Intel International Science And Engineering Fair Awards $3 Million In Scholarships And Prizes To Young Scientists And Inventors From Around The World

Students from New York, Quebec and Colorado Win Top $50,000 Scholarship

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 11, 2001 - The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), the world's largest pre-college science competition, today recognized more than 800 high school students for their scientific achievements.

The top Intel ISEF award, the $50,000 Intel Young Scientist Scholarship and a mobile computer featuring the Intel® Pentium® III processor, was awarded to three students: Ryan Patterson, 17, from Central High School in Grand Junction, Colo.; Francis Boulva, 18, from College Jean-de-Brebeuf in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Monika Paroder, 17, from Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.

More than 1,200 students from 38 countries competed for $3 million in scholarships and prizes at the 52nd ISEF. The students were judged on their creative ability, scientific thought, as well as the thoroughness, skill and clarity shown in their projects.

For his engineering project titled "The Sign Translator," Patterson created a way to electronically translate the American sign language alphabet using a modified golf glove. Boulva's earth and space sciences project, "Galactic Champagne," showed that for the first time, hydrogen bubbles are associated with a particular type of star. Paroder's biochemistry project, entitled "The Iodide Transporter in Hypothyroidism and Gastric Cancer," is a two-year study of the protein that catalyzes the transport of iodide into the thyroid and other tissues. Her research could lead to a new approach to diagnosing gastric cancer.

Winning students include:

• Glenn T. Seaborg Nobel Prize Visit Award: Ryan Patterson, 17, from Central High School in Grand Junction, Colo., won for his "Sign Translator" project. Mariangela Lisanti, 17, from Staples High School in Westport, Conn., won for her physics project titled "Conductance Quantization in Gold Nanocontact." Lisanti focused on the use of single atoms or molecules to fabricate electronic devices. Patterson and Lisanti will travel to the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, in December.
• European Union Contest for Young Scientist Award: Amy Ward, 18, and Brian Ness, 18, from Winona Senior High School in Winona, Minn., won for their engineering project titled "Emu Oil Lubrication/Performance Qualities Using Dynamometer Spectrochemical/Infrared Analysis." The students concluded that emu oil may be an excellent additive to oil to provide an improved and renewable source for motor oil therefore reducing the demand for fossil-based petroleum motor oils. Ward and Ness will travel to this European Union science contest in Norway in September.
• International Expo-Sciences Award: Edmund Palermo, 17, and James Conlon, 16, from Bay Shore High School in Bay Shore, N.Y., won for their chemistry project titled "Compatibilization of Polymer Blends Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide." The students found a more effective way to blend two polymers that resulted in positive attributes of both original materials. Palermo and Conlon will travel to France in July to attend the International Expo-Sciences fair.
• Intel ISEF Best of Category Awards: The following students each received a $5,000 award and a mobile computer featuring the Intel® Pentium® III processor for earning the highest ratings in their project categories:
• Behavioral and Social Sciences - Kathy Hsinjung Li, 18, from Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas, for her project titled "Social Pressure Susceptibility: Influence of Social Pressure and Musical Ability on Musical Preference in Adolescents."
• Biochemistry - Li Mei, 17, from Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minn., for the project titled "Comparative Microarray Analysis of Spinocerebellar Ataxia-1 Transgenic Mice Genome."
• Botany - Robert Kao, 17, from Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School in Rockville, MD, for his project titled "Soybean Leachate: Potential Cancer Therapeutic Agent."
• Chemistry - Jayanta Mohanty, 18, from Cumberland High School in Cumberland, R.I., for her project titled "Role of Electrostatics on the Dynamic of Ionic Oligomers through Random Media."
• Computer Science - Yuanchen Zhu, 16, from Shanghai Foreign Language School in Shanghai, China, for his project titled "Real-time Continuous Levels of Detail Terrain Rendering with Nested Splitting Space."
• Earth and Space Sciences - Ulyana Horodyskyj, 15, Padua Franciscan High School in Padua, Ohio, for her project titled "Sailing into Space: Steering Towards Mars."
• Engineering - Ryan Patterson, 17, from Central High School in Grand Junction, Colo., for his project titled "The Sign Translator."
• Environmental Sciences, presented by the Environmental Protection Agency - Ann Lai, 16, from Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, for her project titled "Understanding Wildfires: Study in Wood Pyrolysis and Fire Spreading Rates."
• Gerontology, presented by the AARP Andrus Foundation - Eugenia Chu, 17, from Evans High School in Evans, Ga., for her project titled "Neuroprotection and Neurotransmitter Release by a Dopamine D3 Receptor Agonist: Potential Antiglaucoma Drug."
• Mathematics, presented by the Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company - Matthew Satriano, 17, from Oceanside High School in Oceanside, N.Y., for his project titled "Determinantal Sequences."
• Medicine and Health presented by Merck Research Laboratories - John Korman, 17, from Riverside High School in Greer, S.C., for his project titled "Comparative Effect of Black Walnut Extract on Human Breast and Cervical Cancer Lines."
• Microbiology - Linda J. Arnade, 18, Palm Bay High School in Melbourne, Fla., for her project titled "Investigating the Role of a Common Respiratory Pathogen, Chlamydia Pneumoniae, as a Causastive Agent of Atherosclerosis via Stimulating Elevated Inducible Nitric Oxide Levels and Testing of a Possible Antibiotic Treatment for Atherosclerosis."
• Physics - Mariangela Lisanti, 17, from Staples High School in Westport, Conn., for her project titled "Conductance Quantization in Au Nanocontacts."
• Zoology - John Kelley, 18, from Rutherford High School in Rutherford, Fla., for his project titled "Effect of the Light Pollution on C Caretta on the Beaches of Panama City Beach, Fla."
• Team Project, presented by Science News - Amy Tasca, 18, and Brian Ness, 18, from Winona Senior High School in Winona, Minn., for their project titled "Emu Oil Lubrication/Performance Qualities Using Dynamometer Spectrochemical/Infrared Analysis."
• "Best Use of a Personal Computer" Award - Each of the following recipients will receive a high-performance mobile computer with an Intel Pentium III processor.
• Yuanchen Zhu, 16, from Shanghai Foreign Language School in Shanghai, China, for his project titled "Real-Time Continuous Levels of Detail Terrain Rendering with Nested Splitting Space."
• Yifan Zhou, 15, Zi Ye, 18, and Yinfei Zhang, 16, from No. 2 Secondary School Attached to East China Normal University in Shanghai, China, for their project titled "Assessment System of Urban Eco-Environment Based on 3-D VQ."
• Christian Pichler, 18, from Cheyenne East High School in Cheyenne, Why., for his project titled "A Picture is Worth 1000 Words3."
• Jeferson Montenegro, 18, and Jose Galimberti, 19, from Fundacao Escola Tecnica Liberato Salzano Vieira da Cunha in Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brasil, for their project titled "Water Quality and Algal Influences on the Technologies Treatment."
• Tai-Hsiang Huang, 17, from Taipai Municipal Chien-Kuo Senior High School in Taipei, Taiwan, for the project titled "View-Dependent Continuous Level of Detail by Multiresolution Analysis."

High-resolution photos are available at www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/education/isef.

Awards to Schools, Fair Directors and Teachers
As part of Intel's commitment to improving science and math education worldwide, schools and affiliate fairs of the finalists who win the Best of Category awards will each receive $1,000 to benefit science and math education and encourage more student involvement in science. The school award is targeted to support the school's science and math education programs. The affiliate fair award is to be used to support the regional administration and encourage more student participation in the Intel ISEF-affiliated fair in their region.

In addition, teachers were nominated by their peers and affiliated fair directors to receive the Intel Excellence in Teaching Award. Recipients were selected based on demonstrated excellence in supporting the teaching and learning of science. Awards include five awards of $5,000 and a mobile computer and the top award of $10,000 and a mobile computer. Juanita Matthews, from Byng Junior High School in Ada, Okla, won the top award. For a complete list of student, teacher, school and fair director award recipients, visit www.sciserv.org/isef.

Background
The Intel ISEF has been coordinated for the past 52 years by Science Service, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and appreciation of science among people of all ages through publications and educational programs. Each year a volunteer host committee representing the host city raises funds to sponsor events throughout the fair. For more information on Science Service and the Intel ISEF, see www.sciserv.org.

Intel Innovation in Education
Intel's sponsorship of ISEF is part of the Intel Innovation in Education initiative, a global, multimillion dollar effort to help realize the possibilities of science and technology in education. The goal is to prepare today's teachers and students for tomorrow's demands. Intel develops and supports education programs that help meet the needs of students and communities worldwide through improving science, math, engineering and technology education; improving education through the effective use of technology in classrooms; and broadening access to technology and technical careers.

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