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Originally Processed With FOIA(s): FOIA Number: S S FOIA MARKER This is not a textual record. This is used as an administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential Library Staff. Record Group/Collection: George H.W. Bush Presidential Records Collection/Office of Origin: Speechwriting, White House Office of Series: Speech File Backup Files Subseries: Chron File, 1989-1993 OA/ID Number: 13748 Folder ID Number: 13748-008 Folder Title: Westinghouse Science Awards Banquet 3/4/91 [O A 6856] [4] Stack: Row: Section: Shelf: Position: G 26 21 3 1 W Westinghouse Science REPRINTED FROM: for the Fun of It A Guide to Informal Science Education edited by Marvin Druger National Science Teachers Association 1742 Connecticut Avenue. NW Washington. DC 20009 1988 Westinghouse Science 14 Talent Search Edward G. Sherburne. Jr. Science Service Washington. D.C. Now in its 48th year. the Westinghouse Science dent's ability to "do" science in a way that is anaio- Talent Search (STS) is unusual among gous to. though less sophisticated than. what a scholarship competitions. Administered by professional scientist does. To use a sports anai- Science Service and supported by Westinghouse. ogy. one does not test ability to play tennis by the competition places primary emphasis on the giving a paper-and-pencil test. One observes per- student's report of an independent research formance on the tennis court. We do not mean project in some area of science. engineering. or that academic ability is unimportant. But as mathematics. and only secondary emphasis on Robert J. Sternberg (1985) comments in his book academic achievement. Beyond IQ-A Triarchic Theory of Human Intelli- In short. the evaluation is based on the stu- gence. "Possession of knowledge does not guaran- Westinghouse Science Talent Search 103 tee the creative use of that knowledge." A high- (usually the Kennedy Center). and talk to the quality independent research project could scientific public when their projects are exhibited indicate creativity. as well as motivation. initiative. in the Great Hall of the National Academy of persistence. and other attributes that contribute Sciences. The scholarships are announced at a to scientific performance. formal banquet on the last evening of the stu- To enter the Science Talent Search. a secondary dents' visit-the largest scientific dinner party of school student does an independent research proj- the year in Washington. ect and describes the research in a paper of about Many of the other entrants have yet another 1.000 words. The student also answers questions opportunity for recognition through the 35 State on a Personal Data Blank. which has open-ended Science Talent Searches. Science Service dupli- questions designed to elicit evidence of the stu- cates the entries and sends them to the Directors dent's interest and creativity in science. These two of the State Science Talent Searches. The state items constitute an entry. The entry must arrive at STS's then conduct their own competitions. many Science Service by midnight. December 15. Any of which have numerous awards. including entries arriving late are automatically disqualified. scholarships. Scientists. engineers. and mathematicians from such institutions as Johns Hopkins. the National Scientific Versus Academic Performance Institutes of Health. Princeton. and Berkeley work Richard S. Mansfield and Thomas V. Busse as judges. Entries are placed in categories by dis- (1981) comment on the "threshold effect" that has cipline and evaluated by at least two judges who been suggested by some psychologists. They imply are specialists in the relevant discipline. After eval- that a threshold of academic ability in a discipline uating all the entries. the judges rank the entries is required. but beyond that level. additional aca- and designate the top 300 as honorable mentions. demic achievement is not as important as other The Admissions office of every four-year college abilities such as creativity or motivation. In a in the country receives the names and addresses sense. scientific performance guarantees a certain of the students. printed in a booklet that is sent level of academic achievement because research with letters of recommendation. Because of the can't be done without the necessary knowledge. impressive undergraduate track record of previous On the other hand. what you know doesn't matter honorable mention winners and the reputation of if you don't know how to use it. In a study of STS the STS program. the colleges approach many of honorable mentions done by Harold A. Edgerton the students with admission and scholarship some years ago (1973). the scientific achievers offers. (those with the best research papers) were not The judges then study the honorable mentions. always those with the highest grades. The study and from these. select 40 winners to compete for looked at 300 honorable mention winners who scholarships totaling $140.000-one $20,000 first. were selected on the quality of their research two $15.000 seconds. three $10.000 thirds. and papers. that is. on their scientific performance. four $7.500 fourths. The remaining 30 students These 300 were compared with another 300 from receive scholarships of $1.000 each. STS awards the total pool of entries selected for their academic scholarships without regard to financial need. achievement (grades. SAT scores. and class rank). The 40 winners receive an all-expense-paid trip The study compared the two groups to see how to Washington. where the judges interview the many students were in both. Two-thirds of the students. The students also visit scientific labora- students chosen on the basis of scientific perfor- tories and talk with scientists about their work. mance would not have had high enough scores if see their members of Congress. attend the theatre academic achievement had been the criterion. And 104 Science for the Fun of It two-thirds of those chosen on the basis of aca- and eight MacArthur Fellowships. demic achievement had such low ratings on their This analysis of success cannot by any means scientific achievement that they would have been be called "scientific." but it does suggest that. for excluded from the top 300 on the basis of scien- whatever reasons. students selected by the Science tific performance. Talent Search will succeed both in and after college. How Well Do the Winners Do? If the selection process for the Science Talent The Importance of the Teacher Search is so different. how well do those selected In one of the major contemporary studies of tal- do? One can look at this in two ways-in terms of ent. Bloom 1985) concluded that the old expres- college success and occupational success. sion "genius will out" does not hold. Whatever the The results of a Science Service mail survey individual's natural talents. strong support and (64.9 percent response) of winners from 1942 influential teachers are essential in helping a stu- through 1979 show that 99 percent of the dent reach high levels of achievement. winners have a B.S. or higher (Science Service. One might correlate winning the Science Talent 1979). Even more impressive is that 70 percent of Search with attending a good school. This is not the group have a Ph.D.. M.D.. or both. Because completely true. The schools that produce winners undergraduate and graduate degrees only indicate and honors are usually good. but many good college success. we need to look at post-college schools do not produce any winners or honorable success (Hoyt. 1966). In science. post-college suc- mentions. Many do not even have entries. Some cess is generally defined by how the scientific schools produce winners for a while and then. for community recognizes the winners. no apparent reason. stop. We found that usually a To date. five former Science Talent Search particular teacher left that school. If the teacher winners have won the Nobel Prize. That it proba- moved to a school that had no winners or honors. bly takes 30 years after winning the STS to finish the school began producing winners. Nothing undergraduate and graduate school and do the changed but the teacher's location. necessary research is even more significant. And Thus. the overall quality of a school seems so. winners prior to 1960 are old enough and unimportant. Instead. the school must have one or experienced enough to be eligible. more teachers who want to develop student The National Academy of Sciences recognizes research. and more specifically. who want to outstanding achievement in science through elec- encourage students to enter the Science Talent tion to membership. which is considered the Search. highest elective honor a scientist can receive in What characteristics do these teachers have? A this country. To date. 28 former Science Talent study of the Science Talent Search (Campbell. Search winners have been elected. 1983) found that they have exceptional knowledge For younger scientists. a fellowship award is an of and enthusiasm for the subjects they teach. and important recognition and often the precursor to they can communicate those qualities to their stu- later scientific achievement. One of the oldest and dents. They are interested not only in the subject most prestigious programs is the Sloan Research in an academic sense. but also as an area of ongo- Fellowships. aimed at stimulating fundamental ing research to develop new knowledge. They are research by young scientists of outstanding prom- hardworking and often put in long hours at night ise. To date. 47 former winners have received these and on weekends. They have close relationships Fellowships. Other major awards include two with the students. and working with the students Fields Medals (the Nobel Prize of Mathematics) on the projects deepens those relationships. Westinghouse Science Talent Search 105 In the Personal Data Blank students name one Edgerton. Harold A. (1973). Identifying high person who influenced their scientific interest the school seniors talented in science. Washington. most. Students mention teachers or school staff DC: Science Service. most frequently. scientists second. and family Hoyt. Donald P. (1966). College grades and adult members third. accomplishment-A review of research. The Educational Record. References Mansfield. Richard S.. & Busse. Thomas V. (1981). Bloom. Benjamin S. (Ed.). (1985). Developing tal- The psychology of creativity and discovery. ent in young people. New York: Ballentine Chicago: Nelson-Hall. Books. (Paperback). Science Service. (1979). Survey of Science Talent Campbell. James Reed. (1983). Horizontal Search Winners. Washington. DC: Science enrichment for precocious high school science Service. students. Paper presented at the Annual Meet- Sternberg. Robert J. (1985). Beyond IQ-A triar- ing of the National Association for Research in chic theory of human intelligence. New York: Science Teaching. April 7. 1983. Dallas. Texas. Cambridge University Press. (Paperback). Helpful Hints Research: school letterhead. and materials must go to the Identify promising students in the ninth or tenth school. Parents and students may not request grades and have them learn about and do materials. research. Have students fill in the Personal Data Blank first. Start students early on their research projects. The teacher may then add comments and pro- Some projects represent months or even years of vide transcripts of tests scores and grades. work. Encourage students to be concise and to the Do not let students wait until the last minute to point. The quality of the writing. not the quan- write their papers. which also takes time. tity. counts. Refer students to the Directory of Student Science Training Programs for High-Ability Precollege Rules: Students published by Science Service if they Avoid library research. are looking for summer research opportunities. Read the rules carefully and note that they may change in some way from year to year. Entries: Mail entries early. Remember. the deadline is mid- Recognition: night. December 15. for receipt of the entry. not Recognize participants and especially honorable the postmark. If you're near the deadline. use an mentions or winners through a school assem- overnight delivery service. bly. the school newspaper. local newspaper. etc. Requests for entry materials must be from a Last. write Science Talent Search. 1719 N St. NW. teacher. guidance counselor. or principal on Washington. DC 20036 if you have questions. 106 Science for the Fun of It This letter was sent to all SCIENCE attached list-t we've SERVICE n indicated atterdooce known responses to date 1719 N STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, DC 20036 1-202-785-2255 January 22, 1991 Dr. D. Allan Bromley Science Advisor to the President and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy Executive Office of the President New Executive Office Building, Room 5013 725 17th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20506 Dear Allan: This March, Science Service and Westinghouse will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, the preeminent national science scholarship competition for high school seniors. We hope that you will be able to join us at the Washington Hilton at the Awards Banquet on the evening of March 4. The President has been invited to speak, and we expect it to be the largest and most prestigious gathering of the Washington scientific community in many years. The banquet will honor the 40 current national finalists as well as the 1,960 winners who have preceded them in the past 49 years and have been invited back to celebrate with us. Almost all have gone on to become scientists, and among them there are five Nobel Laureates, two Fields Medalists, and eight MacArthur Fellows. As you may recall, each year 40 winners are selected on the basis of the quality of an independent research project in science, mathematics or engineering, and only secondary importance is given to academic achievement. The STS serves as a means of encouraging an interest in science. At a time when so many of our able students are being siphoned off into other fields, it is important to send the message that studying and achieving in science at the precollege level is important to our country. We say this often to each other, but we do not say it enough to the students themselves. Being at the Awards Banquet is one way of doing so. You will be receiving a formal invitation soon, but knowing your busy schedule, we wanted to alert you to the date. We have many gatherings in which we cheer our sports achievers; we need to give equal glory to our science achievers. We look forward to seeing you. Sincerely, Ted. E. G. Sherburne, Jr. ES:yvt President Enc: Finding Tomorrow's Scientists HOUTES - THIRD SCHENCE 50th STS THOPLACE W PLACE WANNER A " and SCIENCE 50th PAILEINT FINDING TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS Westinghouse 50th Talent Search Science ONOO 0575 FIOUSE HOUSE CE SCENCE 50th but Dr. D. Allan Bromley Science Advisor to the President and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy no has come is Executive Office of the President New Executive Office Building, Room 5013 725 17th Street, N.W. the Washington, DC 20506^R Allan^R spbifore Phone #^R Dr. Frank Press President National Academy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. M Washington, DC 20418^R Frank^R 202/334-2100^R Dr. Robert M. White President National Academy of Engineering n 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20418^R Dr. White^R 202/334-3200^R Dr. Samuel 0. Thier President Institute of Medicine no 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20418^R Dr. Thier^R 202/334-3300^R Dr. Walter E. Massey Director-Designate yes National Science Foundation 1800 G Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20550^R Dr. Massey^R 202/357-7749^R Dr. Richard S. Nicholson Executive Officer 7 American Association for the Advancement of Science 1333 H Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20005^R Rich^R 202/326-6400^R Dr. Robert McCormick Adams Secretary Smithsonian Institution no 1000 Jefferson Drive, S.W. Washington, DC 20560^R Dr. Adams^R 202/357-1846^R Dr. Robert S. Hoffman Assistant Secretary for Research ? Smithsonian Institution 1000 Jefferson Drive, S.W. Washington, DC 20560^R Dr. Hoffman^R 202/357-2939^R The Honorable Louis W. Sullivan Secretary of Health and Human Services yes 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20201^R Mr. Secretary^R 202/245-7000^R Dr. Antonia C. Novello Surgeon General ? 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20201^R Dr. Novello^R 202/245-6467^R David Kessler, M.D. Commissioner ? Food and Drug Administration 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857^R Dr. Kessler^R 301/443-2410^R The Honorable Frederick K. Goodwin, M.D. Administrator 7 Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857^R Dr. Goodwin^R 301/443-4795^R Dr. William F. Raub Acting Director and Deputy Director National Institutes of Health ? 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Raub^R 301/496-2433^R Samuel Broder, M.D. Director, National Cancer Institute National Institutes of Health 1 Building 31, Room 11A48 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Broder^R 301/496-5615^R Dr. James D. Watson Director, National Center for Human Genome Research ? National Institutes of Health Building 38A, Room 605 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Watson^R 301/496-0844^R Carl Kupfer, M.D. Director, National Eye Institute National Institutes of Health ? Building 31, Room 6A03 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Kupfer^R 301/496-2234^R Dr. Claude J. M. Lenfant Director, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute National Institutes of Health no Building 31, Room 5A52 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Lenfant^R 301/496-5166^R T. Franklin Williams, M.D. Director, National Institute on Aging yes National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 2C02 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Williams^R 301/496-9265^R Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ? National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 7A03 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Fauci^R 301/496-2263^R Lawrence E. Shulman, M.D., Ph.D. Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 4C32 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Shulman^R 301/496-4353^R Duane F. Alexander, M.D. Director, National Institute of Child Health no and Human Development National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 2A03 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Alexander^R 301/496-3454^R Dr. James B. Snow, Jr. Director, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders no National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room B2C02 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Snow^R 301/402-0900^R Dr. Harald Loe Director, National Institute of Dental Research National Institutes of Health no Building 31, Room 2C39 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Low^R 301/496-3571^R Phillip Gorden, M.D. Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases no National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 9A52 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Gorden^R 301/496-5877^R Ruth L. Kirschstein, M.D. Director, National Institute of General Medical Sciences National Institutes of Health Westwood Building, Room 926 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Kirschstein^R 301/496-7891^R Dr. Murray Goldstein Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 7 National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 8A52 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Goldstein^R 301/496-9746^R Donald A. B. Lindberg, M.D. Director, National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health yes Building 38, Room 2E17B Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Lindberg^R 301/496-6221^R Philip E. Schambra, Ph.D. Director, Fogarty International Center National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room B2C39 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Schambra^R 301/496-1415^R Saul W. Rosen, Ph.D., M.D. Acting Director, Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center 1 National Institutes of Health Building 10, Room 2C146 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Rosen^R 301/496-9073^R Ada Sue Hinshaw, Ph.D., R.N. Director, National Center for Nursing Research yes National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 5B03 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Dr. Hinshaw^R 301/496-8230^R Dr. Robert A. Whitney, Jr. Director, National Center for Research Resources National Institutes of Health Building 12A, Room 4007 Bethesda, MD 20892^R Bob^R 301/496-9567^R The Honorable William K. Reilly Administrator 7 Environmental Protection Agency 401 M Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20460^R Mr. Reilly^R 202/382-4700^R The Honorable Richard H. Truly Administrator no National Aeronautics and Space Administration 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20546^R Admiral Truly^R 202/453-1010^R The Honorable Ted Sanders Acting Secretary of Education w 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20202^R Mr. Secretary^R 202/401-3000^R Dr. John T. MacDonald Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 2189 Washington, DC 20202-6100^R Dr. MacDonald^R 202/401-0113^R Admiral James D. Watkins, USN (Ret) 1 Secretary of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20585^R Admiral Watkins^R 202/586-6210^R Dr. Charles E. Hess Assistant Secretary for Science and Education Department of Agriculture yes 14th Street and Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20250^R Dr. Hess^R 202/447-5923^R Dr. John A. Knauss Under Secretary for Oceans & Atmosphere and Administrator of National Oceanic no & Atmospheric Administration Department of Commerce 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20230^R Dr. Knauss^R 202/377-3436^R Robert M. White, Ph.D. Under Secretary for Technology Department of Commerce yes Room 4824 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20230^R Dr. White^R 202/377-1575^R Dr. John W. Lyons Director no National Institute of Standards and Technology Quince Orchard and Clopper Roads Gaithersburg, MD 20899^R Dr. Lyons^R 301/975-2300^R STATUS OF STATES IN THE 50TH SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH Students from 45 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Overseas American Schools completed entries in the 50th National Science Talent Search. Thirty-three States and D.C. hold State Science Talent Searches. Number Number Number Completed National National Entries Semifinalists Finalists State Entries H.S. Semifinalists H.S. Finalists H.S. AL 43 16 6 6 2 2 * AK - - - - - - * AZ 10 8 2 2 - - AR 4 4 - - - - * CA 75 49 17 16 3 3 CO 13 12 3 3 1 1 CT 11 11 3 3 1 1 * DE 1 1 - - - - DC 6 5 3 3 1 1 FL 70 47 12 11 1 1 GA 22 21 2 2 - - GU 1 1 - - - - * HI 6 6 1 1 - - * ID 3 3 - - - - IL 32 16 8 5 2 2 IN 14 10 1 1 - - IA 6 5 1 1 1 1 KS 6 3 3 2 - - KY 7 7 2 2 - - LA 4 4 2 2 - - * ME 2 2 1 1 - - MD 43 20 12 8 - - MA 22 20 3 3 - - MI 19 15 3 3 1 1 MN 16 15 2 2 - - MS 8 8 1 1 - - MO 17 13 - - - - MT 9 7 2 2 - - NE 16 11 2 2 1 1 * NV - - - - - - * NH - - - - - - NJ 50 33 11 11 3 3 NM 7 7 2 2 1 1 * NY 736 112 128 32 14 8 NC 13 7 4 2 1 1 * ND 4 4 - - - - OH 19 18 3 3 1 1 OK 12 7 3 3 - - OR 6 4 1 1 - - PA 51 33 4 4 1 1 * PR 5 5 - - - - * RI 5 3 1 1 - - * SC 11 8 5 4 - - * SD - - - - - - * TN 11 9 3 3 - - * TX 57 41 15 13 1 1 UT 4 4 1 1 - - * VT - - - - - - VA 51 19 23 8 4 2 WA 23 11 - - - - WV 5 5 - - - - WI 12 11 4 4 - - WY 2 2 - - - - *OTHER+ 3 3 - - - - 1,573 686 300 174 40 32 * States which do not conduct State Science Talent Searches + Taipei American School, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands SCIENCE SERVICE, 1719 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036 January 1991 STS-50 STANDING OF STATES IN THE ANNUAL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH WESTINGHOUSE SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS 1942-1991 FINALISTS (40 per year) (1-30) (1-50) STS TOTAL 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 TOTAL AL 4 1 - 1 - - - - - 1 1 1 1 - - 1 - 1 - - 2 14 AK 2 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 AZ 20 - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21 AR 1 - - - - - - - 1 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - 5 CA 84 3 4 2 5 3 1 3 2 5 4 4 - 1 3 3 1 3 1 4 3 139 CO 10 1 1 I - - - 2 I - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1 18 CT 20 - 1 - - - - 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 - - I 1 30 DE 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 DC 16 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 17 FL 29 4 2 1 3 1 4 - 2 2 3 - 4 1 3 4 2 3 1 - 1 70 GA 15 1 - - 1 - 1 - - - - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - - - 22 HI 1 1 2 - 2 - 1 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - 10 ID 4 - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 IL 99 2 2 1 2 3 - 3 2 2 2 5 1 2 3 - 4 2 3 1 2 141 IN 31 1 1 - - 1 2 - - 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 - - - - - 41 LA 8 - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1 1 - - 1 13 KS 9 - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 - - - - - - - 11 KY 6 - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 LA 3 1 - 1 2 - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - 8 ME 5 - - - - - 1 - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 7 MD 20 - I - 1 2 1 2 3 2 1 1 1 2 - - 2 - 2 4 - 45 MA 44 2 - - 3 2 1 2 - - - - 1 2 3 - 1 2 1 1 - 65 MI 10 - - - 1 1 - 1 I 2 - 1 2 1 2 2 3 1 1 - 1 30 MN 16 - - 2 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 21 MS 3 - - - - - - - 1 - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 5 MO 11 - 1 - 1 - - 2 - - - 1 - 1 1 - - - 1 - - 19 MT 6 - 1 - - - - - - 2 - - - 1 1 - - - 1 1 = 13 NE 11 - 1 1 - - - - 1 - 1 - 1 - - 1 - - - - 1 18 NV 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 NH 12 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - 13 NJ 52 1 1 2 1 3 - 2 1 - 2 1 - 1 2 - - I 1 2 3 76 NM 3 - - - - 1 1 - - - - - 1 - - - 2 - 1 - 1 10 NY 357 11 12 9 10 13 14 14 15 14 17 16 19 19 12 15 15 16 19 19 14 650 NC 3 - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1 6 ND 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 OH 54 1 1 2 - 3 1 1 - - - 3 - 1 - 2 2 1 1 - 1 74 OK 13 - - 2 1 1 1 - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - - 21 OR 20 2 - 1 1 - - - - 1 - - - 1 1 - - - - - - 27 PA 66 1 1 4 2 1 3 2 - - - 1 - - 3 4 2 1 2 2 1 96 PR 0 - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1 - - - - - - 2 RI 3 1 1 1 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - 8 SC 2 1 1 - - - 1 I 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 SD 4 - - - - - - I I - I - - - - - - - - - - 4 TN 11 1 - 1 - 1 - - 1 1 - - 1 - - - 1 - - - - 18 TX 24 3 1 3 - - 1 1 2 1 3 1 2 - - - - 1 - 1 1 45 UT 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 3 VT 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 VA 24 - 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 - 1 - 4 2 1 3 1 2 4 58 WA 9 - I - 1 - 1 - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1 1 - 14 WV 13 - - - - 1 - - 1 - 1 - - I - - - - - - - 16 WI 33 - 1 1 1 - 1 - - 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - 1 - - - 44 WY 3 - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 OAS+ - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 + Overseas American Schools TOTAL 2,000 SCIENCE SERVICE, 1719 N Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036 January 1991 STS-50 STANDING OF STATES IN THE ANNUAL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH WESTINGHOUSE SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS 1942-1991 SEMIFINALISTS (@ 260 per year) PLEASE NOTE: Finalists (top 40) are not included statistically in this compilation. (1-30) (1-50) STS TOTAL 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 TOTAL AL 52 5 5 4 7 4 5 1 2 3 3 4 6 3 6 3 1 4 1 4 4 127 AK 9 - - - 1 1 - 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 13 AZ 151 2 2 5 - - 2 - - - 1 1 1 - - - 1 1 1 2 2 172 AR 23 1 1 1 1 - 2 1 2 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 3 - - - - 41 CA 552 19 30 14 14 25 15 12 16 22 16 17 16 7 10 5 5 10 10 15 14 844 CO 60 1 4 3 3 2 3 3 1 3 3 2 2 - 1 5 1 1 1 4 2 105 CT 85 1 1 4 5 5 2 5 4 6 4 2 6 - 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 140 DE 13 2 1 2 - - 1 - - - 1 - 2 1 1 - 1 1 - - - 26 DC 64 - 1 1 1 - - 1 2 - 1 1 1 2 - 2 1 - 1 1 2 82 FL 217 24 9 12 20 20 14 19 18 20 19 16 21 26 19 12 12 11 18 5 11 543 GA 83 4 5 7 3 2 4 2 3 1 1 2 2 3 1 3 - 2 2 2 2 134 HI 29 5 4 2 3 7 7 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 2 1 2 - 1 - 1 76 ID 23 - - 2 1 1 2 2 - 2 - 1 1 - - - - - - - - 35 IL 608 9 12 11 9 13 10 11 12 14 9 5 5 6 11 15 9 7 9 8 6 799 IN 248 4 4 7 10 7 6 10 10 11 7 6 9 1 6 2 2 - - 1 1 352 IA 115 1 2 - 1 1 2 4 2 - 3 3 1 1 - - 2 - 1 - - 139 KS 90 1 4 3 - - 5 1 1 2 - 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 1 3 117 KY 33 - 1 1 2 - 5 1 2 5 3 2 - - 2 4 2 - 2 1 2 68 LA 46 2 5 3 1 1 1 2 2 1 - - 1 1 - 2 - - - - 2 70 ME 23 1 1 2 1 1 - - 1 2 - 1 - - 1 2 - - - - 1 37 MD 146 6 3 10 7 10 10 11 12 5 11 10 8 9 8 4 7 12 13 8 12 322 MA 221 6 9 5 2 3 7 4 6 3 3 6 1 4 5 4 2 2 5 6 3 307 MI 165 6 6 3 5 6 5 4 7 4 4 2 5 6 4 5 2 2 3 3 2 249 MN 120 3 5 2 4 2 2 5 5 1 6 3 2 2 2 2 4 1 5 3 2 181 MS 34 - 1 - 1 1 2 1 2 - - 1 1 2 1 - 1 - - - 1 49 MO 95 3 2 8 4 4 8 5 4 3 3 2 3 2 3 2 2 2 4 3 - 162 MT 82 2 - 5 - - 1 2 - - 3 1 1 - - - 1 1 2 4 2 107 NE 67 1 3 5 1 3 10 7 3 2 1 2 6 - 1 - 1 4 - 2 1 120 NV 6 - 1 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1 - 10 NH 21 - 1 - - - 1 - - - - 1 - - - - - - 1 - - 25 NJ 235 5 5 6 11 8 8 4 8 4 10 3 7 6 7 5 6 6 5 10 8 367 NM 41 1 2 3 1 4 1 4 1 2 1 1 3 3 - 1 3 2 2 4 1 81 NY 2386 60 55 61 61 61 69 75 64 81 89 103 90 121 121 134 136 148 118 130 114 4277 NC 53 3 4 - 2 3 - 3 2 1 1 - - 2 3 2 1 - 3 3 3 89 ND 30 1 3 2 3 1 - 2 - - 1 1 1 - 1 - - 1 - - - 47 OH 368 9 8 7 17 5 10 9 9 3 8 6 8 6 6 6 2 6 3 3 2 501 OK 107 5 3 - 2 1 1 5 3 5 5 2 2 1 2 4 - - 1 1 3 153 OR 75 - 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 3 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 1 110 PA 463 19 9 14 8 13 10 10 13 10 8 5 10 11 1 6 9 4 4 2 3 632 PR 0 - - — - - 1 - - 1 - — 1 2 1 - - - 1 - - 7 RI 42 - 1 3 2 1 3 - 2 - - - - - - 1 2 1 — 1 1 60 SC 19 1 - 1 2 2 2 1 - 1 1 3 - 1 1 - 1 3 - 2 5 46 SD 22 - - - - 1 - 1 - - 1 1 - - 1 - - - - - - 27 TN 110 6 5 1 4 5 2 6 - 4 4 4 3 2 2 - 2 6 1 - 3 170 TX 195 9 13 10 8 9 5 6 16 9 5 8 11 11 7 3 11 9 8 5 14 372 UT 31 1 1 3 2 - - 1 1 2 1 — 2 1 1 1 2 2 - - 1 53 VT 12 - 1 - - - - - - I - - - - - - - 1 - - - 14 VA 215 19 18 10 15 12 6 9 13 14 4 14 11 8 12 11 12 4 23 20 19 469 WA 114 7 5 7 9 11 3 4 4 6 6 - - 2 - 1 - - - 2 - 181 WV 70 - 2 1 - - 1 2 1 3 3 3 2 - 2 2 - 1 - 1 — 94 WI 187 4 1 6 3 2 3 1 4 1 3 5 2 2 1 4 5 3 7 2 4 250 WY 17 1 - - 1 1 1 - I - - 1 - - - - 2 — - - - 24 OAS+ — - — - - - I — - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 + Overseas American Schools TOTAL 13,476 SCIENCE SERVICE, 1719 N Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036 -- January 1991 STS-50 FIRST STS PLACE WINNER 50th TALENT SEARCH SCIENCE SECOND STS PLACE WINNER 50th WESTINGHOO SEARCH HOUSE SCIENCE TALENT THIRD STS PLACE WINNER WESTRIGHT OUSE 50th SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH FINDING TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS Good Nobelister ir back the Lovergram overview of program.," 50th Science Westinghousearch Talent FINDING TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS For thousands of students who dream of careers in science, the Westinghouse Science Talent Search has helped make those dreams come true. Since 1942, this nationwide competition has identified and encouraged high school seniors to pursue careers in science, mathematics or related fields. The 50th annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search, now underway, caps half a century of remarkable achievements by the 15,000 semifinalists and 2,000 finalists who have participated in this, America's most highly regarded precollege science competition. Seniors who participate have the opportunity, while still teenagers, to join the ranks of the nation's most eminent scientists. The Search brings together the brightest, most creative science students in the land. In fact, many of our top scientists and mathematicians share the common bond of having participated in the STS when they were students. The Search has identified young scientific talent with remarkable precision. STS alumni have won more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math awards and honors. Five former finalists have gone on to win Nobel Prizes. Two have earned Fields Medals, the Nobel equivalent in mathematics. Two have been awarded the National Medal of Science. Eight Search alumni have won MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, the so-called "genius awards." Fifty-one have been named Sloan Research Fellows and 28 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Three have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. - more - Finding Tomorrow's Scientists - 2 - 50th Annual Science Talent Search More than half of the former Search winners are either teaching or engaged in research at colleges and universities. The 1991 competition, which started in September, 1990, is the 50th annual Search. Westinghouse Electric Corporation has sponsored STS since its inception. The Search is administered for Westinghouse by Science Service, a Washington-based nonprofit organization engaged in furthering public understanding of science. Since 1942, nearly 105,000 students have completed independent research projects and submitted entries. Currently, some 1,500 seniors meet the entry requirements each year. The deadline for entries received at Science Service is midnight, December 10. The entry consists of a written description of the student's research, plus a completed entry form which is designed to elicit evidence of student creativity and interest in science. Search candidates are judged by a board of eight distinguished scientists from a variety of disciplines. Chairman is Dr. J. Richard Gott, professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University and a former STS finalist. Members include Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, a Nobel Prize winner and University Professor of Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. The judges are aided by other scientists to complete a careful evaluation of each entry. Then, the elimination begins. The top 300 entrants are selected as semifinalists. These students are recommended to colleges and universities for admission and financial assistance, based on their STS achievement. - more - Finding Tomorrow's Scientists - 3 - Winners Announced in January Next, 40 finalists are selected from the 300 semifinalists. Both groups are announced in January. Westinghouse provides the 40 finalists a five-day trip to Washington where they undergo additional judging. On the basis of interviews and their research, 10 top scholarship winners are selected. The Westinghouse Foundation has increased Search scholarships to the present total of $205,000, which is awarded each year to the 40 finalists. The top prize is a $40,000 scholarship. Second- and third-place winners receive $30,000 and $20,000 scholarships, respectively. Three others win $15,000 each. Four $10,000 scholarships are awarded. The other 30 finalists receive $1,000 scholarships. When the students are in Washington, they meet leading scientists and their Congressional representatives. Their prize-winning exhibits are on public display. The young scientists describe their research to thousands of visitors -- many of them important figures in the government and scientific community. During their stay in Washington, students are interviewed by news media from their hometowns, national and international newspapers, press associations, television networks and science and education journals. The finalists visit Washington's historic and scientific sights. Past winners have met with the President, the Vice President and distinguished Science Advisers. On the final evening -- March 4, 1991 -- they are honored at a black-tie awards banquet for several hundred guests. - more - Finding Tomorrow's Scientists - 4 - Meeting Other Young Scientists Yet, what the students say they value most is the opportunity to meet and interact with their scientific peers, often for the first time. Friendships and professional associations made during those five days continue through college and beyond. Statistics on the 1,960 past finalists show that 95 percent of former Search winners have had some branch of science as their major field of study. More than 70 percent have gone on to earn PhDs or MDs. Career choices are about evenly divided among the physical sciences and the biological sciences and medicine. To date, Westinghouse has awarded almost $2.6 million in scholarships. Also, thousands of students have received scholarships and financial aid from other sources as a direct result of STS achievement. High school science educators find "the Westinghouse," as students call the competition, an excellent tool for stimulating latent abilities in their brightest students. Since 1942, New York state has produced the highest number of finalists, accounting for 636. Illinois is in second place with 139. California ranks third with 136, followed by Pennsylvania, 95; Ohio, 73; New Jersey, 73; Florida, 69; Massachusetts, 65; Virginia, 54; Maryland, 45; Wisconsin, 44; Texas, 44; Indiana, 41. - more - 3 Finding Tomorrow's Scientists - 5 - Other states which have produced at least ten finalists are Michigan and Connecticut, 29; Oregon, 27; Georgia, 22; Arizona, Oklahoma and Minnesota, 21 each; Missouri, 19; Tennessee, 18; Nebraska and Colorado, 17 each; the District of Columbia and West Virginia, 16 each; Washington, 14; New Hampshire and Montana, 13 each; Alabama and Iowa, 12 each; Kansas, 11; Hawaii, 10. ### October 1990 1 Major Honors Achieved by Westinghouse Science Talent Search Finalists Date Honor Awarded Name STS - Year Nobel Prize (Physics) 1972 Leon Cooper STS - 1947 Nobel Prize (Physics) 1975 Ben R. Mottelson STS - 1944 Nobel Prize (Physics) 1979 Sheldon L. Glashow STS - 1950 Nobel Prize (Chemistry) 1980 Walter Gilbert STS - 1949 Nobel Prize (Chemistry) 1981 Roald Hoffmann STS - 1955 Fields Medal (Mathematics) 1966 Paul J. Cohen STS - 1950 Fields Medal (Mathematics) 1974 David B. Mumford STS - 1953 National Medal of Science 1966 Paul J. Cohen STS - 1950 National Medal of Science 1974 Roald Hoffmann STS - 1955 MacArthur Fellowship 1982 Frank Wilczek STS - 1967 MacArthur Fellowship 1983 Richard Stephen Berry STS - 1948 MacArthur Fellowship 1984 Arthur T. Winfree STS - 1960 MacArthur Fellowship 1985 Jane Shelby Richardson STS - 1958 MacArthur Fellowship 1987 Robert Axelrod STS - 1961 MacArthur Fellowship 1987 Robert Coleman STS - 1972 MacArthur Fellowship 1987 Eric Lander STS - 1974 MacArthur Fellowship 1987 David B. Mumford STS - 1953 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award 1979 Walter Gilbert STS - 1949 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award 1987 Leroy E. Hood STS - 1956 28 STS Finalists are members of the National Academy of Sciences 3 STS Finalists are members of the National Academy of Engineering 51 STS Finalists are Sloan Research Fellows 28 SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH FINALISTS ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Name Affiliation STS Year Adler, Stephen L. Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 1957 Axelrod, Robert University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 1961 Berry, R. Stephen University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 1948 Breslow, Ronald Columbia University, New York, NY 1948 Chilton, Mary Dell CIBA-GEIGY Corp., Greensboro, NC 1956 Clark, George W. MIT, Cambridge, MA 1945 Cohen, Paul J. Stanford University, Stanford, CA 1950 Cooper, Leon N. Brown University, Providence, RI 1947 Crothers, Donald M. Yale University, New Haven, CT 1954 Davidson, Eric H. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 1954 Felsenfeld, Gary National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 1947 Gilbert, Walter Biogen, Inc., Cambridge, MA 1949 Glashow, Sheldon Lee Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1950 Halperin, Bertrand I. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1958 Hoffmann, Roald Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 1955 Hood, Leroy California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 1956 Karplus, Martin Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1947 Martin, Paul C. Harvard University, Cambridge MA 1948 Mather, John N. Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 1960 Mumford, David B. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1953 Richards, Paul L. University of California, Berkeley, CA 1952 Rosenblatt, Murray University of California, San Diego, LaJolla, CA 1943 Sessler, Andrew M. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 1945 28 SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH FINALISTS ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (Cont'd.) Name Affiliation STS Year Solovay, Robert M. University of California, Berkeley, CA 1956 Sternberg, Saul AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ 1950 Streitwieser, Jr., Andrew University of California, Berkeley, CA 1945 Tinkham, Michael Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1945 Wilczek, Frank A. Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 1967 3 SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH FINALISTS ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING Name Affiliation STS Year Armstrong, John A. IBM Corporation, NY 1952 I Goldman, Alan J. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 1949 Rechtin, Eberhardt Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 1943 10/90 47th STS Info or finalists, general News a Comment USED IN AAAS Remarks Can Science Education Be Saved? Feb 15,1997 Three ambitious but very different projects are testing a variety of ways to overhaul an education system that has been getting failing grades WISCONSIN 9TH GRADER Culotta E. need to know; second, illus- Joel Marino has already de- trate how they can learn it; cided at age 14 that science is third, spread the revolution bad news, but he's pretty around. In stage one, teams content with the project his of prominent scientists delin- earth science teacher gave eated what every high school him last September: building graduate should know about a working, three-dimensional science in a 100-page expo- model of a mid-ocean ridge. sition published in 1989 titled To Joel, "This project is more "Science for All Americans." recreational. It's not from the The book emphasizes con- book, you don't have to cepts over data and consider- memorize stuff, and you can ably lightens the burden of work together. Also, it's not facts students must know. due tomorrow. It's not like Oxidation and isotopes are real science." in; the periodic table is out. Joel's dreary image of "real Not every reviewer loved science"-sitting alone Hands on. Third graders in McFarland, Wisconsin, learn about dilution memorizing books-will through direct experimentation with eyedropper and colored water. the book. "Still No Beef," complained an editorial in come as no surprise to anyone who has and the third, a project of the National The Washington Post, saying Project 2061's heard the litany of reports on the dismal state Council of Teachers of Mathematics, is try- "lofty theorists" had put off the work of of U.S. science and math education. But the ing to overhaul the content and style of developing a curriculum. Of scientists' reac- scope and ambition of current efforts to math courses. Will these programs-or any tions to their colleagues' work, Project 2061 attack the problem may be surprising. After others around the country-succeed? No director F. James Rutherford sighs, "They 7 years of gloomy warnings about the prob- one can answer that question today. But always want more of their own discipline in lem, legions of teachers and scientists are these efforts to use classrooms as laborato- there." together launching a reform movement the ries for education experiments-to permit But many educators and scientists have likes of which hasn't been seen since Sput- hands-on, creative, even noisy environments endorsed both the book and the entire nik. And scientists are playing an increas- for "real science"-will receive their own project as a vision of what education could ingly important role in the revolution. grades in the coming years, as local districts become. "For the first time we have a total As individuals, scientists across the nation decide whether to jump on the reform band- representation of what should constitute are trying to advise and cajole their local wagon or cling to the status quo. science education," says Luther Williams, school boards and the teachers of their chil- To Joel, the folks who came up with his head of education and human resources at dren to teach science in a more compelling plate boundary project deserve-well, at the National Science Foundation. NSF has manner. Some scientists have even taken on least a B. While the specific project isn't part provided more than praise; it chipped in entire school systems-Nobel prize-winning of a reform program, Joel's teacher, Joe over $2 million for the project's $8.5-mil- physicist Leon Lederman is leading an effort Cabibbo, is a member of a revolutionary lion second phase. IBM, the Department of to reform science curricula and teaching cadre of teachers and scientists involved in Education, AAAS itself, two private founda- throughout the city of Chicago (Science, 31 what is arguably the most ambitious of all tions, and state and local governments made August, p. 979). But if there is to be reform the efforts: the AAAS's Project 2061. substantial contributions. on a national scale it will likely require more Named for the year Comet Halley returns to The Post's criticisms are being answered- than the heroic efforts of individuals. Earth, Project 2061's long-term goal is slowly-by this crucial second phase, now During the past few months, Science has nothing less than the complete transforma- under way at six sites around the country: looked at three national reform programs, tion of science, math, and social studies Philadelphia; McFarland, Wisconsin; rural each dedicated to heeding Joel's message, teaching from kindergarten through 12th Georgia; San Antonio; San Francisco; and but each pursuing a rather different route to grade. No part of the present system is San Diego. This time, it's the teachers who the grail of getting kids intellectually in- considered sacred. Subjects, textbooks, are in charge. Their mission: to design a new volved in science. One is a long-range effort grades-all are under scrutiny, and if this type of curriculum that carefully builds an sponsored by the American Association for project somehow winds up flunking as a accurate picture of the way the world works. the Advancement of Science (AAAS is also revolutionary movement, it will at least have With support from scientists, they're trans- the publisher of Science the second, run by earned an A for effort. lating the concepts in "Science for All the National Science Teachers' Association, Project 2061 is developing its vision in Americans" backward into simple ideas chil- is concentrating on more immediate goals; three stages: First, decide what students dren can understand, reorganizing the DECEMBER 1990 NEWS & COMMENT 1327 book's knowledge into a framework for Here is a picture of a roller-coaster track: Graphic example. A sample imation curricula. For example, a high school Sketch a graph to show the speed of the roller coaster "led in "Floating lem from the new math standard understanding of organ systems might versus its position on the track. and expected biology to learn (Source: "Reshaping School Math ity. The including as testing they Instead of heart of Sc. gold begin with the simple statement: ematics: A New Philosophy and "Things go on inside my body that I Framework for Curriculum," Na- can't see." That seems obvious, but A tional Academy Press, 1990.) kids need to thoroughly comprehend it before they attempt to understand body G system. As Rutherford puts it, "We processes, 2061 teachers say. can't overwhelm that system; we've E This type of work, more conceptual got to out think it." than concrete, draws critics such as the But schools can't wait years to director of a smaller science education improve. While members of Project program, who extended the Post's 2061 dream of the possibilities, complaint to stage two and told Science that But even if 2061 were to get the seal of other science teachers, through the Na- 2061 was too idealistic and slow. But the approval from the scientific and education tional Science Teachers Association (NSTA), project was never intended to make change communities in 1993, the project's Achilles' have spearheaded another massive project quickly, responds Rutherford. This is to be heel may be the decades required by stage called Scope, Sequence, and Coordination a thorough and therefore slow revolution. If three. AAAS knows the risk, and took it, (SSC). NSF coughed up an even larger the models are any good, AAAS expects the because it felt that every quick fix previously amount for this teacher-based program- rest of the nation to join the revolution, tried in the U.S. educational system had $8.6 million-and the Department of Educa- district by district, throughout the decade eventually fallen before the multi-headed tion awarded an additional $2.5 million and later. But Rutherford himself concedes monster that has parceled out authority (Science, 31 August, p. 978). Focusing on that 1993 will be the watershed year for the across 50 states and 80,000 schools. Reform- grades 7 through 12, the project is already in project. That's when the curriculum models ers might change any one piece of the sys- classrooms in three sites-California, Iowa, will be unveiled and a few vanguard districts tem-say, by training teachers differently- and Houston-and planning is under way in are expected to start putting the 2061 phi- but the other pieces, such as textbooks, stan- two more, Puerto Rico and North Carolina. losophy into practice. And that's when crit- dardized tests and school boards, will drag It works something like this: Seventh ics will finally have something tangible to teachers back to the status quo. So, for good graders in Houston don't study the life and endorse or reject. or ill, AAAS opted to try to change the entire physical sciences separately, but instead learn The Reform Agenda: Emerging Consensus It may be a time of experimentation for science education, but Do it yourself. At the end of the school day in inner-city many trials are testing the same hypotheses. Some common Philadelphia, teachers gather to learn how to separate salt from themes are emerging from the patchwork of programs: pepper using static electricity. They' being trained to use an Less is more. It's time for kids to stop memorizing the elementary science kit, doing all the experiments their students difference between a type I and type II lever and the names of will do. A staple of the 1960s reforms, hands-on activities are all the molecules involved in photosynthesis. One study esti- back and better, with a new emphasis on quality-"minds-on" as mated that students encounter more new words in a high school well as hands-on. Teachers are to be trained more carefully and biology book than in 2 years of instruction in a foreign language. given the logistic support they need. "We still live with the Victorian. view of school, with minds Two-way traffic. Kids haven't understood much of what trained like dogs to memorize things," says Timothy Gold- we've been telling them, in part because we haven't listened to smith, chair of the committee that wrote a recent report on the ideas they already have. For example, research shows that biology education for the National Research Council. New many youngsters don't understand the concept of temperature. programs have kids doing more projects and less memorizing. They think putting on a sweater keeps you warm because Teacher power. Post-Sputnik reforms sometimes took the sweaters always exist at a higher temperature. Listening to kids tone of academic highbrows telling teachers what to do, and can give teachers clues on how to change such ideas. teachers have taken much of the blame for education's ills. But Science for everyone. It's vital to widen the science career the new goal is to boost teachers, not bash them, giving them pipeline, especially to include more women and minorities. time to learn science themselves, rather than berating them for Reformers now also recognize a second goal: producing scientifi- their backgrounds. cally literate citizens. Even students who will never become Science without walls. Sixth graders in rural Elbert County scientists need to understand more about how the world works. Georgia don't take science, math, social studies, or reading. New programs are aimed at all students, not just the gifted. Instead, they take one big course-200 minutes run by four Matchmaker, matchmaker. Scientists and teachers come teachers-that incorporates all four subjects. A trial balloon from very different worlds. Elementary teachers often opted out floated by members of Project 2061, the course illustrates the of science as soon as they could, but they know their business- push for integrating subjects. Real life problems rarely come kids. Meanwhile many scientists would like to help with science labeled as "chemistry" or "math," educators say. How far education, but don't know how to do it. "We're like a long-term should such course integration go? Each program seems to have marriage broker," says F. James Rutherford of Project 2061. a different answer. Meanwhile, Georgia teachers are still seeking "Our job is finding useful work and structures where both sides a good moniker for their mega-course. can interact." E.C. 328 SCIENCE. voi 250 imation in thematic blocks. In one, experiment. A second concern is that SSC zations, after a period of initial jostling over ed "Floating and Sinking," students are teachers are being asked to do too much. their respective roles the two programs have ected to learn some physics, chemistry, NSF's Williams, though clearly an overall endorsed each other, with Project 2061 biology as they try density experiments, booster of SSC, nevertheless warns, "In my staking out the long-term vision and SSC uding testing gold jewelry for authentic- view, the greatest potential liability of the moving ahead. now. But no matter how The heart of SSC is spaced learning: program is the preparation of the teachers." cordial science educators seem, they've a ead of getting 1 year each of biology, Indeed, several Houston life science teach- long way to go before reaching the solidarity sics and chemistry, youngsters study each ers hadn't had chemistry since high school of the math community, which is sponsor- ipline each year so they remember what and never took physics, but are now required ing a third great challenge to the educational i've learned, according to Bill Aldridge, to teach both. NSTA officials say they've status quo in the United States. :utive director of NSTA. Each site is to built in teacher supports, such as summer While science educators experiment with luce and test course materials for NSTA workshops and detailed training sessions. course integration and current events, and distribute; Houston's "Floating and Aldridge himself gave a workshop on argue about what to toss out of the curricu- ing" has already been sent to other sites. "Floating and Sinking" to the Houston lum, they watch with envy as the math so, students are to learn concrete ideas teachers. "Most of them hadn't had any community calmly describes what to teach then move to abstractions. "The 7th physics, and they didn't have any trouble and how to teach it. Mathematicians have e textbooks define temperature as the with it," he says. already wrestled with the tough curricular age kinetic energy of molecules. That's Ironically, while Project 2061 is criticized questions and are moving swiftly toward even true at very low temperatures and for being too slow, SSC gets accused of implementing reform. Last year, math cur- ns absolutely nothing to a 7th grader," moving too fast to make real change. Several riculum standards for all grade levels were Aldridge. "In 7th grade you should be education experts, including one involved issued in the form of a 250-page book that ling about temperature as it's connected was almost universally endorsed. The sequel :perience-the difference between heat E. Culotta comes next spring, when another book on temperature, thermal equilibrium. But professional standards will explain how naterials start with atoms and electrons. teachers can reach the curriculum goals. 's stupid," he says indignantly. Part of the smooth progress in math seems STA coordinates the program and ev- to come from the cozy relations between ne involved is committed to spaced mathematicians and math teachers. The ing, concrete ideas, and fewer facts, but National Council of Teachers of Mathemat- site has quite a bit of independence. In ics (NCTM) developed the standards, but inport, Iowa, for example, 6th graders works closely with representatives from the er around a specially designed gold and math community on the Mathematical Sci- : commode for their science project, ences Education Board (MSEB), an arm of Royal Flush." Their task: to investi- the National Research Council. "The de- ecology and consumer choice by test- gree to which people agree is amazing," says IOW well various types of toilet paper Iris Carl, who happens to be both president tegrate. That project is a Science/ of the teachers' group and vice-chair of the nology/Society (STS) project run by education board. Chautauqua program of the University Mathematicians have an easier time wa Science Education Center. Recently reaching consensus because their field tenter hooked up with SSC and was doesn't encompass sub-disciplines as diverse ed this fall to develop 6th grade mate- "Traditionally kids were told, 'Learn Human development. Philadelphia high as those in science, Carl says. Also, almost school student giving presentation in class everyone, including parents, believes kids nd you'll find it useful.' But it wasn't taught by a Project 2061 team member. should learn math starting on the first day of 1. Now we turn that around," says school. Of course, most parents think math am director Robert Yager. with SSC itself, told Science they worried = multiplication tables, and popular opin- another example involves trade-ori- that at some sites the project could become ions can be a burden as well as a blessing, high school juniors in Iowa-a class a cosmetic reshuffling of the old curriculum. says MSEB executive director Kenneth eacher referred to as the future cosme- Aldridge counters that on his advice the Hoffman. "Math came to replace Latin in ists of America-who focused on the NSF funds are conditional on an annual the minds of some people. It's one of those = hole as a way to learn about science. show of progress. If a center doesn't seem to things you do because it's good for you, to eir teacher's amazement, the students be doing the job, NSF can simply yank it off teach you neatness, discipline, and order." soon clamoring for information: the project-and perhaps substitute a will- Lovers of discipline are in for a bit of a t's an atom? What's a molecule? What ing newcomer from a growing pool of states surprise. The draft version of-the profes- pH mean?" The class became the com- eager to join the program. Also, NSTA sional standards describes a different style of ty ozone experts, and college-bound officials say they expect change to snowball, classroom. Youngsters work and talk in nts began to complain that their course as other parts of the system accommodate groups, explaining problems to each other. DO dull, Yager says. the project. In conjunction with SSC, Cali- Calculators and computers are everywhere II this sounds scientifically sensible, it fornia has already begun to use new hands- and thinking skills and reasoning are empha- without its critics. For one thing, the on tests so unusual that some 6th graders sized. Kids are to spend less time laboriously g STS focus on current events draws asked to take them again, says Tom Sachse, plotting points and more time understand- om Aldridge himself, who believes in coordinator of the California site. ing graphs-after a computer does the ples first, applications second. But he's While SSC and 2061 compete for funds plotting. It sounds great, but what if the 12- g to support Yager in developing the and are sponsored by very different organi- year-olds resist engaging in "mathematical EMBER 1990 NEWS & COMMENT discourse" and chatter about rap music in- tional Academy of Sciences, for example, is Snyder and other educators would prefer stead? Be patient, counsel the math wizards. expected to decide upon a much-expanded to focus instead on the momentum for "I tell people over and over: Don't expect role for itself in science education in late change. The president and National Gover- it to happen overnight," says Shirley Hill, December. A few educators who work for nors' Association, they boast, have announced former chair of MSEB and professor of math existing programs fear the academy will re- the goal of having U.S. students first in math and education at the University of Missouri. peat or compete with their efforts, although and science by 2000. Privately, though, al- "Kids are conditioned otherwise and they're executive officer Philip Smith insists the most no one thinks that can be done. At not going to expect math to be fun or institution won't invade any turf. Academy least, those involved plaintively conclude, relevant all of a sudden. It's a process." The officials are still plotting their strategy and the goal is on the national agenda. The best math teachers already run classrooms Smith defers any detailed revelations until unspoken question: How long will our eas- like those in the standards, says Carl. later this month. But he says they' consid ily distracted society keep it there? Back in For reform to spread, educators say it's ering a two-pronged approach, to provide Wisconsin, Joel Marino had the persever- important that all these projects-and many immediate relief as well as long-term vision. ance to complete his model of a mid-ocean smaller ones not mentioned here-work And he hints that the academy may tackle ridge with chicken wire, blue plastic, kitty together, or at least pull in the same direc- undergraduate instruction, an arena where litter, and a mysterious red substance that tion. "No one will succeed in isolation," says other educators say they'd especially wel- quickly developed fruit flies. If the educa- Williams. But while there's much agreement come the academy's clout. tion experts succeed equally well with their on what teachers should strive for, each For the moment, all sides tend to own models, then Joel-or at least his program has a slightly different vision of the downplay whatever differences. may exist. younger siblings-may one day admit that future. It's not exactly clear, for example, "It doesn't hurt at all to have different science and recreation can sometimes be the how the new math standards fit with "Sci- experiments going on simultaneously," says same thing. ELIZABETH CULOTTA ence for All Americans," which includes Susan Snyder of NSF's division of teacher math, but less of it. preparation and enhancement. "We'll prob- Elizabeth Culotta is a science writer for And new programs are coming. The Na- ably never have one single answer." the Milwaukee Journal. Computer Security: NAS Sounds the Alarm Electronic vandals, viruses, and other malignancies of the com- However, McIlroy points out that between 1983 and 1990, puter world are likely to grow more virulent soon, according to the NSA ran an advisory body "outside the perimeter" of secrecy a new report from the National Research Council. Indeed, a called the National Computer Security Center. It set public panel of computer security experts chaired by David Clark of the standards and served as a clearinghouse for research. This was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology warns that unless pre- valuable service for the handful of companies-like his own ventive action is taken, the economy could suffer. In a study titled AT&T-that wanted to develop better defenses. But this year, "Computers at Risk," the panel calls for the establishment of the NCSC went back "behind the wire" of secrecy, McIlroy says, an Information Security Foundation, a private nonprofit body and it's not clear that any other office will step in to serve the that would set standards, promote research, and review the public. The National Institute of Standards and Technology "trustworthiness" of computer software and hardware. It would (NIST) might fit the bill, but the report comments that NIST require federal support to get started, says one panel member, and "has limited technical expertise and funds" to do the work. after that, it could support itself with membership dues. Congress gave it only $2.5 million for computer security pro- "To date, we have been remarkably lucky," the report begins. grams in 1990; when NIST attempted to double this budget for Money has been stolen by computer-perhaps millions of 1991, the increase was axed by Congress. dollars from credit card companies alone-and "lives have been Meanwhile, companies are reluctant to advertise security lost because of computer software errors." But no intruder has problems. Their customers often aren't convinced that they're been able to "subvert" a critical system. Yet the report warns real. Unless they have been stung themselves, says McIlroy, they that "there is reason to believe that our luck will soon run out." may not want to bear the costs of improving systems. Many The reason: Little is being done outside the government to computer users try to get around the problem in a superficial reduce the vulnerability of computer networks, even though the way, using security gimmicks of one kind or another. As a result, nation's reliance on them is growing. For example, no concerted hundreds of products are offered for sale, but there's no objective effort has been made to plug the many faults of personal com- means of judging their quality. The Clark report recommends puters, which are difficult to make secure because of the way they several actions, in addition to creating a new foundation: were designed. As network linkages grow, more PCs will be Establish guidelines for "trustworthy systems" that reflect the connected, and the weak points in systems will increase. "There's consensus of security experts. no doubt that things get considerably more dangerous when you Take a series of immediate short-term actions such as creating get unprofessionally administered machines on networks," says emergency response teams and asking vendors to ship products panel member M. Douglas McIlroy of AT&T Bell Laboratories. with security systems automatically turned "on." Most computer and software manufacturers have failed to Create a system to monitor security breaks and to collect data take the risks of attack seriously, responding to problems as they on them for research. occur in an "episodic and fragmented" fashion, says the report. Clarify a confusing jumble of export controls and consider And within government, computer security work is concentrated relaxing limits on the use of the U.S. Data Encryption Standard. in the National Security Agency, which has been constrained by Develop and fund a comprehensive program of research on its secrecy and its national defense mission. computer security issues. ELIOT MARSHALL 1330 SCIENCE. VOL 250 SCIENCE SERVICE 1719 N STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, DC 20036 1-202-785-2255 SCIENCE YOUTH PROGRAM Science Talent Search International Science and Engineering Fair February 14, 1991 SSTP Directory Sent via messenger Ms. Carolyn Cawley Old Executive Office Building Room 111 1/2 17th & Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20500 Dear Ms. Cawley: I have enclosed the background material on the Westinghouse Science Talent Search that we discussed. As I mentioned, Westinghouse Electric Corporation sponsors the competition and Science Service administers it. This has been true since the inception of the program in 1942. I'm sure Charlie Carroll of Westinghouse (412/642-3370) will also be able to give you some helpful tips and suggest some appropriate content for President Bush's speech. He is the Director of Public Information and a writer on the Westinghouse PR staff and has also been involved in some of the advance meetings with White House staff regarding President Bush's intended visit. Please call me if I can be of additional help. Sincerely, Carol Carol Luszcz Director of Youth Programs and Program Director, STS CL:1c Encs. LC: Carolyn Cowley -- speech writer for Bush -- 202/456-7750 Please put this with file copy and send bcc (via fax) of letter and list to Charlie Carroll Enclosures sent: Banquet invitation Finalists Slip Finalists Booklet Seeking & Finding W press release Finding Tomorrow's Scientists Statistics Reader's Digest article on Kurzweil (STS-65) and copy of front page of Kurzweil's entry form U.S. News 3/88 reprint ES article on STS "Science for the Fun of It" ES letter to encourage key DC people to attend U.S.News MARCH 14, 1988 WHAT PUTS THE WHIZ IN WHIZ KIDS A revealing look Nurturing talent: at America's best What works and science students what doesn't The top three winners in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search HORIZONS Winners of the Westinghouse Science Talent Search speak legions about the importance of family-and immigration-in shaping America's next generation of Nobel laureates WHAT PUTS THE WHIZ IN WHIZ KIDS They looked at first like any other busload of teenagers in the nation's capital. Some wore braces and blue jeans, and a few seemed as interested in the movie "Moonstruck" as in the sights of Washington. But then the bus stopped-at the National Academy of Sciences-and it was quickly appar- ent that these young people were in a world apart from the everyday high-school student: A world of lipoproteins and laminar flows, of H-2 genes and 27 cygnus, of paraquat ELISA and the 3x + 1 problem. They came striding into the academy's great hall, the 40 finalists of the 47th annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search, symbols of America's hopes of scientific leadership in the coming century. When the talent search ended last week in a black-tie bash, 10 of the high-school seniors were declared winners of $140,000 worth of scholarships. "What some of these kids are doing in labs rivals the work that won Nobel prizes not many years ago," declared Richard Plass, chairman of biology and earth science at New York's Stuyvesant High School. What accounts for this early knack for knowledge? Is it heredity or is it hard work? The winners answer RACE FOR by repeating a famous line from Thomas Edi- son: "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." These kids, without ex- ception, work hard. But why do they strive? The answer to this question usually has plenty to do with parents and mentors. Nearly every Wes- THE FUTURE tinghouse winner has been lucky enough to have either an aspiring father or mother or an inspir- ing teacher. Most had both. (As did young Tom Edison, whose mother quit teaching school so she could teach only him. "Everything I am," the great inventor later stated, "I owe to my mother.") Whatever prompts their precociousness, the Westing- house whizzes are clearly achievers. Of the nearly 1,900 finalists since the competition's start, 7 of every 10 who are old enough have earned a Ph.D. or an M.D. Five finalists received Nobel prizes. Two got the Fields Medal, math's equivalent of the Nobel. The record stretches back to 1942, when Science Service, an educational organization, began "I want to make my parents happy," says Hong Huynh, running the contest and Westinghouse started putting up 16, a San Diego finalist who fled Vietnam on a crowded the money. Their roles haven't changed, but much else has. boat eight years ago and now craves biochemistry, Cary Prodigies uncovered in the early years tended to be chil- Grant movies and the Constitution. "They gave up their dren of Jewish immigrants, many of them refugees from home, furniture, everything, so I could be here. I don't want Nazi-ruled Europe. Knowledge, they were reminded again to disappoint them." and again, was a passport to success in America. In this Physics finalist Sheeyun Park, 17, wasn't about to disap- decade, the competition is dominated by offspring of immi- point his parents, either. "Nearly every month, when I was grants from India, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam. 12 or 13, Dad brought home books-philosophy, Shake- speare, Pride and Prejudice-and said, 'Here, read these,' recalls Sheeyun, who moved from Korea to New York 14 by Lew Lord and Nancy Linnon with William J. Cook, William F. Allman and Edwina Anderson years ago. "If I needed books for courses, they gave me the Photographs by John Bowden money. If I wanted sneakers, they said, 'Keep the old pair.' U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 MONTHS OF WORK AND A MOMENT OF GLORY These 10 high-school se- niors labored an average of 18 months on the projects that won them $140,000 worth of scholarships in the 47th annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search. How they finished- 1. Chetan Nayak, with pen- cil and paper and parents from India, scored a triumph in pure math. 2. Janet Tseng, from Tai- wan, is working on a way to help AIDS victims. 3. Ben Abella, in an aca- demic family, is strong in biochemistry and the arts. 4. Vijay Pande, son of Indi- an scientists, got his com- puter to tell him whether Star Wars would work (an- swer on page 51). 5. Brian Conrad is in math, like his dad and his twin. 6. Weiva Yu Sieh, of Chi- nese descent, looked at rats addicted to drugs. 7. Stacey Beaulieu wants to be the oceanic version of Neil Armstrong. 8. Kurt Cuffey is the fourth Westinghouse winner in a family descended from his astronomer grandfather. 9. Brian Hooker learned a lot from his Ph.D. mother. 10. Meredith Albrecht will be fourth doctor in family. 9 7 6 8 10 5 3 2 Westinghouse projects have changed as much as the con- the following pages, dealt with topics as diverse as glaciers, testants. Early efforts focused on the atom, astrophysics and citrus plants and gravity and as pressing as AIDS, pollution "One Summer's Survey of Shallow-Water Fishes at Coney and Star Wars. Island, N.Y." Many findings came from library books. "These kids get better each year," says Nobel laureate High-school students couldn't go near a quality research Glenn Seaborg, who has interviewed and judged every final- lab. Brown University's Leon Cooper, winner of the 1972 ist since 1963. But that does not mean, he adds, that Nobel for physics, spent the two summers before his 1947 American schools are getting better. "We get to see the top Westinghouse year as an errand boy at a New York factory people, the motivated students that the system can't block and a busboy in a New Jersey hotel. off. There's no turning those kids off." Now, students work summers and weekends alongside Who are those kids? During the last six years, 33 of 60 Ph.D.'s in university and med-center labs. Every project scholarship winners have been the children of foreigners. that reaches the finals-40 out of 1,339 entries-is consid- Westinghouse's talent search, certainly in this decade, is a ered original. This year's scholarship winners, profiled on tribute as much to immigration as to education. U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 HORIZONS Chetan Nayak Janet Tseng Benjamin S. Abella Age: 16. Age: 17. Age: 17. School: Stuyvesant High, New School: Stuyvesant High, New School: University of Chicago York City. York City. Laboratory Schools High School. Project: "Variational Principle Project: "Demonstration of Anti- Project: "RNA Polymerase for the 'Already Unified Field Theory' bodies Against Cryptosporidium Sporozoites Genes of Rhodobacter capsulata" (a study (a mathematical formulation of a theoretical in AIDS and Non-AIDS Patients" (a study of of the relationship between several genes model that unifies gravity and electro- gastrointestinal infection in AIDS victims). and a bacterium). magnetism). Prize: $15,000. Prize: $15,000. Prize: $20,000. Family: Came to U.S. "for better education Family: Father is a physicist at University Family: Only child. Parents earned and opportunities" 11 years ago from Taiwan, of Chicago. Mother is an art professor at master's degrees in India-father in political where father was a businessman and mother Chicago State University. Sister, 12, is more science and mother in history-before was a math teacher. Both are now in an interested in law than in science. moving to U.S. in the '60s. Both now sell real export-import business. Sister, 18, is studying Early interest: Played with chemistry sets estate. "Most Indians who come here are electrical engineering at MIT. Brother, 16, is in second grade. "When I got a microscope professionals," says his mother. "Education at Stuyvesant High. in the third or fourth grade, I pricked myself plays a big part." First sign of talent: "Shortly after we so I could look at my own blood." Parental role: Took him at age 3 came to New York, my dad mentioned his old Parental role: "My dad could always pro- to the American Museum of Natural History phone number in Taiwan, and I asked him vide answers to my natural curiosity. In grade and the Hayden why it didn't have school, I asked him Planetarium. At 4, seven digits. lots of questions— he asked about I was 5 when that like how rainbows sharks, and his happened." worked. He'd get mother bought him Motivator: "My excited and say, a collection of mother really 'Good question,' shark books. pushed us. She had and then sit me "When he was us do advanced- down and get out young, we let him math problems at some paper and watch only 3 or 4 early ages. Later, work it out with me. hours of TV a week, she showed us The enthusiasm and we chose the newspaper clip- was contagious. programs," his pings about very in- Mom trained me in mother recalls. telligent people." art history-from "Now he watches what he wants-but he Favorite books: Dee Brown's Bury My Renoir to Kandinsky and Rothko. I follow doesn't have time." Heart at Wounded Knee and Dan Rather's the Renaissance-man ideal: Know a little Progress: As a junior-high student, autobiography, The Camera Never Blinks. about everything." studied math for three summers at Johns Favorite magazine: New England Journal Daytime hours: Advanced-placement Hopkins University's advanced summer of Medicine. classes in French, English and music theory program. "The interaction with other Favorite scientist: Sir Isaac Newton. "I'd at high school; neurobiology at University of students got me interested in science." like to know what went through his mind when Chicago. Four hours a day at university lab. Knew college-level math by 10th grade. he first proposed his theories of gravitation." Evenings: Work on spring art festival. Taught himself tensor analysis, the complex Being smart: "Most of us are just adept Do homework. math in his winning project. in two or three fields. It's not possible to Weekends: "After being out late Courses: Advanced-placement classes in know everything." on Fridays, I get up at 6 a.m. on Saturdays English, French and computer science at College preference: MIT. and go to the lab. I have to kick myself Stuyvesant; differential geometry, optics and Ambition: "To be an M.D. doing research into working." thermodynamics at Columbia University. in immunology and working with AIDS Leisure reading: "I like Agatha Christie, Grade average: 96.5-top 5 percent. patients. The patients are not as contagious John LeCarré, Tom Clancy, Stendahl. I just Activities: Captain of Stuyvesant's math as people think. They are patients, and got into Jean-Paul Sartre: He kicks some and academic-Olympics teams. doctors have a duty to take care of patients." total butt." Daily reading: The New York Times. Activities: Debate team. Editor of school "I read the editorials, but I usually turn first to paper. Actor in school theater. Has played the sports pages. You have to have your Daily schedule: violin since age 8. "Music is a good escape, priorities straight." 6:30 a.m.-Arise. a nice change of pace from science." Leisure: Tennis. Watching the Yankees on 7 a.m.-Take subway from Queens to College preference: Yale, Princeton or TV. "They have a hell of a lineup this year- Manhattan, study on train. Stanford, with a major in genetics or Henderson, Clark, Winfield." 8:45 a.m.-Start classes, including linear molecular biology. Favorite authors: Ernest Hemingway, algebra, philosophy, economics, advanced- Career: Research physician investigating William Faulkner. placement biology, folk dancing. cancer or AIDS. "Not sure if I'll go the med- Best books read recently: Evolution of 3 p.m.-Take subway to St. Vincent's school or Ph.D. route, but I want to be able Physics by Albert Einstein and Leopold Hospital. to sit back 25 years from now and say: Infeld, Brothers Karamazov by 3:30 p.m.-Don gown, gloves and mask; 'I've done something useful. I've helped in Fyodor Dostoevsky. work with two Ph.D.'s on tests of blood some way.'' College preference: Harvard or Stanford. samples from AIDS patients. Her goal: A cure Biggest fear: "I wonder if I will have the Career: Undecided. for a parasitic intestinal infection that plagues luck instead of just the perseverance to be Advice to other youths: "If you're many AIDS victims. successful. I'm determined, but I'm not too interested in science, you have to read on 7 p.m.-Board subway for Queens, study optimistic sometimes. For each research your own and learn on your own." on train. post at a graduate level, there are 80 people Mentor's view: "When I read his paper, 8 p.m.-Arrive home, have dinner. with applications. It's an intense field. my eyes popped out," says physics adviser 9 p.m.-Do homework. Sometimes I wonder if I'm up to it." Abraham Baumel. "If he doesn't wind up a 1 a.m.-Sleep. "On exam days, I may Nobel laureate, I'll be surprised." sleep an hour or two." U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 Vijay S. Pande Brian D. Conrad Weiva Yu Sieh Age: 17. Age: 17. Age: 17. School: Langley High School, School: Centereach High, School: Bronx High School McLean, Va. Centereach, N.Y. of Science. Project: "Dynamic Simulation of Project: "Inverted Continued Project: "Chronic Administration a Space-Based Laser Ballistic Missile Fractions: A New Representation of the Real of a Narcotic Antagonist Decreases Brain Defense" (a computer simulation of the Numbers" (a study in pure math aimed at Functional Activity in Rats" (neurology Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars). obtaining a new type of fraction). research involving naltrexone, a drug used Prize: $10,000. Prize: $10,000. for the prevention of drug readdiction). Family: Parents are Ph.D.'s working at the Parents: Divorced. Father teaches high- Prize: $10,000. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, school math in Roslyn, N.Y., 50 miles away. Family: Parents are natives of China who D.C. Father, born in India and educated at Brian lives with his mother, a former math moved to U.S. from Taiwan. Father is a naval Oxford, is a metallurgist. Mother, born in teacher and now a secretary at Brookhaven architect who studied at the University of Trinidad and educated at University of Laboratory. Twin brother, Keith, accepted at Michigan. Mother sells real estate. Brother, Belfast, is a chemist. Sister, 16, prefers Princeton, shares his interest in math but is 18, studies electrical engineering at MIT. nonscience courses. "There should be a pondering a medical career. Early science interest: From watching Westinghouse of the humanities for her." Parental influence: "When your father is "Nature," "Nova" and "National Early interest: "Mom brought home a phys- a math teacher, you're around it for a while. Geographic" on the PBS channel. ics set when I was in the third or fourth grade. I've always been interested in it. When I Parental role: "My father talked about My interest snow- drafted a paper for science in normal balled from there." my first math fair, in conversations. If Courses: Five ad- the eighth grade, the refrigerator vanced-placement Dad gave it back broke, he wouldn't classes-chemistry, with red ink all over call a repairman; biology, senior hu- it. Recently, Keith he'd ask me or my manities (a mix of and I wanted to brother to fix it." English and govern- take advanced Research: "I ment), drafting and calculus, and our called the neurolo- (on weekends) mul- school didn't offer gy departments of tivariable calculus. it. Dad teaches hospitals and uni- Class standing: such a course in versities in the Fourth. Perfect rec- Roslyn, and he Bronx and in Man- ord marred by a B+ gave us his notes." hattan and asked if in French in eighth grade. Wrote a computer Summers: "I attended summer math I could volunteer for research work and at program in 10th grade for conjugating French camps at Ohio State for two years. We did the same time get some coaching. That's verbs to try to improve his language skill. continued fractions the first year-the kind of how I got to work at the Albert Einstein Homework: "I have to finish it by 9:30 thing you don't encounter until sometime in College of Medicine. The first day I walked each night. My brain stops at about that time. college. We had a grueling class in number in, I had no idea what was going on. There For things like computers, I can go on. But for theory. Our job was to prove something were so many things in the laboratory, homework, the concentration fades." that's obvious-that there are no integers I couldn't identify half the equipment. But Leisure: Football. Computer graphics. between zero and 1. The program is mind the more you learn, the more you want to Songwriting. Plays piano, violin and synthesiz- boggling, but the results are wonderful. I'll go ask and the more you can ask. It's a er. "I try to write classical music. The strange back next summer as a counselor, making snowball effect." thing is that I like to play Chopin and Roman- $1,500. Beats serving hamburgers." Leisure: Ping-Pong. Guitar. Swimming. tic stuff, but what comes out when I write is Being smart: "In the first grade, you get Wind surfing. "I write for a biology journal, mostly Bach-type stuff-more mechanical. put in a group off in a corner, and the class and I coach novices on the debate team. I've also set up a system to write music on is told: 'These people will do the extra stuff.' Now that I've finished my project, life is a lot the computer-things like Bach inventions There are always people who call you more relaxed. I have more time to see plays and Chopin preludes. There's a lot you can names. The other day, a kid in the hall called and movies with my friends. Peter Schieffer's do with computers that's not the cold, hard me 'nerd.' But I don't associate with such play, 'The Public Eye,' is very funny. 'The number crunching you usually think of." people, and I'm never going to associate Princess Bride' was a very good movie. Favorite nonfiction: Douglas Hofstadter's with them. People I associate with are in the I liked the suspense in 'No Way Out.' Gödel, Escher, Bach. "I found it on my fa- honors group." Books: "I read a lot of philosophy for ther's bookshelf-this wonderful book on the Spare time: Ping-Pong. Juggling. Aerobic debating-John Stuart Mill on liberty, Plato relationship between math, computer sci- throwing. Watching baseball. Working on on the theory of justice, neat things about ence, music and art. I'm realizing now that school paper. "I used to watch TV, but then rights and society. I like all of Jane Austen my father and I really have similar interests." one day I realized it was mostly stupid." and Louisa May Alcott. I never liked science Fiction: Tom Clancy. "His descriptions of Favorite outside reading: The People's fiction-it's usually just horror-but recently the military are so real and accurate." Almanac. "Hundreds of pages filled I got into it. I read Dune, and it was amazing. Favorite scientist: "Sir Isaac Newton was with everything." The character sketches were incredible. My the greatest physicist, even greater than Ein- Favorite periodicals: College Math favorite nonfiction book lately: A Theory of stein. While Einstein could build upon the Journal, Math Magazine. Justice by John Rawls." work of many others, Newton singlehandedly Nonmath courses: "English classes are Favorite scientist: Leonardo da Vinci. discovered and proved many physical phe- very dull. I've always found literature a bit "He was a humanist as well as an inventor." nomena vital to our understanding of the contrived. I'm turned off from history College preference: Harvard. world today. He invented calculus to do it." because you have to memorize. Stuff stays Ambition: "I want to major in biophysics College preference: Cornell, Harvard, in my mind for math, but I can spend 7 hours and do basic research, probably in Princeton or Stanford, majoring in physics. studying for a history exam and 2 days later cardiology. I would like to help fight Career: Research physics. "I prefer forget everything." heart disease." research to teaching. Teachers are doing a College preference: Harvard. hard job and not getting much out of it." Goal: Mathematician, in a university or in industry. U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 HORIZONS Stacey Beaulieu Kurt M. Cuffey Brian C. Hooker Age: 17. Age: 18. Age: 17. School: Palm Beach Gardens School: State College Area School: Benjamin E. Mays High High, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Senior High, State College, Pa. School, Atlanta. Project: "Enhancement of Project: "Morphometric Analysis Project: "Development and Citrus and Dieffenbachia Canker Symp- of Glaciated Valleys" (a study of how Application of a Portable Device for Deter- tomatology by Xanthan Gum Interaction" glaciers changed the shape and size of mining Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide." (a study of canker diseases in citrus and valleys in Montana). Prize: $7,500. house plants). Prize: $7,500. Parent: "My mom has been divorced Prize: $7,500. Family: Grandfather is a retired astronomy since I was born; it's just been the two of us Family: Father is a structural engineer. professor who taught at New Mexico State. all these years." She has a Ph.D. in Mother is an artist. Brother, 14, is starting to Father is a paleontologist at Penn State. educational administration and works for compete in science fairs. "We're the classic Mother is an epidemiologist. Brother Clifford, Atlanta University Center's seminary. middle-class family: We sit around the table 20, a paleontology major at Penn State, was Early interest: "At 7, I got a chemistry set and talk about what we did during the day. My a Westinghouse winner two years ago. for ages 12 and up. It fascinated me." parents are always excited about what I do." Father was a winner in the '50s, as was an Courses: Advanced-placement classes in Early interest: "When I was little, I'd go aunt who now is an opera singer. English, computer science and chemistry; outside and look at bugs and dead snakes Early years: "Starting when I was 5, my also a typing class. and see how different they were. Everything father took us on his research trips out West Reading: "I was a Stephen King freak in is interesting once just about every the seventh and you look past the summer. We spent eighth grades. Fire- surface. I did little a lot of time looking starter got me start- science projects as at mountains and ed. Dead Zone was far back as kinder- valleys in California, thick. Pet Cemetery garten. In the eighth Colorado and New was good. King is grade, I went to a Mexico-things that bizarre. It's fasci- sea camp in the I'm interested in nating just how Florida Keys. I was scientifically." twisted some of the only girl who Classes: At high these things are he would go near the school, college- comes up with." shark pit." level English and College First triumph: "I chemistry, contem- preference: MIT or was forced to do a porary American Stanford, majoring major science project in the eighth grade, society; at Penn State, differential equations. in electrical engineering and taking courses and I came up with an awesome idea: Spare time: Riding mountain bike on in business. "I've been intrigued with the I cooled the inside of a model house, nearby trails. Math club. Knowledge Masters, business world ever since the recent stock- pumped water to the roof, cooled the attic the state's No. 1 scholastic team. Listening market crash." and then used convection properties to to classical music (mostly opera) and classic Goal: "Get out, work in the corporate pump it through the house. And I won. rock (mostly Beatles, Rolling Stones). world a bit, then go back and get my mas- I've competed in fairs ever since-an Latest disappointment: "I had tickets ter's in business. Then I'd like to climb the environmental project in the ninth grade, to see Placido Domingo do Verdi's 'Otello' corporate ladder in record time, be way up microbiology in the 10th and 11th, botany at the Met on the Saturday of the there by 30-a senior V.P. in something. By in the 12th." Westinghouse finals in Washington. 40, I want to have enough experience and Nonscience honor: Florida Spelling Bee Two great things in my life-and they had contacts to start my own engineering firm." champion. to happen at the same time!" Money: "I don't have to have a mansion Spare time: Cheerleading. Playing Reading: "All sorts of things-modern and 17 cars. I'll be happy with a decent basketball. Going to the beach. novels, Camus and Heller, books disproving house and a decent Porsche." Favorite books: Stephen King's It, John UFO sightings." Biggest fear: "I'm afraid of burning out, Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, National Favorite book: A biography of John Muir, running into something that will destroy that Geographic's Builders of the Ancient World. the naturalist. "You see how land has drive I have and turn me in an opposite College preference: Stanford. an inherent worth apart from its ability to direction. I feel stressed out already." Career goal: "I was going to be a marine help humans materially. It has a value as biologist. Then I saw how politically involved it stands." that would be, and I thought, 'Why go Biggest fear: "That a liberal environment Daily schedule: begging for grant money?' So I've decided to supporting science and free thought won't 6:30 a.m.-Wake up. be an ocean engineer. I want to do deep-sea last forever." 8 a.m.-Drive to school. "I bought my car research and design submarines." Biggest problem: "I get really tired. with $3,000 I've won in science fairs." No. 1 ambition: "Like Neil Armstrong was I catnap a lot. If I could change one thing, I'd 8:30 a.m.-Start classes. the first person to step on the moon, I want add 5 hours for being wide awake in the 3:15 p.m.-Finish classes. "Some days, I to be the first to step on the bottom of the middle of the day." practice soccer. Sometimes, I go to the sea without being enclosed in a submarine. College preference: Penn State. Georgia Tech lab." I want to figure a way to go to the bottom of Career goal: "We have two 7 p.m.-Go home. Dine with mother. the ocean and not be surrounded by paleontologists in the family, and that's Clean kitchen. "I also clean the house and anything. I want to walk freely, pick up things enough. I'm interested in a branch of wash clothes. Only thing I don't do is cook." off the bottom with my hand. I don't need geology known as geomorphology, the study 8 p.m.-Do homework. "Usually friends money; I just want fame and respect and of landscapes. It's an underrated field in start calling, and I'll ask Mom to say that I'm recognition." which people are just starting to break gone or can't come to the phone. If she Predictions: "Automobiles in future through. You use lots of chemistry, physics, takes care of the calls, I get my assignments centuries will be magnetically levitated from geology and statistics and blend them done quickly." roads. Diet pills will be nutritionally sound." together. And you get to spend summers in Midnight-Sleep. the wilderness." U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 WHIZ KIDS Meredith Albrecht IIIII Age: 17. School: Evanston Township High, Evanston, III. Project: "Effect of Geometric CHARLIE ARCHAMBAULT FOR USN&WR Variations in the Dispersed Phase on the Thermal Diffusivity of Composite Materials" (a study of changing temperature patterns). Prize: $7,500. Parents: Mother, a former nurse, introduced her to math workbooks before kindergarten. Father, an anesthesiologist, encourages her to work in his research lab. Siblings: Two older brothers-one a medical student, the other in premed. "When I was 2, we were driving along and my brothers were talking about future plans. One of them said: 'Meredith can't be a doctor. She'll have to be a nurse.' My dad pulled the car to the side of the road and said: 'She's going to be a doctor. If she wants to be a doctor, she will be a doctor.' SDI may work by 2040, Vijay says, but could cost tens of trillions Early years: Her first school was a Montessori pro- A VERDICT ON STAR WARS gram, which promot- ed independence and inquisitiveness. Vijay Pande's project may bomb at the White House, When she was 5 but it's a hit with the judges for Westinghouse years old, her father started to read the C.S. Lewis series He had been frustrated in the past talking to IBM physicist Richard Chronicles of Narnia and J. R. Tolkien's when science-fair judges weren't Garwin and military experts in the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, to her and her captivated by the elegance of his brothers after dinner. No TV was allowed on Washington area. Then he devised weekdays, a rule that's followed even now. entries. So for his Westinghouse proj- mathematical equations to describe She tapes her favorite shows-"MacGyver" ect, Vijay Pande picked a central ques- the laser weapons and missile boosters. and "The Equalizer"-and watches them on tion of science and politics: How many And he wrote 5,000 lines of code on his weekends. The family's Saturday dinners are satellites carrying laser weapons Compaq personal computer to simu- planned for 6 p.m. so that she can see would be needed to stop a Soviet ballis- late the missile battles, inventing in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation." tic-missile attack? "I felt I would have process his own coordinate system to Grades: "Our family works on a grade- a much easier time marketing SDI." locate each laser satellite and each reward system, with the pay depending on Vijay's findings aren't going to missile in space. "The missiles in the the level of difficulty and the level of the please backers of President Reagan's model," he says, "moved just as they class. You get $5 for an A in an advanced- Strategic Defense Initiative, but the would in real life." placement course. If you get a C in a regular course, you have money taken away. Gym Westinghouse judges liked his study The computer model matched 336 grades don't count. None of us ever did enough to make him a $10,000 winner. separate defense scenarios against 64 well in gym." His computer model showed that if different missile threats. "I tried each Grade average: 4.58 in a 4.0 system. low-powered experimental lasers ex- defense against each offense in every (Points above 4.0 are awarded for advanced- pected in the 1990s are deployed, an possible combination"-21,504 in all. placement courses.) Spends 6 to 7 hours a impractically large number of them— That was more than his personal com- night on homework. roughly 8,000-would be required to puter could handle, so he did the final Being smart: "You get yelled at for stop 2,400 Soviet missiles. That's be- breaking the chemistry grading curve." run on a more powerful minicomputer Spare time: Piano. Guitar. Ringing cause at any one time most of the at his summer workplace, the Naval handbells in choir. Soccer. Science fiction. lasers would be out of position. If Research Laboratory. Mystery novels. "But I can't abide lasers 10 times stronger could be devel- The project attracted far more at- Harlequin romances." oped to zap targets more quickly or tention than Vijay expected. When he College preference: Northwestern. from greater distances, only 200 would displayed it at the National Academy Research goals: "Nerves have an be needed. But such devices, Vijay of Sciences, a man walked up, intro- electrical field that can be modeled using says, "are a long way off-like 40 or 50 duced himself as a Soviet naval attaché physics. I want to explore how we can use years." And if each satellite will cost and asked for a copy of the computer electrical stimuli to help people walk and to $2 billion, as estimated, the price of a program. Vijay said no. He had told refine the technique used for paraplegics and then find out how to use it for missile-defense system could range the contest judges the same thing earli- quadraplegics. I would like to be an M.D. and "from hundreds of billions to tens of er. "I don't think anyone should get a maybe pick up a Ph.D. doing research and trillions of dollars." free ride by using my code." clinical work in bioengineering." Vijay prepared for the project by reading reams of SDI literature and by William J. Cook U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 WHIZ KIDS SCOTT Freshmen dissect a frog at Stuyvesant High. The New York school produced this year's No. 1 and No. 2 Westinghouse winners FORGET JAPAN, CATCH ROMANIA The two announcements oc- The U.S. boasts some of Deficiencies in science education curred the same day in the the best high schools in the start earlier than high school. The best nation's capital. One was the world for science and math students in the upper grades are usually awarding of scholarships to those who have been stimulated in sci- the top 10 students in the Westinghouse education, so why isn't their ence at early ages. But, according to a Science Talent Search. The other-de- example being followed? recent study by North Carolina's Re- livered with much less fanfare-was a search Triangle Institute, only 1 in 3 report from the National Science Foun- grade-school science teachers has taken dation measuring educational achieve- ment around the world. In knowledge of chemistry, American 12th graders SCOTT THODE-USN&WR a college chemistry course, and only 1 in 5 has had college physics. The same survey looked at junior placed 11th on a 13-country list. In high schools. Ten years ago, 3 of every 5 biology, they finished dead last. junior-high science teachers taught stu- Chetan Nayak, the top Westinghouse dents by using hands-on experiments in winner this year, isn't surprised. "When laboratories. In this decade, only 43 it comes to science education, the Unit- percent have used lab work. It's not that ed States is practically a Third World teachers prefer textbooks to lab work; country," he says. "Most high-school the problem is that they don't have students in America get one or two years enough lab equipment to do the work, of science at the most. In other coun- says researcher Iris Weiss. "You cannot tries, like Romania, kids are expected to do hands-on science in a sterile room." take six or seven years of science." Glenn Seaborg, Nobel laureate and Making matters worse Westinghouse judge, agrees that most State legislatures are slowly recogniz- U.S. teenagers are ill-prepared for the ing the need for better science and math technological demands of the coming training. But Mary Budd Rowe, presi- century. A lack of qualified science and dent of the National Science Teachers math teachers is much to blame. "We Association, argues that their "cures" have a growing need for scientists, engi- not only are falling short but in many neers and an educated work force," says Biology laboratory at Bronx High School cases are making things worse. Several Seaborg. It will take a Sputnik-like ini- of Science. Nationwide, educators states have added science requirements tiative, he argues, to fill the gap. complain that lab classes are waning on top of the standard curriculum- U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 WHIZ KIDS with the effect that all subjects are cov- top math students eat lunch each day ered in less time. "They don't provide in a special mathematics dining room, time for lab work," says Rowe. "Lab discussing one project, then another. work is what makes science powerful. "This is usually pure math," says The whole beauty of science-to uncov- teacher Sherrill Mirsky. "You can go er patterns-is out the window." through four years of college math and JOHN BOWDEN FOR USN&WR Another effort that's backfiring, never do the kind of independent proj- Rowe says, is the nation's passion for ects that these students do." testing. Many companies that produce Stuyvesant teachers encourage in- science textbooks, she contends, pore coming freshmen and sophomores to over the competence exams of states take special double-period courses 5CO + 120 across the country and try to make their stressing research. Juniors who want to texts fit them all. "Your book turns out compete for a Westinghouse are remind- to be a glossary. It has no theme." ed that a year or more of serious work on The two schools that do best in the their own time is what it will take. That Westinghouse Science Talent Search— work usually includes several months of Bronx High School of Science and Stuy- afternoon and weekend sessions with a vesant High in Manhattan-don't have professional researcher at one of New the problems that plague the average York's many laboratories-work that school. For starters, their students are the teachers often help set up. "We point motivated-40 percent are of Asian de- to the door," says Baumel. "We open the scent-and feel lucky to be there. "We door, and then we get out of the way." test 12,000 kids each year and take When time comes for a term paper on a Brian's gauge measures pollution 800," says Stuyvesant Principal Abra- project-in the spring of the student's ham Baumel. "It's harder to get into junior year-the teacher looks for the THE KID WHO than Harvard." The result is "the most kind of effort that would earn a master's select student body in the world. They degree at many universities. NEVER QUIT achieve in everything." Science teachers at Stuyvesant and Test tubes vs. boob tubes It's taken a while, but Brian Hook- Bronx High as well as at several neigh- The problems of American educa- er is getting used to being what he borhood schools in New York approach tion, of course, aren't just in the schools. calls "the poster boy for the Atlan- science achievement-and the Westing- Bronx High Principal Milton Kopel- ta public-school system." house search-the way most high- man shakes his head in dismay at mil- Yes, the Westinghouse winner school coaches gear up for state basket- lions of young people spending their says, those stories about young ball tournaments. The goal in New hours being entertained by television. blacks resenting the successes of York is to create a culture of science. "They expect schools to provide that achieving blacks are true. "I got a "You make doing a science project as same sort of entertainment." lot of flak from my peers for doing culturally acceptable as playing basket- Yet even students who try to get well. But instead of letting it hold ball," says Carol Greene, a biology ahead in science are falling short by me back, I doubled, tripled, qua- teacher at Bronx High. "Here you can international standards. An American drupled what I was doing then do a project without thinking that teenager can take four years of science into what I'm doing now." Those you've joined the ranks of the nerds." and still wind up with only one third of activities range from heading the Another tactic is to put bright the class hours put in by the average soccer team to winning an array youngsters together as much as possi- high-school graduate in Japan. of science awards. (He's the fifth ble and let the ideas fly. Bronx High's American schools don't have enough black in 47 years to get a Westing- science teachers to match that effort. house scholarship.) But educators say the federal govern- Brian is by no means the only TRAINING CAMPS ment could help end the shortage by gifted student at Benjamin E. providing more money for teaching fel- Mays High School. Most of the High schools with most Westinghouse winners, 1942-88 lowships and summer training insti- 1,400 pupils-all but two of tutes. In its early years, the Reagan them black-are from the neigh- Bronx High of Science (New York) 107 administration cut such spending by 73 borhood. But 400 of them, in- Stuyvesant High (New York) 65 percent. "Almost overnight, we had a cluding Brian, are in a science- Forest Hills High (New York) 42 shutdown-a bit like the Gang of Four and-math program that lures problem in China," says Rowe. Count- achievers from miles around. Erasmus Hall High (New York) 31 ing inflation, it was not until this year At first, students in the mag- Evanston Township High (Chicago) 27 that the science-education budget got net academy, established in 1981, Benjamin N. Cardozo High (New York) 25 back to the level of 1980. had trouble being accepted by Midwood High (New York) 20 Glenn Seaborg fears that public sup- the neighborhood kids. But over port for science will continue to fall far time, says Principal Rubye Jamaica High (New York) 19 short of the kind of investment that McClendon, "the academy stu- Martin Van Buren High (New York) 15 occurred a generation ago in the wake dents brought recognition to Abraham Lincoln High (New York) 11 of the Soviet Sputnik challenge. "At Mays, and support within the Central High (Philadelphia) 11 that time, science was considered a ne- school grew." Now, they get cessity from a national-security point of along fine. If they didn't, Brian Brooklyn Technical High (New York) 11 view," notes Seaborg. "Now, it's seen Hooker would not have been USN&WR-Basic data: Science Service as an economic necessity. That isn't as elected student-body president. easy to sell." U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 HORIZONS Conversation with Roald Hoffman: From refugee to whiz kid to Nobel laureate 'TAKE THE CHAUCER' It was in 1943 or '44. We were addictive research can be: The natural living in a schoolhouse attic in high of solving problems in science is so Poland, hiding from the Ger- great that you must watch yourself lest mans. That's when my mother you be consumed by it. A scientist is a says my interest in science first began. I partial human being if he's just a scien- don't remember it, but she recalls read- tist. Scientists tend to go for determinis- ing me some books about electrons when tic, reductionist viewpoints of how the I was 6 or 7. What I do remember were world around them operates. Fortunate- two books I read after the war when we ly, most of us are not stuck in science 24 were in refugee camps in Germany. One hours. Normal human emotions-love, was a biography of Marie Curie by her money, power-enter our lives, divert- daughter Eve. The other was an inspiring ing us enough to humanize us. children's book on the life of the great applied chemist George Washington "The first and best opportunity" Carver. So the role models for me-a For me, the world opened up at Colum- white kid from Poland-were a woman bia. There was an excellent core curricu- in France and a black man in America. lum, and I took a great-books course- The instability around us at the time 100 books in one year, all the Greek was incredible-first the war, then five plays. From one course in Japanese liter- years as refugees, then a new country ature came a lifelong interest in Japanese and a new language. But I felt very culture. Mark Van Doren taught me how stable at home with much support and to read a poem. I took Howard McParlin love; there was a lot of praise for good Davis's course in Italian Renaissance art performance in school. My mother and and almost became an art-history major. my stepfather didn't allow me to help around the To today's science students, I would say this: "Sure, house-they wanted me to have more time to study. push ahead in science as much as you can. But in Stuyvesant High School, then and now college, you have the first and best opportunity to ab- sorb the great ideas of civilization-the literature, the When we came to America, I was well ahead of kids philosophy, the art, the music-without which we can- here because of what I learned in Europe. I had algebra not be complete human beings. Don't let yourself be in Germany in the sixth grade; I didn't hit algebra in captured just by science. The world is there to be per- New York until the eighth grade. At Stuyvesant High, I ceived. If you can fulfill an English requirement by encountered an incredible group of young people. In reading Chaucer or by reading science fiction, for God's fact, that run-down building held the largest concentra- sake, take the Chaucer." tion of intellectual talent I ever experienced, including Must one go to an elite high school to be a good college at Columbia and graduate school at Harvard. scientist? No, not at all. My colleagues, the great chem- I went back to a Stuyvesant ists at Cornell, are from a cross graduation not long ago, and section of America, small rural there was a different bunch of ish immigrants, first or second SCIENCE SERVICE, INC. high schools and the elite. Ameri- kids. In my day, most were Jew- can education offers incredible opportunities and flexibilities. generation. Now, nearly half What we look for in a high- seemed to be Asian Americans. school graduate is not advanced But it was just like the old Stuyve- knowledge of chemistry but the sant: A normal teenage environ- basics: Mathematics, writing abil- ment with horseplay and joking ity, foreign-language knowledge. but intellectually very competi- The science we can teach. tive. I'll tell you, when someone Every citizen, whether in sci- asks what America should do to ence or not, ought to know chemis- keep up the flow of sciences for try, physics and biology at some industry and universities, the an- level. People should have the right swer is obvious. It's in the faces of to decide technical questions; with the kids: Liberalize the immigra- that right comes a responsibility to tion laws. If we open our doors, learn enough science to be able to we will never have trouble getting judge the basic issues. Science is an scientists and doctors. essential part of our culture. To Through the Westinghouse deal with the complicated, techno- Talent Search, I got my first job in DWIGHT EISENHOWER and young Hoffman, logical world of tomorrow, one science, a summer job at the Na- bottom left, in 1955 Westinghouse finals. needs the lessons of both science tional Bureau of Standards that Now at Cornell, Hoffman won the 1981 Nobel and the humanities. introduced me to the joys of re- Prize for chemistry. He recently wrote a book search. In fact, I saw just how of poems, The Metamict State Conversation with Lew Lord U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 14, 1988 FINDING TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS Westinghouse Electric Corporation has been pleased to sponsor the Science Talent Search since its beginning in 1942. The competition was begun in response to a national concern that U.S. technology lagged behind other nations in those World War II years. Westinghouse and Science Service, which administers the program, sought a mechanism to encourage young scien- tists. Out of that concern emerged the Science Talent Search. The enormous success of STS is reflected in these pages. Over the past 47 years, the program has enriched lives of thousands of young Americans who have participated. Hundreds of these students have reported that their participation in STS enabled them to get into the colleges of their choice. The strength and vitality of the program obviously come from the steady flow of brilliant, inquisitive, challenging youngsters who want to improve the world through science. These young people exemplify a dedication to excellence that is heartwarming. They're committed to doing their best. And that's good news for all America. They demonstrate a pride in themselves, a desire to excel and a recognition of the part that teamwork plays in their research. We-all of us-have a huge stake in our children's future and the future of our nation. I salute these remarkable young scientists for their accomplishments. And I also salute U.S. News & World Report for bringing Science Talent Search to the attention of its readers. John C. Marous Chairman Westinghouse Electric Corporation W Westinghouse Copyright © 1988, by U.S.News & World Report, 2400 N Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037-1196. All rights reserved. FOR USE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 1991 THE 50TH ANNUAL STS SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH 1991 FINALISTS EDITORS, NOTE THE FOLLOWING: PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO CONTACT WINNERS, THEIR FAMILIES OR SCHOOLS BEFORE NOON, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, when they will be told of their selection. The announcement date is January 25, 1991. The biographies are listed alphabetically by state and hometown of the winners. The 40 high school seniors listed in this booklet will come to Washington, D.C., for final judging February 28 to March 4, 1991, and will share $205,000 in Westinghouse scholarships on March 4. GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX State & Home Town Page State & Home Town Page ALABAMA NEW YORK Mobile 1 Armonk 10 Vestavia Hills 1 Bayside 10 Douglaston 11 CALIFORNIA Elmhurst 11 Fair Oaks 2 Flushing 12 Riverside 2 Jackson Heights 12 San Dimas 3 New York 13 New York 13 COLORADO New York 14 Thornton 3 New York 14 South Ozone Park 15 CONNECTICUT Stony Brook 15 Cos Cob 4 Woodhaven 16 Woodside 16 FLORIDA Vero Beach 4 ILLINOIS NORTH CAROLINA Evanston 5 Charlotte 17 Naperville 5 IOWA Ames 6 OHIO Bellbrook 17 MARYLAND Chevy Chase 6 MICHIGAN PENNSYLVANIA Troy 7 Pittsburgh 18 NEBRASKA Omaha 7 TEXAS Spring 18 NEW JERSEY Bridgewater 8 Fair Lawn 8 VIRGINIA Mountain Lakes 9 Burke 19 Manassas 19 NEW MEXICO Springfield 20 Santa Fe 9 Vienna 20 1 ALABAMA Mehul Vipul Mankad, 17, of 5724 Vendome Drive S., MOBILE, investigated both DNA and protein synthesis in malignant cells for the Science Talent Search in work carried out at the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. Mehul believes that his work on these biological mechanisms will be useful in understanding gene expression, which in time will be helpful in the design of treatments for genetic diseases and cancers. A senior at St. Paul's Episcopal School, Mehul has won 21 science fair awards in local, national and inter- national competitions. His interests include music, studio art and photography. He is chairman of the Panamanian delegation at the Model United Nations in Mobile and performed extensive volunteer work in the 1990 Alabama gubernatorial campaign. Mehul plans to attend Northwestern University to prepare for a research and academic career in medicine. His parents are Drs. Vipul and Aparna Mankad. ALABAMA Weily Soong, 18, of 2355 Tyrol Place, VESTAVIA HILLS, selected a project in molecular biology for the Science Talent Search. He investigated the genetic requirements for the efficient assembly and transport of the protein coat, or capsid, of the Mason-Pfizer monkey virus. Through genetic engineering of three gene regions that encode proteins found in the capsid of the virus, Weily was able to analyze the role of each in the assembly process. He found that only one gene region needed to be expressed for capsids to assemble, but that this process and their transport were inefficient. A senior at Vestavia Hills High School, Weily is active in the school's math club, student government and tennis. He has numerous math awards and has been recognized for outstanding literary and language accomplishments. He plans to study at Emory University, with the goal of becoming a medical scientist. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Seng-jaw Soong. 2 CALIFORNIA Rageshree Ramachandran, 15, of 8541 Dominique Court, FAIR OAKS, performed computer-intensive research on the adequacy of a proposed numerical model of the oceanic and atmospheric phenomena known as the El Nino-- Southern Oscillation (ENSO) for her Science Talent Search project. ENSO is the earth's most significant interannual climate variation, with considerable eco- nomic impact. It includes abnormal surface warmth, trade and wind shifts, torrential coastal rains, fish scarcity and death of seabirds. Through the creation of computer codes for implementing the simple chaotic model and use of live data collected at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Raga believes she has established the model's adequacy for further ENSO studies. Born in Madras, India, Raga is first in her class of 313 at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento. She placed first in combined score in the verbal and math sections of the SAT for the Western Region and was the 1988 National Spelling Bee champion. The daughter of Drs. Doraiswamy and Geetha Ramachandran, Raga plans to study engineering biology at Princeton. CALIFORNIA Wei-Jen Jerry Shan, 17, of 5411 Osburn Place, RIVERSIDE, entered the Science Talent Search with a project inspired by the airplane designs of Burt Rutan, who built the first airplane to circle the earth nonstop. Jerry, while still an eighth grader, became curious about the plane's small, nearly vertical wingtip extensions called winglets, used to reduce drag. Using a homemade water tunnel to collect data, he developed an equation that he believes can be used to optimize winglet length for maximum aerodynamic effi- ciency. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Jerry is first in his class of 315 at John W. North High School, where he has won awards and medals in science, math, economics, writing, speech, history and photography. He has also been active in the community drama/music group and played junior varsity tennis. Son of Mr. Guang-Yih Shan and Ms. Lo-Chung Chang, Jerry plans to study mechanical or aeronautical engineering at California Institute of Technology. 3 CALIFORNIA Tessa Lorrell Walters, 16, of 2244 Calle Margarita, SAN DIMAS, entered a biochemistry project in the Science Talent Search. Recognizing that the development of inhibitors of biologically important enzymes represents a fruitful area for the design of safe, effective drugs, Tessa decided to look for inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme because of their probable importance as a hypertensive agent. Her studies involved the synthesis of such inhibitors found in snake venom, as well as the design of novel struc- tures with greatly increased inhibitory action and, finally, the confirmation of the inhibitors' antihyper- tensive activity. First in a class of 736 and class vice-president at San Gabriel High School, Tessa has won many top science honors and awards. She is president of the school's science and math club. Her other interests include debate, jazz violin, volleyball and painting. She plans to attend Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges to study chemistry and astrophysics or geophysics. Her parents are Mr. and Mrs. George T. Walters. COLORADO Mark Allen Larson, 17, of 4224 E. 126th Avenue, THORNTON, designed and built an optical neural network computer for the Science Talent Search. By using fiber optics, he planned a neural connectionist- type computer that would be lighter and less costly but equal in performance to a free-space optics model currently working at the University of Colorado. Mark believes that this has been achieved: his computer correctly sorts all patterns out of a 16-pattern set; it can be reprogrammed easily; it is portable; and he estimates it to cost less than the computer at the University. Mark's many local, state, national and international science and engineering honors include awards from NASA, the American Meteorological Society, and the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps. After graduation from Horizon High School in Brighton, Mark plans to study electrical engineering at the University of Colorado, and pursue a career as an opto-electrical engineer. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Allen L. Larson. 4 CONNECTICUT Don H. Kim, 18, of 15 Sundance Drive, COS COB, chose a physics project for the Science Talent Search, devising a novel method for determining the viscosities of liquids. His method involves the measurement of displacement and period for a liquid set into oscil- lation in a specially designed U-tube, and the substitu- tion of these values in an equation Don constructed for the project. Don found that the mathematical model described the motion of the liquid reasonably well, but that the range of viscosities that a U-tube can measure is rather narrow. Nonetheless, he believes the method as tested can provide new insights into the nature of such oscillations and fluid flow. Born in Taegu, South Korea, Don leads his class of 503 at Greenwich High School. He was a member of the 1990 U.S. Physics Olympiad team and won first place in the state Junior Engineering Technical Society competition. Don is interested in music, drawing, painting and metalworking. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Chul Kim, he plans to study physics at Princeton. FLORIDA Clifford Lee Wang, 16, of 515 Date Palm Road, VERO BEACH, conducted a study in biochemistry for the Science Talent Search, leading him to propose that seaweed can be grown in the ocean to remove metal pollutants and then harvested as a potent biomass for methane generation, cleaning the environment and producing energy at the same time. Clifford used seaweed he cultivated in the family garage to absorb trace metals. His experiments showed the metals served as biocatalysts, enhancing methane production from the seaweed. He did some of the highly technical analyses at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Ft. Pierce; he performed other lab tests at his school, Vero Beach High School. Recipient of many first-place awards and dozens of other honors for science, academic games, art, photography, cross-country and tennis, Clifford is also an accomplished pianist, community volunteer and participant in a variety of school groups, including Masterminds, the Latin club and the varsity debate team. Son of Dr. and Mrs. Tsen Wang, he plans to study bioengineering at Harvard or Duke. 5 ILLINOIS Joseph Izak Seeger, 17, of 1521 Greenleaf, EVANSTON, conducted a physics experiment for the Science Talent Search to determine what effects common heat sinks -- such as supports, temperature sensors and convection -- have on measurements of thermal dif- fusivity as determined by the widely used "flash method." Through both laboratory setup and computer simulation, Joe found that these heat sinks, rarely considered in the literature, do affect thermal dif- fusivity and that such factors as the material used for sample supports and their positioning are important. He suggests that more computer simulations are needed to determine optimum conditions for laboratory apparatus when the flash method is used. A senior at Evanston Township High School, Joe is active in the science club, bicycle club and theater. He has won a number of awards, including one for French, a language he reads readily. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Greg Seeger, Joe plans to major in mechanical engineering at Princeton. ILLINOIS Irwin Lee, 16, of 1006 Dakota Circle, NAPERVILLE, for his Science Talent Search project, studied the acoustic properties of an electrorheological fluid, one that increases its viscosity and varies its absorption of sound according to frequency when an electric field is applied. Irwin believes that the acoustic properties have many potential uses that have been overlooked because of more obvious mechanical applications. An "intelligent" acoustic damper that could selectively absorb low-frequency machinery noise is one example. Using special equipment he designed to study these properties, he showed that the increase in viscosity was possibly caused by a temporary molecular structure, and that sound attenuation was due to scattering effects around this structure. A senior at Naperville North High School, Irwin is active in the school's science, math and engineering clubs. He holds a number of science awards and lists as hobbies aircraft modeling, electronics and ham radio. Son of Dr. and Mrs. Frank Lee, Irwin plans to major in aerospace engineering at MIT. 6 IOWA Nupur Ghoshal, 17, of 1310 Glendale Avenue, AMES, entered a genetics project carried out at Iowa State University in the Science Talent Search. Nupur showed that variations in proteinase inhibitors, a type of protein found in plants, produced corresponding variations in electrical activity. This discovery, along with the new apparatus she designed for the purpose, provided an inexpensive, quick and accurate test for Proteinase Inhibitor II in plants, assisting studies of its use to make plants pest-resistant. A senior at Ames High School, Nupur has edited its literary magazine, directed the speech club, chaired the Amnesty International chapter and helped produce the school's TV show. Known for her curiosity, she once researched a theory that the Loch Ness Monster was a herd of dinosaurs. Besides her many academic and civic awards and honors, she is a pianist, singer and ballet performer. Daughter of Dr. and Mrs. N. G. Ghoshal, Nupur plans to attend Northwestern University to study for a career in genetics. MARYLAND Joel Ellis Moore, 17, of 3804 Leland Street, CHEVY CHASE, combined his knowledge of physics and computers for his Science Talent Search project. He created a computer simulation of molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), a technique for growing thin semiconductor films used in microelectronic circuitry. Joel used the Monte Carlo method of simulation to approximate growth uniformity of MBE under a variety of conditions; he found that his model gave results very close to experi- mental measurements. His research was done at the Very- Large-Scale Integrated Circuit computer facility at the University of California, San Diego. Since the fifth grade, Joel has been cited for achievements in math and computer science. A National Merit Semifinalist, he has also been honored for achievement in Latin and Japanese. At St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., he is captain of the "It's Academic" team and tied for the lead in the Maryland Math League. Photography, kayaking and skiing are among his hobbies. Son of Mr. and Mrs. William S. Moore, Joel hopes to major in physics or biology at Princeton. 7 MICHIGAN Lori Ann Stec, 18, of 95 Braemar Drive, TROY, entered the Science Talent Search with a botany project that involved seven years of research. She collected over 10,000 goldenrods and made over 100,000 measure- ments to identify factors affecting the formation by three insect species of different stem gall systems (tumor-like growths). Using procedures that included chromatography and scanning electron microscopy, Lori processed both galled and ungalled plants for fluid, conductivity, pH and tissue studies. She believes her work provides models for the relationships between gall insects and their host plants as well as assisting in the general understanding of the relationships between plant and animal cells. A senior at the Detroit Country Day School in Birmingham, Lori won four first-prizes, including a $10,000 U.S. Navy scholarship, at the 1990 International Science and Engineering Fair. She has also been recognized for proficiency in piano and cello. Active in school and community organizations, Lori plans to study medicine at the University of Michigan. Her parents are Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Stec. NEBRASKA Kimberly Ann Chapman, 18, of 3631 S. 116th Avenue, OMAHA, completed a project in biochemistry for the Science Talent Search, comparing the binding of benzo [a]pyrene, a known carcinogen produced by organic combustion, to DNA by two activation mechanisms. She compared the bands produced in gel electrophoresis after DNA was cut by two restriction enzymes, BstE II and Hind III. Restriction enzymes cut DNA at a specific sequence, but Kim found the presence of BP activated by either mechanism inhibits the cutting of specific sequences and aids the cutting at other locations. First in a class of 119 at Marian High School, Kim conducted her research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has won many science and academic awards, four letters in cross-country and three each in swimming and track. Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis T. Chapman, Kim plans to major in biochemistry at Northwestern University. 8 NEW JERSEY Stanley Lu, 17, of 577 Cabot Hill Road, BRIDGEWATER, selected a microbiology project for the Science Talent Search. Stanley's objective was to determine whether tetracycline, a popular antibiotic, enclosed in liposomes, or "bags of fat," would be superior to non-enclosed tetracycline in bacterial- inhibiting capability. He found that the growth- inhibiting efficacy of liposome-encapsulated tetra- cycline is indeed better. Stanley suggests that membrane-to-membrane contact caused by the liposomal encapsulation may be responsible for the improved efficacy, but he feels more experimentation is neces- sary. A senior at Bridgewater-Raritan High School West in Raritan, Stanley is active in science and math clubs, the Junior Academy of Science, Chinese Culture Club, music and sports. A winner of a number of academic honors, he lists as hobbies tennis, basketball, soccer and piano. Son of Dr. and Mrs. Wen-tong Peter Lu, Stanley plans to study biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. NEW JERSEY Denis Alexandrovich Lazarev, 17, of 3623 Gardenview Terrace, FAIR LAWN, completed a project in molecular genetics for the Science Talent Search. Denis analyzed the effect of a recently discovered regulatory protein, called ASF, on RNA splicing. Denis believes his research shows that ASF binds directly to pre-mRNA and changes the binding patterns of other proteins during in vitro splicing reactions, which play an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Denis, who was born in Kiev in the U.S.S.R., moved to the U.S. only two years ago. A member of the National Honor Society, he attends Elmwood Park Memorial Junior- Senior High School, where he plays soccer and writes for the school newspaper. His hobbies include 19th Century art, literature, the study of religion, Eastern medicine and tennis. He plans to study biology at Johns Hopkins University for a career in research. Denis is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Lazarev. 9 NEW JERSEY Dean Ramsey Chung, 16, of 60 Pocono Road, MOUNTAIN LAKES, selected a math project in combinatorial geometry for the Science Talent Search. He investigated "graceful" and "non-graceful" geometric configurations. A graceful configuration is a property of lines in a plane whose adjacent regions are numbered such that their values form a consecutive set of numbers and such that the difference of the two numbers of adjacent regions bordering one of the lines is the same as that for all such adjacent regions along that line. During his investigation, Dean developed an elaborate proof to show there are non-graceful configurations and con- structed several families of them. First in his class of 88 at Mountain Lakes High School, Dean is a member of the math club, plays the clarinet, and participates in cross-country, track and field. He finished first in the USA Math Talent Search, among other accomplishments. He hopes to enter Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges to pursue pre-med studies. His parents are Drs. Tsung-Jen and Fan-Rong K. Chung. NEW MEXICO Cameron Rea Haight, 17, of 720 Gonzales Road, SANTA FE, entered his work in fluid dynamics in the Science Talent Search. Cameron's studies of experi- mental turbulence using k-Epsilon transport equations led him to conclusions on turbulence structure and on mechanisms that produce large values for turbulence energy that, he believes, may prove useful in applica- tions as varied as artificial heart design, submarine detection, aerodynamic and combustion efficiency and nuclear fusion. Part of his work was done at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. At Santa Fe High School, Cameron is editor of the newspaper and a member of the National Honor Society. He is a top-ranked debater and recipient of many awards in academic competitions, including first place in physics at the 1990 Inter- national Science and Engineering Fair. He enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, skiing and other outdoor sports and is active in his church youth group. Son of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Haight, Cameron plans to study physics at Princeton in preparation for a research career in physics. 10 NEW YORK Cheryl Lynn Pederson, 18, of 14 Perry Court, ARMONK, submitted a project in psychology for the Science Talent Search. Cheryl designed a series of data tables that would furnish insights into differences between male and female play choice, themes of play and attempted entries into other sex-typed activities. For a period of 11 months she gathered data by observing the activities and interactions of preschool children at nursery schools. She found that a play area containing wood blocks was male-dominated while an area for housekeeping play was female-dominated. In both areas, boys exhibited more aggression than girls for entry as well as play. Acceptance depended upon the play area, with boys being more accepting in the block-building area and girls in the housekeeping area. A lifeguard and volunteer at an elementary school, Cheryl is active at Byram Hills High School in the science, debate and assembly clubs. She has also gained two varsity letters for both tennis and soccer. Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Pederson, Cheryl hopes to major in psychology at Lehigh University. NEW YORK Ciamac Moallemi, 15, of 69-07 226th Street, BAYSIDE, developed a neural-network-based computer system for the Science Talent Search. The system's pattern recognition capabilities are used to determine from microscopic images which voided urine cells are suitable for further cancer diagnosis. He suggests that the system's accuracy and speed of cell classification will greatly enhance computer diagnosis of bladder cancer. He believes it could also serve to select images of cells useful for manual diagnosis, eliminating the need for the physician to use a microscope to search a slide for useful cells. At Benjamin Cardozo High School, Ciamac is captain of the math team and on the editorial staffs of the math and literary publications. He has been awarded gold and silver medals at the N.Y.C. Math Fair. Ciamac plans to study electrical engineering or computer science at MIT in the fall. Born in Iran, Ciamac's parents are Dr. M. Karim Moallemi and Dr. M. Azur Tadayyoni. 11 NEW YORK Nuri Mehmet Kodaman, 17, of 225 Park Lane, DOUGLASTON, in a biology project for the Science Talent Search, studied why, as a Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm) larva approaches the next stage, its labial (salivary) glands are destroyed. This phenomenon known as programmed cell death -- is extensively incorporated by living systems, but not well understood. In a laboratory at St. John's University, Nuri analyzed M. sexta to learn how and where cell death begins and whether it is caused by DNA degradation. He concluded that programmed cell death lies in protein loss and not in the destruction of the nuclei. He suggests, contrary to popular view, that the release of an endonuclease (an enzyme) is not a universal component of programmed cell death, but only present in special cases. At Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, Nuri is valedictorian and on the debate, varsity soccer and intramural basketball teams. Nuri has numerous awards in science, mathematics, engineering, Latin and writing. Son of Mrs. Nermin Kodaman and the late Dr. Hilmi I. Kodaman, he plans to study engineering and science at Harvard. NEW YORK Debby Ann Lin, 17, of 41-39 Forley Street, ELMHURST, selected virology for her Science Talent Search project - - identification of an evolutionary relationship between two virus groups. She determined the sequence of the second largest RNA segment of a virus transmitted by the tick (Dhori/India/1313/61) and then compared this RNA sequence with known protein sequences of influenza A, B, and C viruses. Her computer analysis showed significant similarity between the Dhori and influenza virus proteins. In addition to an evolutionary relationship, Debby believes her results will contribute to a better understanding of the replication mechanisms of this unusual group of tick- borne viruses. Debby did her laboratory work at The Mount Sinai Medical Center; she will co-author a scientific paper on the work. A National Honor Society member, she attends Stuyvesant High School in New York City. Debby plans to study biology at MIT and pursue a career as a surgeon. She is the daughter of Mr. Tzu- Huei Lin and the late Marlene Lin. 12 NEW YORK Linda Tae-Ryung Kang, 17, of 35-70 168th Street, FLUSHING, investigated "Catalytic Reactions Between Alkyl Iodides and Copper Surfaces" for her surface chemistry entry in the Science Talent Search. She examined the Fischer-Tropsch process, a non-petro- leum fuel production alternative that uses coal and natural gas and for which a surface serves as catalyst. Her work advanced knowledge of the chemical reactions that comprise the process. In her research, carried out at the Columbia University Surface Chemistry Laboratory, Linda had to master use of an ultrahigh vacuum system equipped with mass spectrometry and electron spectro- scopes. Among her honors are National Merit Semi- finalist, Maxima Cum Laude in the National Latin Exam and NASA Space Science Student Involvement Program re- gional winner. She has also received awards for debate, piano playing and community service. At Stuyvesant High School, Linda is on the math, speech and fencing teams and is cheerleader captain. Daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Yeong Sun Kang, she hopes to attend Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges to continue her chemistry studies. NEW YORK Jim Way Cheung, 17, of 32-38 78th Street, JACKSON HEIGHTS, selected a problem in classical number theory for the Science Talent Search. He investigated the properties of continued fractions over the system of Eisenstein integers. Jim designed a computer program to test the convergent approximations that he had hypothe- sized. He then repeated this process of hypothesizing and testing until he verified the hypothesis. Jim also introduced a construction to provide a geometrical representation of the convergent expressions and a more intuitive way of looking at continued fractions. He has enriched his study of mathematics during the past three summers at Ohio State University's Mathematics Program. At the Bronx High School of Science, Jim has won a number of science and math fair competitions and also enjoys music, computer programming, classic literature, sports and bridge. Son of Mr. and Mrs. John Ng Cheung, he plans to study math and biochemistry at Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges leading to a career in scientific research. 13 NEW YORK Tara Sophia Bahna-James, 17, of 25 Montgomery Street, NEW YORK, explored the relationship between mathematics and music for her social science entry in the Science Talent Search. Her goal was to see if musically talented students have basic math under- standings which might be used to improve both achieve- ment and interest in math. After analyzing the results of a questionnaire given to 124 music students, Tara found that talents for certain areas in music theory matched with talents for topics in math related to those areas. However, she noted that these students tended to underestimate their math performance. Tara suggests that this may be because they view math as non-creative, sterile and remote from their lives. She concludes that teaching the relationship of mathematics to music might make math more enjoyable and easier for music students. The recipient of many academic, music and sports awards, Tara attends LaGuardia High School of Music and the Arts. Daughter of Carol Lee Bahna and Felder Randolph James, she hopes to study cognitive science at Yale. NEW YORK William Ching, 17, of 650 W. 171 Street, NEW YORK, chose a project in neurobiology for the Science Talent Search. In his optic nerve research at the Neurosurgical Research Laboratory, New York University Medical Center, William's results indicated the presence in the optic nerve of a certain chemical receptor, known as GABA-B. His extensive search of the scientific literature found no references to such a discovery. His work further showed that a related chemical, baclofen, may be an effective treatment for spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. First in his class of 112 at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, William has been cited for excellence in science, mathematics, Greek, Spanish and history. Captain of his school's fencing team, his hobbies include computer programming and critical literary analysis. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Kok Poi Ching, he plans to study at Yale University leading to a career in medical research. 14 NEW YORK Petal Pearl Haynes, 18, of 89-30 164 Street, NEW YORK, selected a project in gerontology for the Science Talent Search -- an investigation of the correlation between friendships and morale among nursing home residents. She developed a questionnaire to identify friendships that residents shared with other residents, staff members and family outside the institu- tion. She used the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale to measure morale. Her results showed no correla- tion, and she suggests that they support earlier studies on the social structure of nursing homes. One study, which Petal's findings support, introduced the idea of the "total institution" - - that to facilitate the care of residents, the staff forces the residents into a social conformity. A student at Stuyvesant High School, Petal has participated in a variety of activities: Junior Academy of Science, NYC Volunteer Corps, Gospel Choir, the Moot Court competition and varsity track and field. She plans to study liberal arts at Yale. Born in Georgetown, Guyana, Petal is the daughter of Patrick Martinborough and Eileen Haynes. NEW YORK Tien-An Yang, 17, of 90 La Salle Street, NEW YORK, selected a project in membrane physiology for the Science Talent Search. She investigated a class of ion channels - - the potassium channels -- which have not previously been isolated due to their low abundance in most muscle and nerve cells. Different forms of potassium channels are found in various types of cells and may be a factor in the specialized functions of these cells. Tien-An produced two antibodies to synthetic peptides and then tested the reaction of these antibodies with membrane proteins from rats. She concluded that such antibody reactions could be useful in the study of ion channels, which could lead to new treatments for diseases. Editor of the Chinese school newsletter at Stuyvesant High School, Tien-An par- ticipates in science and math fairs, volunteer choir, basketball and soccer. Also, she tutors biology and Spanish. She plans to attend Yale to pursue a career in medicine and cancer research. Tien-An is the daughter of Drs. Koahsiung and Chia-Ping Huang Yang. 15 NEW YORK Yves Jude Jeanty, 16, of 145-36 115 Avenue, SOUTH OZONE PARK, entered a project in cellular biology in the Sciencé Talent Search. Yves' experiments were designed to discover proteins which could be used as indicators of a phenomenon known as contact inhibition of motility, which occurs when cells collide and then change direction and move away from the contact site. Since cancerous cells exhibit abnormal contact inhibi- tion, knowledge about what happens at the molecular level during contact could provide a better understand- ing of cancerous cell growth. Yves found evidence for contact-induced changes in cytoskeletal proteins and believes that his work may help lead to techniques for assaying contact inhibition. A student at Stuyvesant High School, Yves plans to study at Cornell for a career in medicine. In addition to his interest in science, Yves is a member of the French Honor Society and plays handball, football and baseball. He also collects investment-grade comic books and baseball cards. Yves is the son of Yves Jeanty and Chantal Edouard. NEW YORK Michael John Lopez, 18, of 24 Annandale Road, STONY BROOK, selected a project in nuclear chemistry for the Science Talent Search. Using the chemistry facil- ities at State University of New York at Stony Brook, he tested a formula that predicts the spin axis of a compound nucleus formed by the fusing of two reactant atoms. Recorded raw data for his analysis came from a recent experiment conducted in France which involved bombarding a silver target with an intermediate-energy argon beam. Michael analyzed computer data developed from millions of individual atomic collisions. While it is assumed that taking more emitted particles into account will estimate spin axis more accurately, Michael's results indicated that when more emitted particles are considered, the observed particle emission becomes more random and so the estimate is no more accurate. A senior at Ward Melville High School in Setauket, Michael has won a number of awards in math and science competitions and participates in several sports. Michael plans to study electrical engineering at Duke University. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lopez. 16 NEW YORK Ani Jean-Mee Fleisig, 17, of 87-44 94th Street, WOODHAVEN, completed a cell biology project for her Science Talent Search entry. Ani examined the process by which folic acid directs movement of certain amoeba to their bacteria food source, an example of chemotaxis, the attraction or repulsion of cells or organisms by chemical agents. She tested chemicals that resemble parts of the folic acid molecule for both chemoattraction and chemotactic inhibition, concluding that chemotaxis is not controlled by a single receptor site, as previously suggested, and so more complex receptor models must be considered in future studies. Born in South Korea, Ani moved to the U.S. when she was five years old. The winner of numerous awards in science and Latin, Ani is also very artistic. She plans to study at the University of Wisconsin for a career in genetic research. She attends Townsend Harris High School in Flushing. Ani is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Fleisig. NEW YORK Sunmee Louise Kim, 17, of 39-60 54th Street, WOODSIDE, investigated the effects of stress on eating habits of female students for her Science Talent Search entry, developing an original method to test, in a natural setting, her hypothesis that eating increases during stressful periods. Previous studies had only been done under laboratory conditions. Twenty-six schoolmate volunteers at Stuyvesant High School recorded food intake and moods during stressful times (exams) and unstressful times (days without exams). Sunmee's data analysis verified her hypothesis that stress increases total calorie intake, whether or not the subjects were on a diet. Further research on stress and eating habits among teenagers may help avoid health risks in later years, Sunmee suggests. Active in the Korean Pres- byterian Church of N.Y. as a member of the choir and church band, Sunmee also serves as a volunteer for the sick and disabled. Tennis, basketball and swimming are among her hobbies. Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John J. Kim, she plans to major in education and psychology at Columbia University. 17 NORTH CAROLINA Ashley Melia Reiter, 17, of 5827 Beckett Court, CHARLOTTE, selected a project in mathematics in an area known as fractal geometry for the Science Talent Search. Ashley determined the dimension of fractals generated by Pascal's triangle, which has long fasci- nated mathematicians with its intriguing number patterns. Her project on Pascal's triangle began while she was attending a junior year fractals class at her school, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. She continued her work during the summer as an intern at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, where she did her own programming and numerics to carry out the necessary computer simulations. Ashley plans to continue her study of mathematics at Rice University. She has won many awards in math competi- tions and also holds awards in chemistry, computers, Latin and other areas, including her work with the Girl Scouts. She has been president of the NCSSM Math Club for the past two years. Daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Harold Reiter, her hobbies include photography, music, cooking and sewing. OHIO Jeremy Randall Riddell, 18, of 3254 Ferry Road, BELLBROOK, selected a project in physics for his Science Talent Search entry. Jeremy, a senior at The Miami Valley School in Dayton, designed and carried out experiments that measure electron spin-orbit changes, one of the two factors that determine the energy of the photon of light emitted when electrons in atoms change energy levels. Jeremy designed and built his own spectrometer using available components, such as a riflescope and a homemade 20-power telescope, for observing the grating spectrum. He believes his work could advance understanding of quantum mechanical systems and the scientific principles governing them. An athlete-scholar, Jeremy has letters in soccer, basketball and track. He also plays trumpet in several orchestras and holds the rank of Life Scout in the Boy Scouts. His hobbies include backpacking, origami, rock collecting and poultry farming. Son of Mr. and Mrs. James Riddell III, Jeremy plans to study biology and physics, leading to an advanced degree in medicine. 18 PENNSYLVANIA Susan Elaine Criss, 17, of 1980 Squaw Run Road, PITTSBURGH, selected a research project in botany for her Science Talent Search entry. Recently released studies indicate that higher levels of betacarotene in the blood stream may lower the risk of cancer. These reports led Susan to her two-year project, which was to determine how copper, manganese and zinc ions affect betacarotene production of Romaine lettuce. Using thin- layer chromatography, spectroscopy and plant tissue culture, she concluded that stresses caused by the metal ions do affect the production of betacarotene in lettuce plants. Add-ons to Susan's study being developed include testing various ions in different concentrations to determine their optimum concentration for betacaro- tene production. Susan, a student at Fox Chapel Area High School, plans a career in chemical engineering. She has been active in the National Honor Society and has won numerous science and other academic awards. She earned seven varsity letters in track and soccer and twice captained the soccer team. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Criss. TEXAS Wade William Butin, 17, of 8810 Tranquil Park Drive, SPRING, chose chemistry for his Science Talent Search project, which involved the creation of special varnishes. One objective was to develop a high-quality, high-performance varnish that could withstand the rigors of weather exposure, dilute acid and salt water. He found that incorporating common sunblock ingredients into the varnish molecular structures improved the performance in all those areas, resulting in experi- mental varnishes that Wade believes are superior to commercially available varnishes. He also created a varnish that would be "slippery" when in contact with water to reduce the drag of varnished boat hulls. He did this by incorporating a soap-like substance into the varnish molecular structure. Wade, a student at Klein High School, plans to attend Rice University and major in mathematics or physics. He has won numerous top awards in local and international science competitions. Wade also has a strong interest in music, winning high honors in many competitions. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William F. Butin. 19 VIRGINIA Tatiana Tamara Schnur, 16, of 6009 Lincolnwood Court, BURKE, conducted exhaustive research in the field of psycholinguistics for her Science Talent Search project. Tatiana designed a number of experiments to investigate the processes involved in language compre- hension. She tested subjects by orally presenting sentences containing an ambiguous word. Ten of the sentences were biased toward the primary meaning of the word and ten of the sentences were biased toward the secondary meaning. After each sentence, the ambiguous word was displayed visually and the subject was required to determine whether the target word had one, two or more meanings. Tatiana's research, she believes, offers a new method of investigating how language is organized in the brain. The research is relevant to computational linguistics, artificial intelligence and computer sciences. Tatiana, a student at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, plans to attend Yale to study linguistics. Her parents are Drs. Joel M. and Sara Lee Schnur. VIRGINIA Judson Lawrence Berkey, 17, of 9123 Peabody Street, MANASSAS, chose a project on the physics of baseball for the Science Talent Search. Using the principles of fluid dynamics, he modeled the flight of a baseball on a computer and then simulated the effects of different launch angles on the distance it would travel. He found that when spin reduction and varying drag forces are taken into account, the launch angle that maximizes range does not change considerably for different spins and speeds. A senior at Thomas Jeffer- son High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Judson is, of course, a varsity baseball player at his school and lists as hobbies philosophy, reading and computer programming. He is a National Merit Semifinalist and has won national recognition for his proficiency in Latin. He is interested in pursuing computer science for a career, but has not yet deter- mined where he would like to attend college. He is the son of Mr. Walter and Dr. Judith Berkey. 20 VIRGINIA Venkataramana Kuntimaddi Sadananda, 17, of 8015 Daffodil Court, SPRINGFIELD, developed for the Science Talent Search a computer simulation of the onset of heart attacks due to irregular interactions of stimuli and used it to establish conditions under which heart beat becomes chaotic. She determined that chaos is absent in normal heart rhythm but could be present in abnormal rhythm, experimental evaluation on the latter being inconclusive. She believes the non-linear dynamic techniques used in her study offer powerful new tools for understanding the mechanics of complex cardiac rhythms. A prize winner for science studies since third grade, Ramana was a member of the Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Technology's winning team in SuperQuest 90. She has made presentations at scientific meetings, and her paper, "Probabilistic Approach to Bone Fracture Analysis," was published in the January 1991 Journal of Materials Research. A professional classical Indian dancer, she performs here and overseas. Daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Kuntimaddi Sadananda, she plans to study for a career in medical research. VIRGINIA Daniel Moshe Skovronsky, 17, of 10705 Hunters Run Court, VIENNA, selected a project in chemistry for the Science Talent Search. He investigated a class of chemical compounds, carbonyl compounds with an alpha hydrogen, that have two different structures in rapid equilibrium with each other. This phenomenon is called tautomerism, and the two tautomers, or structures, studied were keto and enol forms. Through his experi- ments, Dan found that the enol form was stabilized by several factors, such as interaction with a solvent. Techniques Dan used in his work included titration, ultraviolet spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic spectros- copy. At Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Dan is a member of the science and math clubs. Also active in political science, he is president of the Model United Nations Team and of two political clubs. He has won awards for his work in chemistry, including one at the 1990 International Science and Engineering Fair. Son of Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Skovronsky, Dan hopes to do medical research after studying chemistry at Cornell. ALPHABETICAL INDEX Name City and State Page Bahna-James, Tara S. New York, NY 13 Berkey, Judson L. Manassas, VA 19 Butin, Wade W. Spring, TX 18 Chapman, Kimberly A. Omaha, NE 7 Cheung, Jim W. Jackson Heights, NY 12 Ching, William New York, NY 13 Chung, Dean R. Mountain Lakes, NJ 9 Criss, Susan E. Pittsburgh, PA 18 Fleisig, Ani J. Woodhaven, NY 16 Ghoshal, Nupur Ames, IA 6 Haight, Cameron R. Santa Fe, NM 9 Haynes, Petal P. New York, NY 14 Jeanty, Yves J. S. Ozone Park, NY 15 Kang, Linda Tae-Ryung Flushing, NY 12 Kim, Don H. Cos Cob, CT 4 Kim, Sunmee Louise Woodside, NY 16 Kodaman, Nuri M. Douglaston, NY 11 Larson, Mark A. Thornton, CO 3 Lazarev, Denis A. Fair Lawn, NJ 8 Lee, Irwin Naperville, IL 5 Lin, Debby A. Elmhurst, NY 11 Lopez, Michael J. Stony Brook, NY 15 Lu, Stanley Bridgewater, NJ 8 Mankad, Mehul V. Mobile, AL 1 Moallemi, Ciamac Bayside, NY 10 Moore, Joel E. Chevy Chase, MD 6 Pederson, Cheryl L. Armonk, NY 10 Ramachandran, Rageshree Fair Oaks, CA 2 Reiter, Ashley M. Charlotte, NC 17 Riddell, Jeremy R. Bellbrook, OH 17 Sadananda, Venkataramana Springfield, VA 20 Schnur, Tatiana T. Burke, VA 19 Seeger, Joseph I. Evanston, IL 5 Shan, Wei-Jen Jerry Riverside, CA 2 Skovronsky, Daniel M. Vienna, VA 20 Soong, Weily Vestavia Hills, AL 1 Stec, Lori A. Troy, MI 7 Walters, Tessa L. San Dimas, CA 3 Wang, Clifford L. Vero Beach, FL 4 Yang, Tien-An New York, NY 14 SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Science Service sponsor the SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH. WESTINGHOUSE, a leader in scientific research and engineering, and the WESTINGHOUSE FOUNDATION provide the awards and make the SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH possible as a contribution to the advancement of science in America. SCIENCE SERVICE, a nonprofit institution engaged in the interpretation and public understanding of science, administers the SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH. The National Association of Secondary School Principals has placed this program on the National Advisory List of Contests and Activities for 1990-91. SCIENCE SERVICE 1719 N Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 785-2255 New York City Kim, Sunmee Louise 17 Stuyvesant H.S. 39-60 54th St., #2R, Woodside Finalists (continued) 11377 Lin, Debby Ann 17 Stuyvesant H.S. 41-39 Forley St., Elmhurst 11373 Yang, Tien-An 17 Stuyvesant H.S. 90 La Salle St., #3A 10027 of the Setauket Lopez, Michael John 18 Ward Melville H.S. 24 Annandale Rd., Stony Brook 11790 Fiftieth Annual Science Talent Search NORTH CAROLINA Durham Reiter, Ashley Melia 17 North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics 5827 Beckett Ct., Charlotte 28211 for the Westinghouse Science Scholarships OHIO Dayton Riddell, Jeremy Randall 18 The Miami Valley School 3254 Ferry Rd., Bellbrook 45305 PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh Criss, Susan Elaine 17 Fox Chapel Area H.S. 1980 Squaw Run Rd. 15238 The forty finalists of the 50th Annual Science Talent Search, among whom $205,000 of Westinghouse Science Scholarships will be distributed, represent about 2.5% of those TEXAS who completed entries in this scientific and educational competition. Spring Butin, Wade William 17 Klein H.S. 8810 Tranquil Park Dr. 77379 Designed to discover and develop scientific and engineering ability among high school seniors, the Science Talent Search is conducted annually for the Westinghouse VIRGINIA Science Scholarships by Science Service, 1719 N Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Alexandria Berkey, Judson Lawrence 17 Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and These 17 females and 23 males are being invited to Washington, D.C. for an all- Technology 9123 Peabody St., Manassas 22110 expenses-paid trip February 28 to March 4, 1991, to attend the Science Talent Institute. Sadananda, Venkataramana Kuntimaddi 17 Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science Here 10 of the finalists will be selected by the board of judges to receive one of the and Technology 8015 Daffodil Ct., Springfield 22152 following four-year Westinghouse Science Scholarships: one $40,000 ($10,000 per year), Skovronsky, Daniel Moshe 17 Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and one $30,000 ($7,500 per year), one $20,000 ($5,000 per year), three $15,000 ($3,750 per Technology 10705 Hunters Run Ct., Vienna 22181 Fairfax year), four $10,000 ($2,500 per year). The remaining 30 contestants will be given Schnur, Tatiana Tamara 16 Robinson Secondary School 6009 Lincolnwood Westinghouse Science Scholarships of $1,000 each. Ct., Burke 22015 The finalists are 15 to 18 years of age and come from 27 cities in 18 states. They. were picked by the judges from among 1,573 contestants who completed their entries by writing a report on their scientific research and submitting it along with an official entry form and supporting documents. Completed entries were received from 45 states, SCIENCE SERVICE, INC. - 1719 N Street, N.W. - Washington, DC 20036 the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Overseas American Schools. Finalists -- Washington Trip Winners IOWA AGE OF WINNER FOLLOWS NAME HOME ADDRESS FOLLOWS NAME OF H.S. Ames H.S. CITY IN LEFT COLUMN Ghoshal, Nupur 17 Ames H.S. 1310 Glendale Ave. 50010 HOME CITY OMITTED IF SAME AS H.S. CITY MICHIGAN ALABAMA Birmingham Stec, Lori Ann 18 Detroit Country Day School 95 Braemar Dr., Troy 48098 Mobile Mankad, Mehul Vipul 17 St. Paul's Episcopal School 5724 Vendome Dr. S. NEBRASKA 36609 Vestavia Hills Soong, Weily 18 Vestavia Hills H.S. 2355 Tyrol PI. 35216 Omaha Chapman, Kimberly Ann 18 Marian H.S. 3631 S. 116th Ave. 68144 CALIFORNIA NEW JERSEY Riverside Shan, Wei-Jen Jerry 17 John W. North H.S. 5411 Osburn PI. 92506 Elmwood Park Lazarev, Denis Alexandrovich 17 Elmwood Park Memorial Jr.-Sr. H.S. 3623 Sacramento Ramachandran, Rageshree 15 Rio Americano H.S. 8541 Dominique Ct., Fair Gardenview Ter., Fair Lawn 07410 Oaks 95628 Mountain Lakes San Gabriel Chung, Dean Ramsey 16 Mountain Lakes H.S. 60 Pocono Rd. 07046 Walters, Tessa Lorrell 16 San Gabriel H.S. 2244 Calle Margarita, San Dimas Raritan Lu, Stanley 17 Bridgewater-Raritan H.S. West 577 Cabot Hill Rd., 91773 Bridgewater 08807 COLORADO NEW MEXICO Brighton Larson, Mark Allen 17 Horizon Sr. H.S. 4224 E. 126th Ave., Thornton 80241 Santa Fe Haight, Cameron Rea 17 Santa Fe H.S. 720 Gonzales Rd. 87501 CONNECTICUT NEW YORK Greenwich Kim, Don H. 18 Greenwich H.S. 15 Sundance Dr., Cos Cob 06807 Armonk Pederson, Cheryl Lynn 18 Byram Hills H.S. 14 Perry Ct. 10504 Bayside (NYC) Moallemi, Ciamac 15 Benjamin N. Cardozo H.S. 69-07 226th St. 11364 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Bronx (NYC) Ching, William 17 Riverdale Country School 650 W. 171 St., 5D, New York 10032 Washington Moore, Joel Ellis 17 St. Albans School 3804 Leland St., Chevy Chase, MD 20815 Flushing (NYC) Fleisig, Ani Jean-Mee 17 Townsend Harris H.S. 87-44 94th St., Woodhaven 11421 Kodaman, Nuri Mehmet 17 Townsend Harris H.S. 225 Park Ln., Douglaston FLORIDA 11363 New York City Cheung, Jim Way 17 Bronx H.S. of Science 32-38 78th St., Jackson Heights Vero Beach Wang, Clifford Lee 16 Vero Beach H.S. 515 Date Palm Rd. 32963 11370 Bahna-James, Tara Sophia 17 La Guardia H.S. of Music and the Arts 25 ILLINOIS Montgomery St. 10002 Evanston Haynes, Petal Pearl 18 Stuyvesant H.S. 89-30 164 St., Apt. 4J 11432 Seeger, Joseph Izak 17 Evanston Township H.S. 1521 Greenleaf 60202 Jeanty, Yves Jude 16 Stuyvesant H.S. 145-36 115 Ave., S. Ozone Park 11436 Naperville Lee, Irwin 16 Naperville North H.S. 1006 Dakota Cir. 60563 Kang, Linda Tae-Ryung 17 Stuyvesant H.S. 35-70 168th St., Flushing 11358 On behalf of The Westinghouse Foundation and Science Service the President of Science Service requests the pleasure of your company at the Awards Dinner of the Fiftieth Annual Science Talent Search on Monday, March the fourth at seven oclock International Ballroom, The Washington Hilton 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N. W. R.S.V.P. Washington, D.C. Reception at six oclock by reply card enclosed Intl. Terrace Non-Transferable Black Tie STS 50th SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH poyle 2-4 year's finalists excerpts or this Some short Contact: Charles F. Carroll Telephone: (412) 642-3370 Contact: M. Elizabeth Kilkenny Telephone: (412) 642-2554 Contact: Eileen Milling Telephone: (212) 838-6330 EDITORS: Students named in this release and the enclosed booklets will be notified of their selection as semifinalists or finalists by noon, Wednesday, January 23. Feel free to contact them after that time--but not before, please. FOR USE: Friday, January 25, 1991 FINALISTS AND SEMIFINALISTS SELECTED IN 50TH WESTINGHOUSE SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- Forty national winners and 300 semifinalists in the 50th annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search were announced today by E. G. Sherburne, Jr., president of Science Service. These high school seniors are competing for scholarships of $205,000 in the oldest nationwide high school science scholarship competition. The 300 semifinalists were judged the most talented of the 1,573 students from 686 schools who entered research projects. This year's semifinalists includes 193 young men and 107 young women. The 40 finalists, selected from the 300 semifinalists, come from 18 states. There are 23 males and 17 females in this year's national finalists. Since 1942, Westinghouse Electric Corporation has sponsored the Search which is administered by Science Service, a non-profit Washington organization that promotes public understanding of science. - more - SPONSORED BY WESTINGHOUSE & SCIENCE SERVICE Finalists and Semifinalists Selected in 50th Westinghouse Science Talent Search - 2 - The 40 finalists will travel to Washington for final judging which will take place from February 28 to March 4. Each student will be interviewed by a panel of eight scientists to evaluate the student's scientific creativity. Based on the interviews, 10 top scholarship winners will be selected. The scholarship winners will be announced here on March 4. First prize is a $40,000 scholarship. Second prize is a $30,000 scholarship, and third prize is a $20,000 scholarship. Three students will receive $15,000 and four $10,000 in scholarships. The other 30 national winners each will receive $1,000 scholarships. The Westinghouse Foundation, which provides funding for the competition, increased scholarships for the 50th Search to a total of $205,000, up from the previous $140,000. Five former Search winners have won the Nobel Prize and hundreds of others have made significant contributions to their fields of science. In addition to awards they may win, all 300 semifinalists will be recommended by Westinghouse and Science Service to colleges and universities for admission and financial assistance. Among the 40 finalists, New York leads the list of winners with 14 students, 12 from New York City schools. Seven finalists were born outside the U.S. with two from South Korea, and one each from Guyana, India, Iran, Taiwan and the U.S.S.R. - more - Finalists and Semifinalists Selected in 50th Westinghouse Science Talent Search - 3 - Winners' projects ranged from environmental projects to cancer-related research. Among the 40 finalists are the following: -- Clifford Wang, 16, of Vero Beach, Fla., proposed that seaweed be grown in the ocean to remove pollutants. His research indicated that seaweed could be harvested as a potent biomass for methane generation. Clifford, a student at Vero Beach High, plans to study bioengineering at Harvard or Duke. -- Lori Stec, 18, of Troy, Mich., did seven years of research for her botany project. She collected more than 10,000 goldenrods and made over 100,000 measurements to identify factors affecting the formation of tumor-like growths on those plants. Lori, who attends Detroit Country Day School, plans to study medicine at the University of Michigan. -- Judson Berkey, 17, of Manassas, Va., modeled the flight of a baseball using the principles of fluid dynamics. With a computer, he simulated the effects of different launch angles on the range of a thrown ball. He found that the launch angle that maximizes range does not change for different spins and speeds. Judson, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, plans to pursue a career in computer science. -- Tara Bahna-James, 17, of New York City, explored the relationship between math and music for her social science project. Her idea was to see if musically talented students have basic math understandings that could improve their math skills. She advocates stressing what she sees as a strong tie between music and math. Tara, who attends LaGuardia High School of Music & the Arts, plans to study cognitive science at Yale. - more - Finalists and Semifinalists Selected in 50th Westinghouse Science Talent Search - 4 - --Wade Butin, 17, of Spring, Tex., chose chemistry for his project which involved the creation of special varnishes. He aimed to develop a high-quality, high-performance varnish that could withstand the rigors of weather exposure, dilute acid and salt water. Wade, a student at Klein High School, plans to major either in math or physics at Rice University. --Susan Criss, 17, of Pittsburgh, completed a two-year research project that dealt with the production of betacarotene in Romaine lettuce. Betacarotene in the human blood stream may lower the risk of cancer. She examined how mineral ions affect betacarotene production. Susan, a senior at Fox Chapel Area High School, plans to pursue a career in chemical engineering. ##1000-1010## -1/25/91- (A complete list of the 40 finalists is attached. Brief descriptions of their research projects and biographies are in the accompanying white booklet. The blue booklet lists the 300 semifinalists, their addresses, schools and titles of their projects.) - more - ALABAMA Mehul Vipul Mankad, 17, 5724 Vendome Dr. S., MOBILE, Saint Paul's Episcopal School Weily Soong, 18, 2355 Tyrol P1., VESTAVIA HILLS, Vestavia Hills H.S. CALIFORNIA Rageshree Ramachandran, 15, 8541 Dominique Ct., FAIR OAKS, Rio Americano H.S., Sacramento Wei-Jen Jerry Shan, 17, 5411 Osburn P1., RIVERSIDE, John W. North H.S. Tessa Lorrell Walters, 16, 2244 Calle Margarita, SAN DIMAS, San Gabriel H.S., San Gabriel COLORADO Mark Allen Larson, 17, 4224 E. 126th Ave., THORNTON, Horizon Sr. H.S., Brighton CONNECTICUT Don H. Kim, 18, 15 Sundance Dr., COS COB, Greenwich H.S., Greenwich FLORIDA Clifford Lee Wang, 16, 515 Date Palm Rd., VERO BEACH, Vero Beach H.S. ILLINOIS Joseph Izak Seeger, 17, 1521 Greenleaf, EVANSTON, Evanston Township H.S. Irwin Lee, 16, 1006 Dakota Cir., NAPERVILLE, Naperville North H.S. IOWA Nupur Ghoshal, 17, 1310 Glendale Ave., AMES, Ames H.S. MARYLAND Joel Ellis Moore, 17, 3804 Leland St., CHEVY CHASE, St. Albans School, Washington, D.C. MICHIGAN Lori Ann Stec, 18, 95 Braemar Dr., TROY, Detroit Country Day School, Birmingham NEBRASKA Kimberly Ann Chapman, 18, 3631 S. 116th Ave., OMAHA, Marian H.S. NEW JERSEY Stanley Lu, 17, 577 Cabot Hill Rd., BRIDGEWATER, Bridgewater-Raritan H.S. West, Raritan Denis Alexandrovich Lazarev, 17, 3623 Gardenview Ter., FAIR LAWN, Elmwood Park Memorial Jr. Sr. H.S., Elmwood Park Dean Ramsey Chung, 16, 60 Pocono Rd., MOUNTAIN LAKES, Mountain Lakes H.S., - more - NEW MEXICO Cameron Rea Haight, 17, 720 Gonzales Rd., SANTA FE, Santa Fe H.S. NEW YORK Cheryl Lynn Pederson, 18, 14 Perry Ct., ARMONK, Byram Hills H.S. Ciamac Moallemi, 15, 69-07 226th St., BAYSIDE, Benjamin N. Cardozo H.S. Nuri Mehmet Kodaman, 17, 225 Park Ln., DOUGLASTON, Townsend Harris H.S., Flushing Debby Ann Lin, 17, 41-39 Forley St., ELMHURST, Stuyvesant H.S., New York Linda Tae-Ryung Kang, 17, 35-70 168th St., FLUSHING, Stuyvesant H.S., New York Jim Way Cheung, 17, 32-38 78th St., JACKSON HEIGHTS, Bronx H.S. of Science, New York Tara Sophia Bahna-James, 17, 25 Montgomery St., NEW YORK, LaGuardia H.S. of Music and the Arts William Ching, 17, 650 W. 171 St., 5D, NEW YORK, Riverdale Country School, Bronx Petal Pearl Haynes, 18, 89-30 164 St., Apt. 4J, NEW YORK, Stuyvesant H.S. Tien-An Yang, 17, 90 La Salle St., #3A, NEW YORK, Stuyvesant H.S. Yves Jude Jeanty, 16, 145-36 115 Ave., S. OZONE PARK, Stuyvesant H.S., New York Michael John Lopez, 18, 24 Annandale Rd., STONY BROOK, Ward Melville H.S., Setauket Ani Jean-Mee Fleisig, 17, 87-44 94th St., WOODHAVEN, Townsend Harris H.S., Flushing Sunmee Louise Kim, 17, 39-60 54th St., #2R, WOODSIDE, Stuyvesant H.S., New York NORTH CAROLINA Ashley Melia Reiter, 17, 5827 Beckett Ct., CHARLOTTE, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham OHIO Jeremy Randall Riddell, 18, 3254 Ferry Rd., BELLBROOK, The Miami Valley School, Dayton PENNSYLVANIA Susan Elaine Criss, 17, 1980 Squaw Run Rd., PITTSBURGH, Fox Chapel Area H.S. TEXAS Wade William Butin, 17, 8810 Tranquil Park Dr., SPRING, Klein H.S. VIRGINIA Tatiana Tamara Schnur, 16, 6009 Lincolnwood Ct., BURKE, Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax Judson Lawrence Berkey, 17, 9123 Peabody St., MANASSAS, Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Technology, Alexandria Venkataramana Kuntimaddi Sadananda, 17, 8015 Daffodil Ct., SPRINGFIELD, Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Technology, Alexandria Daniel Moshe Skovronsky, 17, 10705 Hunters Run Ct., VIENNA, Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Technology, Alexandria The Science Talent Search The Science Talent Search is an annual activity supported by the Westinghouse Foundation and Westinghouse Electric Corporation and admin- istered by Science Service of Washington. Awards Banquet This year 1,573 seniors in secondary schools in the United States, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and overseas American schools completed entry materials, including written reports on their research projects. Three hundred of these entrants won special recognition by being named OF THE as semifinalists and of these, 40 were chosen to attend the Science Talent Institute in Washington. At the discretion of the judges, Westinghouse Science Scholarships con- sisting of one $40,000, one $30,000, one $20,000, three $15,000 and four $10,000 are awarded at the conclusion of the Science Talent Institute and FIFTIETH ANNUAL the remaining 30 finalists receive Westinghouse Science Scholarships of $1,000 each. WESTINGHOUSE The principal basis for decision in the Science Talent Search is the SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH evaluation of an independent research project done by the student. The Board of Judges wishes to thank the following scientists for their assistance in eval- uating these research reports and supplementary materials. DR. BAHIGE BAROUDY DR. ROBERT J. HIGHET Gamble Institute of Medical Research National Institutes of Health MONDAY, MARCH THE FOURTH DR. JOSEPH BOLEN DR. PETER HOWLEY NINETEEN HUNDRED NINETY-ONE National Institutes of Health National Institutes of Health DR. LOUIS COHEN DR. JAMES HUMMEL National Institutes of Health University of Maryland DR. PAMELA EBERT FLATTAU DR. MALCOLM MARTIN National Research Council National Institutes of Health DR. BRUCE FERNIE THOMAS N. PYKE, JR. Georgetown University National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration DR. HOWARD GARRISON DR. LAWRENCE WASHINGTON Applied Management Sciences University of Maryland DR. JORDAN GOODMAN DR. NIELS WINSOR University of Maryland GT Devices, Inc. THE WASHINGTON HILTON HOTEL Guests of Honor Program ADDRESS TARA Bahna-James DEBBY LIN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES New York, New York Elmhurst, New York JUDSON BERKEY MICHAEL LOPEZ Manassas, Virginia Stony Brook, New York PRESIDING WADE BUTIN STANLEY Lu IRA FLATOW Spring, Texas Bridgewater, New Jersey KIMBERLY CHAPMAN MEHUL MANKAD INTRODUCTION OF WINNERS Omaha, Nebraska Mobile, Alabama CIAMAC MOALLEMI CAROL LUSZCZ JIM WAY CHEUNG Jackson Heights, New York Bayside, New York Director of Youth Programs, Science Service WILLIAM CHING JOEL MOORE New York, New York Chevy Chase, Maryland INVOCATION DEAN CHUNG CHERYL PEDERSON THE RIGHT REVEREND MONSIGNOR W. LOUIS Quinn Mountain Lakes, New Jersey Armonk, New York St. Matthew's Cathedral SUSAN CRISS RAGESHREE RAMACHANDRAN Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Fair Oaks, California ANI FLEISIG ASHLEY REITER REMARKS Woodhaven, New York Charlotte, North Carolina EDWARD G. SHERBURNE, JR. NUPUR GHOSHAL JEREMY RIDDELL President, Science Service Ames, Iowa Bellbrook, Ohio CAMERON HAIGHT VENKATARAMANA SADANANDA DR. GLENN T. SEABORG Santa Fe, New Mexico Springfield, Virginia PETAL HAYNES TATIANA SCHNUR Chairman of the Board, Science Service New York, New York Burke, Virginia University Professor of Chemistry YVES JEANTY JOSEPH SEEGER University of California, Berkeley South Ozone Park, New York Evanston, Illinois Nobel Laureate 1951 LINDA KANG WEI-JEN JERRY SHAN Flushing, New York Riverside, California PAUL E. LEGO DON KIM DANIEL SKOVRONSKY Cos Cob, Connecticut Vienna, Virginia Chairman and Chief Executive Officer SUNMEE KIM WEILY SOONG Westinghouse Electric Corporation Woodside, New York Vestavia Hills, Alabama NURI KODAMAN LORI STEC REPORT OF THE JUDGES Douglaston, New York Troy, Michigan DR. J. RICHARD GOTT, Chairman MARK LARSON TESSA WALTERS Thornton, Colorado San Dimas, California DR. GILBERT CASTELLAN DR. CHARLES SCHWARTZ DENIS LAZAREV CLIFFORD WANG DR. STUART HAUSER DR. GLENN T. SEABORG Fair Lawn, New Jersey Vero Beach, Florida DR. BRIGID LEVENTHAL DR. WILLIAM THURSTON IRWIN LEE TIEN-AN YANG Naperville, Illinois New York, New York DR. ANDREW YEAGER THE 50TH ANNUAL STS SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH SCIENCE TALENT INSTITUTE PROGRAM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28- MONDAY, MARCH 4, 1991 ALL EVENTS WILL BE HELD AT THE WASHINGTON HILTON HOTEL 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Morning and afternoon FINALISTS ARRIVE at the Washington Hilton Hotel for registration and room assignment Morning and afternoon VISITS TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES 10:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. SCHEDULED INTERVIEWS WITH JUDGES 12:00 noon-2:00 p.m. DELI BUFFET LUNCHEON - Conservatory 2:00-6:30 p.m. SCHEDULED INTERVIEWS WITH JUDGES 8:00 p.m. INTRODUCTIONS AND ORIENTATION DINNER Jefferson West Welcomes from: E.G. Sherburne, Jr., President, Science Service Charles F. Carroll, Director of Public Information Westinghouse Electric Corporation FRIDAY, MARCH 1 7:30-8:30 a.m. BREAKFAST - Conservatory Morning and afternoon VISITS TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES PRIME TIME APPOINTMENTS 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. MEXICAN BUFFET LUNCHEON - Conservatory 1:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. SCHEDULED INTERVIEWS WITH JUDGES 1:30-7:00 p.m. SET UP EXHIBITS AND PHOTOGRAPHY - Exhibit Hall 7:00 p.m. Bus leaves hotel (T Street side) for The Great Hall, National Academy of Sciences, Constitution Avenue between 21st and 22nd Streets, N.W. 7:30 p.m. DINNER - The Refectory, National Academy of Sciences 8:30 p.m. SEMINAR - The Lecture Room, National Academy of Sciences Maxine Singer, Ph.D. President, Carnegie Institution of Washington Glenn T. Seaborg, Ph.D. Chairman of the Board, Science Service University Professor of Chemistry University of California, Berkeley Nobel Laureate 1951 10:00 p.m. Bus returns to hotel SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Morning until noon FREE TIME 12:00 noon-12:45 p.m. ITALIAN BUFFET LUNCHEON - Conservatory 1:00-4:00 p.m. EXHIBITION OF FINALISTS' PROJECTS - Exhibit Hall 4:30 p.m. Bus leaves hotel (T Street side) for restaurant 5:00 p.m. DINNER - Le Rivage, 1000 Water Street, S.W. 8:00 p.m. ARENA STAGE - Kreeger Theatre George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" SUNDAY, MARCH 3 8:00-9:00 a.m. BREAKFAST - Conservatory 9:00 a.m. Bus leaves hotel for EINSTEIN AND CAPITOL STEPS PHOTOS 10:30-12:45 p.m. FREE TIME 1:00-4:00 p.m. EXHIBITION OF FINALISTS' PROJECTS - Exhibit Hall 1:00-4:00 p.m. SEMINARS PRESENTED BY STS ALUMNI Caucus, Conservatory, Hemisphere & Military Rooms 4:00-5:00 p.m. Dismantle and Pack Exhibits 6:00-9:00 p.m. ALUMNI (1942-91) REUNION RECEPTION - Crystal Ballroom Greetings from: Paul E. Lego, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Westinghouse Electric Corporation; Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman of Science Service; Gayle Wilson, STS-60 and First Lady of California; Paul Teschan, top scholarship winner from the 1st STS (1942) MONDAY, MARCH 4 7:30-8:30 a.m. BREAKFAST - Conservatory 8:30-9:00 a.m. BANQUET REHEARSAL - International Ballroom Morning and afternoon VISITS TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES PRIME TIME APPOINTMENTS 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. OPEN FORUM - ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION - Crystal Ballroom Panelists: Leon N Cooper (STS-47 and 1972 Nobel Laureate); R. Stephen Berry (STS-48 and 1983 MacArthur Fellow); Sheldon Glashow (STS-50 and 1979 Nobel Laureate); Frank Wilczek (STS-67 and 1982 MacArthur Fellow); and Nina Schor (STS-72 and First Female #1 Scholarship Winner) 6:00 p.m. RECEPTION - International Terrace 7:00 p.m. BANQUET - International Ballroom Presiding: Ira Flatow Introduction of Finalists: Carol Luszcz Director of Youth Programs, Science Service Invocation: The Right Reverend Monsignor W. Louis Quinn Saint Matthew's Cathedral Remarks: E. G. Sherburne, Jr. President, Science Service Glenn T. Seaborg, Ph.D. Chairman of the Board, Science Service Paul E. Lego Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Westinghouse Electric Corporation Report of the Board of Judges J. Richard Gott, Ph.D. Professor, Astrophysical Sciences Princeton University Presentation of the Westinghouse Science Scholarships 10:00 p.m. FAREWELL PARTY FOR 1991 FINALISTS - Jefferson West JUDGES FOR THE FIFTIETH SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH Dr. J. Richard Gott, Chairperson Dr. Gilbert Castellan, Dr. Stuart Hauser, Dr. Brigid Leventhal, Dr. Charles Schwartz, Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Dr. William Thurston, Dr. Andrew Yeager Professional Fields represented are: Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Psychiatry, and Psychology STAFF OF SCIENCE TALENT INSTITUTE Science Service: E. G. Sherburne, Jr., Donald R. Harless, Carol Luszcz, William Greene, Laurie Clevenger, Yvonne Tilghman, Sharon Manley Westinghouse: Ronald Hart, Charles Carroll, M. Elizabeth Kilkenny, William MacLaurin, Robert Benke, Eileen Milling, John Armstrong, Beverly Harned, Jim Judkis, Mark Portland, Jack Franchetti, John Gordon, James O'Toole ********** DIRECT ALL INQUIRIES DURING THE SCIENCE TALENT INSTITUTE TO: Washington Hilton Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009 Hotel Switchboard: 202/483-3000 Direct Dial Numbers 202/797-4836 or 37 STI OFFICE Map Room, Terrace Level 202/797-4839, 40 or 41 PRESS OFFICE FOR INFORMATION DURING THE REST OF THE YEAR, PLEASE CONTACT: Science Service, 1719 N Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036 - 202/785-2255 FIRST PLACE WINNER STS SCIENCE 50th TALENT SEARCH SECOND STS PLACE WINNER 50th WESTINGHOO SEARCH USE SCIENCE TALENT THIRD STS PLACE WINNER WESTACH USE 50th SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH FINDING TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS 50th Science Westinghousearch Talent FINDING TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS For thousands of students who dream of careers in science, the Westinghouse Science Talent Search has helped make those dreams come true. Since 1942, this nationwide competition has identified and encouraged high school seniors to pursue careers in science, mathematics or related fields. The 50th annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search, now underway, caps half a century of remarkable achievements by the 15,000 semifinalists and 2,000 finalists who have participated in this, America's most highly regarded precollege science competition. Seniors who participate have the opportunity, while still teenagers, to join the ranks of the nation's most eminent scientists. The Search brings together the brightest, most creative science students in the land. In fact, many of our top scientists and mathematicians share the common bond of having participated in the STS when they were students. The Search has identified young scientific talent with remarkable precision. STS alumni have won more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math awards and honors. Five former finalists have gone on to win Nobel Prizes. Two have earned Fields Medals, the Nobel equivalent in mathematics. Two have been awarded the National Medal of Science. Eight Search alumni have won MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, the so-called "genius awards." Fifty-one have been named Sloan Research Fellows and 28 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Three have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. - more - Finding Tomorrow's Scientists - 2 - 50th Annual Science Talent Search More than half of the former Search winners are either teaching or engaged in research at colleges and universities. The 1991 competition, which started in September, 1990, is the 50th annual Search. Westinghouse Electric Corporation has sponsored STS since its inception. The Search is administered for Westinghouse by Science Service, a Washington-based nonprofit organization engaged in furthering public understanding of science. Since 1942, nearly 105,000 students have completed independent research projects and submitted entries. Currently, some 1,500 seniors meet the entry requirements each year. The deadline for entries received at Science Service is midnight, December 10. The entry consists of a written description of the student's research, plus a completed entry form which is designed to elicit evidence of student creativity and interest in science. Search candidates are judged by a board of eight distinguished scientists from a variety of disciplines. Chairman is Dr. J. Richard Gott, professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University and a former STS finalist. Members include Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, a Nobel Prize winner and University Professor of Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. The judges are aided by other scientists to complete a careful evaluation of each entry. Then, the elimination begins. The top 300 entrants are selected as semifinalists. These students are recommended to colleges and universities for admission and financial assistance, based on their STS achievement. - more - Finding Tomorrow's Scientists - 3 - Winners Announced in January Next, 40 finalists are selected from the 300 semifinalists. Both groups are announced in January. Westinghouse provides the 40 finalists a five-day trip to Washington where they undergo additional judging. On the basis of interviews and their research, 10 top scholarship winners are selected. The Westinghouse Foundation has increased Search scholarships to the present total of $205,000, which is awarded each year to the 40 finalists. The top prize is a $40,000 scholarship. Second- and third-place winners receive $30,000 and $20,000 scholarships, respectively. Three others win $15,000 each. Four $10,000 scholarships are awarded. The other 30 finalists receive $1,000 scholarships. When the students are in Washington, they meet leading scientists and their Congressional representatives. Their prize-winning exhibits are on public display. The young scientists describe their research to thousands of visitors -- many of them important figures in the government and scientific community. During their stay in Washington, students are interviewed by news media from their hometowns, national and international newspapers, press associations, television networks and science and education journals. The finalists visit Washington's historic and scientific sights. Past winners have met with the President, the Vice President and distinguished Science Advisers. On the final evening -- March 4, 1991 -- they are honored at a black-tie awards banquet for several hundred guests. - more - Finding Tomorrow's Scientists - 4 - Meeting Other Young Scientists Yet, what the students say they value most is the opportunity to meet and interact with their scientific peers, often for the first time. Friendships and professional associations made during those five days continue through college and beyond. Statistics on the 1,960 past finalists show that 95 percent of former Search winners have had some branch of science as their major field of study. More than 70 percent have gone on to earn PhDs or MDs. Career choices are about evenly divided among the physical sciences and the biological sciences and medicine. To date, Westinghouse has awarded almost $2.6 million in scholarships. Also, thousands of students have received scholarships and financial aid from other sources as a direct result of STS achievement. High school science educators find "the Westinghouse," as students call the competition, an excellent tool for stimulating latent abilities in their brightest students. Since 1942, New York state has produced the highest number of finalists, accounting for 636. Illinois is in second place with 139. California ranks third with 136, followed by Pennsylvania, 95; Ohio, 73; New Jersey, 73; Florida, 69; Massachusetts, 65; Virginia, 54; Maryland, 45; Wisconsin, 44; Texas, 44; Indiana, 41. - more - Finding Tomorrow's Scientists - 5 - Other states which have produced at least ten finalists are Michigan and Connecticut, 29; Oregon, 27; Georgia, 22; Arizona, Oklahoma and Minnesota, 21 each; Missouri, 19; Tennessee, 18; Nebraska and Colorado, 17 each; the District of Columbia and West Virginia, 16 each; Washington, 14; New Hampshire and Montana, 13 each; Alabama and Iowa, 12 each; Kansas, 11; Hawaii, 10. ### October 1990 Major Honors Achieved by Westinghouse Science Talent Search Finalists Date Honor Awarded Name STS - Year Nobel Prize (Physics) 1972 Leon Cooper STS - 1947 Nobel Prize (Physics) 1975 Ben R. Mottelson STS - 1944 Nobel Prize (Physics) 1979 Sheldon L. Glashow STS - 1950 Nobel Prize (Chemistry) 1980 Walter Gilbert STS - 1949 Nobel Prize (Chemistry) 1981 Roald Hoffmann STS - 1955 Fields Medal (Mathematics) 1966 Paul J. Cohen STS - 1950 Fields Medal (Mathematics) 1974 David B. Mumford STS - 1953 National Medal of Science 1966 Paul J. Cohen STS - 1950 National Medal of Science 1974 Roald Hoffmann STS - 1955 MacArthur Fellowship 1982 Frank Wilczek STS - 1967 MacArthur Fellowship 1983 Richard Stephen Berry STS - 1948 MacArthur Fellowship 1984 Arthur T. Winfree STS - 1960 MacArthur Fellowship 1985 Jane Shelby Richardson STS - 1958 MacArthur Fellowship 1987 Robert Axelrod STS - 1961 MacArthur Fellowship 1987 Robert Coleman STS - 1972 MacArthur Fellowship 1987 Eric Lander STS - 1974 MacArthur Fellowship 1987 David B. Mumford STS - 1953 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award 1979 Walter Gilbert STS - 1949 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award 1987 Leroy E. Hood STS - 1956 28 STS Finalists are members of the National Academy of Sciences 3 STS Finalists are members of the National Academy of Engineering 51 STS Finalists are Sloan Research Fellows 28 SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH FINALISTS ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Name Affiliation STS Year Adler, Stephen L. Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 1957 Axelrod, Robert University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 1961 Berry, R. Stephen University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 1948 Breslow, Ronald Columbia University, New York, NY 1948 Chilton, Mary Dell CIBA-GEIGY Corp., Greensboro, NC 1956 Clark, George W. MIT, Cambridge, MA 1945 Cohen, Paul J. Stanford University, Stanford, CA 1950 Cooper, Leon N. Brown University, Providence, RI 1947 Crothers, Donald M. Yale University, New Haven, CT 1954 Davidson, Eric H. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 1954 Felsenfeld, Gary National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 1947 Gilbert, Walter Biogen, Inc., Cambridge, MA 1949 Glashow, Sheldon Lee Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1950 Halperin, Bertrand I. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1958 Hoffmann, Roald Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 1955 Hood, Leroy California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 1956 Karplus, Martin Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1947 Martin, Paul C. Harvard University, Cambridge MA 1948 Mather, John N. Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 1960 Mumford, David B. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1953 Richards, Paul L. University of California, Berkeley, CA 1952 Rosenblatt, Murray University of California, San Diego, LaJolla, CA 1943 Sessler, Andrew M. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 1945 28 SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH FINALISTS ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (Cont'd.) Name Affiliation STS Year Solovay, Robert M. University of California, Berkeley, CA 1956 Sternberg, Saul AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ 1950 Streitwieser, Jr., Andrew University of California, Berkeley, CA 1945 Tinkham, Michael Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1945 Wilczek, Frank A. Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 1967 3 SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH FINALISTS ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING Name Affiliation STS Year Armstrong, John A. IBM Corporation, NY 1952 Goldman, Alan J. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 1949 Rechtin, Eberhardt Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 1943 10/90 STS 50th Contact: Charles F. Carroll SCIENCE Telephone: (412) 642-3370 TALENT Contact: M. Elizabeth Kilkenny SEARCH Telephone: (412) 642-2554 Contact: Eileen Milling Telephone: (212) 838-6330 EDITORS: Students named in this release and the enclosed booklets will be notified of their selection as semifinalists or finalists by noon, Wednesday, January 23. Feel free to contact them after that time--but not before, please. FOR USE: Friday, January 25, 1991 FINALISTS AND SEMIFINALISTS SELECTED IN 50TH WESTINGHOUSE SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 - - Forty national winners and 300 semifinalists in the 50th annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search were announced today by E. G. Sherburne, Jr., president of Science Service. These high school seniors are competing for scholarships of $205,000 in the oldest nationwide high school science scholarship competition. The 300 semifinalists were judged the most talented of the 1,573 students from 686 schools who entered research projects. This year's semifinalists includes 193 young men and 107 young women. The 40 finalists, selected from the 300 semifinalists, come from 18 states. There are 23 males and 17 females in this year's national finalists. Since 1942, Westinghouse Electric Corporation has sponsored the Search which is administered by Science Service, a non-profit Washington organization that promotes public understanding of science. - more - SPONSORED BY WESTINGHOUSE & SCIENCE SERVICE Finalists and Semifinalists Selected in 50th Westinghouse Science Talent Search - 2 - The 40 finalists will travel to Washington for final judging which will take place from February 28 to March 4. Each student will be interviewed by a panel of eight scientists to evaluate the student's scientific creativity. Based on the interviews, 10 top scholarship winners will be selected. The scholarship winners will be announced here on March 4. First prize is a $40,000 scholarship. Second prize is a $30,000 scholarship, and third prize is a $20,000 scholarship. Three students will receive $15,000 and four $10,000 in scholarships. The other 30 national winners each will receive $1,000 scholarships. The Westinghouse Foundation, which provides funding for the competition, increased scholarships for the 50th Search to a total of $205,000, up from the previous $140,000. Five former Search winners have won the Nobel Prize and hundreds of others have made significant contributions to their fields of science. In addition to awards they may win, all 300 semifinalists will be recommended by Westinghouse and Science Service to colleges and universities for admission and financial assistance. Among the 40 finalists, New York leads the list of winners with 14 students, 12 from New York City schools. Seven finalists were born outside the U.S. with two from South Korea, and one each from Guyana, India, Iran, Taiwan and the U.S.S.R. - more - Finalists and Semifinalists Selected in 50th Westinghouse Science Talent Search - 3 - Winners' projects ranged from environmental projects to cancer-related research. Among the 40 finalists are the following: Clifford Wang, 16, of Vero Beach, Fla., proposed that seaweed be grown in the ocean to remove pollutants. His research indicated that seaweed could enviro be harvested as a potent biomass for methane generation. Clifford, a student at Vero Beach High, plans to study bioengineering at Harvard or Duke. -- Lori Stec, 18, of Troy, Mich., did seven years of research for her botany project. She collected more than 10,000 goldenrods and made over 100,000 measurements to identify factors affecting the formation of tumor-like growths on those plants. Lori, who attends Detroit Country Day School, plans to study medicine at the University of Michigan. -- Judson Berkey, 17, of Manassas, Va., modeled the flight of a baseball using the principles of fluid dynamics. With a computer, he simulated the sports effects of different launch angles on the range of a thrown ball. He found that the launch angle that maximizes range does not change for different spins and speeds. Judson, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, plans to pursue a career in computer science. -- Tara Bahna-James, 17, of New York City, explored the relationship between math and music for her social science project. Her idea was to see if learning musically talented students have basic math understandings that could improve their math skills. She advocates stressing what she sees as a strong tie between music and math. Tara, who attends LaGuardia High School of Music & the Arts, plans to study cognitive science at Yale. - more - Finalists and Semifinalists Selected in 50th Westinghouse Science Talent Search - 4 - p.l8 --Wade Butin, 17, of Spring, Tex., chose chemistry for his project which involved the creation of special varnishes. He aimed to develop a industry high-quality, high-performance varnish that could withstand the rigors of weather exposure, dilute acid and salt water. Wade, a student at Klein High saiting School, plans to major either in math or physics at Rice University. --Susan Criss, 17, of Pittsburgh, completed a two-year research project 18 that dealt with the production of betacarotene in Romaine lettuce. health Betacarotene in the human blood stream may lower the risk of cancer. She examined how mineral ions affect betacarotene production. Susan, a senior at Fox Chapel Area High School, plans to pursue a career in chemical engineering. ##1000-1010## -1/25/91- (A complete list of the 40 finalists is attached. Brief descriptions of their research projects and biographies are in the accompanying white booklet. The blue booklet lists the 300 semifinalists, their addresses, schools and titles of their projects.) - more - ALABAMA Mehul Vipul Mankad, 17, 5724 Vendome Dr. S., MOBILE, Saint Paul's Episcopal School Weily Soong, 18, 2355 Tyrol P1., VESTAVIA HILLS, Vestavia Hills H.S. CALIFORNIA Rageshree Ramachandran, 15, 8541 Dominique Ct., FAIR OAKS, Rio Americano H.S., Sacramento Wei-Jen Jerry Shan, 17, 5411 Osburn P1., RIVERSIDE, John W. North H.S. Tessa Lorrell Walters, 16, 2244 Calle Margarita, SAN DIMAS, San Gabriel H.S., San Gabriel COLORADO Mark Allen Larson, 17, 4224 E. 126th Ave., THORNTON, Horizon Sr. H.S., Brighton CONNECTICUT Don H. Kim, 18, 15 Sundance Dr., COS COB, Greenwich H.S., Greenwich FLORIDA Clifford Lee Wang, 16, 515 Date Palm Rd., VERO BEACH, Vero Beach H.S. ILLINOIS Joseph Izak Seeger, 17, 1521 Greenleaf, EVANSTON, Evanston Township H.S. Irwin Lee, 16, 1006 Dakota Cir., NAPERVILLE, Naperville North H.S. IOWA Nupur Ghoshal, 17, 1310 Glendale Ave., AMES, Ames H.S. MARYLAND Joel Ellis Moore, 17, 3804 Leland St., CHEVY CHASE, St. Albans School, Washington, D.C. MICHIGAN Lori Ann Stec, 18, 95 Braemar Dr., TROY, Detroit Country Day School, Birmingham NEBRASKA Kimberly Ann Chapman, 18, 3631 S. 116th Ave., OMAHA, Marian H.S. NEW JERSEY Stanley Lu, 17, 577 Cabot Hill Rd., BRIDGEWATER, Bridgewater-Raritan H.S. West, Raritan Denis Alexandrovich Lazarev, 17, 3623 Gardenview Ter., FAIR LAWN, Elmwood Park Memorial Jr. -Sr. H.S., Elmwood Park Dean Ramsey Chung, 16, 60 Pocono Rd., MOUNTAIN LAKES, Mountain Lakes H.S., - more - NEW MEXICO Cameron Rea Haight, 17, 720 Gonzales Rd., SANTA FE, Santa Fe H.S. NEW YORK Cheryl Lynn Pederson, 18, 14 Perry Ct., ARMONK, Byram Hills H.S. Ciamac Moallemi, 15, 69-07 226th St., BAYSIDE, Benjamin N. Cardozo H.S. Nuri Mehmet Kodaman, 17, 225 Park Ln., DOUGLASTON, Townsend Harris H.S., Flushing Debby Ann Lin, 17, 41-39 Forley St., ELMHURST, Stuyvesant H.S., New York Linda Tae-Ryung Kang, 17, 35-70 168th St., FLUSHING, Stuyvesant H.S., New York Jim Way Cheung, 17, 32-38 78th St., JACKSON HEIGHTS, Bronx H.S. of Science, New York Tara Sophia Bahna-James, 17, 25 Montgomery St., NEW YORK, LaGuardia H.S. of Music and the Arts William Ching, 17, 650 W. 171 St., 5D, NEW YORK, Riverdale Country School, Bronx Petal Pearl Haynes, 18, 89-30 164 St., Apt. 4J, NEW YORK, Stuyvesant H.S. Tien-An Yang, 17, 90 La Salle St., #3A, NEW YORK, Stuyvesant H.S. Yves Jude Jeanty, 16, 145-36 115 Ave., S. OZONE PARK, Stuyvesant H.S., New York Michael John Lopez, 18, 24 Annandale Rd., STONY BROOK, Ward Melville H.S., Setauket Ani Jean-Mee Fleisig, 17, 87-44 94th St., WOODHAVEN, Townsend Harris H.S., Flushing Sunmee Louise Kim, 17, 39-60 54th St., #2R, WOODSIDE, Stuyvesant H.S., New York NORTH CAROLINA Ashley Melia Reiter, 17, 5827 Beckett Ct., CHARLOTTE, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham OHIO Jeremy Randall Riddell, 18, 3254 Ferry Rd., BELLBROOK, The Miami Valley School, Dayton PENNSYLVANIA Susan Elaine Criss, 17, 1980 Squaw Run Rd., PITTSBURGH, Fox Chapel Area H.S. TEXAS Wade William Butin, 17, 8810 Tranquil Park Dr., SPRING, Klein H.S. VIRGINIA Tatiana Tamara Schnur, 16, 6009 Lincolnwood Ct., BURKE, Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax Judson Lawrence Berkey, 17, 9123 Peabody St., MANASSAS, Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Technology, Alexandria Venkataramana Kuntimaddi Sadananda, 17, 8015 Daffodil Ct., SPRINGFIELD, Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Technology, Alexandria Daniel Moshe Skovronsky, 17, 10705 Hunters Run Ct., VIENNA, Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Technology, Alexandria

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Westinghouse Science Awards Banquet 3/4/91 [OA 6856] [4]

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