SSP MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM
Program Information
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DCYSC
2004 Award Release
"AMERICA'S TOP YOUNG SCIENTIST" CHOSEN AT 6th ANNUAL DISCOVERY CHANNEL YOUNG SCIENTIST CHALLENGE $100,000 in college scholarships and prizes awarded Silver Spring, MD -- Out of an original field of thousands of middle-school students across the United States, 14-year-old Shannon McClintock was chosen today as " America's Top Young Scientist of the Year" by a panel of judges at the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (DCYSC). Shannon, a student at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, California, was selected as the grand prize winner from an elite group of forty of the top young scientists in the nation. She won a $15,000 scholarship award. The naming of the winner took place today at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. The awards ceremony was emceed by the Discovery Channel's MythBusters, and the finalists were treated to an inspirational speech about the values of perseverance and teamwork by Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Michael Phelps. The second-place winner in the competition was 12-year-old Blake Thompson of Gainesville, Florida, and third place was awarded to 14-year-old David Westrich of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The best team in the competition won the National Park Service Explorer Team Award (Julia Fanning, San Antonio, TX; Sravya Keremane, Gainesville, FL; David Marash-Whitman, Saratoga, CA; Celine Saucier, Midland, MI; David Westrich, Cape Girardeau, MO). Other prizes included:
The winners were judged based on a composite of scores earned from oral presentations of their individual science projects, which they presented at the National Academy of Sciences and their participation in two days of "Extreme Einstein Challenges" that took place at the University of Maryland's Cole Field House. To commemorate 100 years of Einstein's physics, the team-based, interactive challenges involved all aspects of physics - from relativity and molecular motion to gravity and the photoelectric effect. The students used radar gun luges, skateboards and lasers to complete the challenges. "Albert Einstein was a young man when he made some of his most important scientific discoveries and observations. One hundred years later, the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge celebrates the pursuit of excellence and scientific inquiry of the next generation of great scientific leaders. This week, we have watched the 40 finalists tackle extreme Einstein experiments and demonstrate that they are all winners and have bright futures ahead of them. We look forward to their many achievements in the years to come," said Judith A. McHale, President & CEO of Discovery Communications, Inc. The Students "This year's finalists tested their scientific mettle over three days, in six different challenges. Most importantly, they learned the importance of teamwork and will go home to share the promise and wonder of science with others," said DCYSC Program Director Kyle O'Connor. The DCYSC will be broadcast on The Discovery Channel December 19th at 10 a.m. Satellite Coordinates for Awards Ceremony
Footage: ##### Editor's Note: Bios and Interviews with the winners
are available upon request. About the Competition The DCYSC identifies and honors America's top middle school student who demonstrates the best skills in leadership, teamwork and scientific problem solving. In addition, the ability to be an effective science communicator - a goal that reflects Discovery's philosophy that scientific knowledge is most valuable when it is communicated and shared - is a key component of the judging. More than 7,500 children have entered the DCYSC since its inception. Winners have been awarded more than $400,000 in scholarship awards, received federal government recognition and participated in science-related trips that have taken them to the far corners of the globe. About the MythBusters About Discovery Communications Society for Science & the Public administers the DCYSC. One of the most respected non-profit organizations advancing the cause of science, Society for Science & the Public has a sterling reputation for conducting high-quality competitions on the national and international level, including the Intel Science Talent Search and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Society for Science & the Public is dedicated to advancing the understanding and appreciation of science among people of all ages through publications, outreach and educational programs. The World Year of Physics 2005 is a United Nations endorsed, international celebration of physics. Events throughout the year will highlight the vitality of physics and its importance in the coming millennium, and will commemorate the pioneering contributions of Albert Einstein in 1905. Through the efforts of a worldwide collaboration of scientific societies, the World Year of Physics will bring the excitement of physics to the public and inspire a new generation of scientists. |
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