Students Awarded $530,000 At Intel Science Talent Search

$100,000 Top Scholarship Awarded to 18-Year-Old from Colorado

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 11, 2002 - Ten of the nation's brightest high school seniors received scholarships of up to $100,000 today at the Intel Science Talent Search (STS), America's oldest and most prestigious science competition. The Intel STS is often considered the "junior Nobel Prize."

Ryan Patterson, 18, of Central High School in Grand Junction, Colo., won first place and the $100,000 Intel Science Talent Search scholarship for his project, "The American Sign Language Translator," a glove that converts American Sign Language to written text on a portable display. Patterson's project is his latest invention in a lifelong interest in scientific research, especially in electricity and electronics. A mountain biker and a water sports enthusiast, Patterson will continue developing electronic devices that help improve people's lives.

Jacob Licht, 17, of William Hall High School in West Hartford, Conn., won the second place prize of a $75,000 scholarship for his mathematics project, "Rainbow Ramsey Theory: Rainbow Arithmetic Progressions and Anti-Ramsey Results." Ramsey's theory states that patterns must exist within disorder by looking for monochromatic sets. Licht has made several original contributions in a new multicolor variant, Rainbow Ramsey theory. Licht enjoys basketball, weight lifting and magic tournaments.

Emily Riehl, 17, of University High School in Bloomington, Ill., won the third place $50,000 scholarship for her mathematics project expanding on geometric objects named for the French mathematician Jacques Tits. The project is titled "On the Properties of Tits Graphs." Emily is a violist and a varsity cross country runner. She also enjoys solving puzzles and playing ultimate Frisbee.

"We honor these innovators who defy the national trend by excelling in science and math," said Intel CEO Craig Barrett. "As these students complete their education and move into the workforce, they will play a significant role in curing diseases, protecting the environment and developing breakthrough computer technologies."

Rounding out the top 10 winners:

• Fourth place: A $25,000 scholarship was awarded to Kirsten Frieda, 17, of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Frieda's chemistry project is titled "Molecular Interactions During Collision Approach."
• Fifth place: A $25,000 scholarship was awarded to Marc Burrell, 17, of Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wis. Burrell's project in environmental science is titled "Phytoextraction of Lead from Contaminated Soils Using Triticum asetivum: Effects of Chelate Application Time and Soil Acidification."
• Sixth place: A $25,000 scholarship was awarded to Nikita Rozenblyum, 17, of Stuyvesant High School in New York, N.Y.. Rozenblyum's math project is titled "Nullhomotopic Knots in Real Projective Space."
• Seventh place: A $20,000 scholarship was awarded to Beckett Sterner, 17, of University of Chicago Laboratory School in Chicago. Sterner's physics project is titled "Probability Distribution of the Density of Self-avoiding Walks."
• Eighth place: A $20,000 scholarship was awarded to Brandon Palmen, 18, of Mayo High School in Rochester, Minn. Palmen's project on biochemistry is titled "Engineering Tropism of Edmonston B Measles Vaccine Virus to Target and Destroy Melanoma Cells."
• Ninth place: A $20,000 scholarship was awarded to Vivek Venkatachalam, 18, of Gov. Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, N.J. His physics project is titled "Analysis of the Omega Diagram for Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy and Type Ia Supernovae."
• Tenth place: A $20,000 scholarship was awarded to Jessica Stahl, 17, of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, N.Y. Stahl's behavior and social sciences project is titled "Development of a Movement Analysis Instrument and its Application to Test the Effect of Different Music Styles on Freedom of Body Movement."

The remaining 30 finalists will each receive a $5,000 scholarship and all students will receive a high-performance computer.

Judging
Intel STS winners were selected based on their research ability, scientific originality, creative thinking and ability to apply science to the world around them. Overseeing the judging process was Dr. Andrew Yeager, director of Stem Cell Transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

"The competition gives students the opportunity to share experiences and form bonds with fellow scientists that will be pivotal throughout their careers," Yeager said.

Background
Science Service, a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the understanding and appreciation of science through publications and educational programs, has administered the program since its inception in 1942. Over the years, STS has recognized more than 2,000 finalists with scholarships and awards. For more information, visit www.sciserv.org.

Intel's sponsorship of the Science Talent Search is part of the Intel® Innovation in Education initiative to prepare today's teachers and students for tomorrow's demands. Intel and the Intel Foundation contribute $120 million annually toward the improvement of science and math education worldwide. For more information, visit www.intel.com/education.

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