The Intel Science Talent Search, as a part of the Society for Science and the Public program, is the oldest high-school science competition in the United States. The 40 finalists have the chance to present their original projects in front of a jury of experts at the National Academy of Sciences. Each year, the winner of the first prize receives $100,000 in scholarship money, the second-prize winner receives a $75,000 scholarship and the student who wins the third prize gets a $50,000 scholarship. Seven former finalists have won the Nobel Prize, and others have received different awards, include the Fields Medal, the National Medal of Science and the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
Fast and Cheap Spacecraft Travel
Erika DeBenedictis, an 18-year-old student at Albuquerque Academy, won the Intel Science Talent Search in 2010. The winning project was chosen from among 40 high-school projects, which were presented at the National Academy of Sciences. DeBenedictis developed a software navigation system, which improves spacecraft traveling through the solar system. Her project was based on the fact that "easy transit routes," created by the gravity and planet motion, are able to make spacecraft travel faster using less fuel.
Fusion Categories
In 2009, the first prize of the Intel Science Talent Search went to Eric Larson and his description of never-before-described fusion categories. This project contributed to theoretical physics and computer science with its introduction of new types of behaviors.
Tumor Type Recognition
A medical project that helps in recognizing and treating colon cancer was conducted by a 17-year-old Shivani Sud, who won the Science Talent Search in 2008. The "50 gene model" developed by Shud is a new way to predict the recurrence of colon cancer with more accuracy than before.
Spectrograph
In the Intel Science Talent Search in 2007, for the first time in the history of the competition, there was an equal number of male and female finalists -- 20 boys and 20 girls from 20 states. First prize went to Mary Masterman and her spectrograph system. To build it, she used camera lenses, a microscope and a laser. She succeeded in separating the photons. It cost her $300 to build the spectrograph.
Tags: Science Talent, Science Talent Search, Talent Search, Intel Science, Intel Science Talent, Academy Sciences
