&lang=en
Intel Corporation
Gail Dundas, 503-816-2382
gail.dundas@intel.com
or
SSP
Caitlin
Jennings, 202-785-2255 ext. 158
cjennings@societyforscience.org
or
Burson-Marsteller,
for Intel
Allison Kubota, 415-591-4045
allison.kubota@bm.com
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